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<br />REPORT OF AN EXPEDITION DOWN THB
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<br />I al80 l,rocuredhere a fine species of .11;u5, (.11. /ongicaudaItU,) deseribod by-
<br />Major LeConte in the Annals of the New York LY,ceum of Natural History,-
<br />'fol. 4, p. 155,1'1. 9.
<br />Frequenlly did I find in the road that disaj.{reellble-Iooking objeelknown to tbe.
<br />Mexicans as the vinagron, (TtleJlhonis gig"ntelu,) and by them much dreaded.
<br />From EI Paso, passing up the Rio Grande, aloog which stream the vegetation
<br />alters but little, thc timber b,eing principally cotton.wood, (POJlU/U5 monilifera,)
<br />tho mezquit (.I1lgorobia) extending III' IL8 far IlS tho Jomada del Muerto,lhe
<br />creosoto plant, (I.aITea .}IIexicana,) grease-weed, (Dblolle cant.lc~ns,) Fallugil1
<br />paradoxa, aJlll various spccies of artemisia and ~lIcca, are found growing along"
<br />the barren hills extremely abundant. There were but few flowers to collect. I
<br />addetl to illY collcctions numerous hirds and reptiles along this stream and during.
<br />our detenLion at Santa Fo!.
<br />On ",rednesd.y, August 15lh, 1851, we commenced our western march from
<br />Santa Fc, following the valley of tho Hio Santa Fe a number of miles, and then
<br />crossing a dry, arid, gravelly plain to the Galcsteo creek, the valley of which we
<br />followed a number of miles. From there we passed over to the Rio Grande, at
<br />the puehlo of San Domingo. But little of interest is presented thus far, the
<br />country for the most part being 'Illite barren, gramma-grass (Bolllclorea) being
<br />fOllnd in ",:c36i"nal patches, 8everalspecies of O)lll,,'in, also Epllt(h.a, the Fremon-
<br />tib unniwluris, &.c. From here tho valley oftheItio Del Norte, a. far a. Albu-
<br />querqut1, present. hut little change in regard t.o vegetation, with the exception of
<br />a few tiCalterlld COllllll-wood trees, (P. mOlli/Vera,) or occllsionally a few cedars,
<br />(hni/,e,.us.) The graHS in many places was plellty, and of ' good quality.
<br />Along this river I ol"erved numerous water-birds, such as 'the great and Iillle
<br />yellow-shunk lallier, (TolaullS lIIetllllo/wCUS nnd T.j1avi/Jes,) the little sand-piper,
<br />(Trillga pn.illlI an.1 T. Scllinti,) n nelv species of curIew, (Nwnwills accidelllalis,)
<br />coots, (filliw .'IIIIn-i",,,,,) a vpcet, (Recu,,:i,'ostra .I1meriwna,) brant, (Bernie/II
<br />b,.w/a,) dllck;;, III" lIanl, (..1uas Doscha5,) blue-winged teal, (Pterocyanea coer,,-
<br />leala,) shovcllcr, (Splltll/n elweala,) white pelic-,iIl, (Pelua1\lu rrnchyrliyndtus,)
<br />besides several varieties of I'and birds, finches, &.e.
<br />Crossing the river atthnt 1,lace, and pursuing a western ~ourse, ascending a
<br />number of miles over a san,ly, baTTen road, we came to Il plain; from this we
<br />rapidly desccnde,1 to tl", Rio ruerco, having passed over a harren waste, upon
<br />which little was grm"illg excepting grease-weed, (Dbiolle CIInesccns,) F'.R1I~eria
<br />acall/llOcurpa, or l'nba lid supa of the lIIexicans, several specie. of artemisia, and
<br />Il few cacti. At this slren"m, which waS noW dry, there were a few scattered
<br />Ced(lf;i and colton-woods. '*
<br />Passing frulll here to the pueblo of Laguna, over Ii diver.ified country, with
<br />occasion,i1ly [.Iellty of gramma-gra.s, (Bou/dorea,) and on the hill. numerous
<br />ced" rs; binls nll,l ~lIadrupcds were ,'ery scarce; now and tben an occasional
<br />reptile was tn be "",n. I [ere we encamped a few clay., and near by there i.
<br />grow iug a "pecies of s<,mb oak, (Qlltrcll.1 Ellloryii,) also numerous cedars, (Jllni-
<br />lit"",) Ahuut Acoma 1 fOlln,1 ~(lecimens of the Dahl,'a .1lIetc/. There wcre
<br />quill' a nuwh",. of l,i.-d6 Illllong the cedars, among them the California 'jIlY,
<br />(CY'''IClCO'/"((x C"!t('...,;C\lS;) in tho lakn, in the vicinity of camp, there is quite a
<br />variely of water-fuwl.
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<br />ZUfll AND OOLORADO RIVERS.
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<br />Following the valley of the Riu Lllguua, along which I collected Il variety of
<br />grallSe. and flowers, I also procured a specimen of the Virginia rail, (Rallu5 Vir.
<br />giniamu.) From the head of this stream we iUlcended the Zuiii mountain, which
<br />is here covered with cedars (Jlmiperu5) and pinon., (PiIlU5 e.hllis.) We en-
<br />campcd on this mOllntain, at the'Vinow Spriog, (Ojo de I" Jon-a,) a most
<br />beautiful spot; an abuf!dance of fine' green grnmlll:l-gra""e. (Boutc/orea and
<br />Cl<olldrosilun,) with high hills on either sido, every tiling looking frcsh a.nd green,
<br />so different from any portion of countr)' th.;:t we had been in r..lT months. This
<br />portion of country, and for ,~iles back, w~uld bo of e>:eeedinJJ' intere.t to a
<br />geologisl.' " . "
<br />Here were three varieties of piuellodtwo of oak j al90 a rough-barked cedar,
<br />(Julllperu, IJ~Ilydenna,) a new species which Dr. Torry has just described., I
<br />Ta;'ade collections of several nrietiea of beautiful flowers; among thom was the
<br />Gilia elegan,. Here :llso were to be seen a number of birds: Tymllnula Sayi,
<br />Cynllacorax Calijorllicus, C. Stelltri, several chicadee6, and tho western blue-
<br />bird (Sialia occidelltalis.) The C. Ca(ifurnicus were numerous, and leeding upon
<br />Lbe outs of the piuon, (P. edulis) and were exceedingly wili!. Paru5 monta,..u
<br />and other chicadees were '1uite numerou..
<br />The view on leaving the timber of this mountain wan exceedingly beautiful.
<br />In front, was an open plain,' upon which were feeding numerous herds of ante-
<br />lope, (.I1nI1'ocal',.a .I1l1lericana.)
<br />I have obsened throughout New !\Iexico the Hil'undo/llllif,-olls, H. bic%r, and
<br />Fringi/la gralllinea, very "abundant ; also, on ~he pmries, the Dtocori5 ul"Ven.!is.
<br />Encalliped at th.e Inscription Rock, a singular sand.tone lIIesa about twu hun-
<br />dred and fiflyfeet high. Here I observcd Il new .Wil\, of which, however, I was
<br />unable to secure a specimen"; but I was close enough tu become well Ilcquainted
<br />with it; 1 propo.e for it the name of the Rock swill, (.iCOlllhyli5 5a.ralilis.) 1
<br />here procured a number of plants i tho pinon and cedar grow aboutthe.e roclts.
<br />Between the Inscription Rock and the Ojo Pescado tbo country is almost bar-
<br />ren, ,tbere being little el.e but grea.e-weed, (Obio'" ca",seens,) and occasionally
<br />a little grllS8. This sprillg i. the head of the Rill '-:ulli, and about it there is an
<br />abundance of grass, but few flowers.
<br />About five miles frolll the pueblo of Zuili there i. 11 larg~ sprillg, in which the
<br />Siredon lichenollles is quite abulldant. The valley from here to the plleblo i.
<br />cultivated by the Indians. About this creek I collected a numher of bi;.d.,
<br />among which Were the willet, (7'0IallIl3 semijlalllla/Ils,) blue-wioged toal, (p/cro-
<br />cyanea cfZI"uleuta) groell-wingcd teal, (Q. Caroli"w;i,) great nnd lesser yellow-
<br />.bank snipe, (1' melallol.ueu,nnd 1'.j1avil'u) Schi,,~', nnd the littlo .and-piper,
<br />(T.-illgo Schillzii Slid 1'. Pllsi/la) .allll-hill craoes, (Orlls Canadensis) andthe.'J,.-
<br />.lea flcrodi,u. Amollg the land hird. were the Tyr'lIIl1l1/a Sayi, the mountain
<br />mocking-bird,(.UimIl5 lIlolllollllS,) and .everal vuietie. of finches; anlong them
<br />Zoua h-ichia Dltllldingi(luut Z. g1'umiuf"&, P. Sdlla"llUa. S. palliJa, S. aJUotnrl. &c.
<br />The flitogollY' TOIVIISClHlii nild the Icf<ria dri.lis were quite nbundnnt.
<br />I also rrocured a number of reptiles, one of which provod to be new, and Ius
<br />been dcscrib,'d Ly Dr. \Iallowellnnder Lhe name J'itycloJds <titi"i,. I Illso added
<br />Jnan)' specimcns of plants to my colkction.
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