August 5, 1804
August 5th Set out early wind from N E. Great appearance of Wind &
rain, (I have remarked that I have not heard much thunder in this
Countrey) a verry large Snake was Killed to day called the Bull Snake,
his Colour Some thing like a rattle Snake Something lighter— the bends
of the river to day is washing away the banks, haveing nothing to
oppose the turbelance of the river when Confined by large hard Sand
Points, forceing this Current against the bends— the Soil of the entire
bottom between the high land, being the mud or Ooze of the river of
Some former period mixed with Sand & Clay easely melts and Slips, or
washies into the river the mud mixes with the water & the Sand collects
on the points Camped on the S. S.— I went on Shore S. S. this evening
Saw Some turkeys and in persueing them Struk the river 12 miles below
the place by water I went out, I think the Peninsuly is about 370 yards
across Subjuct to overflow; & washes into numerous Channels, Great
quantities of Graps ripe & of three Defferent Kind Some large & fine. I
Killed a Turkey, and made Camp in the Night, Musqutors verry
troubleson— Reed the man who went back for his Knife has not yet joined
us
5th of August Sunday 1804
Set out early great appearance of wind and rain (I have observed that
Thundor & lightning is not as common in this Countrey as it is in the
atlantic States) Snakes are not plenty, one was killed to day large and
resembling the rattle Snake only Something lighter—. I walked on Shore
this evening S. S. in Pursueing Some Turkeys I struck the river twelve
miles below within 370 yards, the high water passes thro this
Peninsulia; and agreeable to the Customary Changes of the river I
Concld. that in two years the main Current of the river will pass
through. In every bend the banks are falling in from the Current being
thrown against those bends by the Sand points which inlarges and the
Soil I believe from unquestionable appearns. of the entire bottom from
one hill to the other being the mud or ooze of the River at Some former
Period mixed with Sand and Clay easily melts and Slips into the River,
and the mud mixes with the water & the Sand is washed down and lodges
on the points— Great quantites of Grapes on the banks, I observe three
different Kinds at this time ripe, one Of the no. is large & has the
flaver of the Purple grape. camped on the S. S. the Musquitors verry
troubleson. The man who went back after his Knife has not yet come up,
we have Some reasons to believe he has Deserted
August 5th 1804
Killed a serpent on the bank of the river adjoining a large prarie.
| F |
Inch |
| Length from nose to tail |
5 2 |
| Circumpherence in largest part— |
4 1/2 |
| Number of scuta on belly— |
221 |
| Do. on Tale— |
53 |
No pison teeth therefore think him perfectly inocent— eyes, center
black with a border of pale brown yellow Colour of skin on head
yellowish green with black specks on the extremity of the scuta which
are pointed or triangular colour of back, transverse stripes of black
and dark brown of an inch in width, succeeded by a yellowish brown of
half that width the end of the tale hard and pointed like a cock's spur
the sides are speckled with yellowish brown and black.— two roes of
black spots on a lite yellow ground pass throughout his whole length on
the upper points of the scuta of the belly and tale 1/2 Inch apart this
snake is vulgarly called the cow or bull snake from a bellowing nois
which it is said sometimes to make resembling that anamal, tho as to
this fact I am unable to attest it never having heard them make that or
any other noise myself.
I have frequently observed an acquatic bird in the cours of asscending
this river but have never been able to procure one before today, this
day I was so fortunate as to kill two of them, they are here more
plenty than on the river below. they lay their eggs on the sand bars
without shelter or nest, and produce their young from the 15th to the
last of June, the young ones of which we caught several are covered
with down of a yellowish white colour and on the back some small specks
of a dark brown. they bear a great resemblance to the young quale of
ten days oald, and apear like them to be able to runabout and peck
their food as soon as they are hatched— this bird, lives on small fish,
worms and bugs which it takes on the virge of the water it is seldom
seen to light on trees an quite as seldom do they lite in the water and
swim tho the foot would indicate that they did it's being webbed I
believe them to be a native of this country and probly a constant
resident.
the weight of the male bird is one ounce and a half, its length from
beak to toe 71/2 inches from tip to tip of wing across the back one
foot seven inches and a half the beak is one 1/8 inch lonong, large
where it joins the head Elated on the sides and tapering to a sharp
point, a little declining and curvated, a fine yellow, with a shade of
black on the extremity of upper beak; the eye is prominent, black and
on a angular scale of 1/2 Inc; occupyse 3 1/3 in width. the upper part
of the head is black from the beak as low as the middle of the eye and
a little below the joining of the neck except however some white which
joins the upper part of the beak which forks and passing over the sides
of the forehead terminate above each eye— the under part of the bird,
that is the throat and cheeks as high as the eye, the neck brest belly
and under part of the wings and tail are of a fine white, the upper
part of the neck, back, and wings are of a fine, quaker colour, or
bright dove colour with reather more of a bluish tint—except however
the three first or larger feathers in the wing which on upper side are
of a deep black. the wing has four joints
| No. Joint |
Length of joint |
No. of feathers |
Length of do. |
| 1 |
1 1/2 |
a Clump of feathers not strong but loosly connect with the flesh of the wing |
1 1/2 |
| 2 |
2 |
16 |
2 |
| 3 |
1 1/2 |
7 |
from 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 |
| 4 |
3/4 |
3 |
5 1/2 |
the tail has eleven feathers the outer of which are an inch longer than
those in the center gradually tapering inwards which gives the tale a
forked appearance like that of the swally the largest or outer feather
is 23/4 that of the shortest 13/4— the leg and thye are three inches
long the leg occupying one half this length the thye is covered with
feathers except about 1/4 of an inch above the knee the leg is of a
bright yellow and nails long sharp and black the foot is webbed and has
three toes forward; the heel or back toe is fixed to the leg above the
palm of the foot, and is unconnected by a web to the other toes, it has
no nail. the wings when foalded lap like those of the swallow and
extend at least an inch and a half beyond the tale. this bird is very
noysey when flying which is dose exttreemly swift the motion of the
wing is much like that of kildee it has two notes one like the squaking
of a small pig only on reather a high kee, and the other kit'-tee'-
kit'-tee'— as near as letters can express the sound— the beak of the
female is black and the black and quaker colour of the male in her is
yellowish brown mixed with dove colour
