Clark: May 31, 1806

Saturday May 31st 1806 Goodrich and Willard visited the indian Village
this morning and returned in the evening Willard brought with him the
dressed Skin of a bear which he had purchased for me. this Skin was of a
uniform pale redish brown colour, the indians inform us that it was not
the Hoh-host or white bear, that it was the Yack-kah this distinction of
the indians induced us to make further enquiry relitive to their oppinions
of the defferent Species of bear in this country. We produced the Several
Skins of the bear which our hunters had killed at this place and one very
nearly white which Capt Lewis had purchased. the White, the deep and pale
red grizzle, the dark brown grizzle, and all those that had the
extremities of the hair of a White or frosty Colour without reguard to the
Colour of the ground of the poil, they disignated Hoh-host and assured us
that they were the Same with the White bear, that they associated
together, were very vicisious, never climb the trees, and had much longer
nails than the others. The black skins, those which were black with a
number of entire white hairs intermixed, the black with a White breast,
the uniform bey, brown and light redish brown, they disignated the
Yack-kah-; Said that they Climb the trees had Short nails and were not
viscisious, that they could prosue them and kill them in Safty, they also
affirmed that they were much Smaller than the white bear. I am disposed to
adopt the Indians distinction with respect to these bear and consider them
two distinct Species. the White and the Grizzly of this neighbourhood are
the Same as those found on the upper part of the Missouri where the other
Species are not, and that the uniform redish brown black &c. of this
neighbourhood are a Species distinct from both Species of our black bear
and from the black bear of the Pacific Coast which I believe to be the
Same with those of the Atlantic Coast, and that the Common black bear do
not exist here. I had previously observed that the claws of Some of the
bear which we had killed here had much Shorter tallons than the varigated
or White bear usially have but Supposed that they had worn them out by
scratching out roots, and these were those which the indians call Yahkah.
on enquiry I found also that a Cub of a uniform redish brown Colour pup to
a female black bear intermixed with entire white hairs, had climbed a
tree. I think this a distinct Species from the common black bear becaus we
never find the latter of any other Colour than a uniform black, and also
that the poil of this bear is much finer thicker and longer with a greater
proportion of fur mixed with the hair, in other respects they are much the
same

This evening, Joseph and Reuben Fields returned with the three deer they
had killed. The indians brought us another of our Original Stock of
Horses; there are only two Absent now of these horses, and these the
indians inform us that our Sho-Sho-ne guide rode back when he returned. we
have Sixty five horses at this time, most of them in excellent order and
fine Strong active horses

The Indians pursued a Mule deer to the river opposit to our Camp this
evening; the deer Swam over and one of our hunters killed it. there being
a large party of indians assembled on this Occasion on the opposit Side
with Tin-nach-e-moo-tolt they attempted to rais our Canoe which was Sunk
on that Side of the river yesterday; they made the attempt but were unable
to effect it-.