Rocky Mountains. 351 



greater abundance of rocks, — stones lie in greater profusion 

 upon the surface, — and the soil becomes more sterile. If, to 

 the characteristics above intimated we add that of an almost 

 complete destitution of woodland, (for not more than one 

 thousandth part of the section can be said to possess a tim- 

 ber growth,) we shall have a pretty correct idea of the ge- 

 neral aspect of the country. 



The insulated tracts herein alluded to as table lands, are 

 scattered throughout the section, and give to the country a 

 very striking and wonderful appearance. They rise from six 

 to eight hundred feet above the common level, and are sur- 

 rounded, in many instances, by rugged slopes, and perpen- 

 dicular precipices, rendering their summits almost inaccessi- 

 ble. — Many of them are in this manner completely insulat- 

 ed, while others are connected with the plains below, by gen- 

 tle acclivities leading from their bases to their summits, up- 

 on one side or other of the eminence. These tracts, as be- 

 fore intimated, are more numerous, but less extensive in the 

 vicinity of the Rocky Mountains, than they are, further east- 

 ward; — and in the former situation they are more strikingly 

 characterized by the marks above specified, than in the latter. 



The geological formations that present themselves along 

 the declivities of these heights, are principally horizontal stra- 

 ta of secondary sandstone and breccia or pudding stone, al- 

 ternating with each other. Clinkstone prevails upon the sur- 

 face of them in many places, but in general the superior stra- 

 ta are rocks, of the description just before mentioned. These 

 tracts are denominated tabular, not from any flatness of sur- 

 face by which they are characterized, but from their ap- 

 pearance at a distant view, and from the horizontal disposi- 

 tion of the stratifications imbedded in them. Their surfaces 

 are usually waving, and in some instances rise into knobs and 

 ridges, several hundred feet high. Many of them are clad 

 in a scrubby timber growth of pitch pine, red cedar, scrubby 

 oaks, &c. while others exhibit a bald or prairie surface. 



By far the greater proportion of this section of country is 

 characterized by a rolling and plain surface, which may be 

 alleged, not only of the space included within the limits first 

 assigned, but of extensive portions of country north and south 

 of it- Although the elevated table lands, a description of 

 which has just been given, are situated within this region, 

 they occupy but a small proportion of it. In addition to these 

 inequalities in the surface of the country, there are numer- 

 ous mounds or knobs of various magnitudes, and occasional 



