Lewis: September 17, 1804
Lewis spent the day exploring the prairie between the Missouri River and Corvus Creek, taking six hunters with him at sunrise. He described ripe plum groves, vast prairie dog towns resembling a bowling green, surrounding hills, and recently burnt plains showing fresh spring growth. He estimated 3,000 buffalo in view alongside herds of elk, deer, and antelope. Though unable to shoot a female antelope, he marveled at the animal's extraordinary speed. He also examined a magpie killed by a hunter, recording detailed measurements and coloration, and noted reports of a white turkey in the Black Hills.
Monday September 17th 1804. Having for many days past confined myself to
the boat, I determined to devote this day to amuse myself on shore with my
gun and view the interior of the country lying between the river and the
Corvus Creek- accordingly before sunrise I set out with six of my best
hunters, two of whom I dispatched to the lower side of Corvus creek, two
with orders to hunt the bottoms and woodland on the river, while I
retained two others to acompany me in the intermediate country. one
quarter of a mile in rear of our camp which was situated in a fine open
grove of cotton wood passed a grove of plumb trees loaded with fruit and
now ripe. observed but little difference between this fruit and that of a
similar kind common to the Atlantic States. the trees are smaller and more
thickly set. this forrest of plumb trees garnish a plain about 20 feet
more lelivated than that on which we were encamped; this plain extends
back about a mile to the foot of the hills one mile distant and to which
it is gradually ascending this plane extends with the same bredth from the
creek below to the distance of near three miles above parrallel with the
river, and is intirely occupyed by the burrows of the barking squril
hertefore discribed; this anamal appears here in infinite numbers, and the
shortness and virdue of grass gave the plain the appearance throughout
it’s whole extent of beatifull bowlinggreen in fine order. it’s aspect is
S. E. a great number of wolves of the small kind, balks and some pole-cats
were to be seen. I presume that those anamals feed on this squirril.found
the country in every direction for about three miles intersected with deep
reveries and steep irregular hills of 100 to 200 feet high; at the tops of
these hills the country breakes of as usual into a fine leavel plain
extending as far as the eye can reach. from this plane I had an extensive
view of the river below, and the irregular hills which border the opposite
sides of the river and creek. the surrounding country had been birnt about
a month before and young grass had now sprung up to hight of 4 Inches
presenting the live green of the spring. to the West a high range of
hills, strech across the country from N. to S and appeared distant about
20 miles; they are not very extensive as I could plainly observe their
rise and termination no rock appeared on them and the sides were covered
with virdue similar to that of the plains this senery already rich
pleasing and beatiful, was still farther hightened by immence herds of
Buffaloe deer Elk and Antelopes which we saw in every direction feeding on
the hills and plains. I do not think I exagerate when I estimate the
number of Buffaloe which could be compreed at one view to amount to 3000.
my object was if possible to kill a female Antelope having already
procured a male; I pursued my rout on this plain to the west flanked by my
two hunters untill eight in the morning when I made the signal for them to
come to me which they did shortly after. we rested our selves about half
an hour, and regailed ourselves on half a bisquit each and some jirk of
Elk which we had taken the precaution to put in our pouches in the morning
before we set out, and drank of the water of a small pool which had
collected on this plain from the rains which had fallen some days before.
We had now after various windings in pursuit of several herds of antelopes
which we had seen on our way made the distance of about eight miles from
our camp. we found the Antelope extreemly shye and watchfull insomuch that
we had been unable to get a shot at them; when at rest they generally
seelect the most elivated point in the neighbourhood, and as they are
watchfull and extreemly quick of sight and their sense of smelling very
accute it is almost impossible to approach them within gunshot; in short
they will frequently discover and flee from you at the distance of three
miles. I had this day an opportunity of witnessing the agility and
superior fleetness of this anamal which was to me really astonishing. I
had pursued and twice surprised a small herd of seven, in the first
instance they did not discover me distinctly and therefore did not run at
full speed, tho they took care before they rested to gain an elivated
point where it was impossible to approach them under cover except in one
direction and that happened to be in the direction from which the wind
blew towards them; bad as the chance to approach them was, I made the best
of my way towards them, frequently peeping over the ridge with which I
took care to conceal myself from their view the male, of which there was
but one, frequently incircled the summit of the hill on which the females
stood in a group, as if to look out for the approach of danger. I got
within about 200 paces of them when they smelt me and fled; I gained the
top of the eminece on which they stood, as soon as possible from whence I
had an extensive view of the country the antilopes which had disappeared
in a steep revesne now appeared at the distance of about three miles on
the side of a ridge which passed obliquely across me and extended about
four miles. so soon had these antelopes gained the distance at which they
had again appeared to my view I doubted at ferst that they were the same
that I had just surprised, but my doubts soon vanished when I beheld the
rapidity of their flight along the ridge before me it appeared reather the
rappid flight of birds than the motion of quadrupeds. I think I can safely
venture the asscertion that the speed of this anamal is equal if not
superior to that of the finest blooded courser.this morning I saws
—
Sept. 17th one of the hunters killed a bird of the Corvus genus and order
of the pica & about the size of a jack-daw with a remarkable long
tale. beautifully variagated. it note is not disagreeable though loud it
is twait twait twait, twait; twait, twait twait, twait.
F I
from tip to tip of wing 1 10
Do. beak to extremity of tale 1 8 1/2
of which the tale occupys 1 1
from extremity of middle toe to hip 5 1/2
it’s head, beak, and neck are large for a bird of it’s size; the beak is
black, and of a convex and cultrated figure, the chops nearly equal, and
it’s base large and beset with hairsthe eyes are black encircled
with a narrow ring of yellowish black it’s head, neck, brest & back
within one inch of the tale are of a fine glossey black, as are also the
short fathers of the under part of the wing, the thies and those about the
root of the tale. the belly is of a beatifull white which passes above and
arround the but of the wing, where the feathers being long reach to a
small white spot on the rump one inch in widththe wings have
nineteen feathers, of which the ten first have the longer side of their
plumage white in the midde of the feather and occupying unequal lengths of
the same from one to three inches, and forming when the wing is spead a
kind of triangle the upper and lower part of these party coloured feathers
on the under side of the wing being of dark colour but not jut or shining
black. the under side of the remaining feathers of the wing are darker.
the upper side of the wing, as well as the short side of the plumage of
the party coloured feathers is of a dark blackis or bluish green sonetimes
presenting as light orange yellow or bluish tint as it happens to be
presented to different exposures of ligtthe plumage of the tale
consits of 12 feathers of equal lengths by pairs, those in the center are
the longest, and the others on each side deminishing about an inch each
pairthe underside of the feathers is a pale black, the upper side
is a dark bluefish green which like the outer part of the wings is
changable as it reflects different portions of light. towards the the
extremely of these feathers they become of an orrange green, then shaded
pass to a redish indigo blue, and again at the extremity assume the
predominant colour of changeable greenthe tints of these feathers
are very similar and equally as beatiful and rich as the tints of blue and
green of the peacockit is a most beatifull bird.the legs and
toes are black and imbricated. it has four long toes, three in front and
one in rear, each terminated with a black sharp tallon from 3/8ths to 1/2
an inch in length.these birds are seldom found in parties of more
than three or four and most usually at this season single as the balks and
other birds of prey usually areit’s usual food is fleshthis
bird dose not spread it’s tail when it flys and the motion of it’s wings
when flying is much like that of a Jay-bird-
The White turkey of the black hills from information of a french lad who
wintered with the Chien Indians About the size of the common wild turkey
the plumage perfectly whitethis bird is booted as low as the toes-
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Monday, September 17th, 1804. Having confined myself to the boat for many days, I decided to spend this day amusing myself on shore with my gun and viewing the interior of the country lying between the river and Corvus Creek. Accordingly, before sunrise I set out with six of my best hunters. I sent two of them to the lower side of Corvus Creek, two with orders to hunt the bottoms and woodland along the river, while I kept the other two to accompany me in the country between.
A quarter of a mile behind our camp, which was situated in a fine open grove of cottonwood, we passed a grove of plum trees loaded with ripe fruit. I observed little difference between this fruit and the similar kind common to the Atlantic States. The trees are smaller and more thickly set. This forest of plum trees decorates a plain about 20 feet higher than the one on which we were camped. This plain extends back about a mile to the foot of the hills, gradually rising up to them. It runs with the same width from the creek below to nearly three miles above, parallel with the river, and is entirely occupied by the burrows of the barking squirrel previously described. This animal appears here in infinite numbers, and the shortness and greenness of the grass gave the plain the appearance, throughout its whole extent, of a beautiful bowling green in fine order. Its aspect is southeast. A great number of wolves of the small kind, hawks, and some polecats were to be seen. I presume that those animals feed on this squirrel.
I found the country in every direction for about three miles cut through with deep ravines and steep, irregular hills 100 to 200 feet high. At the tops of these hills the country breaks off, as usual, into a fine level plain extending as far as the eye can reach. From this plain I had an extensive view of the river below and of the irregular hills bordering the opposite sides of the river and creek. The surrounding country had been burned about a month before, and young grass had now sprung up to a height of 4 inches, presenting the live green of the spring. To the west, a high range of hills stretched across the country from north to south and appeared about 20 miles distant. They are not very extensive, as I could plainly observe their rise and end. No rock appeared on them, and the sides were covered with greenery similar to that of the plains.
This scenery, already rich, pleasing, and beautiful, was made still more so by the immense herds of buffalo, deer, elk, and antelope which we saw in every direction feeding on the hills and plains. I do not think I exaggerate when I estimate the number of buffalo that could be seen at one view to be 3,000. My object was, if possible, to kill a female antelope, having already procured a male. I followed my route on this plain to the west, flanked by my two hunters, until eight in the morning, when I made the signal for them to come to me, which they did shortly after. We rested ourselves about half an hour and refreshed ourselves on half a biscuit each and some elk jerky which we had taken the precaution to put in our pouches in the morning before we set out, and we drank from a small pool of water that had collected on the plain from rains that had fallen some days before.
After various windings in pursuit of several herds of antelope we had seen on our way, we had now traveled about eight miles from our camp. We found the antelope extremely shy and watchful, so much so that we had been unable to get a shot at them. When at rest, they generally select the highest point in the neighborhood, and since they are watchful, extremely quick of sight, and have a very keen sense of smell, it is almost impossible to approach them within gunshot. In short, they will frequently spot and flee from you at a distance of three miles.
I had this day an opportunity of witnessing the agility and superior swiftness of this animal, which was truly astonishing to me. I had pursued and twice surprised a small herd of seven. In the first instance, they did not see me clearly and therefore did not run at full speed, though they took care before resting to gain an elevated point where it was impossible to approach them under cover except from one direction, and that happened to be the direction from which the wind blew toward them. Bad as the chance to approach them was, I made the best of my way toward them, frequently peeping over the ridge behind which I took care to conceal myself from their view. The male, of which there was but one, frequently circled the summit of the hill where the females stood in a group, as if to look out for approaching danger. I got within about 200 paces of them when they smelled me and fled. I gained the top of the rise on which they had stood as soon as possible, from where I had an extensive view of the country. The antelope, which had disappeared into a steep ravine, now appeared at a distance of about three miles, on the side of a ridge that passed obliquely across from me and extended about four miles. So quickly had these antelope gained the distance at which they had again appeared to my view that I doubted at first they were the same I had just surprised, but my doubts soon vanished when I beheld the rapidity of their flight along the ridge before me. It appeared more like the rapid flight of birds than the motion of quadrupeds. I think I can safely venture the assertion that the speed of this animal is equal, if not superior, to that of the finest blooded racehorse. This morning I saw—
Sept. 17th. One of the hunters killed a bird of the genus Corvus and order of the pica (magpie), about the size of a jackdaw, with a remarkably long tail, beautifully variegated. Its note is not disagreeable, though loud: it is twait twait twait, twait; twait, twait twait, twait.
Measurements (feet and inches):
From tip to tip of wing: 1 ft 10 in
From beak to extremity of tail: 1 ft 8 1/2 in
Of which the tail occupies: 1 ft 1 in
From extremity of middle toe to hip: 5 1/2 in
Its head, beak, and neck are large for a bird of its size. The beak is black, and of a convex and knife-like shape, the upper and lower parts nearly equal, and its base large and beset with hairs. The eyes are black, encircled with a narrow ring of yellowish black. Its head, neck, breast, and back, to within one inch of the tail, are of a fine glossy black, as are also the short feathers of the underside of the wing, the thighs, and those about the root of the tail. The belly is a beautiful white, which passes above and around the butt of the wing, where the feathers, being long, reach to a small white spot on the rump one inch in width.
The wings have nineteen feathers, of which the first ten have the longer side of their plumage white in the middle of the feather, occupying unequal lengths of the feather from one to three inches, and forming, when the wing is spread, a kind of triangle. The upper and lower parts of these party-colored feathers on the underside of the wing are of a dark color but not jet or shining black. The underside of the remaining feathers of the wing is darker. The upper side of the wing, as well as the short side of the plumage of the party-colored feathers, is of a dark blackish or bluish green, sometimes presenting a light orange yellow or bluish tint as it is exposed to different lights.
The plumage of the tail consists of 12 feathers of equal length in pairs. Those in the center are the longest, and the others on each side decrease about an inch in each pair. The underside of the feathers is a pale black; the upper side is a dark bluish green which, like the outer part of the wings, is changeable as it reflects different portions of light. Toward the extremity, these feathers become an orange green, then, shaded, pass to a reddish indigo blue, and again at the extremity assume the predominant color of changeable green. The tints of these feathers are very similar and equally as beautiful and rich as the tints of blue and green of the peacock. It is a most beautiful bird.
The legs and toes are black and scaled. It has four long toes, three in front and one in rear, each ending in a black, sharp talon from 3/8 to 1/2 an inch in length. These birds are seldom found in parties of more than three or four, and most usually at this season are alone, as hawks and other birds of prey usually are. Its usual food is flesh. This bird does not spread its tail when it flies, and the motion of its wings when flying is much like that of a jay-bird.
The white turkey of the Black Hills, from information given by a French lad who wintered with the Cheyenne (Chien) Indians: about the size of the common wild turkey, the plumage perfectly white. This bird is feathered down to the toes.
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