University of Virginia Library

Thursday 29th. of May 1806

No movement of the party to day worthy of notice. we
have once more a good stock of Meat and roots. Bratten is
recovering his strength very fast. the Child, and the Indian
Cheaf are also on the recovery. the Chief has much more use
of his hands and arms. he washed his face himself today, which
he has not been able to do previously for more than twelve
months past. I would have repeeted the sweat to day had it
not been cloudy and frequently raining. Since my arrival here
I have killed several birds of the Corvus genus of a kind found
only in the rocky mountains and their neighbourhood. I first
met with [this] bird on Jeffersons River, and saw them on the
hights of the rocky Mountains, but never before had an oppertunity
of examineing them closely. the small corvus discribed
at Fort Clatsop is a different Species, tho' untill now
I had taken it to be the same, this is much larger and has a
loud squaling note something like the mewing of a cat. the
beak of this bird is 1 1/2 incles long, is proportionably large,
black and of the form which characterize this genus. the
upper exceeds the under chap a little. the head and neck are
also proportionably large, the eyes full and reather prominant,
the iris dark brown and purple black. it is about the size and
somewhat the form of the jaybird, tho' reather rounder and
more full in the body. the tail is four and a half inches in
length, composed of 12 feathers nearly of the same length.
the head, neck and body of this bird is of a dove colour.
the wings are black except the extremities of six large feathers
occupying the middle joint of the wings which are white. the
under disk of the wings are not of the shineing or glossy black
which mark it's upper surface. the two feathers in the center
of the tail are black as are the two adjacent feathers for half
their wedth, the ballance are of a pure white. the feet and
legs are black, and imbricated with wide scales, the nails are
black and remarkably long and sharp, also much curved, it
has four toes on each foot of which one is in the rear and 3 in
front. the toes are long particular[ly] that in the rear. this
bird feeds on the seeds of the pine and also on insects. it
resides in the rocky Mountains at all seasons of the year, and

in many parts is the only bird to be found. a Species of Lizzard
called by the French engages, Prarie buffaloe are nativs
of these plains as well as those of the Missouri. I have called
them the horned Lizzard. they are about the size and a good
deel the figure of the common black lizzard, but their bellies
are broader, the tail shorter and their action much slower;
they crawl much like the toad. they are of a brown colour
with yellowish and yellowish brown spots. it is covered with
minute scales intermixed with little horney like blunt prickkles
on the upper serface of the body. the belly and throat is
more like the frog, and are of a light yellowish brown colour.
around the edge of the belly is regularly set with little horney
prejections which give to those edges a serrate figure, the eye
is small and of a dark colour. above and behind the eyes there
are several projections of the bone which being armed at their
extremities with a firm black substance has the appearance of
horns sprouting out from the head. this part has induced me to
distinguish it by the appellation of the Horned Lizzard I cannot
conceive how the engagees ever assimilated this animal with
the Buffalow for there is not grater anology than between the
Horse and the frog. this Animal is found in greatest numbers
in the sandy open parts of the plains, and appear in great
abundance after a rain; they are sometimes found basking
in the sunshine but conceal themselves in little holes under
the tufts of grass or herbs much the greater proportion of their
time. they are noumerous about the Falls of Missouri, and in
the plains through which we passed lately above the Falls of
Columbia.

The Choke Cherry has been in blume since the 20th. inst.
it is a simple branching ascending stem, the cortex smooth and
of a dark brown with a redish cast. the leaf is scattered petiolate
oval accute at it's apex finely serated smooth and of an
ordinary green, from 2 1/2 to 3 inches in length and from 1 3/4
to 2 in width. the peduncles cilindric and common from 4 to
5 inches in length and are inserted promiscuisly on the twigs
of the proceeding years growth. on the lower portion of the
common peduncle are frequently from 3 to 4 small leaves,
being the same in form as those last discribed. other peduncles

1/4 of an inch in length are scattered and thickly
inserted on all side of the common peduncle at right-angles
with it, each elivateing a single flower, which has five obtuse
short patent white petals with short claws incerted on the
upper edge of the calyx. the calyx is a perianth induding
both stemes & germ, one leafed five cleft entire, semi globular.
the stamons are upwards of twenty and are seated on the margin
of the flower cup or what I have called the perianth. the
filaments are unequal in length subulate inflected and superior
membranous. the anthers are equal in number with the filaments,
they are very short oblong and flat, naked and situated
at the extremity of the filaments. is of a yellowish colour as
is also the pollen. one pistillum. the germin is ovate, smooth,
superior, sessile, very small; the style is very short, simple,
erect, on the top of the germen deciduous. the stigma is
simple, flat very short. This shrub rises to the hight of
from 6 to 8 feet generally but sometimes [in] rich situations
much higher. it is not confined to any particular situation.
Capt. L—s met with a singular plant in blume of which we
preserved a specimen. it grows on the steep fertile hill sides
near this place the radix is fibrous, not much branched, annual,
wo[o]dy, white and nearly smooth. the stem is simple
branching ascending 2 1/2 feet high. celindric, villose and of a
pale red colour. the branches are but fiew and those near it's
upper extremity. the extremities of the branches are flexable
and are bent down near their extremities with the weight of the
flowers. the leaf is sessile, scattered thinly, nearly lineor tho'
somewhat widest in the middle, two inches in length, absolutely
entire, villose, obtusely pointed and of an ordinary
green. above each leaf a small short branch protrudes, supporting
a tissue of four or five small leaves of the same
appearance of those discribed. a leaf is placed under neath
each branch and each flower. the calyx is one flowered
Spatha. the corolla superior, consists of four pale perple petals
which are tripartite, the centeral lobe largest and all terminate
obtusely; they are inserted with a long and narrow claw
on the top of the germ, are long, smooth and deciduous. there
are two distinct sete of stamens the first or principal consists of
four, the filaments [of ] which are capillary, erect, inserted on
the top of the germ alternately with the petals, equal short,
membranus; the anthers are also four each being elivated with
it's fillaments, they are reather flat, erect sessile, cohering to the
base, membranous, longitudinally furrowed, twise as long as the
fillament naked, and of a pale purple colour, the second set
of stamens are very minute, are also four and placed within and
opposit to the petals, those are scercely preceptable while the
first are large & conspicious, the fillaments are capillary equal,
very short white and smooth. the anthers are four, oblong,
beaked, erect cohering at the base, memb[r]anous, shorter
than the fillaments, white naked and appear not to form
pollen, there is one pistillum; the germ of which is also
one, celindric, villous, inferior, sessile, as long as the first
stamuns, and grooved. the single style and stigma form a
perfect monopetallous corolla only with this difference that
the style which elivates the stigma or limb is not a tube but
solid tho' it's outer appearance is that of a tube of a monopetallous
corolla swelling as it ascends and gliding in such
manner into the limb that it cannot be said where the style
ends or the stigma begins, jointly they are as long as the
corilla, while the limb is four cleft, sauser shaped, and the
margin of the lobes entire and rounded. this has the appearance
of a monopetallous flower growing from the center
of the four petalled corollar which is rendered more conspicuous
in consequence of the first being white and the latter of a
pale purple. I regret very much that the seed of this plant
are not ripe as yet and it is probable will not be so dureing our
residence in this neighbourhood. Our Horses maney of them
have become so wild that we cannot take them without the assistance
of the indians who are extreemly dextrous in throwing
a rope and takeing them with a noose about the neck; as we
frequently want the use of our horses when we cannot get the
use of the indians to take them, we had a strong pound formed
to day in order to take them at pleasure