THE MISSOURI RIVER JOURNALS 1 63 



Wednesday, Gth. Wind blowing harder. Ransacked the 

 point and banks both below and above, but saw only two 

 Wolves ; one a dark gray, the largest I have yet seen. Har- 

 ris shot a young of the Sharp-tailed Grouse; Bell, three 

 Pigeons ; Provost went off to the second point below, about 

 four miles, after Elks ; Sprague found another nest of 

 Doves on the ground, with very small young. The com- 

 mon Bluebird was seen, also a Whip-poor-will and a 

 Night-Hawk. Wind high and from the south. 



Thursday, 7th. About eleven o'clock last night the wind 

 shifted suddenly to northwest, and blew so violently that 

 we all left the boat in a hurry. Mrs. Culbertson, with her 

 child in her arms, made for the willows, and had a shelter 

 for her babe in a few minutes. Our guns and ammunition 

 were brought on shore, as we were afraid of our boat 

 sinking. We returned on board after a while; but I could 

 not sleep, the motion making me very sea-sick ; I went 

 back to the shore and lay down after mending our fire. 

 It rained hard for about two hours ; the sky then became 

 clear, and the wind wholly subsided, so I went again to the 

 boat and slept till eight o'clock. A second gale now arose; 

 the sky grew dark; we removed our boat to a more secure 

 position, but I fear we are here for another day. Bell shot 

 a Caprimiilgits} so small that I have no doubt it is the one 

 found on the Rocky Mountains by Nuttall, after whom I 

 have named it. These birds are now travelling south. 

 Mr. Culbertson and I walked up the highest hills of the 

 prairie, but saw nothing. The river has suddenly risen 

 two feet, the water rises now at the rate of eight inches in 

 two and a half hours, and the wind has somewhat moder- 

 ated. The little Whip-poor-will proves an old male, but it 

 is now in moult. Left our camp at five, and went down 

 rapidly to an island four miles below. Mr. Culbertson, 

 Bell, Harris, and Provost went off to look for Elks, but I 



^ Nuttall's Poor-will, now known as Phal(Euoptihis mittalli, which has a 

 two-syllabled note, rendered " oh-will " in the text beyond. — E. C. 



