28 Expedition to the 



of them, the flower is the most conspicuous and the largest 

 part of the plant, and in all, the colouring is astonishingly 

 brilliant. 



A deep blue is the prevailing colour among these flowers, 

 and the Pentstemon erianthera^ the mountain Columbine, 

 CAquilegia cosru/ea) and other plants common to less elevat- 

 ed districts, were here much more intensely coloured, than 

 in ordinary situations. 



It cannot be doubted, that the peculiar brilliancy of co- 

 louring, observed in alpine plants, inhabiting near the utmost 

 limits of phfenogamous vegetation, depends in a great mea- 

 sure on the intensity of the light transmitted from the bright 

 and unobscured atmosphere of those regions, and increased 

 by reflection from the immense impending masses of snow. 

 May the deep coerulean tint of the sky, be supposed to have 

 an influence in producing the corresponding colour, so pre- 

 valent in the flowers of these plants? 



At about two o'clock we found ourselves so much ex- 

 hausted, as to render a halt necessary. Mr. Wilson who had 

 accompanied us as a volunteer, had been left behind some 

 time since, and could not now be seen in any direction. As 

 we felt some anxiety on his account, we halted and endea- 

 voured to apprize him of our situation; but repeated calls, 

 and the discharging of the rifleman's piece produced no an- 

 swer. We therefore determined to wait some time to rest, 

 and to eat the provisions we had brought, hoping in the mean- 

 time he would overtake us. 



Here, as we were sitting at our dinner, we observed seve- 

 ral small animals, nearly of the size of the common gray 

 squirrel, but shorter and more clumsily formed. They were 

 of a dark gray colour, inclining to brown, with a short thick 

 head, and erect rounded ears. In habits and appearance, they 

 resemble the prairie dog, and are believed to be a species of 

 the same genus. The mouth of their burrow is usually placed 

 under the projection of a rock, and near these we afterwards 



