[Clark:]
Tuesday February 4th 1806
Sergt. Pryor with a party of 5 men set out again in quest of
the Elk which Drewyer had killed. Drewyer also returned to
continue the chase in the same quarter. the Elk are in much
better order in the point near the praries than they are in the
woodey country around us or up the Netul. in the praries
they feed on grass and rushes, which are yet green. in the
woddey countrey their food is huckleberry bushes, fern, and
the Shallon an evergreen shrub, which resembles the Lorel in
some measure; the last constitutes the greater part of their
food and grows abundant through all the timbered country,
particularly the hill sides and more broken parts of it. There
are several species of Fir in this neighbourhood which I shall
describe as well as my botanicale skill will will enable me, and
for the convenience of comparison with each other shall number
them. (N°.1,) a species which grows to an emence size; verry
commonly 27 feet in surcumferonce at 6 feet above the surface
of the earth, and in several instances we have found them as
much a[s] 36 feet in the girth, or 12 feet Diameter perfectly
solid & entire. they frequently rise to the hight of 230 feet;
and 120 or 130 of that hight without a limb. this timber is
white and soft throughout and rives better than any other
species we have tried the bark shales off in aregular rounded
flakes and is of a redish brown colour, particularly of the
younger growth, the stem of this tree is simple branching,
assending, not very defuse, and proliferous, the leaf of this
tree is accerose 1/2 a line in width, and 3/4 of an inch in length;
is firm stiff and accuminate; they are triangular little declineing,
thickly scattered on all sides of the Bough, but respect the
three upper sides only Growing from little triangular pedistals
of soft spungy elastic bark. at the junction of these bough's,
the bud-scales continue to incircle the respective twigs for
several years; at least 3 years is common and I have counted
as maney as the growth of 4 years beyond these scales. this
tree affords but little rozin. it's cone I have not yet had an
opportunity to discover altho' I have sought it frequently; the
trees of this kind which we have fell'd have had no cones
on them.
