[38] The results of several sets of observations gave us the position of this encampment, 38° 12′ 22″ north latitude, and 103° 46′ 15″ west longitude from Greenwich, or 26° 46′ 15″ from Washington.—James.
[39] Thomas Pennant (1726-98) was the author of British Zoölogy (London, 1766), History of Quadrupeds (1781), and other works on natural science. Those mentioned were held in high estimation, and passed through several editions.—Ed.
[40] Pike's "First Fork" is Purgatory River, as given on the map (see post, [note 47]). Eighteen miles above the mouth of the Purgatory would fix the camp of July 21-23 near Timpas Creek, which flows northeast through Las Animas and Otero counties to the Arkansas, near the present town of La Junta. The camp was, however, probably several miles farther up the Arkansas, as the party had that morning passed the Huerfano, about sixty miles above the Purgatory, and had travelled twenty-six miles during the day.—Ed.
[41] See volume xvii.—Ed.
[42] R. Tagetes, James.—Hirsute stem much branched, somewhat grooved; radical leaves subentive, spatulate, linear, or pinnatified; cauline leaves interruptedly pinnatified; the divisions irregular in form and position, but usually linear branches alternate or scattered; peduncles grooved short, few-flowered terminal; ray florets [5/8] recurved red brown; disk dark brown, receptacle columnar, but proportionably much shorter than that of R. columnaris, to which species the one under consideration is allied. Plant about twelve inches high, growing in clusters, and having, by its numerous branches and finely divided leaves, a remote resemblance to anthemis cotula.—James.
[43] This is a part of the Santa Fé trail. The trail forked at Bent's Fort, between the Purgatory and Timpas Creek, one branch ascending the Arkansas to the Huerfano, which it followed to the base of the mountains, thence running south to a pass opposite Taos, in New Mexico, some distance north of Santa Fé; the other ran southwest between Purgatory River and Timpas Creek, through the Raton Mountains of southern Colorado. For the trail east and north of Bent's Fort, and its early history, see post, [note 108].—Ed.
[44] This was the Purgatory, which they reached the day after.—Ed.
[45] Since Long's party pursued a course slightly east of south for thirty-six miles, they must have reached the Purgatory near the northern boundary of Las Animas County. Chaquaqua Creek, just above the town of Bent Cañon, is probably the one followed when the party left the main stream.—Ed.
[46] Genus Sciurus. S. Grammurus, Say.—Line-tailed squirrel. Body cinereous, more or less tinged with ferruginous; fur very coarse, much flattened, canaliculate above, plumbeous or blackish at base, then whitish or ferruginous, tip brownish; above the neck and shoulders the whitish is prevalent; from the middle of the back, the sides and the exterior surface of the legs, the ferruginous colour prevails, the terminal brown of the fur being obsolete; superior and inferior orbits of the eye white; tail moderate, whitish, fur triannulate with black, the base and tip of each hair being whitish, beneath whitish tinged with ferruginous; thumb tubercle armed; iris burnt umber; pupil black.
| Length to the origin of the tail, | 11½ | inches. |
| of the tail, | 9 | |
| —James. |