THE MISSOURI RIVER JOURNALS ^g 



nearly allied to the Rusty Grakle, but with evidently a 

 much shorter and straighter bill. Its measurements will 

 be given, of course. The weather is still lowering and 

 cold, and it rains at intervals. We are now out of si:)eci- 

 mens of quadrupeds to draw from. Our gentlemen seem 

 to remember the ball of last night, and I doubt not will 

 go early to bed, as I shall. 



y^/i?ie 21, Wednesday. Cloudy and lowering weather; 

 however, Provost went off over the river, before daylight, 

 and shot a Deer, of what kind we do not know; he re- 

 turned about noon, very hungry. The mud was dreadful 

 in the bottoms. Bell and young McKenzie went off after 

 breakfast, but brought nothing but a Sharp-tailed Grouse, 

 though McKenzie shot two Wolves. The one Harris shot 

 last night proved to be an old female not worth keeping; 

 her companions had seamed her jaws, for in this j^art of 

 the world Wolves feed upon Wolves, and no mistake. 

 This evening I hauled the beast under the ramparts, cut 

 her body open, and had a stake driven quite fast through 

 it, to hold it as a bait. Harris and Bell are this moment 

 on the lookout for the rascals. Wolves here not only eat 

 their own kind, but are the most mischievous animals in 

 the country; they eat the young Buffalo calves, the young 

 Antelopes, and the young of the Bighorn on all occa- 

 sions, besides Hares of different sorts, etc. Buffaloes 

 never scrape the snow with their feet, but with their 

 noses, notwithstanding all that has been said to the con- 

 trary, even by Mr. Catlin. Bell brought home the hind 

 parts, the head, and one forefoot of a new species of small 

 Hare. ^ 



We are told these Hares are very plentiful, and yet 

 this is the first specimen we have seen, and sorry am I 



^ This is no doubt the Lcpus arteviisia of Bachman, Joum. Philad. Acad, 

 viii., 1839, p. 94, later described and figured by Aud. and Bach., Quad. N. 

 Am. ii., 1851, p. 272, pi. 88. It is now generally rated as a subspecies of the 

 common Cottontail, L.sylvaticus. Compare di\so L.finttalli, Aud. and Bach, 

 ii., 1851, p. 300, pi. 94. — E. C. 

 VOL. 11. — 4 



