[Clark:]
Tuesday March 4th 1806
Not any accurrance to day worthy of notice. we live
sumptuously on our Wappatoe and sturgeon. the Anchovey
is so delicate that they soon become tainted unless pickled or
smoked. the nativs run a small stick through their gills and
hang them in the smoke of their Lodges, or Kindle small fires
under them for the purpose of drying them. they need no
previous preperation of gutting &c. and will cure in 24 hours.
the nativs do not appear to be very scrupelous about eating
them a little feated [fetid]. the fresh sturgeon they Keep
maney days by immersing it in water. they cook their sturgeon
by means of vapor or steam, the Process is as follows.
a brisk fire is kindled on which a parcel of stones are sufficiently
heated, the stones are so arranged as to form a tolerable
leavel surface, the sturgeon which had been previously
cut into large flaetches is now laid on the hot stones; a parcel
of small boughs of bushes is next laid on, and a second course
of the sturgeon thus repeating alternate layers of sturgeon &
boughs untill the whole is put on which they design to cook,
it is next covered closely with mats and water is poared in
such manner as to run in among the hot stones and the
vapor arrising being confin
d. by the mats, cooks the fish. the
whole process is perform
d. in an hour and the sturgeon thus
cooked is much better than either boiled or roasted. in their
usual way of boiling of other fish in baskets with hot stones is
not so good.
The turtle dove and robin are the same of those of our
countrey and are found as well on the plains as open countrey.
the Columbia robin heretofore discribed seams to be the inhabitent
of the woody country exclusively. the Magpye is
most commonly found in the open country and are the same
with those formerly discribed on the Missouri.
The large woodpecker or log cock the lark woodpecker and
the common woodpecker with a red head are the same with
those of the Atlantic States, and are found exclusively in the
timbered country. The Blue crested Corvus and the small
white brested corvus are the nativs of a piney country invariably,
being found as well on the Rocky Mountains as on this
coast. The lark is found in the plains only and are the same
with those on the Missouri and the Illinois and not unlike
what is called in Virginia the old field Lark.
The large bluish brown or Sandhill Crain are found in the
Vally's of the Rocky Mountain in summer and autumn when
they raise their young and in the winter and beginning of
spring on this river below tide water and on this coast. they
are the same as those common to the Southern and Western
States where they are most generally known by the name of
the Sand hill Crain. The Vulture has already been discribed.
There are two species of fly catch, a small redish brown
with a short tail, round body, short neck, and short pointed
beak, and the same as that with us sometimes called the wren.
the 2d species does not remain all winter they have just returned
and are of a yellowish brown colour.
