History of the expedition under the command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the sources of the Missouri, thence across the Rocky mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean : performed during the years 1804-5-6 by order of the government of the United States; Volume 2

Page 107

:152 J.~cwls and Cl£tl'kc's E.t'}JCtlll ion feathers iu the taH, of about si~ inches in length. He is aho booted to the toes: the two tufts or lou~ black feathers ou each side of tbe necl~, so common in the male of this spe­cies inJwbiting the United States, arc no less ohscrvablo in this pbeasant: the feathers on the b9dy arc of a dark brown tipped with wl1itc and blacl\., in which mixture tho black' predominates; fhc white arc irregularly intermixed with those of the blacli and dark brown in O\'ery p<ll't, but iu greater propot·tion about the neck, breast, and belly: this ~ixturc lllft:es this bird l'csemblo much that 1\ind of dung­hill fowl, wluch the housewives or our country call Dommi­Jlickct ·. On the breast of some of these S}lecics the white predominates: ~be tufts on the neck leave a space about two and a. half inches Jong, and one inch in wiutJ,, \\'here 110 feathers gt·ow, though concealed by the pll~maooo connected lVith tho higher and under p~u·ts of tho nccl'; t1•is Sl)acc en­ables them to contract or dilate the ff-ntlt 'l'S on l ho neck with more case: the eye is tl~u·k, the beak is black, cm·ved, somewhat pointed, and the U]>Jler~ exeeetls the mulcr chop. a na1·row vermillion striile runs above each eye, not pl'oiu­berant but uneven, with a number of m inuto l'ounded dot • The bird feeds on wild fruits, particularly the het·•·y of I he sa.cacommis, ami exclusively resides in that portion of tl1c Rocky mountains wntered by the Columbia. 2. Tho small specldcd pheasant resides in the same coun­try with tho foregoing, and diflcrs only in size and colour. He is half the size of the IJlack ami while pJ1casant, asso­~ iates in much ~argcr flocks, and is very gentle: the bla('l\ Is moro predonunant, and the dal'k bt·own feathers less ft'C­f_ luent in this than in the larger species: the mixture of white is moJ'e general on every part. 'This hit·d is smaller Hum our llheasani, and the body more round: the flesh of both this species is darli:, and wilh our means of cooking, uot well flavoured. s. 'fhe small brown phcasantis an inhalJj(ant of the sam~ ••otmtr"" ' "'·' Ild 1. s o f t}1 c same s1• ze and shape of the speeldctl U11 the JUissow·i. phea9a11t, . which lw likcwlse rcsmnhlcs in his habits. 'rh ~t1'ipe above the eye iu this species is scarcely }lerccptil>le, nd is, when closely examined, of a yellow ot· orange co­lour, instcatl of the vermillion of the other Slleeics: the CO· lour is a uuif'ot·m miXL11l'C of dal'k yellowish brown, with a 'jligl1t aspersion of brownish white on the ln·east., belly, antl featbcl'S undcJ·neatlt I he tail: the whole nppca.t'ancc 1las mueh the rcscmhlauce t\f Uw comnH1H quail: thi · hit·d is also hooteu to the tom.1: the ilr!:Jh of this is 1n·el'et·a1Jle to t.he o thct· t" o. 'io. 'fhe huz z~\l'd is, w (' believe, the large t birtl of North America. One which" as tat. •. en b) our hunters was not i11 good t~ontlition, and )ci the weight was twenty-five lWtmds. 13etwt'cn the extremity of the wing~ the bird mcasm·cd nine feet. and two inches: l'a·om the nxtl·cmity or the beak t6 tho tot·, three feet nine and a 1mlf ineljes; f1·om the hii) to the toe, two feet; the tlit·cumfet·cncc of tllc head was nine a ntl tht·ce·(}Uartcr inl:hes: that of the neck seven aud a. half inches; that of the body inclusive or two feet three inches: the diamctet• of the eye is four and a ]aa)f tenths of an inch; the iris is of a pale scal'let l'ecl, and the 1mpil of a deep sea­~ rccn: the head and part of the neck arc uncovered by fca- 1hel'S: the tail is composed of twelve feathel'S ot' equa}}cngtb, each of the leugth of foul'teen inches: the legs a.1'c uneover­cu amlnot entia·cly slllooth: the toes arc four in number, tht·cc forwa1·d, ami that in the centre much tiH' largest; the fourth is sho•·t, in se1·ted ucru.' the inner of the three other foes, amlratber projcctiug forwm·d: the thigh is c.\OVCl'ecl with feathers as low as the kuee, the top or upper pa~·t or Ute toes at·c imbl'i<·ated with broad scales, lying trausvcrse­Jy: the nails m·c b(a(·k, slwrt., aud bluntly pointe(): 1ho uudm· f-iide of tho wing is cOV('t'cd with wllitc down and feathers: a white stt·ipo or about two inches in widtlJ marks th~ out­er llat't of the wing, umbra.c~ing the lower }l4 ints of Hte pitt· mage, coverjng the joints of' the wing: Ow t'l..'hlilJJUler i of a dePp black: the skin ~r 1lle beak and head to the joiniu~