﻿284 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  The 
  Bighorn 
  Range, 
  which 
  surrounds 
  the 
  basin 
  of 
  the 
  Bighorn 
  on 
  

   three 
  sides, 
  is 
  described 
  as 
  being 
  heavily 
  timbered, 
  while 
  the 
  country 
  

   about 
  its 
  base 
  is 
  exceptionally 
  fine 
  for 
  pasturage 
  purposes, 
  the 
  grasses 
  

   being 
  very 
  high 
  and 
  luxuriant. 
  

  

  Next 
  we 
  turn 
  to 
  that 
  great 
  area 
  marked 
  on 
  our 
  maps 
  as 
  the 
  "Great 
  

   American 
  Desert," 
  the 
  Green 
  River 
  Basin. 
  This 
  district, 
  occupying 
  

   about 
  11,000 
  square 
  miles, 
  is 
  limited 
  sharply 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  by 
  the 
  Uinta 
  

   Mountains. 
  The 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  boundary 
  is 
  ill-defined, 
  

   being 
  simply 
  a 
  broad, 
  meridional 
  swell 
  in 
  the 
  surface, 
  separating 
  the 
  

   basin 
  from 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Bear 
  River, 
  a 
  large 
  tributary 
  to 
  Great 
  Salt 
  

   Lake. 
  Following 
  this 
  divide 
  northward, 
  however, 
  it 
  is 
  seen 
  to 
  develop 
  

   into 
  high 
  ridges, 
  which, 
  still 
  farther 
  north, 
  have 
  weathered 
  into 
  mount- 
  

   ains, 
  the 
  Wyoming 
  Range. 
  The 
  basin 
  extends 
  northward 
  almost 
  to 
  a 
  

   point, 
  abutting 
  against 
  the 
  Gros 
  Ventre 
  and 
  Wind 
  River 
  Ranges, 
  the 
  

   latter 
  of 
  which 
  forms 
  a 
  well 
  defined 
  eastern 
  boundary 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  its 
  end 
  

   near 
  South 
  Pass. 
  Beyond 
  this 
  the 
  eastern 
  boundary 
  is 
  as 
  poorly 
  de- 
  

   fined 
  as 
  the 
  opposite 
  western 
  boundary, 
  the 
  land 
  rising 
  by 
  almost 
  imper- 
  

   ceptible 
  grades 
  from 
  the 
  basin 
  to 
  the 
  plateaus 
  of 
  the 
  continental 
  water- 
  

   shed, 
  above 
  mentioned. 
  

  

  The 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  great 
  area 
  is 
  slightly 
  broken 
  by 
  spurs 
  from 
  

   the 
  mountains 
  and 
  by 
  fragments 
  of 
  mesas, 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  spared 
  by 
  

   the 
  erosive 
  agencies. 
  The 
  central 
  and 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  larger 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   basin 
  is 
  unbroken, 
  save 
  by 
  long, 
  gentle 
  undulations, 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   plains 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  bluffs, 
  which 
  limit 
  the 
  valleys 
  of 
  the 
  few 
  streams 
  

   which 
  venture 
  into 
  this 
  arid 
  expanse. 
  In 
  its 
  southern 
  portion, 
  on 
  the 
  

   other 
  hand, 
  the 
  conditions 
  which 
  prevail 
  in 
  the 
  plateau 
  province 
  proper 
  

   begin 
  to 
  assert 
  themselves. 
  River 
  benches 
  and 
  bluffs 
  develop 
  into 
  cliffs, 
  

   and 
  valleys 
  change 
  to 
  canons. 
  

  

  A 
  corresponding 
  gradation 
  in 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  vegetation 
  is 
  also 
  

   plainly 
  traceable. 
  While 
  the 
  southern 
  and 
  lower 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  basin 
  are 
  

   as 
  arid 
  as 
  almost 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  American 
  Continent, 
  the 
  north- 
  

   ern 
  and 
  higher 
  parts 
  are 
  well 
  grassed 
  and 
  contain 
  comparatively 
  little 
  

   sage 
  and 
  no 
  greasewood. 
  The 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  basin, 
  however, 
  is 
  

   of 
  too 
  desert 
  a 
  character 
  to 
  be 
  burned 
  over 
  economically. 
  Those 
  parts 
  

   where 
  the 
  reverse 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  may 
  be 
  summed 
  up 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  country 
  between 
  the 
  Big 
  Sandy 
  River 
  and 
  the 
  Wind 
  River 
  Mount- 
  

   ains 
  ; 
  indeed, 
  all 
  that 
  near 
  the 
  southwestern 
  base 
  of 
  this 
  range, 
  the 
  

   southern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  basin, 
  extending 
  as 
  far 
  south 
  as 
  Lead 
  Creek, 
  with 
  

   the 
  western 
  rim 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  Fontenelle 
  Creek, 
  are 
  sufficiently 
  well 
  grassed 
  

   .to 
  burn 
  with 
  tolerable 
  freedom. 
  

  

  The 
  soil 
  of 
  the 
  basin 
  varies 
  extremely 
  in 
  different 
  parts. 
  Near 
  the 
  

   mountains 
  it 
  is, 
  in 
  all 
  cases, 
  naturally 
  gravelly, 
  coarse 
  or 
  fine 
  according 
  

   to 
  the 
  distance 
  from 
  their 
  base. 
  At 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  Wind 
  River 
  Range, 
  

   about 
  the 
  debouchure 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  branches 
  of 
  New 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  

   Green, 
  glaciers 
  have 
  in 
  former 
  time 
  brought 
  down 
  immense 
  quantities 
  of 
  

   boulders, 
  gravel 
  and 
  the 
  like, 
  which 
  now 
  cover 
  great 
  areas. 
  Farther 
  

  

  