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Show 50i. JljJpendia:. common in the United States, usually associate in large flocks, and are frPquently destructive to the cherry orchards1 and in winter in the lower parts of the states of Maryland and Virginia feed on the berries of the cedar. They arc a small bluish· brown bird, crested with a tuft of <.lark brown fcathct·s, with a narrow black stripe passing on each side of the head underneath the eye, from the base of the upper beak to the back of the head; it is distinguished more particularly by some of the sho1·tcr feathers of the wing, which arc tipped with red spots, which have much the appearance, at a little distance, of sealing-wax. April 1 The killdeer and large hawk have retumcd; the only bird that I observed during the winter at fort Mandan, was the Missouri magpie, a bird of the corvus genus, the raven in immense numbers, the small woodpecker·, or sapsucker as they arc sometimes called, the beautiful eagle, o1· calumet-bird, so called from the circumstance of the natives decorating their· pipestems with its plumage, and the prairie-hen or grouse. ,A..pril 9 The crows have also returncu, saw the first touay; the musquitoes revisit us, saw several of them. 10 The lark, bald-eagle, and the large plover have returned; the grass begins to spring up, and the leaf-buds of the willow to appear. 11 The lark-woodpecker, with yellow wings, and a black spot on the ureast, common to the United States have appeared, with sundry small birds. Many plants begin to uppear above the ·ground; saw a large white gull to -clay; the ea-gle are now laying theit· eg-gs; and the geese have mated. The elm, large leafe<l willow, .1J.1Jpcncl i.r. and the bush which bears a red berry is 1n bloom. .\pril 13 The leaves of the chol e-chcny are about half g·rown, the cotton-wood is in bloom; the flowc J· of this ll'cc rcsentb]es that of the aspin in form , and is of a <lccp purple colour. I:; Scycral Jlocks of wltitc brant with black wings pas us to day, on ti.cir flight to the northwest; the tre s now begin to assume a green appearance, though the earth at the depth of about three feet is not yet thawed, which we discover by the banks of the river falling in and disclosing a strata of frozen earl11. J G Saw the first leather-wing bat; it appeared about the size uf those common to the United States. J H A heavy dew this morning, which is the fi•·st and only one we have seen smce we passed the Council bluffs last summer; there is l>ut little dew in this open country. Saw a flock of pellican pass fl'Om southwest to northeast; they ap-l9 2 1 '_),") 28 ;,\'I il y 2 VOL. II. peared to be on a long flight. The trees have now put forth thcit' leaves; the ~ooscbcrries, currant, service bcnics, and wild plums arc in bloom. W hitc frost last night, the earth frozen along the water'~ edge. Saw the first robbin, also the brown curlew. V ~getat i on has progressed but little since the 18th; m short, the change is scarcely perceptible. The wind continued so violent from 12 o'clock yes-terday, until five o'clock this evening, that we '\ere unable to proceed; the snow which fell last night and this morning, has not yet disap~ pcarcd; it forms a singular contrast with the trees which are now in leaf. At 4 P.M. the snow had not yet entirely disappeared; the new horns of the elk begin to appear. The snow has disappeared; saw th~ first grasshopv 3T |