Sunday March 9th. 1806
This morning the men set out at day light to go in quest
of the Elk which Collins had killed, they returned at 11.
A. M. Bratten complains of his backs being very painfull to
him to day. we still apply the linnement & flannel; in the
evening he was much better. Jos. Field & Drewyer returned
not haveing found any Elk. Sergt. Pryor and the fishing party
not yet returned, suppose they are detained by the winds.
We are visited by 3 Clatsop men who brought a Dog, some
fish and a sea otter skin for sale. we suffered them to remain
all night. we set Shields at work to make some sacks of Elk
skin to contain my papers, and various articles which we wish
kept Dry.
The large Swan is precisely the same common to the Missouri,
Mississippi and the Atlantic States &c. The small swan
differ only from the large one in size and it's note. it is about
1/4th. less, and its notes entirely different. the latter cannot be
justly immetated by the sound of letters nor do I know any
sound with which a comparison would be pertinent. it begins
with a kind of whistling sound and terminates in a round full
note which is reather louder than the whistling, or former part;
this note is as loud as that of the large swan. from the peculiar
whistling of the note of this bird I have called it the
Whistling Swan, it's habits colour and contour appear to be
precisely those of the large swan. we first saw them below
the great narrows of the Columbia near the Chilluckkittequaw
Nation. they are very abundant in this neighbourhood and
have remained with us all winter. in number they are fully
five for one of the large species of the swan's.
The Duckinmallard are the same here with those of the U.
States. they are abundant and are found on every part of the
river below the mountains. they remain here all winter, but
I believe they do not remain all winter above tide water. a
butifull Duck and one of the most delicious in the world is
found in considerable quantities in this neighbourhood dureing
the autumn and winter. this is the same as that known in
the Dilliwar, Susquehannah and Potomoc by the name of the
Canvisback and James River by that of Shell-Drake; in the
latter river I am informed that they have latterly almost entirely
disapeared. [For] the epicures of those parts of the
Union where those Ducks abound nothing need be added in
prais of the exquisit flavor of this duck. I have eaten of them
in several parts of the union and I think those of the Columbia
equally as delicious. this duck is never found above tide
water; we did not meat with them untill after we reached the
Marshey Islands; and I believe that they have already left
this neighbourhood; but whether they are gorn Northerly or
Southerly, I am unable to deturmine; nor do I know in what
part of the country they rais their young.
The red headed fishing duck is common to every part of
the river and are found as well in the Rocky Mountains as
elsewhere; in short this was the only duck we saw within the
Mountain on the Columbian waters. they feed principally on
crawfish; and are the same in every respects as those on the
Ohio and rivers in the mountains of the atlantic Ocian.
The black and white Duck are small about the size of the
blue-winged teal, or reather larger.[84]
the mail is butifully varigated
with black and white. the white occupies the side of
the head, breast and back. black the tail, large feathers of the
wing, two tufts of feathers which cover the upper part of the
wings when folded, the neck and head. the female is darker
or has much less white about her. I take this to be the same
species of duck common to the Ohio, as also the atlantic coast,
and sometimes called the butterbox. the back is wide and
short, and as well as the legs of a dark colour. the flesh
of this duck is verry well flavored I think superior to the
Duckinmallard.
