496 



Ex. Doc. No. 41. 



i 



height, and still farther west, some 20 or 25 miles distant, rise still 



lofiier peViks, to the height of 3 or 4,000 feet, their tops covered 

 with snow. The midday sun is quite hot, notwithstanding our 

 vicinity to snow-capped mountains, and notwithstan^iiog the severe 

 frosts which nightly cover the ground, making the mornings bitter 



cold. 



The'rocks that strew our road are volcaric, a vesicular stone of 



dark purple color and hard as adamant. 



We had a very long, steep, and sandy hill to climb this morning 

 just as we ItTt ''Joyita," and we were stopped by another. It 

 would be advisable for any one travelling with wagons to cross at 

 Albuquerque, and keep down the river on the west side until reach- 

 ing; Valveide, where, I have been informed, the crossing is very 



good. 



We noticed to-day numbers of the red-winged flickers, " Picus 

 Mexicanus," and the meadow lark, ^* sturnella neglecta;'' the latter 

 bird was whistling as cheerfully as if it had no idea of the approach 



of cold winter. " 



J^ovemher 10. — The severe frost of last night made a good fire 

 very desirable, and the abundance of cotton wood all around our 

 carup made the attainment of this desirable object very easy; the 

 sound of our axes resounded through the groves, the men gaming, 

 by their labor, warmth and wood, and soon a mountain heap of 

 dry logs was crackling in the flames. We now despatch our break- 

 fast, strike tents, and clamber over the hill that overlooks Socorro; 

 descending this hill, we encamped on the west side of a little 

 *^ bayou," having gone only 1^ mile. On the road we flushed 

 several large flocks of quails. They happened to be at the foot of 

 ^ high, perpendicular bank, when they rose up on wing until they 

 reached the top, and then, alighting, scampered off w^ith great ra- 

 pidity. They had crests on their heads, and differed in color from 

 the quail of the United Slates. 



We encamped within sight of the train belonging to Mr. Mc- 

 Goflfin; there were forty large Conestoga wagons in this train and a 

 ^ue proportion of men. 



To-day we saw some Mexicans hoeing in wheat. It required 15 

 men a whole day to accomplish what could .have been done by a 

 **burro" attached to a harrow, in a few hours. 



In the afternoon I went out to procure some of the quails we 

 •noticed this morning, but could not find any of them. I, however, 

 got some of the spiral pericarps of the '• pro^opis odorata,'' or, as 

 it is named by the Mexicans, the '^ tornilla;" also the mistletoe 

 that grows so abundantly upon the cotton wood, and is called, 

 **bayoie del alamo." The cockle burr ^and sand burr are very 

 abundant, so much so, as to annoy us by sticking fast to our clolb- 



ing and blankets; and our mules got their manes and tails so clogg<^<l 

 as to be but masses of cockle burrs. / 



Jfovember 11. — This morning we started off in hopes of being 

 able to cross the river and go down on the opposite side. At two 

 of the fords we could not have crossed without getting our provi- 

 sions and bedding wet. At last we found a good crossing a short 



t 



