Lewis: January 31, 1806
Eight men sent upriver to search for elk and hunt turned back when ice blocked the river. Joseph Fields returned in the evening reporting that after five days of unsuccessful hunting with Gibson and Willard for the salt makers, he had killed two elk about six miles away; four men were ordered to help carry the meat. McNeal was found to have the pox and was given medicine. Charbono brought in a dead bird, which Lewis described in extensive anatomical detail, recognizing it from the Rocky Mountains.
Saturday January 31st 1806. Sent a party of eight men up the river this
morning to renew their surch for the Elk and also to hunt; they proceded
but a few miles before they found the river so obstructed with ice that
they were obliged to return. Joseph Fields arrived this evening, informed
us that he had been hunting in company with Gibson and Willard for the
last five days in order to obtain some meat for himself and the other Salt
makers, and that he had been unsuccessfull untill yesday 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 these Elk and had come for the assistance of some men 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
medecine. Charbono found a bird dead lying near the fort this morning and
brought it to me I immediately recognized it to be of the same kind of
that which I had seen in the Rocky mountains on the morning of the 20th of
September last. this bird is about the size as near as may be of the
robbin. it’s contour also is precisely the same with that bird. it
measures one foot 31/4 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 eleven feathers of the same
length. The beak is smoth, black, convex and cultrated; one and 1/8 inches
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 few small
black hairs garnish the sides of the base of the upper chap. the eye is of
a uniform deep sea green or black, moderately large. it’s legs feet and
tallons are white; the legs are an inch and a 1/4 in length and smoth;
four toes on each foot, of which that in front is the same length with the
leg including the length of the tallon, which is 4 lines; the three
remaining toes are 3/4 of an inch, each armed with proportionably long
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, the
back of the neck imbracing reather more than half the circumpherence of
the neck, the back and tale, are of bluish dark brown; the two outer
feathers of the tale have a little dash of white near their tips not
percemtible when the tail is foalded. a fine black forms the ground of the
wings; two stripes of the same colour pass on either side of the head from
the base of the beak along the side of the head to it’s junction with the
neck, and imbraces the eye to it’s upper edge; a third stripe of the same
colour 3/4 of an inch in width passes from the sides of the neck just
above the butts of the wings across the croop 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
stripe reaches before discribed, to which, it appears to answer as a
border. the feathers which form the 1st and second ranges of the coverts
of the two joints of the wing next the body, are beautifully tiped with
this brick red; as is also each large feather of the wing on the short
side of it’s plumage for 1/2 an inch in length commening at the extremity
of the feathers which form the first or main covert of the wing. this is a
beatifull little bird. I have never heard it’s note it appears to be
silent. it feeds on berries, and I beleive is a rare bird even in this
country, or at least this is the second time only that I have seen it.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 a brick red.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Saturday, January 31st, 1806. I sent a party of eight men up the river this morning to renew their search for the Elk and also to hunt. They proceeded but a few miles before they found the river so obstructed with ice that they were obliged to return. Joseph Fields arrived this evening and informed us that he had been hunting in company with Gibson and Willard for the last five days in order to obtain some meat for himself and the other salt makers, and that he had been unsuccessful until yesterday evening, when he had fortunately killed two Elk about six miles distant from this place and about eight from the salt works. He left Gibson and Willard to dry the meat of these Elk and had come for the assistance of some men to carry the meat to the salt camp. For this purpose we ordered four men to accompany him early in the morning. We discovered that McNeal had the pox, and gave him medicine.
Charbono (Charbonneau) found a bird lying dead near the fort this morning and brought it to me. I immediately recognized it to be of the same kind as that which I had seen in the Rocky Mountains on the morning of the 20th of September last. This bird is about the size, as near as may be, of the robin. Its contour also is precisely the same as that bird. It measures one foot 3 1/4 inches from tip to tip of the wings when extended, and 9 1/4 inches from the extremity of the beak to that of the tail. The tail is 3 3/4 inches in length, and composed of eleven feathers of the same length. The beak is smooth, black, convex, and knife-shaped; one and 1/8 inches from the point to the opening of the jaws, and only 3/4 uncovered with feathers; the upper jaw exceeds the lower a little in length. A few small black hairs garnish the sides of the base of the upper jaw. The eye is of a uniform deep sea green or black, and moderately large. Its legs, feet, and talons are white; the legs are an inch and 1/4 in length and smooth; there are four toes on each foot, of which the one in front is the same length as the leg including the length of the talon, which is 4 lines; the three remaining toes are 3/4 of an inch, each armed with proportionally long talons. The toes are slightly overlapping. The talons are curved and sharply pointed.
The crown of the head from the beak back to the neck, the back of the neck embracing rather more than half the circumference of the neck, the back, and the tail, are of bluish dark brown; the two outer feathers of the tail have a little dash of white near their tips, not perceptible when the tail is folded. A fine black forms the ground of the wings; two stripes of the same color pass on either side of the head from the base of the beak along the side of the head to its junction with the neck, and embrace the eye to its upper edge; a third stripe of the same color, 3/4 of an inch in width, passes from the sides of the neck just above the butts of the wings across the crop in the form of a gorget. The throat, or underpart of the neck, breast, and belly, is of a fine yellowish brick red. A narrow stripe of this color also commences just above the center of each eye, and extends backwards to the neck as far as the black stripe reaches before described, to which it appears to serve as a border. The feathers which form the first and second ranges of the coverts of the two joints of the wing next to the body are beautifully tipped 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, commencing at the extremity of the feathers which form the first or main covert of the wing. This is a beautiful little bird. I have never heard its note; it appears to be silent. It feeds on berries, and I believe it is a rare bird even in this country, or at least this is only the second time that I have seen it. 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.
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