Clark: February 13, 1806

Tuesday February 13th 1806. The Clatsop left us this morning at 11 A.M.
not anything transpired dureing the day worthy of notice. yesterday we
completed the opperation of drying the meat, and think we have a
Sufficient Stock to last us this month. the Indians inform us that we
shall have great abundance of Small fish in March. which from the
discription must be the Herring. Those people have also informed us that
one Moore who sometimes touches at this place and traded with the nativs
of this Coast, had on board his Ship 3 Cows, and that when he left them he
continued his course along the N W. Coast. I think this (if those Cows
were not Coats) Strong circumstantial proof that their is a Settlement of
white persons at Nootka Sound or Some place to the N W. of us on the
coast.

There are also two Species of firn which are common to this Countrey
besides that before mentioned of which the nativs eate the roots. these
two from their disparity in point of Size I shall distinguish the large
and Small firn. both species continue green all winter

The large fern, rise to the hight of 3 or 4 feet, the Stem is a Common
footstalk or rib which proceeds imediately from the radix which is
Somewhat flat on two Sides about the Size of a man’s arm and covered with
innumerable black coarse capillary radicles which issue from every part of
its surface; one of those roots or a collected bead of them will Send
forth from 20 to 40 of those Common footstalks all of which decline or
bend outwards from the Common center. those ribs are cylindric and marked
longitudinally their whole length with a groove or channel on their upper
Side. on either Side of this groove a little below it’s edge, the leafets
are inserted, being partly petiolate for about 2/3ds of the length of the
middle rib, commenceing at the bottom and from thence to the extremity
Sessile. the rib is termonated by a Single undevided lanceolate gagged
leafet. the leafets are lanceolate, from 2 to 4 inches in length gagged
and have a Small accute angular projection and obliquely cut at the base
on either Side of the rib of the leafet. upper Surface is Smooth and of a
deep Green, the under disk of a pale Green and covered with a brown
Substance of a woolly appearance particalarly near the center fiber or rib
these leafets are alternately pointed they are in number from 110 to 140;
shortest at the two extremities of the common footstalk and longest in the
center, gradually lengthing and diminishing as they Suckceed each other

The Small firn also rises with a Common footstalk from the radix and are
from 4 to 8 in number, about 8 inches long; the Central rib marked with a
Slight longitudinal Groove through out it’s whole length. the leafets are
oppositly pinnate about A of the length of the Common footstalk from the
bottom and thence alternately pinnate; the footstalk termonating in a
Simple undevided nearly entire lanceolate leafet. the leafets are oblong,
obtuse, convex absolutely entire, marked on the upper disk with a Slight
longitudinal grove in place of the central rib, smooth and of a deep
green; near the upper extremity those lefets are decurscivily pinnate as
are also those of the larg firn.

The Grass’s of this neighbourhood are generally coarse harsh and Sedge
like, and grow in large tufts. there is none except in the open grounds.
near the Coast on the top of Some of the untimbered hills there is a finer
and Softer Species which resembles much the Greensword. the Salt marshes
also produce a Corse grass, Bullrushes and the Cattail flaggs. of the two
last the nativs make great use in prepareing their mats bags &c. in
those bags they Carry their fish Berries roots &c.