Rocky Mountains, 97 



the hunter, rendered abortive most of our attempts to take 

 them. 



The common partridge, (Perdix virginianus) was seen near 

 this encampment; also the dove, which had never disappear- 

 ed entirely in all the country we had passed. 



Rising at the customary hour on the morning of the 7th, 

 we perceived that a part of our horses were missing. As we 

 were apprehensive they had been stolen by Indians, a small 

 party was immediately sent to discover the route they had 

 taken. Pursuing along their path, the men overtook them at 

 the distance of two or three miles, as they were straying on 

 in search of pasture. 



On leaving our camp we endeavoured to regain the trace, 

 on which we had for several days travelled; but though we 

 spent much time in the search, and travelled several miles off 

 our course we were not able to find it. This we had occa- 

 sion to regret, as the surface of the country is mostly of a 

 loose sand, bearing tufts of wormwood, and other plants, ren- 

 dering the travelling difficult where there is no road. In or- 

 der to shun the numerous ravines which now began to occur, 

 we chose our route at some distance from the bank of the 

 river, where we found the vallies deeper and more abrupt, 

 though less frequent. 



In the course of our morning's ride of twenty miles, we 

 saw several gangs of wild horses, and with these we distin- 

 guished numbers of colts and some mules. In passing through 

 a village of prairie dogs, of which we saw great numbers, 

 Mr. Peale killed a burrowing owl. The bird, though killed 

 instantly, had fallen into one of the marmot's burrows, but 

 had luckily lodged within the reach of the arm. On open- 

 ing it, the intestines were found filled with the fragments 

 of grasshoppers' wings, and the hard parts of other insects. 

 We have never been able from examination to discover any 

 evidence, that these owls prey upon the marmots, whose 

 villages they infest. 



VOL. II. 13 



