CALIFORNIA. 193 



their former visit, the country, if possible, appeared more arid ; it by 

 no means justified the high encomiums that we had heard bestowed 

 upon this far-famed valley. Our expectations probably had been so 

 much raised as scarcely to allow us to give it that credit it really 

 deserves. 



The valley of the Sacramento may include a space of one hundred 

 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 inundated 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 inhabi- 

 tants 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, minxs, 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 assimilate 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 demonstration, 

 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 



vol. v. R 25 



