[Clark:]
Sunday February 23rd. 1806.
Not any thing transpired deser[v]ing particular notice. our
sick are all on the recovery. the men have provided themselves
verry amply with mockersons & leather clothing, much
more so indeed than they have ever been since they have been
on the voyage.
The Sea Otter is found only on the sea coast and in the salt
water. Those animals which I took to be the sea otter from
the Great Falls of the Columbia to the mouth, proves to be
the Phosia or Seal which at a little distance has every appearance
of the sea otters. The sea otter when fully grown is as
large as the common mastif dog, the ears and Eyes are remarkably
small, particularly the former which is not an inch in
length thick fleshy and pointed covered with short hair. the
tail is about 10 inches in length thick where it joins the body
and tapering to a very sharp point; in common with the body
it is covered with a deep for particularly on the upper side, on
the under part the fur is not so long. the legs are remarkably
short and the feat which have five toes each are broad large
and webbed. the legs are covered with fur and the feet with
short hair. the body of this animal is long and nearly of the
same thickness throughout. from the extremity of the tail to
that of the nose they will measure 5 feet or upwards. the
colour is of a uniform dark brown, and when in good order
and season perfectly Black and Glossy. it is the richest and
I think the most delightfull fur in the world at least I cannot
form an idea of any more so. it is deep thick silky in the
extream and strong. the inner part of the fur when open is
lighter than the surface in its natural position. there are some
fine black shineing hairs intermixed with the fur which are
reather longer and add much to its beauty. the nose, about
the eyes, ears and forehead in some of those otter is of a light
colour, sometimes a light brown. those parts in the young
suckling otters of this species is sometimes of a creem colour'd
white, but always much lighter than the other parts. the fur
of the infant otter is much inferior in point of colour, and texture,
to that of the full grown otter, or even after it has been
weened. there is so great a difference that I have for some
time supposed it a different animal; the Indians call the infant
otter
spuck, and the full grown or such as had obtained a coat
of good fur,
Eluck'ko. this still further confirmed the opinion
of their being distinct species; but I have since lerned that
the Spuck is the young otter. the colour of the neck, body,
legs and tail is a dark lead brown. The
Mink is found in the
woody country on this coast and does not differ in any particular
from those of the Atlantic coasts.
The Seal or Phoca are found here in great numbers, and as
far up the Columbia as the great Falls, above which there are
none. I have reasons to believe from the information of the
men that there are several species of the Phoca on this coast and
in the river, but what the difference is I am unable to state not
haveing seen them myself sufficiently near for manute inspection
nor obtain the different kinds to make a comparison. the
skins of such as I have seen are covered with a short thick
coarse glossy hair of a redish bey brown colour. tho' the
animal while in the water, or as we saw them frequently in the
river appear to be black and spoted with white sometimes. I
am not much acquainted with the seal but suppose that they
are the same common also to the atlantic Ocian in the same
parrelal of Latitude. the skins, or those which I have seen
are presisely such as trunks are frequently covered with. the
flesh of this animal is highly prized by the nativs who swinge
the hair off and then roste the flesh on sticks before the fire.
