Lewis: February 9, 1806

Sunday February 9th 1806 This morning Collins and Wiser set out on a
hunting excurtion; they took our Indian canoe and passed the Netul a
little above us. in the evening Drewyer returned; had killed nothing but
one beaver. he saw one black bear, which is the only one which has been
seen in this neighbourhood since our arrival; the Indians inform us that
they are abundant but are now in their holes.

in the marshy ground frequently overflown by the tides there grows a
species of fir which I take to be the same of No. 5 which it resembles in
every particular except that it is more defusely branched and not so
large, being seldom more than 30 feet high and 18 inches or 2 feet in
diameter; it’s being more defusely branched may proceed from it’s open
situation seldom growing very close. the cone is 21/2 inches in length and
33/4 in it’s greatest circumpherence, which is near it’s base, and from
which it tapers regularly to a point. it is formed of imbricated scales of
a bluntly rounded form, thin not very firm and smoth. a thin leaf is
inserted into the pith of the cone, which overlays the center of and
extends 1/2 an inch beyond the point of each scale. the form of this leaf
is somewhat thus overlaying one of the imbricated scales.

The stem of the black alder of this country before mentioned as arriving
to great size, is simply branching and defuse. the bark is smooth of a
light colour with white coloured spreading spots or blotches, resembling
much that of the beech; the leaf fructification &c is precisely that
of the common alder of our country. these trees grow seperately from
different roots and not in clusters or clumps as those of the Atlantic
states. fearing that our meat would spoil we set six men to jurking it.