206 CALIFOR N I A. 



and eighty miles long, by from twenty to fifty miles wide. A large 

 part of this is undoubtedly barren and unproductive, and must for 

 ever remain so. The part that is deemed good soil, is under water 

 annually, not for any great length of time, yet sufficiently long to 

 make it unfit for advantageous settlement. The high prairie is 

 spoken of as being in general barren, and as affording but little good 

 pasture. 



The crops are usually ripe in June, which enables the wheat and 

 Indian corn to be gathered before the summer drought begins. There 

 is usually a rainy season of three months, but during the year of our 

 visit no rain had fallen ; and from every crop having failed, the in- 

 habitants had been living upon their cattle. The cattle suffered 

 almost as much as the crops, and large numbers of them died 

 from starvation. On this account, the inhabitants had forborne to 

 kill their cattle for hides, believing it to be a great loss to do so, as 

 the weight was so much depreciated as to pay little more than the 

 labour of slaughter and preparing for market. 



The variety of game in this country almost exceeds belief. The 

 elk may be said to predominate, but there are also many bears, black- 

 tailed deer, wolves, foxes, minks, hares, musk-rats, badgers, antelopes, 

 and ovis montana. The wolf is reported by Dr. Marsh to be the 

 same as the prairie-wolf of the Upper Mississippi, but not the one 

 described by Say. Mr. Peale in his report will probably assimi- 

 late it to the small one of Oregon, with large ears. The fox is the 

 same as the gray one of the wooded parts of the United States. 

 According to Mr. Peale, the black-tailed deer is the only species 

 found in this country. The ovis montana has been frequently seen 

 by Dr. Marsh ; its coating is altogether hair, without any admixture 

 of wool. No specimens were obtained for the Expedition. 



The badger was seen by Dr. Pickering, who attempted to capture 

 one; he found no difficulty in following it, as its movements were 

 not very rapid. After passing over some hills, it made a stand; and 

 as he approached, bristled up, but made no other threatening demon- 

 stration, and retreated backwards to its burrow. On his feigning a 

 retreat, it came again forth and exposed itself to be fired at. Dr. 

 Pickering wounded it; but not so much as to prevent its reaching 

 its burrow, and so it escaped. He was satisfied by its movements, 

 that its curiosity was the cause that led it to risk destruction. 

 This seems to be the great and all-powerful instinctive passion of 

 these wild animals, and frequently retains them within reach of the 



