volume v, note 21. For the Iowa, see Brackenridge's _Journal_,

in our volume vi, note 13.--ED.

[125] Changes in the river have obliterated the channel here called the Cut-Off.--ED.

[126] The coal-fields of Missouri have an area of about twenty-six thousand square miles; a line drawn southwest from the mouth of the Des Moines River to Vernon County roughly bounds the district. Northwest of this line every county contains coal, and there are outlying patches on the southeast.--ED.

[127] Arrow Rock (the Pièrre à flèche of early French explorers) stands on the west side of the river, in Saline County. The first settlements in the county were made in the neighboring bottoms, and the earliest ferry west of Franklin crossed the river at this point. The rock gave its name to a town founded in 1829, which for a time was the county seat and an important shipping point.--ED.

[128] Le Mine (Lamine, or La Mine) River empties into the Missouri seven miles above Booneville, Cooper County. Renaudière named the stream Rivière à la Mine, in 1723. It is about a hundred and thirty miles long. Salt Fork, here called "saline fork," the principal tributary, crosses Saline county roughly parallel with the Missouri.--ED.

[129] In 1720 Philip Renault, director-general of mines of the French colonies in America, sent prospecting parties from Fort Chartres, into Missouri and Arkansas, to seek gold and silver. These curious "diggings" are by some supposed to have been made by his men. Charles Lockhart, mentioned in the text, employed a number of men in 1819 in digging over some of these old pits, but without making any important discoveries.--ED.

[130] Grand Pass received its name from the fact that the Osage trace, connecting farther west with the Santa Fé trail, here followed the narrow divide between Salt Fork and the Missouri bottom. This "pass" is about a mile and a half long, and in one place so narrow that a stone can be thrown across. A hotel was built here in 1835, and a small village now occupies the spot. For a short time during a flood in 1875, part of the water of Salt Fork flowed across the divide.--ED.

[131] The entire courses of both the Tabeau and Little Tabeau are within Lafayette County. The mouth of the larger is near the boundary between Ray and Carroll counties. The name is sometimes erroneously spelled Tabo and Tebo.--ED.

[132] For derivation of this name, see Brackenridge's _Journal_, in our volume vi, note 14.--ED.

[133] This stream debouches at the boundary between Jackson and Lafayette counties, south of the Missouri. Its name is usually shortened to Fire Creek. Lewis and Clark applied the name Fire Prairie Creek to a stream which entered from the north. No stream nearer than Clear Creek, or Fishing Creek, five miles above Fire Creek, answers their description.--ED.

[134] A variety of this species, the Cervus Virginianus, three specimens of which occurred at Engineer cantonment, had all the feet white near the hoofs, and extending to them on the hind part from a little above the spurious hoofs. This white extremity was divided upon the sides of the foot by the general colour of the leg, which extended down near to the hoof, leaving a white triangle in front, of which the point was elevated rather higher than the spurious hoofs. The black mark upon the lower lip, rather behind the middle of the sides, was strongly noted--

ft. in. Total length, exclusive of hair, at tip of tail 5 4-3/4 Ear, from the upper part of the head 0 6-1/2 Tail, from lateral base, exclusive of the hair 0 9-1/2 Hind foot, from tip of os calcus to tip of toe 1 6-1/4 Fore arm 1 11-7/8 Weight, in February, 115lbs.

This species, common as it is, was never figured, nor indeed very well described, until the year 1819, when it appeared in the valuable work of Messrs. Geoffroy and F. Cuvier (Hist. Nat. des Mammiferes, 2d liv.) Its highest northern range is Canada, in North America; and it is found as far south as the river Orinoco, in South America.

This species is leanest in February and March, and in best condition in October and November. The rutting season commences in November, and continues about one month, ceasing generally about the middle of December. During this season the neck of the male becomes much dilated.

The fawn, towards autumn, loses its spots; and the hair becomes grayish, and lengthens in the winter. In this state the deer is said by the hunters to be _in the gray_. This coat is shed in the latter part of May and beginning of June, and is then substituted by the reddish coat. In this state the animal is said to be _in the red_. Towards the last of August the old bucks begin to change to the dark bluish colour; the doe commences this change a week or two later. In this state they are said to be _in the blue_. This coat gradually lengthens until it comes again to the _gray_. The skin is said to be toughest in the _red_, thickest in the _blue_, and thinnest in the _gray_. The blue skin is most valuable.

The horns are cast in January. They lose the velvet the last of September and beginning of October. About the middle of March, Mr. Peale shot a large doe, in the matrix of which were three perfectly formed young, of the size of a rabbit.--JAMES.

[135] This rifle regiment, under Colonel Talbot Chambers, was a contingent of the troops assigned to the Yellowstone expedition. See preface.--ED.

[136] Fort Osage was surrounded by a tract six miles square. It was the only government trading factory west of the Mississippi. The post was occupied at intervals until 1827, when it was superseded by Fort Leavenworth and permanently abandoned. The site was near that of the present town of Sibley, Jackson County, which was named in honor of George C. Sibley (see volume v of our series, note 36), who was (1818-25) government agent at Fort Osage. The distance above Chariton River, by the government survey of the Missouri, is a hundred and twenty miles. See our