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Show J42 IWCKY l\rOUN'l'ArN SC imEHY. ion N w, as fornw rl y, thPy r c<•ivc tlt • constant flow of th st1·eams U11tt drain into thPm from Llto liiOuntains n tho •nst an<l w •st. B ut t h<• •vaporation i o rapid t ltaL Uwir dint <•nsi on are not only not inerervvd tlu• rphy, b ut are ·tl'nd ily cl irninisltiug from yt•ar to year. A r ound ntan.r of th 'S<' l akPs, as SalL Lak e, for exantplc, :just n.s aronll(1 Ute margins of the old drainet1 lakes, we ran tmel' form •r ;hore lit H' · ancl m<•n ·u n• ti t<' d<'PI'<'R ·ion of tlw watt'r l evel. :Many of tlH• e l ak l' or tit t' G reaL Basin l tavP bl't'n compl etl'l .)' dri<•d up by 'l'::tporation, and now th •ir p la<'<'f-l an• llla.rkt>cl by al kalinl' plains or "dtlL fl at·." Oth<• rs exi -t a· l ak ·s only du ring a por tion or t1 t • yt•a r, and in tit d ry. ea ·on an• rt'p rescni<'<l by het•t. or ~t )i ttl'ri tt !r HalL Ev('ll thOS(' that r •nHtin a lal · 'K ar<· l) ('('{'Ssa t·i l )' to " • sai l, a. Lh<·.v are h ut grl'at pvaporati no· pans whel'L' tlH• <l mittag<• fron t t ltP moun tait ts- whicl t alway;; contains a por tion of F:i:tlin ' maLt<•r i · co tt centmtPd by t lw i'mlt an<L wi n<l un ti l it b' 'Ottws a .·atura.tl-d .·olu tion and <kposit · it· surplus salts upon the bottottt. 'l'he Routlwrn portion of li H• gn•aL <· •ntml tabl • land th::tt wlticl t l tas bt•t•u t1<•nomi nrtl<·cl tlH• Uolora<lo P lak:w- is allllost wi llt ou t mou ntai 11 barr it>rs or loca I basins, and wP, thl' refon•, f-i n<l upon it f •w<• t· t ra('PS of' aneil'nt lak<•s, lltough till'.)' at·c• not <•nt i re ly wanting. Jt is appan•nt, ltow E• vt>r, tl tat th is l tigh pla!mu, which s!n:tchvs away f'or S<'vc•ml lll t ndr~ · d 111ilPS w •st of' tiH• Hoeky .!\ foun tain s, wa.· onee :t lwauti fttl and f'l'r!i ll' diHtl'i ct. 'I'Jw Col orado <Lmin ing tlwn, as 11 011'. 1ho W<'St<·rn rang<'R or t It<' Rocl<y l\Ioun ta.i ns, Rpn·n.ll or pr tlt l) surf'a,<'l' of' tl tis ]l lakau, <' nt·ie lting Hltd vivi fy ing all ]>arts of' i t. \V Il<•n it n·ach('(l tlt L' W<'stPrn tnargin of' t it <' tabh• land, ltowev<•r, it poun·Cl Ol't' l' a ])rpc· ipien ot· slopu o,OOO fpl'( i 11 height, into tl H• Gul f' of Ua lifo i'Jii a, whielt tlten rPae l1<•d sevpml httn dn·<L milt•s f'urthn nol'!h titan 11ow. ln ]>roct•ss of tint • llt l' powt• t· c1<' ,·elopl'd by th is ·tupPndous fall cut away th • l 'CJCk b n1•ath the 1lowi no· watn, antl form •t1 that r<'mark abl<• gorge Lo wlti ·lt I havo altWLcly ref(·n Pd. Th is gorge iR 1wal'ly 1,000 111 i i<'H in k ngtl1 ::tml from 3,000 to G,OOO f'cet in dl'pt It , and i cttt through all tlw snh·.· of' sedintentary r ock · from Ut • 'I' •diary to th l' Gmlli tl', ancl lta:; worn out tlt ~ o-r:mi te to :1 do]>tlt of from 000 to 800 ft"t. .Just in propor tion as tlt1• Colomdo dcep<'ll<'t1 it · l'ltanJt <'l , the n•g ion bol'(1ering it bPcamo mot'P <11-y, 11n til ultimately t he tlrainagl' from Lit <> mountains passl'd t ltrouglt i t, in what m:Ly be 'V<'Il tl' rnt et1 und •roToUIHL eha.nn •l s, and contributed almost notltitt o· to tlto moi ·tur of' tho sut·- n rounding country. The r eason why the wall · of tlti8 calton -tam1up in 143 F:iHCll awful pr •cip ice of' th ou ::tnds of' f'c<'t is, that th p•rcnnial flow of.' th , strea111 i dPri ved fl'om f'a1· di ·taut mountain ; almost 110 rain fhlls ·upon its bank , anc1 when any 110rt ion Of tho bordering ·Ji ff' it a~ 1 :1H L'C1 lwyoml tl u• n •::tc·h of tit ·trm m, it ·ta.nclt> aiJnost u naff>cLetl by atlll osp hn ie infht <'n ·c•s. On t it • L':t ·t of th(' Rocky 1\I oun tain;; li <• · tlt <' conn try of tho "pl ains," a 1·c•g ion Jtot unlike in it~ topogmplty to t ltu gi'l'at pl atl'all of tlw w<• ·t, b ut diJl\•rinp; itt 1lti R, tltat it is not bord ' l'<'d on tit • c>a 't by a <'Onti nuous 111oun (: tin cltnin ; tl tat i t ·lop<'H O'('Jt t ly downwanl to till· Mis:;is ·ippi, and !l tat it.s \'astern lt n. lf' .It a.· b • •n .·o well waten•<l. t lt :Lt its rall <·.vs lt av<• b •en nt adt• broad and all its topop;mpl1ical f'pat.un•s sn fl<·Iwcl down. Jn f'o ntw t· tint <'K, lt OW<'Vt' r, tit<' topograp ltiral ltnity now eonspiett Ot ts on Ute ]J iains <l i<L not exist, and tit <' surf'ave wa~\ marked by a fwri<'i:> of gn•at basins wlti ·It l'l'('l'i V<'d Ut e• flow of watL' l' from tl te Roeky Moun tain· and f'o rtn Ptl ]:ti«•H, lt•Hfi llltnt L' rOII · it is t nt <', b nt of' p; rl'atl' l' l'Xtl'nt tlt:t tl t ii.O,'(' Of lit<• fa r \\'{'st. 'l'lt l' nor t l tP rtt ll r tion of tho c•aHt<•rn pl a!Pau ltas lw<•n lk ll aytlt·n·s e lt o~<'n fiPic1 of <•xp lorati n for tn:wy years; a ti c·l<l lt' ltas w ·II Li l iPd, and f'ro111 wltielt l tP ltas obtained a l1ar ve;;t of' HC'i<•nli fic trutlt wlticlt wi ll f'onH for hi Ill an l'l tdurin o· a nd l'nviabiC' lliOilttll t<' ll L. . . i\ IIIOilg Lit • 1110st in tpn•sting ro.-earelt c•s of' lk Haycl<·n in tlli:,; n•gion, ar ti t ~ .· tu (l i<' · he ha;; ntado of tlw d<•posi ts wl tieh lmvo n.<·e ttmu lat<•tl in tlt l'HO great f'rpsll-wak r lmsiJt ·. 'l'lte sto ry Ito lta.' wri Ltc• tt or I lis <'Xp lomtions ol' t his di fit rict Ita,::; hcl'n so well allll f'nlly told tltaL 1 rdtall not a.tt<• ntpt to n·v il'w i t. ufrlc • i t to say, that Li t<' :-;eri <•s of' f'n·sll -waL<'I' ha ·inR di scort• tvtl hy Dr. l faycl<·n in tlt • ('O ttn t ry bo rdc ritt ~· t it • L'p1wr f\li;; ·oul'i ltaV<' }l t·ov('(L to b • a· ri ·h in n ~w and in t<• rpslitl"' forms of ani 111al and v('g\'lab iP li f<• as any that hrtl" b<'ll tt f'ottnd upon t l1e ear!lt' · surfarc'. Tit • l't•rtdJmt<' n•1nains coil • ·ted by D r. l ln yd<'n lwv' ll<' 1l mn>fully s!udi ·d, fully ll<•. cri becl nncl illustrated by Dr. L l'idy, and the ·plt·nditl ntonoo-mplt whi ch It • ltas p ub li ;;lt t•d of th<•se foH ·il s, for111s a ·ont ributi on to p:tl<·onto logy not '<' ·on<l in value ot· in t •rest io that mmLP by Cttri <' t' in ltis illu ·tration ·of' th foBsil · from t lto Paris basin ; 11 0 1' to that of' l•'a lconl'l' n,nc1 CauLley, de· 'l'i})tiv of th fo ·sils of' the 'ewalik ltill.· of T11 cl ia. Tit · ·carct•ly lP ·s volttminou and in L<•t'(•stii i"' col kclions of' f'ossil plants made by Dr. Haytl ·n l1av b •vn plac •tl in my hands for examination. or th ''(',the first instal ttl >nt. WCI'' described an L drawn ·onte year · ·inc• a. a coHtl'ibution to the r PporL of Colon >l \V. P. H.aynol <ls, |