Clark: January 31, 1806

Friday January 31st 1806 Sent a party of Eight men with the hunters to
renew their Serch for the Elk, and also to hunt; they proceeded but a fiew
miles before they found the river So obstructed with ice that they were
obliged to return. Jo. Field arrives this evening, informs us That he had
been hunting in Company with gibson and willard for the last four days in
order to obtain some meat for himself and the other Salt-makers, and that
he had been unsucksessfull untill yesterday evening when he had
fortunately killed two Elk, about six miles distant from this place and
about 8 from the Salt works; he left gibson and willard to dry the meat of
those Elk, and had come for assistance to carry the meat to the Salt Camp;
for this purpose we ordered four men to accompany him early in the
morning. discovered that McNeal had the pox, gave him medicine. Chabono
found a bird dead lying near the Fort this morning and brought it in, I
reconized it to be the Same kind of that which I had Seen in the Rocky
Mountains at severl different times. this berd is about the Size as near
as may be of the robin. it’s contour is also presisely the Same with that
bird. it measured one foot 3/4 inches from tip to tip of the wings when
extended. 91/4 inches from the extremity of the beak to that of the tail.
the tail is 33/4 inches in length, and Composed of 11 feathers of the Same
length. The beak is Smoth, black, convex and cultrated; 1 1/8 inchs from
the point to the opening of the Chaps and 3/4 only uncovered with
feathers, the upper Chap exceeds the other a little in length. a fiew
Small black hairs garnish the Side of the upper chap. The Eye is of a
uniform deep Sea green or black, moderately large. it’s legs feet and
tallants are white; the legs are of 11/4 in length and Smoth; four toes on
each foot, of which that in front is the Same length of the leg including
the tallants, which is 4 lines; the 3 remaining toes are 3/4 of an inch,
each armed with proportianably large tallons. the toes are Slightly
imbricated. the tallons are curved and Sharply pointed. The Crown of the
head from the beak back to the neck imbracing rather more than half the
circumphrence of the neck, the Back and tail is of a bluish dark brown;
the two outer feathers of the tail have a little dash of white near the
tips, not proceivable when the tail is foalded. a fine black forms the
ground of the wings; two Stripes of the same colour passes on either side
of the Head from the base of the Back along the Side of the head to it’s
junction with the neck, and embraces the eye to its upper edge; a third
Stripe of the Same Colour 3/4 of an inch in width passes from the Side of
the neck just above the buts of the wings across the troop in the form of
a gorget. the throat or under part of the neck brest and belly is of a
fine Yellowish brick red. a narrow Stripe of this Colour also Commences
just above the center of each eye, and extends backwards to the Neck as
far as the black Spots reaches before discribed, to which it appears to
answer as a border. the feathers which form the 1st and Second range of
the coverts of the two joints of the wings next the body are butifully
aped with this Brick red; as is also each large feather of the wing on the
Short Side of its plumage for 1/2 an inch in length Comencing at the
extremity of the feather which form the first or main Covert of the wing.
This is a butifull little bird. I have never herd its notes it appears to
be Silent. it feeds on berries, and I believe is a rare bird even in this
country-. between the legs of this bird the feathers are white, and those
which form the tuft underneath the tail are a mixture of white and Brick
red.