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<br />REPou'r 01<' AN EXPEDITION DOWN THE
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<br />Al>outthi. ciLmp a bcautiful .pecies of phlox was growing quite abundantly.
<br />~roOl hllr~ to the "eud of Bill WilIiam.'s Fork we passed through alternate por-
<br />1I0~s. of limber and open pmiIie, the former predominating; tlie day before
<br />arrlvmg lit which, we saw lIumcrQIJS wild turkeys, (.III. tral/opavo,) Stellers' jay,
<br />(C. Slcllt1~,) Deer plent.y. 011 the edge of tho mountains the air is filled with a
<br />sweetperfulllc from Ihe }'allugia paradoxa. I here procured l\ number of BJleci-
<br />mens of plants. .
<br />On leaving Ihi. alrcaHl the limber became seo.rco and the grass dry and thin.
<br />I horo SaW apeeimens of Gamhel's partridgo, (Callillepla GtIlllbtlii) the first that
<br />I have see~ since leiLving BI Paso. Antelope, hare,nnd wolves are ahundaql,
<br />one of wlHeh was fox-colored, /lnd about the size of the Call15 lalrlllU.
<br />On the II10rning when we left Camp No, 23, at tho spot where we hailed to
<br />reslthe IIlu1c", WII procurerl a number of berries of the yellow wood, (Ber~tri5
<br />pfll"n',") which tasled Illuch lil;o the fruil of our chicken grapo; theseassisled
<br />to qlwllch (Jllr thirsl. I1ere..we again foulld the rough-barked <:edar, (J. Pachy-
<br />den"a) Fallngin )ull'lido:ra; Idao, numerous deer, antolope, rind hare. We again
<br />com~'cnced de.r;ending, passing through cedar Illld pine timber, and occasionally
<br />passIng through S"1Il0 line grllmma-grass.
<br />After lea\"ing Camp No. 24 and pas,illg over a pliLin, the IIrst port of which
<br />was covered with pinon, cedar, and yellow-wood, lhe ground becomes more bare,
<br />prnducing eneli,. Eplrcdrn ,'~lI1ericana, FranseHa, species of artemisi,a, 1'ueca agri-
<br />folia, .I1gr"'f .I1mericana, and Obio"c ca"cscflu: From this valley we "ommeoc~d
<br />8.Bcending" mount"in of 'Jllllrtz rock, un ihe top of which the 'cedars become
<br />quite tIlick; here is a portion of couutry "plllLr<,ntly withont nnimallife.
<br />At Camp No. !.!4. This night we'made olir fires of the yellow-wood, which
<br />imparts milch heatamln pcculi.tr, plea.nnt odor. On leaving this camp, which
<br />was on the edge of a large valley in which there was plenty ofgramma-grass,
<br />we "l:"in entered the dense cedar timber; on leaving this, cacti and the 'Obiollt
<br />caUl'SCf7lS nbolUul.
<br />Camp No. 25 was in a .mall Vlllley, wilh a little grass; on the eide-hills were
<br />growing cedar., yellow-wood, and Flll/llgia Pumd.xa. There were varieties of
<br />cacti, alllong which weresollle line .pecimens of mllmrnilaria. A truly miser-
<br />able conntry is this, where an insect can hnrrlly exist.
<br />Camp 26 in Ihc Illonntsina, near two small "IHinga ;the vcgetation is the ume
<br />as at the lasl call1p. I1ere I procured 11 specimen of the prairie-wolf, (Ca"i.<
<br />lalmns) which, hccuming dC'Sl'crute, rushed to the spring, and \Vas killed by one
<br />of the men with a stOlle, we having possession, porhap., of the only water in this
<br />seelion of cOllnlr.l' for nliles. Tho ravens (C. Co/'a.T) were -hovering over us
<br />whilst wo relllain,," hel'o, r:agerly watching our famished mules. Since wo len
<br />Hill 'Villiall'l"s ]o'"rI, Ihere loa,'" heen clouds seen every day, and anxiously did
<br />we watch for miu ; but this ",'eIII erla thing imp08sible, to rain in this miserable
<br />country, where C\'erj'l.hing appears to he an ellemy, and is armed wiLh Il thorn
<br />or a poisollo"s sting. Sillcv \l'e lel\ Zuiii I havo obsen'ed but fuw reptiles:
<br />tarantulos "(.111!I1:ak) abound in this section. ,.
<br />Following down a valley from here until within t\\'o miles of Zampai creek,
<br />thero was butliUle change: there we found cedars, ~ome dry gra.<6, cacti, and a.
<br />few birds; not a flower have I seen for several days:
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<br />ZUNI AND COLORADO RIVERS.
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<br />.camp No. 28, nt Yampai creek, water and grass abundant, (whst a luxury!)
<br />One cannotlLppreeiato the luxury of IL bath nntil he has beeo in the conditilln
<br />that we were in when w~ arrived at this place.' .
<br />Hero was some life-birds, qlladnlp~ds, and planta. The banks of the stream
<br />ue covered ~f a snull scrub oak, (Q Emol1lii) se'i'Crul species of willow, (Salix)
<br />over whIch .D many places were creeping grape-vines, (Vilis,) forming deoso
<br />thickets; also a fcw coUon-wood trees, several species of currants, (Ribu) arte-
<br />D.isia, Obi.~f CUIIUCflU, El'hfdra, and several varieties of cactus. I also pre-
<br />ICrvcd a Dumber of plants, Gambel's partridge, (C. GllIl\bdii) Townsend's
<br />Ptilogooys (Ptilogonys TOiOIlSClldii,) and $lrulhll5 O"~olla, &c.
<br />Mr. Le Roux, our guide, infonns me thattherp is Il small black eagle found
<br />in thi. country, but I did not get a sight of it_
<br />Following down tho valley of this creek, the water of which soon sinks aod is
<br />lost in the sand, the dense thickets are changed for scattering me.quite (Alga-
<br />robia) and a species of acacia, together with numerous cacti.
<br />From here to Camp 30, which was at the foot of the mountaiu, h.udly a blade
<br />af grass is to be .eeo. Ascending a sandy aroyo, thero WiLa to be seen occasion-
<br />ally a scauered will~w (SaHz,) mesquito (.'llgn,'obia) locust, (.1cucia,) cotton-
<br />,,'ood, (POjlll/US) hediondea., or stillkiol\' weed of the Mexicans, (Eriodiclyon)a.nd
<br />a singular low shrub, with the stcm and leaves covered with an ILdhesivo Vlll-
<br />Dish. A. we ascended the mountain, attbe foot of which wo fqund cedars (Ju-
<br />aiJ'eTU5) and thll summit ct.ered with pinons, (1'. fdulis) I .aw but ooe bird;
<br />thiB was the hermit thrush (Tlll'd.u solilarin..)
<br />At Camp 31, nn the JI1ountain~scarcely a blade of grass is '0 be found, bu t
<br />cacti, palmea., (Yucca) and rocks abound. Passing dowo the mountain, we
<br />CJ'OIl:I~d over a valley quito barren, with the exception of groase-wlled (ObioJlt
<br />,ancJCfJlJ,) Eriodiclyon, Eplltdra.lJlllfricr,"a, and n species of 1'ucea, growing up-
<br />wards of !en feot io height, having a large trunk, and branching about four or
<br />live feet above tho ground.
<br />'tVe encamped on the opposite side of this valley, at the foot of the lnowllain,
<br />.. without grass or \Vater, and gravel-stones so thick that one is unable to find a.
<br />smooth spot to spread his blankets. In ascending this mountain we IGund nu-
<br />I/.leroWl willows, covercd with grape-vinea. At the tOl' of this mountain pass
<br />we had.. view of the long-looked-for river, tho greiLt ColorlLdo of the 'Vest.
<br />Tbis was hailed witb joy by eyery one, and ~he mountains were mnde to ring
<br />...ilh their repeate.d cheers. Ou our descent I ob~erved two species of cactus
<br />thd 1 ,"avo not se6n before. 00 the banks of tll!s stream are growing willows
<br />(Sali.r) of several kind~, one of which, the 'sali:!: allgnslifolia, affords good f~d-
<br />del for the mules; they ol\clltimes, whilst on tbis stream, had nolhing olse, and
<br />,i!J, rad "'0 thought that we were doing well when we fonnd this speded of wil-
<br />1,0... ; .lw arrow-wood (Tc.,saria borca/h,) and in some places gras".'
<br />The vegeta.tion from Ihis point to the lIIolllh of the Gila, alld dO\nl the Colo-
<br />radu to t~o entraoce of the Groat Desert, varies bl1tlitlle, if allY, llCing collon-
<br />,..9<>d.(PoplllnJ augul!i/olia and P. 1II0nilllera,) Iflcsqllite (.-llglircb;II :;llIlIdnlosa)
<br />"'. !illa rtflligbt'pod and sweet pulp, and tho mesquite (Prosopis o'/Ol'ala) with a
<br />. ~ pod,.~\"Cral s(lecics of WillOIV, (SalioT,) arrow-wood (Tuaria bol'taJi5,) II.
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