Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 printed from the original manuscripts in the library of the American Philosophical Society and by direction of its committee on historical documents |
 | I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
 | III. ZOÖLOGY1
1At the time of Lewis and Clark' s expedition, practically nothing was known of
the zoölogy of the United States west of the Mississippi river, consequently the opportunities
for valuable discoveries in this field by members of the party were exceptional.
Unfortunately there seems to have been no systematic zoölogist among those who made
up the expedition, and consequently no new species of animals were named in the
report.
The authors did, however, include in their narrative good descriptions of such of
the mammals and birds as especially attracted their attention, and subsequent naturalists
have established proper technical names upon these descriptions. The eccentric
Rafinesque evidently had their description in mind when he named the mule deer
(Odocoileus hemionus, Raf.); and George Ord, in his zoölogical appendix to Guthrie's
Geography, named the whistling swan (Olor columbianus, Ord) entirely from the description
of the bird given by Lewis and Clark.
Of more interest than their descriptions, however, are the actual specimens brought
back by the explorers. These were by no means numerous, and were all deposited
in the then famous repository for natural history curiosities, Peale's Museum, in Philadelphia.
They were mounted by Peale, and submitted to the famous ornithologist,
Alexander Wilson—who was then publishing his great work on North American
birds—in order that plates and descriptions of the novelties might appear therein.
Wilson found that three species (possibly all that they secured) were new to science,
and named them "Louisiana tanager," "Clark's crow" i. e., nutcracker], and
"Lewis's woodpecker"—or, as they stand today in our technical lists, Piranga
ludoviciana (Wilson); Nucifraga columbians (Wilson), and Melanerpes torquatus
(Wilson). The three will be found together on plate 20, vol. iii, of the American
Ornithology. With the decline and disintegration of Peale's Museum, the ornithological
specimens were scattered; but recently some of them appeared in Boston, and
found their way into the possession of Charles J. Maynard. Among them, Mr.
Maynard informs me, is a specimen of Lewis's woodpecker, without much doubt
the original specimen, and probably the only one of this historic collection that is
still extant.—Witmer Stone, conservator of the Ornithological Section of the
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.
Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 |  |
NOTES BY CLARK, in Codex N, pp. 154, 155.
Italicized words and figures enclosed in parentheses
were interpolated in red ink, apparently by
Biddle.—Ed.]
The Prarie Fowl common to the Illinois are found as high up as the River
Jacque above which the Sharpe tailed Grows [grouse] commence
(950 Ms.)
Racoons is found from the Calumet Bluffs (650) downwards & on the
Pacific Coast also the honey locus and coffee nut
Indian Hen & Small Species of kildee which frequent drift is found as
high up as the Enterance of the Little Sieoux river (733 Ms.)
The large Black and Erindle Wolf is found as high up as the Mahars
Village (836 Ms.)
The Small burrowing wolf of the prarie is found as low as the Mahars
& some fiew near the Miss [iss]ippi
The Black Bear is found in abundance as high as the little Sieoux river,
(733 Ms.) and the[y] are found much higher but scerce. The Ass
smart is also found in the Same neighborhood.
Parotqueet is seen as high as the Mahar Village (836 Ms.)[2]
Opossum is found as high as the River platt. (600 Ms.)
Grey Squrels are found as high up as little Sieoux R (733)
Turkeys first appear at the enterance of Tylors River above the big bend
1200 (1206) miles up this river (Missouri)
The pointed tail Prarie fowl are found above the Big bend (1200 Ms up)
upwards. box elder as high as the Mandans 1600)
The party coloured Corvus or Magpy commence at or about Corvus Creek
and from thence upwards. (1130)
The Fox Squirel first appear a fiew miles above the Dome where we
first met with the burrowing or Barking Squires. (1030 Mils. up
the) Missouri whipperwill is the common attendant of those squirels.
The Big born animal is found as low as the Beaver bends (1800 Mup)
a fiew miles below the enterance of the rochejhone.
The Antilope or Cabra are found in great abundance as low as the
Chyenne River, and are seen scattering as low down as the neighbourhood
of the Mahar village, (or 800 Ms. up)
Mule or Black tail Deer is met with (on the Snowey Mt. s) and are found
as low (down the Missouri) as the antient fortification & on Boon
homm Island or good mans Island 1000 m.
Brarow are found as low as Council Bluffs (650 M. s up)
| III. ZOÖLOGY1
1At the time of Lewis and Clark' s expedition, practically nothing was known of
the zoölogy of the United States west of the Mississippi river, consequently the opportunities
for valuable discoveries in this field by members of the party were exceptional.
Unfortunately there seems to have been no systematic zoölogist among those who made
up the expedition, and consequently no new species of animals were named in the
report.
The authors did, however, include in their narrative good descriptions of such of
the mammals and birds as especially attracted their attention, and subsequent naturalists
have established proper technical names upon these descriptions. The eccentric
Rafinesque evidently had their description in mind when he named the mule deer
(Odocoileus hemionus, Raf.); and George Ord, in his zoölogical appendix to Guthrie's
Geography, named the whistling swan (Olor columbianus, Ord) entirely from the description
of the bird given by Lewis and Clark.
Of more interest than their descriptions, however, are the actual specimens brought
back by the explorers. These were by no means numerous, and were all deposited
in the then famous repository for natural history curiosities, Peale's Museum, in Philadelphia.
They were mounted by Peale, and submitted to the famous ornithologist,
Alexander Wilson—who was then publishing his great work on North American
birds—in order that plates and descriptions of the novelties might appear therein.
Wilson found that three species (possibly all that they secured) were new to science,
and named them "Louisiana tanager," "Clark's crow" i. e., nutcracker], and
"Lewis's woodpecker"—or, as they stand today in our technical lists, Piranga
ludoviciana (Wilson); Nucifraga columbians (Wilson), and Melanerpes torquatus
(Wilson). The three will be found together on plate 20, vol. iii, of the American
Ornithology. With the decline and disintegration of Peale's Museum, the ornithological
specimens were scattered; but recently some of them appeared in Boston, and
found their way into the possession of Charles J. Maynard. Among them, Mr.
Maynard informs me, is a specimen of Lewis's woodpecker, without much doubt
the original specimen, and probably the only one of this historic collection that is
still extant.—Witmer Stone, conservator of the Ornithological Section of the
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.
Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 | |