Lewis: March 4, 1806
With nothing notable happening at Fort Clatsop, Lewis devotes the entry to natural history observations. He describes the expedition's diet of wappato and sturgeon, detailing how local natives smoke anchovies on sticks and steam-cook sturgeon by layering it with boughs over heated stones beneath wet mats. He then catalogs regional birds, comparing them to eastern species: turtle doves, robins, magpies, several woodpeckers, jays, larks, sandhill cranes, vultures, and two flycatcher species, noting their habitats across plains, woodlands, and the Rocky Mountains.
Tuesday March 4th 1806. Not any occurrence today worthy of notice. we live
sumptuously on our wappetoe and Sturgeon. the Anchovey is so delicate that
they soon become tainted unless pickled or smoked. the natives run a small
stick through their gills and hang them in the smoke of their lodges, or
kindle a small fire under them for the purpose of drying them. they need
no previous preperation of guting &c and will cure in 24 hours. the
natives do not appear to be very scrupelous about eating them when a
little feated.the fresh sturgeon they keep for many days by
immersing it in water. they coock 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 lad. when the fire birns down and the stones are
sufficiently heated, the stones are so arranged as to form a tolerable
level surface, the sturgeon which had been previously cut into large
fletches is now laid on the hot stones; a parsel of small boughs of bushes
is next laid on and a second course of the sturgeon thus repating
alternate layers of sturgeon and boughs untill the whole is put on which
they design to cook. it is next covered closely with matts and water is
poared in such manner as to run in among the hot stones and the vapor
arrising being confined by the mats, cooks the fish. the whole process is
performed in an hour, and the sturgeon thus cooked is much better than
either boiled or roasted.
The turtle dove and robbin are the same of our country and are found as
well in the plain as open country. the Columbian robbin heretofore
discribed seems to be the inhabitant of the woody country exclusively. the
Magpy 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 woodpeckers and the small white woodpecker with a read 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
breasted do have been previously discribed and are the natives 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 before mentioned on the Missouri, and not very unlike what is called
in Virginia the old field lark.The large bluefish brown or sandhill
Crain are found in the valley of the Rocky mountains in Summer and Autumn
where they raise their young, and in the winter and begining of spring on
this river below tidewater 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 Sandhill crain. The vulture has also been
discribed. there are two species of the flycatch, a small redish brown
species with a short tail, round body, short neck and short pointed beak.
they have some fine black specks intermixed with the uniform redish brown.
this the same with that which remains all winter in Virginia where it is
sometimes called the wren. the second species has lately returned and dose
not remain here all winter. it’s colours are a yellowish brown on the back
head neck wings and tail the breast and belley of a yellowish white; the
tail is in proportion as the wren but it is a size smaller than that bird.
it’s beak is streight pointed convex reather lage at the base and the
chaps of equal length. the first species is the smallest, in short it is
the smalest bird that I have ever seen in America except the humming bird.
both these species are found in the woody country only or at least I have
never seen them elsewhere.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Tuesday, March 4th, 1806. Nothing happened today worthy of notice. We are living sumptuously on our wappetoe and sturgeon. The anchovy is so delicate that it soon becomes tainted unless pickled or smoked. The natives run a small stick through their gills and hang them in the smoke of their lodges, or kindle a small fire under them for the purpose of drying them. They need no previous preparation of gutting, etc., and will cure in 24 hours. The natives do not appear to be very scrupulous about eating them even when a little spoiled. The fresh sturgeon they keep for many 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 is laid. When the fire burns down and the stones are sufficiently heated, the stones are arranged so as to form a tolerably level surface. The sturgeon, which has previously been cut into large fillets, 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 and boughs until the whole is put on which they intend to cook. It is next covered closely with mats, and water is poured in such a manner as to run in among the hot stones, and the vapor that rises, being confined by the mats, cooks the fish. The whole process is performed in an hour, and the sturgeon thus cooked is much better than either boiled or roasted.
The turtle dove and robin are the same as those of our country and are found as well in the plains as in the open country. The Columbian robin, heretofore described, seems to be the inhabitant of the wooded country exclusively. The magpie is most commonly found in the open country, and is the same as those formerly described on the Missouri. The large woodpecker, or log cock, the lark woodpeckers, and the small white woodpecker with a red head are the same as those of the Atlantic states, and are found exclusively in the timbered country. The blue crested corvus and the small white-breasted one have been previously described, and are invariably natives of pine country, being found as well on the Rocky Mountains as on this coast. The lark is found in the plains only, and is the same as those mentioned before on the Missouri, and not very unlike what is called in Virginia the old field lark. The large blue, fish-brown, or sandhill crane is found in the valleys of the Rocky Mountains in summer and autumn, where they raise their young, and in winter and the beginning of spring on this river below tidewater 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 sandhill crane. The vulture has also been described. There are two species of flycatcher: a small reddish-brown species with a short tail, round body, short neck, and short pointed beak. They have some fine black specks intermixed with the uniform reddish brown. This is the same as the one that remains all winter in Virginia, where it is sometimes called the wren. The second species has lately returned and does not remain here all winter. Its colors are a yellowish brown on the back, head, neck, wings, and tail; the breast and belly are a yellowish white. The tail is in proportion like that of the wren, but it is a size smaller than that bird. Its beak is straight, pointed, convex, rather large at the base, and the chaps are of equal length. The first species is the smaller; in short, it is the smallest bird I have ever seen in America except the hummingbird. Both these species are found in the wooded country only, or at least I have never seen them elsewhere.
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