near the sources of the Madison.  It is thirty yards wide at its entrance, has a very gentle current, and is navigable for some distance.  One mile above this river we passed an island, a second at the distance of six miles further, during which the river makes a considerable bend to the east.  Reuben Fields returned about noon with information that he had gone up Wisdom river till its entrance into the mountains, but could find nothing of Shannon.  We made seven miles beyond the last island, and after passing some small bayous, encamped under a few high trees on the left, at the distance of fourteen miles above Philanthropy river by water, though only six by land.  The river has in fact become so very crooked that although by means of the pole which we now use constantly we make a considerable distance, yet being obliged to follow its windings, at the end of the day, we find ourselves very little advanced on our general course.  It forms itself into small circular bends, which are so numerous that within the last fourteen miles we passed thirty-five of them, all inclining towards the right; it is however much more gentle and deep than below Wisdom river, and its general width is from thirty-five to forty-five yards.  The general appearance of the surrounding country is that of a valley five or six miles wide, enclosed between two high mountains.  The bottom is rich, with some small timber on the islands and along the river, which consists rather of underbrush, and a few cottonwood, birch, and willow-trees.  The high grounds have some scattered pine, which just relieve the general nakedness of the hills and the plain, where there is nothing except grass.  Along the bottoms we saw to-day a considerable quantity of the buffaloe clover, the sunflower, flax, green sward, thistle and several species of rye grass, some of which rise to the height of three or four feet.  There is also a grass with a soft smooth leaf which rises about three feet high, and bears its seed very much like the timothy, but it does not grow luxuriantly nor would it apparently answer so well in our meadows as that plant.  We preserved some of its seed, which are now ripe, in order to make the experiment.  Our game consisted of deer and antelope, and we saw a number of geese and ducks just beginning to fly, and some cranes.  Among the inferior animals we have an abundance of the large biting or hare fly, of which there are two species, one black, the other smaller and brown, except the head which is green.  The green or blowing flies unite with them in swarms to attack us, and seem to have relieved the eye-gnats who have now disappeared.  The musquitoes too are in large quantities, but not so troublesome as they were below.  Through the valley are scattered bogs, and some very good turf, the earth of which the mud is composed is of a white or bluish white colour, and seems to be argilaceous.  On all the three rivers, but particularly on the Philanthropy, are immense quantities of beaver, otter and muskrat.  At our camp there was an abundance of rosebushes and briars, but so little timber that we were obliged to use willow brush for fuel.  The night was again cloudy which prevented the lunar observations.