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30 Aug 19th - Still remain in camp Obtained two Nuttale's [[strikethrough]] nighthawks [[/strikethrough]] [[insertion]] whippoorwills [[/insertion]] which I preserved. It rained sharply during the latter part of the night & the morning The valley in which the camp is is surrounded by perpendicular trap cliffs 20 to 60 ft. high which appear to have been worn by water at some former period. The rock is cut into columns & grotesque forms. The valley is now from 1/2 to 3 miles wide, & the cliffs become lower as we go eastward - The basalt is in two layers the lower horizontal & slaty the upper in blocks & columns- Aug 20th Proceeded northward about 16 miles & encamped by the "Wenass" river. Crossed on the way two others branches of the Yakima, all very similar in size & appearance to the last described - The vegetation on all is similar consisting of poplar & birch trees, Alder, hazel, cherry rose-shrubs - Clematis vines & a few herbs now flowering - Noticed nothing new on the way in the Animal Dept. Between the 2nd River & the camp found a range of rounded hills consisting of volcanic sand gravel & ashes in stratified layers much resembling the old deposit of a river but with no appearance of fossils - The materials were more or less solidified - [[end page]] [[start page]] 31 [[underlined]] Wenass River [[/underlined]] Aug 27th Remaining at the camp of 20th Lieut. Hodges went on the 22nd to Pugets Sound for provisions taking the escort - 23rd Capt. Mc.C. left with Mr Winter 2 men & 2 pack mules to explore the vicinity of Mt- Rainier 24th Lieut. Duncan & Mr. Giddings with 4 men went to explore to the northwest- 25th Mr Gibbs started with a man to explore the Yakima river lower. The weather through the week has been excessively hot the thermometer rising to 101° in the shade, falling at night to as low as 48° - I have walked & rode about this valley & the hills adjoining every day but obtained no animals except a few snakes. The Rhus diversiloba grows abundantly in this valley & has poisoned many of the party including myself, causing a very troublesome itching eruption. In California a kind of nightshade (Solanum) is used to cure this eruption. An Opuntia similar to Q. vulgaris but with spines 1 inch long & smaller leaves & flowers grows about this region. It is now past flowering but the fruit is not ripe. Noticed several magpies lately -
