388 Ex. Doc. No. 41. 



• 



road, we noticed that our horses would, frequently sink to the fet- 

 lock, and saw on the ground little piles of loose earth, like small 

 ant hills, being about 5 inches high and 10 or 12 inches in diam- 

 eter at the base, and. without any opening; they are formed by the 

 sand rats or gophers, (pseudostoma bursarius,) and although their 

 habitations cover the prairies, there are few persons I have met 

 with who have ever seen them. 



On our route we started several prairie chickens, (tetrao cupida.) 

 After a march of 11 miles we reached Stranger creek, a romantic 

 little stream of water, clear as crystal, that ripples over a pebbly 

 bottom. The banks are high and composed of rich loam that 

 nourishes immense oaks and sycamores, (platanus occidentalis.) 

 The banks were now so slippery from the rain, and so steep withal, 

 that we were necessitated to unload our wagons before we could 

 achieve the ascent. We. were soon encamped, and had our bed- 

 ding exposed to the sun to dry. We noticed a great quantity of 

 the orange colored asclepias, (asclepias tuberosa,) around which 

 gaudy butterflies were flitting. The low grounds near us were 

 covered with a prickly button-head rush, (eryingium aquaticum..) 

 the roots of which, when candied over, formed the kissing comfits 

 of Falstaff. 



The woods were skirted by a dense growth of hazel, plum trees, 

 and tangled grape vines. Here, too, we found the little quail, (or- 

 tix virginiana,) suddenly rising up from under our feet, and startling 

 us with the whizzing sound of its wings. This evening the mosqui- 

 toes were very numerous, and we lay down to be tormented by 

 these provoking pests; but few of us were able to sleep, although 

 none of us slept very comfortably last night. 



29th. — Yesterday evening, we found that the hind axletree of 

 our wagon had been split in crossing the creek; and, being fearful 

 lest we should break down at some place where good timber could 

 not be obtained, we sent out two men to procure a piece cf tim- 

 ber, and they soon brought in a fine piece of hickory, dragging it 

 into camp by the means of a " lazo" that they had affixed to it 

 and had then passed round the neck of a mule. Luckily for 

 us, there was a good carpenter in the volunteer camp, and although 

 his tools consisted only of a saw, an axe, a drawing knife, and an 

 auger, he, nevertheless, managed to fashion a very good axletree. 

 This work detained us until 1 o'clock, when we started for the 

 Kansas river, having, through the kindness of Colonel Ruff, ob- 

 tained a new teamster in place of the one who deserted last night. 



The prairie was yet what is called rolling; the flat bottoms were 

 covered with the rosin weed or polas plant, (silplicum laciniatum,) 

 whose pennate-parted leaves have their lobes extending like fingers 

 on each side of the mid rib. It is said that the planes of the leaves 

 of this plant are coincident with the plane of the meridian; but 

 those I have noticed must have been influenced by some local at- 

 traction that deranged their polarity. 



The orange colored asclepias, (A. tuberosa,) and the melan- 

 thium virginicum, a white-flowering bush, were also abundant. 



The timber on the ravines consisted of the white oak, (Q. alba,) 



