University of Virginia Library

Tuesday July 1st. 1806.

This morning early we sent out all our hunters. set Sheilds
at work to repair some of our guns which were out of order
[Capt. Clark & myself consurted the following Plan viz.] from
this place I determined to go with a small party by the most
direct rout to the falls of the Missouri, there to leave Thompson
McNeal and goodrich to prepare carriages and geer for the
purpose of transporting the canoes and baggage over the portage,
and myself and six volunteers to ascend Maria's river with
a view to explore the country and ascertain whether any branch
of that river lies as far north as Latd. 50. and again return and

join the party who are to decend the Missouri, at the entrance
of Maria's river. I now called for the volunteers to accompany
me on this rout, many turned out, from whom I scelected
Drewyer the two Feildes, Werner, Frazier and Sergt. Gass
[accompanied me] the other part of the men are to proceed
with Capt. Clark to the head of Jefferson's river where we
deposited sundry articles and left our canoes. from hence
Sergt. Ordway with a party of 9 men are to decend the river
with the canoes; Capt. C. with the remaining ten including
Charbono and York will proceed to the Yellowstone river at
it's nearest approach to the three forks of the missouri, here
he will build a canoe and decend the Yellowstone river with
Charbono the indian woman, his servant York and five others
to the missouri where should he arrive first he will wait my
arrival. Sergt. Pryor with two other men are to proceed with
the horses by land to the Mandans and thence to the British
posts on the Assinniboin with a letter to Mr. Heney (Haney)
whom we wish to engage to prevail on the Sioux Ch[i]efs to
join us on the Missouri, and accompany them with us to the
seat of the general government. these arrangements being
made the party were informed of our design and prepared
themselves accordingly. our hunters killed 13 deer in the
course of this day of which 7 were fine bucks, deer are large
and in fine order. the indians inform us that there are a great
number of white buffaloe or mountain sheep of [on] the snowey
hights of the mountains West of this river (Clarks); they state
that they inhabit the most rocky and inaccessible parts, and
ran but badly, that they kill them with great ease with their
arrows when they can find them. the indian warrior who overtook
us on the 26th. Ult. made me a present of an excellent horse
which he said he gave for the good council we had given himself
and nation and also to assure us of his attatchment to the
white men and his desire to be at peace with the Minnetares
of Fort de Prarie. we had our venison fleeced and exposed in
the sun on pole[s] to dry. the dove the black woodpecker,
the lark woodpecker, the logcock, the prarie lark, sandhill
crain, prarie hen with the short and pointed tail, the robin, a
speceis of brown plover, a few curloos, small black birds, ravens
hawks and a variety of sparrows as well as the bee martin and
the several speceis of Corvus genus are found in this vally.[36]
Windsor birst his gun near the muzzle a few days since; this
Sheilds cut off and I then exchanged it with the Cheif for the
one we had given him for conducting us over the mountains.
he was much pleased with the exchange and shot his gun several
times; he shoots very well for an inexperienced person.[37]

The little animal found in the plains of the Missouri which
I have called the barking squirrel[38] weighs from 3 to 3-½
pounds. it's form is that of the squirrel. it's colour is an
uniform light brick red grey, the red reather predominating.
the under side of the neck and bel[l]y are lighter coloured
than the other parts of the body. the legs are short, and it is
wide across the breast and sholders in propotion to it's size,
appears strongly formed in that part; the head is also bony
muscular and stout, reather more blontly terminated wider and
flatter than the common squirrel. the upper lip is split or
divided to the nose. the ears are short and lie close to the
head, having the appearance of being cut off, in this particular
they resemble the guinea pig. the teeth are like those of the
squirrel rat &c. they have a false jaw or pocket between the
skin and the mustle of the jaw like that of the common ground
squ[i]rrel but not so large in proportion to their size. they
have large and full whiskers on each side of the nose, a few
long hairs of the same kind on each jaw and over the eyes.
the eye is small and black. they have five toes on each foot
of which the two outer toes on each foot are much sho[r]ter
than those in the center particularly the two inner toes of the
forefeet, the toes of the fore feet are remarkably long and sharp
and seem well adapted to [s]cratching or burrowing those of

the hind feet are neither as long or sharp as the former; the
nails are black. the hair of this animal is about as long and
equally as course as that of the common grey squ[i]rrel of our
country, and the hair of the tail is not longer than that of the
body except immediately at the extremity where it is somewhat
longer and frequently of a dark brown colour. the part
of generation in the female is placed on the lower region of the
belly between the hinder legs so far forward that she must lie
on her back to copolate. the whole length of this animal is
one foot five inches from the extremity of the nose to that of
the tail of which the tail occupyes 4 inches. it is nearly double
the size of the whistleing squirrel of the Columbia. it is much
more quick active and fleet than it's form would indicate.
these squirrels burrow in the ground in the open plains usually
at a considerable distance from the water yet are never seen at
any distance from their burrows. six or eight usually reside
in one burrow to which there is never more than one entrance.
these burrows are of great debth. I once dug and pursued a
burrow to the debth of ten feet and did not reach it's greatest
debth. they generally associate in large societies placing their
burrows near each other and frequently occupy in this manner
several hundred acres of land. when at rest above ground
their position is generally erect on their hinder feet and rump;
thus they will generally set and bark at you as you approach
them, their note being much that of the little toy dogs, their
yelps are in quick succession and at each they [give] a motion
to their tails upwards. they feed on the grass and weeds
within the limits of their village which they never appear to
exceed on any occasion. as they are usually numerous they
keep the grass and weeds within their district very closely
graized and as clean as if it had been swept. the earth which
they throw out of their burrows is usually formed into a conic
mound around the entrance. this little animal is frequently
very fat and it's flesh is not unpleasant. as soon as the hard
frosts commence it shuts up it's burrow and continues untill
spring. it will eat neither grain or meat.