[Clark:]
May 25th.. Satturday 1805
The two canoes left for meat yesterday did not join us untill
8 oClock this morning at which time we set out, the morning
cool & pleasent wind a head all day from the S. W.
We pass a creek on the Lard. Side about 20 yards wide, which
does not run, we also passed 7 Islands, I walked on shore
and killed a female Ibi or big horn [ILLUSTRATION] animal in my
absence Drewyer & Bratten killed two others, this
animal is a species peculiar to this upper part of
the Missouri, the head and horns of the male which Drewyer
killed to day weighed 27 lbs. it was somewhat larger than
the mail of the Common Deer; the body reather thicker
deeper and not so long in proportion to it's hight as the
common Deer; the head and horns of the male are remarkably
large compared with the other parts of the animal; the
whole form is much more delicate than that of the common
goat, and there is a greater disparity in the size of the mail
and female than between those of either the deer or goat. the
eye is large and prominant, the puple of a deep sea green
and small, the iris of a silvery colour much like the common
Sheep; the bone above the Eye is remarkably prominant;
the head nostrils and division of the upper lip are precisely
in form like the sheep. their legs resemble the sheep more
than any other animal with which I am acquainted tho' they
are more delicately formed, like the sheep they stand foward
in the knee and the lower joint of the fore leg is smallest
where it joins the knee, the hoof is black and large in perpotion,
is divided, very open and roundly pointed at the toe;
like the sheep; is much hollowed and Sharp on the under
edge like the Scotch goat, has two small Hoofs behind each
foot below the ankle as the goat Sheep and Deer have. the
belley, iner side of the legs, and the extremity of the rump and
buttock's for about two inches 1/2 around the but of the tail,
are white, as is also the tail except just at its extremity on the
upper side which is of a dark brown. the tail is about 3
inches in length covered with short hair, or at least not longer
than that of the body; the outer part of the animal are of
a duskey brown or reather a lead coloured light brown; the
animal is now Sheding its winter coat which is thick not quite
as long as that of the Deer and appears to be inter mixt with
a considerable quantity of fine fur which lies next to the Skin
and concealed by the coarcer hair; the shape of the hair itself
is cylindric as that of the Antilope is, but is smaller, shorter
and not compressed or flattened as that of the deers winter
coat is. I believe this animal only sheds it's hair once a
year. it has Eight fore teeth in the under jaw and no canine
teeth. The
Horns are large at their base, and occupy the
crown of the head almost entirely, they are compressed, bent
backwards and lunated; the surface swelling into wavey rings
which incircleing the horn continue to succeed each other from
the base to the extremity and becomeing less elivated and
more distant as they receed from the head. The horn for
about two thirds of its length is filled with a porus bone which
is united with the frontal bone (Cap
t Lewis obtained the bones
of the upper part of the head of this animal at the
big Bone
Lick in the State of Kentucky which I saw and find to be the
same in every respect with those of the Missouri and the
Rockey Mountains) the horns of the
female are small, but
are also compressed and bent backwards and incircled with
a succession of wavy rings. the horn is of a light brown
colour; when Dressed it is almost white extreamly transparent
and very elastic. this horn is used by the natives in constructing
their bows; I have no doubt of it's elegance and
usefullness in hair combs, and might probably answer as
maney valuable purpoces to civilized man, as it does to the
native indians, who form their water cups, spoons and platters
of it. the females have already brought forth their young,
indeed from the size of the young, I suppose that they produce
them early in March. they have from one to two at a
birth. they feed on grass, but principally on the arramatic
herbs which grow on the clifts and inaxcessable hights which
they frequent most commonly, and the places they generally
collect to lodge is the cranies or c[r]evices of the rocks in the
face of inaccessable precepices, where the wolf nor Bear can
reach them, and where indeed man himself would in maney
instances find a similar deficiency; yet those animals bound
from rock to rock and stand apparently in the most careless
manner on the Side of precipices of maney hundred feet.
they are very shy and quick of both sent and sight. The
flesh of this animal is dark and I think inferior to the flesh
of the common Deer, and superior to the antilope of the
Missouri and the Columbian Plains. In my walk of this day
I saw mountt
s on either side of the river at no great distance,
those mountains appeared to be detached, and not ranges as
laid down by the
Minetarrees, I also think I saw a range
of high Mount.
s at a great distance to the S S W. but am not
certain as the horozon was not clear enough to view it with
certainty. The country on either side is high broken and
rockey a dark brown hard rugid stone intermixed with a soft
white sand stone. the hills contain coal or cabonated wood as
below and some scattering pumestone. the sides of the river
is bordered with coars gravel, which in maney places have
washed either together or down small brooks and forms bars
at some distance in the water, around which the current passes
with great valocity. the bottoms between hills and river are
narrow and contain scercely any timber. The appearence of
salts, and bitumun still continue. we saw a
polecat to day
being the first which we have seen for some time past. The
Air of this quarter is pure and helthy. the water of the
Missouri will tasted not quite so muddy as it is below, not
withstanding the last rains has raised the river a little it is less
muddy than it was before the rain.
Course and distance of May 25th. 1805
| S. 50°. W. |
2 3/4 |
Miles to the enterance of a creek in a bend to the
Lard Side 20 yards wide passing a small island in a
deep bend to Lard. |
| N. 50°. W. |
1 1/4 |
to the Stard Side of tea island which is seperated
from the main Stard. Shore by a narrow channel. |
| N. 35°. W. |
1/2 |
on the Stard Side passing a Sand Island |
| N. 15°. W. |
2 |
to a point of wood land on the Lard. Side passing
the upper point of tea Island |
| N. 30°. W. |
2 |
to a point of wood land on the Stard. Side opposit
to the lower point of an island |
| N. 25°. W. |
1/4 |
to a bluff bank in the Stard Bend |
| N. 65°. W. |
3/4 |
to a Bluff point on the Stard. opposit to the upper
point of an island. |
| N. 60°. W. |
4 1/2 |
to a clump of trees in a Stard. bend under a high
bluff, passing a Lard point at 2 1/2 miles. a small
island at 3 1/2 miles. |
| N. 80°. W. |
1 mile |
to a high plain on the Stard. Side passing an island
near the Stard. Side 3/4 of a M in length |
| S. 80°. W. |
2 |
to the lower point of an open island situated in the
middle of the river, passing a Lard pt. at 1 1/2 miles
on this course. |
| S. 60°. W. |
1 |
to a point on the lard Side passing the head of the
Island at 3/4 of a mile and Encamped on the
Larboard Side. |
|
18 |
|
