360 Expedition to the 



bourhood of the mountains. Hilly and broken lands seem to 

 afford them their favourite pasture ground. 



The elk is also an inhabitant of this section, but is not to 

 be found remote from woodlands. The cabrie, wdd goat, or 

 as it is more frequently called, the antelope, abounds. It 

 associates with the buffaloe, and is one ot the most common 

 occupants of the plains, from which it retires only in quest 

 of water. 



Wolves are exceedingly numerous, particularly within the 

 immediate range of the buffaloe. Of these there are many 

 varieties, distinguishable by their shape, size and colour. 



The marmot, commonly called the prairie dog, is more 

 abundant throughout this section than any other quadruped. 

 They live in villages scattered in every direction, and thickly 

 inhabited; a single village, in some instances, occupying a 

 tract of ground three or four miles in extent. Their habita- 

 tions are burrows, three or four inches in diameter, situated 

 at the distance of fifteen or twenty paces asunder. Their 

 habits and manners, in other respects, are peculiarly inter- 

 esting. They subsist on vegetables — their flesh is similar to 

 that of the ground-hog, and their hair equally as coarse. 



The beaver, otter, mink, and muskrat, are numerous upon 

 the rivers, creeks, and rivulets issuing from the mountains, 

 and generally upon those whose vallies are supplied with 

 woodland. 



Badgers, raccoons, hares, pole-cats, porcupines, many va- 

 rieties of squirrels, panthers, wild cats, lynxes, and foxes of 

 several species, are also inhabitants of this section. Besides 

 these, the country affords a great variety and abundance of 

 reptiles and insects, both venemous and harmless. 



Of the feathered tribes, no very great variety is observa- 

 ble. The turtle dove, the jay, the barn swallow, the quail, 

 (partridge of the middle states) the owl, whip-poor-will, and 

 lark, which seem more widely distributed over the territory 

 of the United States than any other birds, are found here. 

 Several varieties of the hawk, containing some new species, 

 the bald and gray eagle, the buzzard, raven, crow, fish crow, 

 magpie, turkey, two or three varieties of the grouse, pheasant, 

 pigeon, many v;u ieties of the sparrow and fly catcher, the 

 whooping or sand-hill crane, curlieu, sand-piper, together 

 with a variety of other land and water fowls, are more or 

 less numerous in this region. It is remarkable, that birds of 

 various kinds, common to the sea coast, and seldom lound 

 far in the interior, pervade the valley of the Mississippi, to 



