Clark: March 2, 1806
Sunday March 2nd 1806 The diet of the Sick is So inferior that they
recover their Strength but Slowly. none of them are now Sick but all in a
State of Covelessence with keen appetites and nothing to eate except lean
Elk meat.
The nativs of this neighbourhood eate the root of the Cattail or Cooper’s
flag. it is pleasantly tasted and appears to be very nutrecious. the inner
part of the root which is eaten without any previous preperation is
Composed of a number of capellary white flexable Strong fibers among which
is a mealy or Starch like Substance which readily disolves in the mouth
and Seperates from the fibers which are then rejected. it appears to me
that this Substance would make excellent Starch; nothing Can be of a
pureer white than it is
This evening late Drewyer, Crusat & Wiser returned with a most
acceptable Supply of fat Sturgen, fresh anchoves and a bag Containing
about a bushel of Wappato. we feasted on the Anchovies and wappatoe.-.
The Heath Cock or cock of the Plains is found in the Plains of Columbia
and are in great abundance from the enterance of Lewis’s river to the
mountains which pass the Columbia between the Great falls and Rapids of
that river. this fowl is about 3/4ths the Size of a turkey. the beak is
large Short Curved and convex. the upper exceeding the lower chap. the
nostrils are large and the back black. the Colour is a uniform mixture of
dark brown reather bordering on a dove colour, redish and yellowish brown
with Some Small black Specks. in this mixture the dark brown provails and
has a Slight cast of the dove colour at a little distance. the wider side
of the larger feathers of the wings are of a dark brown only. the tail is
composed of 19 feathers of which that in the center is the longest, and
the remaining 9 on each Side deminish by pairs as they receede from the
Center; that is any one feather is equal in length to one of an equal
distance from the Center of the tail on the opposit Side. the tail when
folded Comes to a very Sharp point and appears long in perpotion to the
body in the act of flying the tail resembles that of a wild pigeon. tho
the motion of the wings is much that of the Pheasant and Grouse. they have
four toes on each foot of which the hinder one is Short. the leg is
covered with feathers about half the distance between the knee and foot.
when the wings is expanded there are wide opening between it’s feathers,
the plumage being So narrow that it does not extend from one quill to
another. the wings are also propotionably Short, reather more So than
those of the Pheasant or Grouse. the habits of this bird is much the Same
as those of the Prarie hen or Grouse. only that the food of this fowl is
almost entirely that of the leaf and buds of the pulpy leafed thorn, nor
do I ever recollect Seeing this bird but in the neighbourhood of that
Shrub. The gizzard of it is large and much less compressed and muscular
than in most fowls, in Short it resembles a maw quite as much as a
gizzard. When they fly they make a cackling noise Something like the
dunghill fowl. the flesh of this fowl is dark and only tolerable in point
of flavour. I do not think it as good as wth the Pheasant or Prarie hen,
or Grouse. the feathers above it’s head are pointed and Stiff Some hairs
about the base of the beak. feathers Short fine and Stiff about the ears,
and eye. This is a faint likeness of the Cock of the plains or Heath Cock
the first of those fowls which we met with was on the Missouri below and
in the neighbourhood of the Rocky Mountains and from to the mountain which
passes the Columbia between the Great falls and Rapids they go in large
gangues or Singularly and hide remarkably close when pursued, make Short
flights, &c.
The large Black & White Pheasant is peculiar to that portion of the
Rocky Mountains watered by the Columbia River. at least we did not See
them untill we reached the waters of that river, nor Since we have left
those mountains. they are about the Size of a well grown hen. the contour
of the bird is much that of the redish brown Pheasant common to our
country. the tail is proportionably as long and is composed of 18 feathers
of equal length, of a uniform dark brown tiped with black. the feathers of
the body are of a dark brown black and white. the black is that which most
prodomonates, and white feathers are irregularly intermixed with those of
the black and dark brown on every part but in greater perpotion about the
neck breast and belly. this mixture gives it very much the appearance of
that kind of dunghill fowl, which the henwives of our Countrey Call
dommanicker. in the brest of Some of those birds the white prodominates
most. they are not furnished with tufts of long feathers on the neck as
other Pheasants are, but have a Space on each Side of the neck about 21/2
inches long and one inch in width on which no feathers grow, tho it is
consealed by the feathers which are inserted on the hinder and front part
of the neck, this Space Seams to Serve them to dilate or contract the
feathers of the neck with more ease. the eye is dark, the beak black,
uncovered Somewhat pointed and the upper exceeds the under chap. they have
a narrow Strip of vermillion colour above each eye which consists of a
fleshey Substance not protuberant but uneaven, with a number of minute
rounded dots. it has four toes on each foot of which three are in front,
it is booted to the toes. it feeds on wild fruits, particularly the berry
of the Sac-a-com-mis, and much also on the Seed of the pine & fir.
this fowl is usially found in Small numbers two and three & 4 together
on the ground. when Supprised flies up & lights on a tree and is
easily Shot their flesh is Superior to most of the Pheasant Species which
we have met with. they have a gizzard as other Pheasants &c. feed also
on the buds of the Small Huckleberry bushes
