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<br />'.......lii;f~[pI( <br /> <br />36 <br /> <br />REPOHT OF AN EXPEDITION DOWN 'l'HE <br /> <br />~ ~; <br />" <br /> <br />Duriug our .h:leutiou at the l'uchlo of Zuni I was lUlfortunato]y billen by a <br />rattlesuakc (Crotalus It.-COllld,) a full account o(the effects and the treatment <br />of which I ha\.o gi\'cu in lilY medical report. This waeIL sad accident for me, <br />more particularly "llhis time, as we were just ahout commcncing the most im- <br />portant alld iuterestiug part of the eXJ~loflltion. I did not reeo\'er the use of <br />my left hum] fur lllOuth" a f1erward", I1l1d this accoouts for the small collection of <br />birds, quadrupeds, alld reptilcs procured I,y me wCot of this place, being entirely <br />depeudellt lIpOIl the exmtiolls of tho men. Oftelltimes, as I was ;iding along,. . <br />did I sce a hinl, reptile, or phlllt that [ had not beforo sccn, and WiUl unahle to <br />procure the III : a lIla.n at tlHlttill1C 1I0t being near me, I was furced to pas~ <br />UlCmby. . <br />On I""viug IIIlI'l:, and fullowing down the Rio Zuni, there is but a slight change <br />in the vegctation, eaeti alld grease-weed being a,bulldallt, amI gramma-grassesJn <br />nnmerou" I'laee"; tho trees being principally cedar. I obscn.cd ill but one <br />place a fell' poplar". (POl'"III.1 augu,'lifl/lil/,,) and near thc~e trees was a beaver- <br />dam, in which WilS growing cat-tail (TYIJ"" lalifolin;) and near here I procured <br />SOl11e interesting plants-among thell1 was n betlnt.ifnl blue eonvol\'ulus; and II. <br />small running vine with a scarlet nower, lllllch resembling that of the e}'press- <br />vinc. Tltc l.c<br/.i.. CtllI/lcl"llSis was al"o 'I"ite abundant. I found the HiTUnI'O <br />hmi./i'ons, with it. ),e,ls built undor the projecting "and.Lone rocks. The Slur- <br />1I-tlll1 Jltgleclu lI"as to he seen in dilferclltparts of the valley. <br />NCilf our lic:;1 calliI' on the Liltle Colorado there were the lodges oflhe beaver <br />(e",l("'. ,fibel") 10 I)() seen, but no ~imber. 011 the banlls. of this sLrClun were <br />growing it ~pcdc:; of swalnp-willu\\'1 (Snltr.). The grass here ".8.9 of il good <br />qualit)' . <br />Afler Icaving Camp No.5 some distance, we pll.ssed Lhe remains of a large <br />petrifwll tree, tl", woud of whic:h was ""iltized. It WIlS brollen in I'ie<:es. as if <br />by a rail, and its flJot was up-hill. Il m71~t hilve hee~ up\~ards of three feet in <br />diameter. <br />Mnch of thi" country presents a barren appearnnce, beirig covered with the <br />Obiollc C"lIt""'II~, and species uf artemisia, Fran8ttin IIcnllt/.oClll)''', and plauh of <br />this llescril'tilln. Deer, (C.macrol'is,) antelope, '(.1/. ~mcTiculla,) 111111 the black- <br />tailed hare, (1.. calloli3,) arc quite abundallt. <br />After Ica\'illg Camp No.6 about six miles, we passcd o\'er a beautiful rolling <br />prairie co\'o:rc,1 witll gnommn-grnss, and numerous large cedars, (Jllllil'tnlS,) the <br />fruit of which j:; 11)1\",;...18 of halfan inch in diam'eter. This, i;1 all problLbility, <br />Dr. Torrey will fll,d tll be a new species. Tllo,men killed a specimen of the <br />porcupine, (lI!lsl"i~' Ilnl'sula.) Thus far, I IlIlvc obsen'ed butfe\V flo\\'eJ1l or birds. <br />Nonr tlll~ fin;!. e3 iioll of this river, growing on the rocks were vnriclics of.cilcti, <br />and at tjle point w!wre we first crosscd the river were plenty ufgrajle-\'ines.( Vi/i..) <br />The \'egelatioll along thi. .trearn varies hut liltle. A. we approached the <br />Han Fl'lInci.eo ",ol1ntaill, the colton-wood (P. ",onilt(tra) hecame more abun- <br />duut; al"o scattered ccdars along diffcrent portions of the rnute. Among the <br />drift ill olle plaee.[ ..b"en'ed the remains of \Vhat appeared to me to be thc blaek- <br />",ulnul, (.1. llig'fll;) bhowing that this trce must grow either on this stream or its <br />trihutu ries. Graullna-grasscs were fonnd along different portions of the valley , <br />in sOllie places quite ahullllant. Portions of agatized wood are found abundant <br /> <br />j, <br />I <br />i' <br /> <br />~ ! <br /> <br /> <br />" ~~ ~_: ' . ;.:; ~.. <br /> <br /> <br />ZU~I AND, COLORADO RIVERS. <br /> <br />37 <br /> <br />along \'arious portious of this stream. Among the quadrupeds Cervu. lIIacro-' <br />'''' .I1nlilocapm .1R1e.-icalla, U,.SlU ferox, and the Lel'lu clo/lotis, abound. The <br />variety of birds was not great; among diem was NuLtall 's whip-poor-will, (Capri- <br />",algu. .N'lIl/allii,) of which I procurod se\'ernl specimens. The while-crowned <br />finch, Z.lelLcop/".y" was quite abundlLnt., 'Vator.bird. were more numerous. <br />procured two specimens of ibis, (1 guamanu~) <br />Leaving this river, we commenced our ascent of the Sail Fmncisco mountain. <br />In man}' places the ground was perfectly blacl, with drifle,l scoria. Pussed a <br />number of small walnut-trees, beariug a SOla IInllt, the miniature of our bla<:k- <br />warnut, which Dr. Torrey has found to be new. He calls i~ Jug/III'" Whippltaua. <br />I ~elieve it to be the same as I collected at the Painted C"mp, in 'Veslerh Texas. <br />Much of 'the ground is covered wilh fine gf<llllm".graBs allll ecda",; in other <br />places are the trees t.o ba found without the gras., I\nd I he ground covered with <br />line drilling scoria. <br />At Camp No. 15, I procmed a number of birds i among thcm wern the Plilo- <br />{OilY' TOlonstlldii, Troglodyl.s obsol,".., Sltut/llls Oftgallu, Lopl",p/lUlltS illl/nlaluS, <br />Syll'icola .illdubtmi, &c. Collected a number of grasses, and a parasite (Phoro- <br />"'ndroll) which grows here very abundantly on the cedars; also the Dalllra IIItle!. <br />Colltinued ascending the mountain. Grnss a'.mndant, and several varieties of <br />pine. Both birds and plants are more nW,lerous. <br />'Ve were ascending four d~ys, and then'commenced the descenL. This monnt- <br />Iliopresented a beautiful appearance, as the foliage of the oaks, (Quercu.,) a <br />opecie,o between the post and whiLe-oak, and the trembling aspen, (P. Irtllla- <br />loidt.,) were changing, These, intermingled with the e\'ercrreen8, such as the <br />pio~ snd cedal'll, added much to the beauty of the 8cene. There \Ve~e two vari- <br />eties of pine, (P. .dalis and P. bl"achyplera;) also a spruce the fruit of which I <br />could not obtain. <br />Tbe eu of the panther (FeI.. panlalis) was occasionally to be heard. -fhe <br />grisly bear (Ur!lU ferox) inhabits this mountain. fIere I procured specimens <br />0( ~t beautiful, large, II.nd tufted-eared squirrel, (SciUl"IIS .libcl'lii,) together wi~h <br />~new poucbed jumping rat, (Perognalhll3 Pwicilla"u;) also a specimen of thll <br />.I'ellched sand.rat, (qeoIllY' fulvl" ;) also a variety of birds- aDlong them a new <br />. Ino,," finch, (Slrlllhll8 canictps.) Amor;>g the pinls that I ob8erved \Vore the Cyo- <br />.ocpra~ palVomicu., Co,.va3 Corux, CO/'V'" .I1l11t.-iwnus, ZOllolrichia ICIlCOJJhl-Y3, <br />~,paminea, SITUlhlls OregollO, SpidUn paUi,la, Paser.cul,u Suvalllla, Cal'llo,lacu. <br />!1"1']I,.TtUS, Pyrallga ..12Ma., (a bird new to our fauna,) Picus lorqul\/IU, P. pubes- <br />:L:'~" numerous tiLB. L.phophu/I" in.,.nal'.., Paras ./lolllulIIu, Silta Carolintn- <br />",'~, S. CalifoTllicUs, and. numerous other birds. I here made a large collection <br />. "of plants_ . <br />Betweeu Camps No.. Iii and HI we pw;scd through some fine pine lilllber, inter- <br />epeneJ with oak and aspeD. In one pl"ce I [ollnd specimens of a while clover <br />.(TriJoliuPI) quite abundant. Deer abundant. <br />'~Camp No. 20, fonnd Lhe rough-barked cedar. (Jullipaus pucllydenllll,) Ilud I <br />pJOCured .pecimen! with the fruit; al50 fuund here the IIllLglley plaut, (.ilgave <br />: ,;:,' ..~a"a,) which, together with the fruit of the pine, (1'. tdulis,) affords tbe <br />\t.:l'aJ!lP'"i Indiana I large portioll of thair food. <br />!Ji:,:,:.::,,: <br />~::;;;:,? . <br /> <br />di~hllltdi:'';~1\, <br /> <br />~r.~~i,,~l"~~.l._tJji_, <br />