[Clark:]
Wednesday February 19th.. 1806.
Sergt. Ordway set out again with a party to the Salt works
by land. in the evening Sergt. Gass returned with the flesh of
Eight Elk, and seven skins haveing left one skin with Shannon
and Labiesh who remained over the Netul to continue the
chase. we devided the skins between the messes in order that
they might be prepared for covering the baggage when we set
out in the spring. our sick appear to strengthen but slowly
I gave Bratten 6 of Scotts pills which did not work him. he
is very weak and complains of his back.
The black Fox or as they are more frequently called by the
N West Trader Fisher is found in the woody country on this
coast. how this animal obtained the name of fisher I know
not, but certain it is, that the name is not appropriate; as it
does not prey on fish, or seek it as a prey. they are extreemly
active strong and made for climbing which they do with great
agility, and bound from tree to tree in pursute of the squirel
or Rackoon, their natural and most usual food. their colour
is a jut Black except a small spot of white on the breast. the
body is long, legs short and formed Something like the turnspit
Dog, with a remarkable long tail. it does not differ here
from those of the United States.[49]
The Silver Fox. this animale is very rare even in the countrey
where it exists, I have never seen more than the skins
of this animal and those were in the possession of the nativs
of the woody country below the Great falls of the Columbia,
from which I think it is most probably they are the inhabitants
of the woody country exclusively. from the skins, it appeared
to be about the size of the large red Fox of the plains and
much of its form with a large tail. the legs I think somewhat
longer it has a fine long deep fur poil. the poil is of a dark
lead colour and the long hairs intermixed with it, are either
white or black at the lower part, and white at top, the whole
mixture forming a butifull silver Grey. I think this the handsomest
of all the Fox species, except a species of which I saw
one running, and Cap
t Lewis had a good view of another of
the same species on the Missouri near the
natural walls. The
large red fox of the plains, and the Kit fox are the same which
we met with on the Missouri and are the inhabitants almost
exclusively of the open plains, or of the copse of bushes within
the plain country. the Common red or grey fox of the United
States is also found in the woody country on this coast, nor
does it appear to be altered in respect to it's fur colour or any
other particular. we have seen none of the large red fox.
