he was also prominent as a yachtsman, competing for the America cup (see Yachting) in 1893 and 1895.
WYNN, SIR JOHN (1553–1627), Welsh antiquary, was the son of Morris Wynn and descended from the princes of Wales. He was educated at Oxford, succeeded to his father’s estate of Gwydir in Carnarvonshire in 1580, and was member of parliament for this county in 1586. In 1606 he was made a knight and in 1611 a baronet. He was interested in several mining ventures and also found time for antiquarian studies. He died on the 1st of March 1627. At Llanrwst Wynn founded an hospital and endowed a school. His History of the Gwydir Family, which had a great reputation in North Wales, was first published by Daines Barrington in 1770, and in 1878 an edition was published at Oswestry. It is valuable as the only work which describes the state of society in North Wales in the 15th and the earlier part of the 16th century. His son Richard (d. 1649) was in attendance on Prince Charles, afterwards Charles I., when he visited Spain in 1623, and was afterwards treasurer to Queen Henrietta Maria; he wrote an account of the journey to Spain, published by T. Hearne in 1729 with the Historia vitae et regni Ricardi II. He built the bridge over the Conway at Llanrwst. The baronetcy became extinct in 1719, when Wynnstay, near Ruabon, passed to Sir Watkin Williams, who took the name of Williams-Wynn and founded the family of that name.
Sir John Wynn’s estate of Gwydir came to the 1st duke of Ancaster in the 17th century by his marriage with the heiress of the Wynns. On the death of the last duke in 1779, Gwydir was inherited by his sister Priscilla, Lady Willoughby de Eresby in her own right, whose husband was created Baron Gwydir. On the death of Alberic, Lord Willoughby de Eresby (1870), this title (now merged in that of earl of Ancaster) fell into abeyance between his two daughters, while that of Baron Gwydir passed to his cousin and heir male. Gwydir itself was sold by the earl of Ancaster in 1895, the house and part of the estate being bought by Earl Carrington, who also claimed descent from Sir John Wynn.
WYNTOUN, ANDREW OF (?1350–?1420), author of a long metrical history of Scotland, called the Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland, was a canon regular of St Andrews, and prior of St Serf’s in Lochleven. He wrote the Chronicle at the request of his patron, Sir John of Wemyss, whose representative, Mr Erskine Wemyss of Wemyss Castle, Fifeshire, possesses the oldest extant MS. of the work. The subject is the history of Scotland from the mythical period (hence the epithet “original”) down to the accession of James I. in 1406. The earlier books are of no historical value, but the later have in all outstanding matters stood the test of comparison with contemporary records. The philological interest is great, for few works of this date, and no other of like magnitude, are extant in the vernacular.
The text is preserved in eight MSS., of which three are in the British Museum, the Royal (17 D xx.), the Cottonian (Nero D. xi.) and the Lansdowne (197); two in the Advocates' library, Edinburgh (19, 2, 3 and 19, 2, 4), one at Wemyss Castle (u.s.); one in the university library at St Andrews, and one, formerly in the possession of the Boswells of Auchinleck, now the property of Mr John Ferguson, Duns, Berwickshire. The first edition of the Chronicle (based on the Royal MS.) was published by David Macpherson in 1795; the second by David Laing, in the series of “Scottish Historians” (Edin., 1872). Both are superseded by the elaborate edition by Mr Amours for the Scottish Text Society (1906).
WYOMING, one of the Central Western states of the United States of America, situated between the parallels of latitude 41° and 45° N., and the meridians of longitude 27° and 34° W. of Washington. It is bounded on the N. by Montana on the E. by S. Dakota and Nebraska, on the S. by Colorado and Utah, and on the W. by Utah, Idaho, and a small southward projection of Montana. The state has a length of about 375 m. E. and W. along its southern border and a breadth of 276 m. N. and S. It has an area of 97,914 sq. m., of which 320 sq. m. are water surface.
Physical Features.—The greater portion of the state belongs to the Great Plains Province, which extends from N. to S. across the United States between the 100th meridian and the Rocky Mountains. Within this province are found the Black Hills of S. Dakota, and their W. slopes extend across the boundary into N.E. Wyoming. The N.W. portion of the state is occupied by the S. end of the Northern Rocky Mountain Province; and the N. end of the Southern Rockies extends across the Colorado line into southern Wyoming. The Great Plains in Wyoming have an elevation of from 5000 to 7000 ft. over much of the state, and consist of flat or gently rolling country, barren of tree growth, but often covered with nutritious grasses, and affording pasturage for vast numbers of live stock. Erosion buttes and mesas occasionally rise as picturesque monuments above the general level of the plains, and in the vicinity of the mountains the plains strata, elsewhere nearly horizontal, are bent sharply upward and carved by erosion into “hogback” ridges. These features are well developed about the Bighorn Mountains, an outlying member of the Rockies which boldly interrupts the continuity of the plains in north-central Wyoming. The plains sediments contain important coal beds, which are worked in nearly every county in the state. In the region between the Northern and Southern Rockies, the plains are interrupted by minor Mountain groups, volcanic buttes and lava flows, among which the Leucite Hills and Pilot Butte are prominent examples.
Notwithstanding these elevations, this portion of the state makes a distinct break in the continuity of the Northern and Southern Rockies, giving a broad, relatively low pass utilized by the Oregon Trail in early days, and by the Union Pacific railway at a later period. The Black Hills District in the N.E. contains the Little Missouri Buttes and the Mato Tepee (or Devil’s Tower), prominent erosion remnants of volcanic intrusions. Local glaciation has modified the higher levels of the Bighorn Mountains, giving glacial cirques, alpine peaks and many mountain lakes and waterfalls. Several small glaciers still remain about the base of Cloud Peak, the highest summit in the range (13,165 ft.). The Southern Rockies end in broken ranges with elevations of 9000 ft. and over. That portion of the Northern Rockies extending into the N.W. of the state affords the most magnificent scenery. Here is the Yellowstone National Park (q.v.). Just S. of the Park the Teton Mountains, rising abruptly from the low basin of Jackson’s Hole to elevations of 10,000 and 11,000 ft., form a striking feature. In the Wind River Range, farther S.E., are Gannett Peak (13,775 ft.), the highest point in the state, and Fremont Peak (13,720 ft.). In addition to the hot springs of the Yellowstone region, mention should be made of large hot springs at Thermopolis and Saratoga, where the water has a temperature of about 135° F.
Much of the state is drained by branches of the Missouri river, the most important being the Yellowstone, Bighorn and Powder rivers flowing N., and the Cheyenne and North Platte flowing E. The Green river, a branch of the Colorado, flows S. from the S.W. of the state, while the Snake river rises farther N. and flows W. to the Pacific drainage. S.W. of the centre of the state is an area with no outward drainage, the streams emptying into desert lakes.
Fauna.—Great herds of bison formerly ranged the plains and a few are still preserved in the National Park. The white-tailed Virginia deer inhabits the bottom lands and the mule deer the more open country. Lewis’s prairie dog, the cottontail rabbit, the coyote, the grey wolf and the kit fox are all animals of the plains. In the mountains are elk, puma, lynx, the varying hare and snowshoe rabbit, the yellow-haired porcupine, Fremont’s and Bailey’s squirrels, the mountain sheep, the four-striped chipmunk, Townsend’s spermophile, the prong-horned antelope, the cinnamon pack-rat, grizzly, brown, silver tip and black bears and the wolverine. Other animals, more or less common, are the black-tailed deer, the jackrabbit, the badger, the skunk, the beaver, the moose and the weasel. The prairie rattlesnake is common in the dry plains country. The streams are well stocked with rainbow and brook trout. The former fish were introduced from California in 1885. They thrive in the Wyoming streams and rivers and are superior game fish. Specimens of eight and ten pounds weight have been taken by rod and fly fishermen from the Big Laramie river. Other fish native to the waters of the state are the sturgeon, catfish, perch (locally called pike), buffalo fish, flathead and sucker.
There is a great variety of birds. Eared grebes and ring-billed gulls breed on the sloughs of the plains, and rarely the white pelican nests about the lake shores. Here, too, breed many species of ducks, the mallard, gadwall, baldpate, three species of teal, shoveler, pintail, hooded mergansers, and Canada geese; other ducks and geese are migrants only. Formerly the trumpeter swan nested here. On the plains a few waders breed, as the avocet, western willet and long billed curlew; but most are birds of passage. At high altitudes the mountain plover is found; the dusky grouse haunts the forests above 8000 ft.; the white-tailed ptarmigan is resident in the alpine regions; and on the plains are found the prairie sharp-tailed grouse and the sage-hen. The turkey-buzzard is found mainly in the plains country. Various hawks and owls are common; the golden eagle nests on the mountain crags and the burrowing owl on the plains. The red-naped sapsucker and Lewis’s woodpecker are conspicuous in wooded lands; Nuttall’s poor-will, Say’s phoebe, the desert horned lark, Bullock’s oriole, the yellow-headed blackbird and McCown’s longspur are characteristic of the open lowlands.
Flora.—Forest growth in Wyoming is limited to the highest mountain ranges, the most important forests being in the Black Hills region in the N.E., on the lower slopes of the Bighorn Mountains, and in the Rocky Mountain ranges of the N.W. of the state, including Yellowstone National Park. The yellow pine is the most important tree in the Bighorns, and small lodge-pole pine makes up the greater
