Ex. Doc. No. 41. 405 



1 4-5 inches in depth; tail covered with short hair, a little less 

 in length than one half the length of the body; body about 6 inches 

 in length. The pouch is covered with short white hair, and capa- 

 ble of being turned inside out. This, I think, was a young one; 

 hence the slight differences in the size and the color of its legs, and 

 "the tail being covered with hair. 



Captain Turner, of the 1st dragoons, brought me a (ortygometra 

 carolinus;) these birds are in plenty along the Arkansas bottom; 

 this one was caught after a short chase, for it flew a short distance 

 only, when it appeared to be too much fatigued, or too much 

 bewildered to rise again. 



Of the plants that occur between the Arkansas crossing and 

 Bent's fort, I cannot do better than refer to the list appended to 

 this report, in which they are arranged in the family to which 

 they belong, and the locality mentioned in which they were 

 obtained. 



As one approaches Eent's fort, he meets with many varieties of 

 artemisia, with the obione canescens, and a plant which is ex- 

 tremely useful to the Mexicans as a substitute for soap, by them 

 called the palmillo, by us Adams needle, or Spanish bayonet; its 

 botanical name is the yucca angustifolia. We also have the 

 prairie gourd, (cucumis perennis;) that is abundant also from Bent's 

 fort to Santa Fe. We have .the bartonia, several varieties of 

 solanas, several varieties of cenothera, the martynia, the cleome, 

 the salicornia, ipomea, and erigonums. Amongst the trees, several 

 varieties of, populus; amongst which are the populus canadensis 

 and p. monolifera; several varieties of salix, and the plum and 

 cherry. 



Amongst the animals, we have the panther, (felis concolor;) the 

 wild cat, (felis rufa;) the white wolf, (canis nubilus;) the prairie, 

 wolf, (canis latrans;) the silver-grey fox, (canis cinerea argentus;) 

 and the prairie fox, (canis velox;) prairie dog, (arctomys ludo- 

 viciana;) the gopher, (pseudostoma brissarius;) the antelope, (dicra- 

 nocerus furcifer;) the grey bear, (ursus ferox;) also a species of 

 vespertitia and species of ground-squirrel; it is said that there are 

 three different varieties. Along the Arkansas, where there is suffi- 

 cient cover, one finds the red deer, (cevus virgin.,) one also finds 

 the badger, (taxus labradoricus;) and the polecat, (mephitis 

 Amer.) The Indians at the fort showed me a racoon (procyon 

 lotor) skin, they said had been obtained in the neighborhood. 



Amongst the birds, the turkey vulture, (cathartes atra;) wild 

 turkey, (meleagris gallipavo;) quail, (ortix virgina;) red-headed 

 woodpecker, (picus erythrocephalus;) meadow lark, (sturnella 

 ludoviciana;) night hawk, (chorodeiles virgins;) cow-birds, (molo- 

 thrus pecoris;) dove, (ectopistes carolin;) flickers, (picus au- 

 ratus;) raven, (corvus corone;) and the railtailed buzzard, (batco 

 borealis.) There has also been found on the Arkansas, within 

 eight miles of Bent's fort, a singular and but little known bird, 

 called the pasana, (geococyx viaticus.) 



