Ex, Doc. No. 41. 439 



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Two miles beyond this pseudo coal formation we noticed a dike 

 of volcanic rock that runs parallel with the stream, is six feet in 



thickness, and is composed of various colored rock — scoriaceous in 

 appearance. Near this place we found some of the mossy cup oak, 

 (Q- olivcEformis,) 



Turkeys are very abundant^ also the red shafted flickers and 

 steuer's jay. 



The beautiful tunnel of dense foliage that w^e passed through last 

 yearj now looks sad indeed; our horses feet do not now splash in 

 the cool w^ater, and the once variegated pebbles are white with dry- 

 ness. The former beautiful foliage of the willows that. met over 

 our heads, now appears yellow, and the leaves hang as if wilted 

 by fire. Here and there some aquatic plants, hid in deep nooks, 

 still retain something of their freshness. In one place we noticed 

 a fine grove of spruce, (abies alba,) and passed several clusters of 

 mossy cup oaks. 



September 17. — We got over the rugged acclivities and declivi- 

 ties of the Raton so expeditiously, that we left our fellow travellers 

 far behind. The road we travelled over yesterday was indeed ter- 

 rible. I had wished to camp near the scene of the upset, but there 

 was no water to be had until we reached the foot of the ^^ divide'' 

 that separates the waters of the Purgatory, running north, from 

 those of the '^Rio Canadiano,''. running south. I w^as, therefore, ob- 

 liged to march to this place, which is 16 miles from our last camp- 

 ing ground. The mountain sides and fayines were covered with 

 grass that is called by the traders '^grama,^' a Spanish tei ^, which, 

 although it means grass of any kind, is here restricted to a ^arti- 

 cular kind, (athereopogon oligostachium.) This grass seems to 

 prefer a hilly country, is very hardy, and- animals seem to thrive 

 well upon it, although they do not like it at first. 



I found to-day a species of cactus near ^^ mamalaria," the fruit 

 was pyriform, one inch long, and contained small round seeds of a 

 light browh color, and was juicy and w^ell flavored. In the waters 

 of the stream we found specimens of the ^* ranunculus aquitalis," 

 also the " symphoricaspus glomeratis," and close to the water's 

 edge a species of ^' angelica." 



In the afternoon Mr. Nourse and Pilka went out to hunt turkeys 

 and deer; of the latter there are two varieties, the common deer, 

 and the black tail, (cervus macrotis.) They did not .get any, but 

 brought some beautiful specimens of the scarlet gillia, (cantua 

 longiflora,) and the blue larkspur, (delphinum azureum.) 



The country around us bears strong evidences of volcanic action; 

 the tops of the high bluffs are level, and present at their outcrops 

 pmgs a columnar structure. There are large masses and boulders 

 of scoriaceous rock scattered about through the gorges of the 

 mountains. 



The song of the blue bird, (sialia Wilsonii,) from his airy flight 

 m the clouds, tells the approaching cold weather, the robin now 

 find the cedar berries ripe, and sits in the dense foliage calling to 

 his companions to come and feast on the fruit that'the frost has sc 

 delightfully sweetened for them. 



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