University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:]

Sunday May 5th 1805

A fine morning I walked on shore untill after 8 A.M.
when we halted for breakfast and in the course of my walk
killed a deer which I carried about a mile and a half to the
river, it was in good order. soon after seting out the rudder
irons of the white perogue were broken by her runing fowl on
a sawyer, she was however refitted in a few minutes with some
tugs of raw hide and nales. as usual saw a great quantity of

game today; Buffaloe Elk and goats or Antelopes feeding in
every direction; we kill whatever we wish, the buffaloe furnish
us with fine veal and fat beef, we also have venison and
beaver tales when we wish them; the flesh of the Elk and
goat are less esteemed, and certainly are inferior. we have not
been able to take any fish for some time past. The country is
as yesterday beatifull in the extreme. saw the carcases of
many Buffaloe lying dead along the shore partially devoured
by the wolves and bear. saw a great number of white brant
also the common brown brant, geese of the common kind
and a small species of geese which differ considerably from
the common canadian goose;[7] their neck head and beak are
considerably thicker shorter and larger than the other in proportion
to it's size, they are also more than a third smaller,
and their note more like that of the brant or a young goose
which has not perfectly acquired his notes, in all other
rispects they are the same in colour habits and the number
of feathers in the tale, they frequently also ascociate with the
large geese when in flocks, but never saw them pared off with
the large or common goose. The white brant ascociate in
very large flocks, they do not appear to be mated or pared
off as if they intended to raise their young in this quarter, I
therefore doubt whether they reside here during the summer
for that purpose. this bird is about the size of the common
brown brant or two thirds of the common goose, it is not so
long by six inches from point to point of the wings when
extended as the other; the beak head and neck are also larger
and stronger; their beak legs and feet are of a redish or flesh-coloured
white. the eye is of moderate size, the puple of a
deep sea green incircled with a ring of yellowish brown. it
has sixteen feathers of equal length in the tale; their note
differs but little from the common brant, their flesh much the
same, and in my opinion preferable to the goose, the flesh is
dark. they are entirely of a beatifull pure white except the
large feathers of the 1st and second joints of the wings which
are jut [jet] black. form and habits are the same with the
other brants; they sometimes ascociate and form one common
flock. Capt Clark found a den of young wolves in the course
of his walk today and also saw a great number of those
anamals; they are very abundant in this quarter, and are of
two species the small woolf or burrowing dog of the praries
are the inhabitants almost invariably of the open plains; they
usually ascociate in bands of ten or twelve sometimes more
and burrow near some pass or place much frequented by
game; not being able alone to take a deer or goat they are
rarely ever found alone but hunt in bands; they frequently
watch and seize their prey near their burrows; in these burrows
they raise their young and to them they also resort when
pursued; when a person approaches them they frequently
bark, their note being precisely that of the small dog. they
are of an intermediate size between that of the fox and dog,
very active fleet and delicately formed; the ears large erect
and pointed the head long and pointed more like that of the
fox; tale long and bushey; the hair and fur also resembles
the fox tho' is much coarser and inferior. they are of a pale
redish brown colour. the eye of a deep sea green colour small
and piercing. their tallons are reather longer than those of
the ordinary wolf or that common to the atlantic States, none
of which are to be found in this quarter, nor I believe above
the river Plat.[8] The large woolf found here is not as large as
those of the atlantic states. they are lower and thicker made
shorter leged. their colour which is not effected by the
seasons, is a grey or blackish brown and every intermediate
shade from that to a creen [cream] coloured white; these
wolves resort [to] the woodlands and are also found in the
plains, but never take refuge in the ground or burrow so far as
I have been able to inform myself. we scarcely see a gang of
buffaloe without observing a parsel of those faithfull shepherds
on their skirts in readiness to take care of the mamed wounded.
the large wolf never barks, but howls as those of the atlantic
states do. Capt. Clark and Drewyer killed the largest brown
bear this evening which we have yet seen. it was a most
tremendious looking anamal, and extreemly hard to kill notwithstanding
he had five balls through his lungs and five
others in various parts he swam more than half the distance
acoss the river to a sandbar, & it was at least twenty minutes
before he died; he did not attempt to attack, but fled and
made the most tremendous roaring from the moment he was
shot. We had no means of weighing this monster; Capt.
Clark thought he would weigh 500 lbs. for my own part I
think the estimate too small by 100 lbs. he measured 8. Feet
7 1/2 Inches from the nose to the extremety of the hind feet,
5 F. 10 1/2 Ins. arround the breast, 1 F. 11. I. arround the
middle of the arm, & 3.F. 11.1. arround the neck; his tallons
which were five in number on each foot were 4 3/8 Inches in
length. he was in good order, we therefore divided him
among the party and made them boil the oil and put it in a
cask for future uce; the oil is as hard as hogs lard when cool,
much more so than that of the black bear. this bear differs
from the common black bear in several respects; it's tallons
are much longer and more blont, it's tale shorter, it's hair
which is of a redish or bey brown, is longer thicker and finer
than that of the black bear; his liver lungs and heart are much
larger even in proportion with his size; the heart particularly
was as large as that of a large Ox. his maw was also ten
times the size of black bear, and was filled with flesh and fish.
his testicles were pendant from the belly and placed four
inches assunder in seperate bags or pouches. this animal also
feeds on roots and almost every species of wild fruit.

The party killed two Elk and a Buffaloe today, and my dog
caught a goat, which he overtook by superior fleetness, the
goat it must be understood was with young and extreemly
poor. a great number of these goats are devowered by the
wolves and bear at this season when they are poor and passing
the river from S.W. to N.E. they are very inactive and
easily taken in the water, a man can out swim them with great

ease; the Indians take them in great numbers in the river at
this season and in autumn when they repass to the S.W.

Courses and distances of May 5th.. 1805. Mls.

             

S. 70° W.	to the willows on the lower point of an Island near the Stard. shore, opposite a low bluff	3
S. 72° W.	to some high timber on a projecting point on the Stard. side opposite a pot. Lard. passing the upper part of Isld. at 2 miles	2 1/2
S. 30° W.	to a point of woodland on the Stard. opposite a low bluff on Lard. side	2 1/2
N. 48° W.	to a point of woodland on the Lard. side	2 1/4
N. 45° W.	to the extremity of the sand bar from the Lard. point	1 3/4
South.	to a willow point on the Stard. side short of which we encamped on Stard	5
	Miles	17.

Point of observation No. 9.

On the Lard. shore near the fourth course of this day, observed meridian
Altitude of the ☉s. L. L. with Octant by the back observation to
be 68° 47′; the latitude deduced from which is 45° 46′ 5″6. I do
think this observation can be depended on as it was reather late before I
could commence it, the sun was about to decline or perhaps had declined
a few minutes.