some apprehension, lest the smoke might attract the notice of any Indians who should be at that time in the neighbourhood, and who might be tempted by the weakness of the party to offer some molestation. But we soon discovered a less equivocal cause of regret in the loss of our cache of provisions, blankets, clothing, &c. which had not escaped the conflagration. Most of our baggage was destroyed; but out of the ruins we collected a beggarly breakfast, which we ate, notwithstanding its meanness, with sufficient appetite. We chose a different route for the remaining part of the descent from the one taken in going up, and by that means avoided a part of the difficulty arising from the crumbled granite; but this was nearly compensated by the increased numbers of yuccas and prickly pears.

We arrived a little after noon at the boiling spring, where we indulged freely in the use of its highly aërated and exhilarating waters. In the bottom of both these springs a great number of beads and other small articles of Indian ornament were found, having unquestionably been left there as sacrifices or presents to the springs, which are regarded with a sort of veneration by the savages. Bijeau assured us he had repeatedly taken beads and other ornaments from these springs, and sold them to the same savages who had thrown them in.8

A large and much frequented road passes the springs, and enters the mountains, running to the north of the high peak. It is travelled principally [224] by the bisons, sometimes also by the Indians; who penetrate here to the Columbia.9

The men who had been left at the horse-camp about a mile below the springs, had killed several deer, and had a plentiful supply of provisions. Here the detachment dined; then mounting our horses, we proceeded towards the encampment of the main body, where we arrived a little after dark, having completed our excursion within the time prescribed.

Among the plants collected in this excursion, several appear to be undescribed. Many of them are strictly alpine, being confined to the higher parts of the mountain, above the commencement of snow.

Most of the timber which occurs on any part of the mountain is evergreen, consisting of several species of abies, among which may be enumerated the balsam fir (A. balsamea, Ph.); the hemlock, white, red, and black spruce (A. canadensis, A. alba, A. rubra, and A. nigra); the red cedar, and common juniper; and a few pines. One of these, which appears to have been hitherto unnoticed in North America, has, like the great white or Weymouth pine, five leaves in a fascicle; but in other respects there is little resemblance between them. The leaves are short and rather rigid; the sheaths which surround their bases short and lacerated; the strobiles erect, composed of large unarmed scales, being somewhat smaller than those of P. rigida, but similar in shape, and exuding a great quantity of resin. The branches, which are covered with leaves chiefly at the ends, are numerous and recurved, inclining to form a dense and large top; they are also remarkably flexile, feeling in the hand somewhat like those of the dirca palustris, L. From this circumstance, the specific name, flexilis, has been proposed for this tree; which is, in several respects, remarkably contrasted with the P. rigida. It inhabits the arid plains subjacent to the Rocky Mountains, and extends up their sides to the region of perpetual frost. The [225] fruit of the pinus flexilis is eaten by the Indians and the French hunters, as that of another species of the same genus is eaten by the inhabitants of some parts of Europe.

The creek on which the party encamped during the three days occupied in making the excursion above detailed, is called Boiling-spring creek, having one of its principal sources in the beautiful spring already described.10 It is skirted with a narrow margin of cotton-wood and willow trees; and its banks produce a small growth of rushes, on which our horses subsisted principally, while we lay encamped here. This plant, the common rush (equisetum hyemale, Ph.), found in every part of the United States, is eaten with avidity by horses, and is often met with in districts where little grass is to be had. When continued for a considerable time its use proves deleterious.

The recent track of a grizzly bear was observed near the camp; and at no great distance one of those animals was seen and shot at by one of the hunters, but not killed.

In the timber along the creek, the sparrow-hawk, mocking-bird, robin, red-head woodpecker, Lewis' woodpecker, dove, winter wren, towhe, bunting, yellow-breasted chat, and several other birds were seen.

Orbicular lizards were found about this camp, and had been once or twice before noticed near the base of the mountains.

A smoke, supposed to be that of an Indian encampment, was seen rising from a part of the mountains, at a great distance towards the north-west. It had been our constant practice, since we left the Missouri, to have sentinels stationed about all our encampments, and whenever we were not on the march by day, and until nine o'clock in the evening; it was the duty of one of the three Frenchmen to reconnoitre at a distance from camp, in every direction, and to report immediately when any thing [226] should be discovered indicating that Indians were in the vicinity. Precautions of this kind are necessary to prevent surprisal, and invariably are practised by the Indians of the west, both at their villages and on their march.

On the 14th, Lieutenant Swift returned to camp, having performed the duties on which he was sent. A base was measured near the camp, and observations taken for ascertaining the elevation of the peak.

Complete sets of observations for latitude and longitude were taken, which gave 38° 18′ 19″ north, and 105° 39′ 44″ west from Greenwich, or 28° 39′ 45″ from Washington, as the position of our camp. The bearing of the Peak from this point is north 67° west, and the distance about twenty-five miles.11

In all the prairie-dog villages we had passed small owls had been observed moving briskly about, but they had hitherto eluded all our attempts to take them. One was here caught, and on examination, found to be the species denominated coquimbo, or burrowing owl, (strix cunicularia.) This fellow-citizen of the prairie-dog, unlike its grave and recluse congeners, is of a social disposition, and does not retire from the light of the sun, but endures the strongest mid-day glare of that luminary, and is in all respects a diurnal bird. It stands high upon its legs, and flies with the rapidity of the hawk. The coquimbo owl, both in Chili and St. Domingo, agreeably to the accounts of Molina and Vieillot, digs large burrows for its habitations, and for the purposes of incubation; the former author gives us to understand that the burrow penetrates the earth to a considerable depth, whilst Vieillot informs us that in St.