There were many of the tireless cliff-swallows
scattered all through these canyons, wheeling and darting, ever on the
wing. These, with the noisy crested jays, an occasional "camp-robber,"
the little nuthatches, the cheerful canyon wren with his rollicking
song, the happy water-ousel, "kill-deer," and road-runners and the
water birds,--ducks, geese, and mud-hens, with an occasional
crane,--made up the bird life seen in the open country and in these
upper canyons. Earlier in the season it must be a bird's paradise, for
berries and seeds would then be plentiful.
We resumed our journey at 10 A.M., a very short run bringing us to the
end of Kingfisher Canyon. The three canyons passed through approximate
hardly more than ten miles in length, different names being given for
geological reasons, as they really form only one canyon. The walls at
the end were broken down, and brilliantly tinted talus of many hues
covered the slopes, the different colours intermingling near the
bottom. The canyon-walled river turned southeast here, and continued
in this general direction for many miles, but with many twists and
turns.
We had previously been informed that Red Canyon, the next to follow,
while not considered bad when compared to others, gave one the
experience most necessary to combat the rapids farther down. It was
not without danger, however, as a review of previous expeditions
showed: some had lost their lives, still others, their boats; and one
of Major Powell's parties had upset a boat in a Red Canyon rapid.
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