[Clark:]
Friday February 28th 1806
Reuben Field and Collins set out this morning early on a
hunting excurtion up the Netul. Kus-ke-lar a Clatsop man
his wife and a small boy (a slave, who he informed me was his
cook, and offerd to sell him to me for beeds & a gun) visited us
today they brought some anchovies, sturgeon, a beaver robe,
and some roots for sale tho' they asked such high prices for
every article that we purchased nothing but a part of a sturgeon
for which we gave a fiew fishing hooks. we suffered them to
stay all night. Shields Jos. Field and Shannon returned late
this evening haveing killed five Elk. tho' two of them are of
[on] a mountain at a considerable distance. we ordered these
hunters to return early in the morning and continue the hunt,
and Serg
t. Gass to take a party and go in quest of the Elk which
they had killed. the hunters informed us that the Elk is tolerable
plenty near the mountains about nine or ten miles distant.
Kuskalaw brought a dog which Peter Crusat had purchased
with his capo which this fellow had on.
[60]
The Hare on this side of the Rocky Mountains is exclusively
the inhabitents of the Great Plains of Columbia, as they are of
those of the Missouri East of the Mountains. they weigh
from 7 to 12 pounds. the measure of one which weighed 10
pounds, was as follows. from the extremity of the hinder, to
that of the fore feet when extended 3 Feet. length from nose
to the extremity of the tail 2 feet, 2 inches. Hight when
standing erect 1 foot, 3 inches. Girth of the body 1 foot, 4
inches. length of tail 6 1/2 inches. length of ear 5 1/2 inches.
width of ear 3 inches and 1/8. from the hip to the extremity
of toe of the hind foot 1 foot 4 1/4 inches. the eye is large and
prominent. the pupil is circular, of a deep sea green and occupies
one third of the diamiter of the eye, the iris is of a bright
yellowish silver colour. The ears are placed far back on the
head and very near each other, they are flexable and the animal
moves them with great ease and quickness and can dilate and
throw them foward, or contract and fold them on his back at
pleasure. the fold of the front of the ear is of a redish brown
colour, the inner folds are those which lie together when the
ears are thrown back, and which occupies 2/3ds. of the width of
the ears of a pure white except the tips of the ears for about an
inch. the hinder folds or those which lie on the back are of a
light grey; the sides as they approach the belly become gradually
more white, the belly brest, and inner part of the legs and
thyes are white, with a slight shade of a lead colour. the
Head, neck, back sholders, sides, outer part of the legs and
thyes are of a Lead coloured Grey. the tail is bluntly pointed
and round covered with fine soft white fur not quite as long as
on the other parts of the body. the body is covered with a
deep fine soft close fur. the colours here described are those
which the animale assumes from the middle of April to the
middle of November, the ballance of the year they are of a
pure white, except the black and redish brown of the ears
which never changes, a fiew redish brown spots are sometimes
seen intermixed with the white, at this season on the heads and
upper parts of the neck an[d] sholders. The body of this
animal is smaller and longer in purpotion to it's hight than the
Rabbit. when it runs it carrys its tail streight behind in the
direction of it's body. they appear to run with more ease and
bound with greater agility than any animal I ever saw. they
are extreemly fleet and never burrow or take shelter in the
grounds when pursued. it's teeth are like those of the rabit,
as is also its upper lip which is divided as high as the nose. it's
food is grass, herbs, and in winter feeds much on the bark of
several arematic shrubs which grow in the plains and the young
willows along the rivers and other water courses. I have
measured the leaps of this animal and find them commonly
from 18 to 22 feet. they are Generally found separate, and
never seen to associate in any number or more than two or
three.
