Clark: February 27, 1806

Thursday February 27th 1806. Reubin Field returned this evening and had not killed anything; he reported that there were no elk toward Point Adams. Collins, who had hunted up the Netul on this side, returned in the evening having killed a buck elk. Willard still continues very unwell; the other sick men have nearly recovered. Goodrich and McNeal, who have the pox, are recovering fast, the former nearly well. La Page is complaining.

The Braro, so called by the French engagés, is an animal of the civet genus and much resembles the common badger. It is an inhabitant of the open plains of the Columbia, as they are of those of the Missouri, but are sometimes also found in the wooded country. They burrow in the hard grounds of the plains with surprising ease and dexterity, and will cover themselves in the ground in a very few minutes. They have five long fixed claws on each foot; those of the forefeet are much the longest, and one of those on each hind foot is double, like those of the beaver. They weigh from 14 to 20 pounds. The body is rather long in proportion to its thickness. The forelegs are remarkably large and muscular and are formed like those of the turnspit dog. They are short, as are also the hind legs. They are broad across the shoulders and breast. The neck is short. The head is formed much like that of the common feist dog, only that the skull is more convex. The mouth is wide and furnished with long sharp teeth, both above and below, and with four sharp straight pointed tusks, two in the upper and two in the lower jaw. The eyes are black and small. Whiskers are placed in four points on each side near the nose and on the jaws near the opening of the mouth. The ears are very short, wide, and pressed down as if they had been cut off. The opening through them to the head is remarkably small. The tail is about 4 inches long; the hair is longest on it at its junction with the body and becomes shorter toward its extremity, where it ends in an acute point. The hairs of the body are much longer on the sides and rump than on any other part, which gives the body an apparent flatness, particularly when the animal rests on its belly. This hair is upwards of 3 inches in length, particularly on the rump, where it extends so far toward the point of the tail that it almost conceals the shape of that part and gives to all the hinder part of the body the form of an acute-angled triangle, of which the point of the tail forms the acute angle. The small quantity of fur which is intermixed with the hair is of a reddish pale yellow. The hair of the back, sides, upper part of the neck, and tail is of a reddish light or pale yellow fox color for about two thirds of its length from the skin, next black, and then tipped with white, forming a curious mixture of gray and fox-colored red with a yellowish hue. The belly, flanks, and breast are of the fox-colored reddish yellow. The legs are black; the nails white. The head, on which the hair is short, is variegated with black and white. A narrow strip of white commences on the top of the nose about half an inch from its extremity and extends back along the center of the forehead and neck nearly to the shoulders. Two stripes of black succeed the white on either side, embracing the side of the nose and the eyes, and extending back as far as the ears. Two other spots of black, of a rhomboidal figure, are placed on the side of the head near the ears and between them and the opening of the mouth. Two black spots also lie immediately behind the ears. The other part of the head is white. This animal feeds on flesh, roots, bugs, and wild fruits. It is very clumsy and runs very slowly, depending more on burrowing to secure itself than on running. I have in several instances outrun and caught this animal. In this respect they are not much more fleet than the porcupine.