298 ASSINNIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN EXPEDITION. 



devastating ravages of the Egyptian scourges, as it 

 seemed to bring us face to face with one of the most 

 striking and wonderful exhibitions of Almighty power 

 in the creation and sustenance of this infinite army of 

 insects. 



In the evening, when the grasshoppers were resting 

 from their long journeys, or in the morning, when feed- 

 ing on the grass leaves, they rose in clouds around us as 

 we marched through the prairie ; if a strong wind blew 

 they became very troublesome, Hying with force against 

 our faces, in the nostrils and eyes of the horses, and 

 filling every crevice in the carts. But fortunately, com- 

 paratively few flew on a windy day, otherwise it would 

 have been almost impossible to have made headway 

 against such an infinite host in rapid motion before the 

 wind, although composed individually of such insignifi- 

 cant members. 



Those portions of the prairie which had been visited 

 by the grasshoppers wore a curious appearance ; the 

 grass was cut uniformly to one inch from the ground, 

 and the whole surface was covered with the small, round, 

 green exuvias of these destructive invaders. 



The valley of the Souris, along which we travelled 

 during the day, varies from one quarter to one mile 

 broad ; the river is not more than twenty-five feet across, 

 and very shallow. It flows through a rich open meadow, 

 twenty to thirty-five feet below the general level of the 

 prairie, which on either hand is undulating, treeless, 

 covered with short stunted grass, and showing abundance 

 of last year's bois de vache. The first fresh buffalo 

 tracks were seen to-clay, and while taking observations 

 for latitude, tracks of a different character and greater 

 significance were discovered by one of the half-breeds ; 

 the fresh print of horses' feet, pronounced to be a few 



