[Clark:]
Thursday February 27th 1806.
Reubin Field returned this evening and had not killed anything,
he reported that there were no Elk towards Point
Adams. Collins who had hunted up the Netul on this side
returned in the evening haveing killed a buck Elk. Willard
still continues very unwell the other sick men have nearly recovered.
Goodrich & McNeal who have the Pox are recovering
fast, the former nearly well. LaPage complaining.
The Braro so called by the French engages is an animal
of the civit genus and much resembles the common badger.
this is an enhabitent of the open plains of the Columbia as
they are of those of the Missouri, but are sometimes also found
in the woody country. they burrow in the hard Grounds in
the Plains with surprising ease and dexterity and will cover
themselves in the Ground in a very fiew minits. they have
five long fixed nails on each foot; those of the [f]ore feet are
much the longest; and one of those on each hind foot is
double like those of the beaver. they weigh from 14 to
2olbs. the body is reather long in perportion to its thickness.
the fore legs remarkably large and muscular and are formed
like the turnspit dog. they are short as also the hind legs.
they are broad across the sholders and breast. the neck short;
the head is formed much like the common fistdog only that
the skull is more convex, the mouth is wide and furnished
with long sharp teeth, both above and below, and with four
sharp streight pointed tushes, two in the upper and two in the
lower jaw. the eyes are black and small. Whiskers are placed
in four points on each side near the nose and on the jaws near
the opening of the mouth. the ears are very short wide and
oppressed as if they had been cut off. the appertere through
them to the head is remarkably small; the tail is about 4
inches long; the hair longest on it at it's junction, with the
body and becomeing shorter towards it's extremity where it
ends in an accute point. the hairs of the body are much longer
on the sides and rump than any other part, which givs the
body an appearent flatness, particularly when the animal rests
on it's belly. this hair is upwards of 3 inches in length,
particularly on the rump where it extends so far towards the
point of the tail, that it almost conceals the shape of that part
and givs to all the hinder part of the body an accute angled
triangle of which the point of the tail forms the accute angle.
the small quantity of fur which is intermixed with the hair is
of a redish pale yellow. the hair of the back, sides upper
part of the neck and tail, are of redish light or pale yellow fox
about two thirds of their length from the skin, next black, and
then tiped with white; forming a curious mixture of grey
and fox colour
d red with a yellowish hue. the belly flanks and
breast are of the fox coloured redish yellow. the legs black,
the nails white. the head on which the hair is short is varigated
with black and white. a narrow strip of white commences
on the top of the nose about half an inch from its
extremity and extends back along the center of the forehead
and neck nearly to the sholders. two stripes of black suckceed
the white on either side, imbraceing the side of the nose, the
eyes, and extends back as far as the ears. two other spots of
black of a romboidal figure are placed on the side of the head
near the ears and between them and the opening of the mouth.
two black spots also imediately behind the ears. the other
part of the head white. this animal feeds on flesh, roots, bugs
and wild fruits, it is very clumsy and runs very slow, depending
more on burr[y]ing to secure it self than running. I have
in several instances out run and caught this animal. in this
respect they are not much more fleet than the porcupine.
