The Journals of Lewis & Clark: Lewis, March 16, 1806

Updated May 14, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Lewis, March 16, 1806

Sunday March 16th 1806. Not any occurrence worthy of relation took place today. Drewyer and party did not return from the Cathlahmahs this evening as we expected. we suppose he was detained by the hard winds of today. the Indians remained with us all day, but would not dispose of their canoes at a price which it was in our power to give consistently with the state of our Stock of Merchandize. two handkercheifs would now contain all the small articles of merchandize which we possess; the ballance of the stock consists of 6 blue robes one scarlet do. one uniform artillerist's coat and hat, five robes made of our large flag, and a few old cloaths trimed with ribbon. on this stock we have wholy to depend for the purchase of horses and such portion of our subsistence from the Indians as it will be in our powers to obtain. a scant dependence indeed, for a tour of the distance of that before us. the Clam of this coast are very small. the shell consists of two valves which open with a hinge. the shell is smooth thin of an oval form or like that of the common mussle, and sky blue colour. it is about 11/2 inches in length, and hangs in clusters to the moss of the rocks. the natives sometimes eat them. the perewinkle both of the river and Ocean are similar to those found in the same situations on the Atlantic coast. the common mussle of the river are also the same with those in the rivers of the atlantic coast. the cockle is small and also much the same of the Atlantic. there is also an animal which inhabits a shell perfectly circular about 3 Inches in diameter, thin and entire on the margin, convex and smooth on the upper side, plain on the under part and covered with a number minute capillary fibers by means of which it attatches itself to the sides of the rocks. the shell is thin and consists of one valve. a small circular apperture is formed in the center of the under shell. the animal is soft & boneless.

The white Salmon Trout which we had previously seen only at the great falls of the Columbia has now made it's appearance in the creeks near this place. one of them was brought us today by an Indian who had just taken it with his gig. this is a likness of it; it was 2 feet 8 Inches long, and weighed 10 lbs. the eye is moderately large, the puple black and iris of a silvery white with a small addmixture of yellow, and is a little terbid near it's border with a yellowish brown. the position of the fins may be seen from the drawing, they are small in proportion to the fish. the fins are boney but not pointed except the tail and back fins which are a little so, the prime back fin and ventral ones, contain each ten rays; those of the gills thirteen, that of the tail twelve, and the small fin placed near the tail above has no bony rays, but is a tough flexable substance covered with smooth skin. it is thicker in proportion to it's width than the salmon. the tongu is thick and firm beset on each border with small subulate teeth in a single series. the teeth of the mouth are as before discribed. neither this fish nor the salmon are caught with the hook, nor do I know on what they feed.