1826, OCTOBER. TOWARDS THE UMPQUA RIVER 217 



Scirjms, Typha angustifolia, and abundance of Nym/phaea advena.^ Country 

 the same as yesterday ; on the outskirts of the woods the Pyrus so common 

 on the shores of the Columbia is plentiful here. Marched sixteen miles. 

 As I walked nearly the whole of the last three days, my feet are very sore 

 from the burned stumps of the low brushwood and strong grasses. 



Saturday, 7t A.— Morning very pleasant, clear sunshine and warm during 

 the day throughout. In consequence of one of the Indians belonging to 

 the party having lost his way the night before, and his horse unable to 

 overtake us, we had to wait for him till twelve o'clock. I bargained with 

 Baptist Mackay for a skin of a very large female grizzly bear which he had 

 killed seven days before. I gave him an old small blanket and a little 

 tobacco. This was to make myself an under-robe to lie on, as I found 

 it cold, from the dew, lying on the grass. Mackay is to endeavour to kill me 

 male and female, so that I might have it in my power to measure them if 

 not to skin them. John Kennedy had this morning gone out himting two 

 hours before day, and about ten o'clock was attacked by a large male 

 grizzly bear. He was within a few yards of him before he was discovered, 

 and as he saw that it was impossible to outrun him he fired his rifle without 

 effect and instantly sprang up a small oak-tree which happened to be near 

 him. The bear caught with one paw under the right arm and the left on 

 his back. Very fortunately his clothing was not strong, or he must have 

 perished. His blanket, coat, and trousers were almost torn to pieces. 

 This species of bear cannot climb trees. A party went out in search of him 

 but could not fall in with him. Country more hiUy than that I passed 

 through on the former days, and not so rich ; limestone is seen in abun- 

 dance in the channels of several of the small rivulets. Soil poorer than 

 before and equally dry. On the summit of the low hills, in dry parched 

 soil on clayey or rocky bottoms, a species of Quercus is found in abund- 

 ance, 2 to 3 feet in diameter but seldom more than 30 to 40 feet of 

 trunk. This may prove Quercus tinctoria.^ Camped in a low woody 

 vaUey at three o'clock, having marched seven miles. 



Sunday, 8th. — Morning cool and pleasant ; day clear and warm. 

 Thermometer in the shade 82° ; much sheet lightning in the evening, wind 

 westerly. Started at nine o'clock, keeping as usual a southerly course. 

 Country more hilly and less fertile. Quercus and Fraxinus abound in the 

 valleys and Pinus on the mountains — Pinus taxifolia,^ but of diminutive 

 stature compared with what are seen on the more fertile spots of the 

 Columbia and Multnomah Kivers. No plants came to-day under my 

 notice. Camped on the side of a low hill under the shade of some oaks ; 

 marched five hours ; gained thirteen mUes. No deer killed and had the 

 last fragments cooked for supper, which gave us aU but a scanty meal. 

 Shortly after dusk one of the hunters fortunately killed one small deer, 

 which wiU serve us for breakfast. We are just living from hand to mouth. 

 All the hunters observe that the animals are very scarce and those shy in 

 consequence of the country being burned. 



1 Nv/phar advena, S. Wats. Bibl. Ind. N. Am. Bot. p. 37. 



* Querciis velutina, Sargent, Silva N. Am. viii. p. 137. 



* Psevdotsuga Douglasii, Mast, in Joum. R. Hort. Soo. xiv. p. 245. 



