Saturday 7th. June 1806.[1]
The two young cheafs and other Indians who accompanied
them crossed the river and returned to their Village this morning
after brackfast; Sha[r]bono Sergt. Gass Mc:Neal, Whitehouse
& Goodrich accompanied them for the purpose of
purchaseing or exchangeing old peces of sane, fish gig, peces
of iron, bullets, and old files and Such articles as they could
raise for ropes and Strings for to lash their loads, and bags to
cary their roots in Sergt. Gass, Sha[r]bono & Mc.Neal returned
at 2 P.M. haveing precured a String each only. Whitehouse
and Goodrich continued at the Village all night. Hohastillpilp
crossed the river to day and brought over a horse and gave it
to Frazier one of our party who had made him a present
previously of a par of canidian Shoes. one of our men informed
me one of the young Chiefs who had given us two
horses already was in Serch of one which he intended to
give to me. George Drewyer Set out on a hunting excurtion
up Collins's Creek alone. our party are all much engaged in
preparing Sadles and packing up their stores of Provisions &c.
The Flat Head river is about 150 yards wide at this place and
discharges a vast body of water; notwithstanding it's high
State the water remains nearly transparent, and it's temperature
appears to be quit[e] as cold as that of our best Springs. we
met with a butifull little bird in this neighbourhood about the
Size and Somewhat the shape of the large Sparrow. it measures
7 inches from the extremity of the beak to that of the tail, the
latter Occupying 2 1/2 inches. the beak is reather more than
half an inch in length, and is formed much like the Virginia
Nightingal; [
red bd..] it is thick and large for a bird of it's
size, wide at the base, both chaps convex, and pointed, the
upper exceeds the under chap a little is Somewhat cirved and
of a brown colour; the lower chap of a Greenish yellow. the
eye full reather large and of a black colour both puple and
iris. the plumage is remarkably delicate; that of the neck
and head is of a fine orrange yellow and red. the latter predomonates
on the top of the head and around the base of the
beak from whence it gradually diminishes towards the lower
part of the Neck, the orring[e] yellow prevails most, the red
has the Appearance of haveing been laid over a ground of
yellow. the breast, the Sides, rump and some long feathers
which lie between the legs [and] extend underneath the tail is
of a fine orrange yellow, the tail, back and wings are black,
except a Small Strip of yellow on the outer part of the Middle
joint of the wing, 1/4 of an inch wide and an inch in length. the
tail is composed of 12 feathers of which those in the center are
reather Shortest, and the plumage of all the feathers of the tail
is longest on that Side of the quill next to the center of the tail.
the legs and feet are black, nails long and Sharp; it has four
toes on each foot, of which three are forward and one behind;
that behind is as long as the two outer of the three toes in front.
Observed equal altitudes of the Sun with Sextent, June the 6th. 1806.
|
h |
m |
[s] |
|
h |
m |
s |
|
|
|
| A M. |
1. |
55. |
4.5 |
P M. |
10. |
17. |
48 |
|
Altitude |
|
|
". |
56. |
30. |
|
". |
19. |
12 |
° |
′ |
″ |
|
". |
57. |
57 |
|
". |
20. |
40 |
64. |
42. |
30 |
|
|
|
|
|
h. |
m |
s |
|
|
|
Chronometer too slow on M. T. [blank space in MS.]
