NATURAL HISTORY. 



551 



the skin it appeared to be of the 

 size of the large red fox of the 

 pLiins, reseaibling that animal in 

 form, and pai-ticularly in the di- 

 mensions of the tiiil. The legs 

 Captain Lewis conjectured to be 

 somewhat larger. It has a long 

 deep lead-colouied fur, for foil, 

 intermixed -with long hairs, either 

 of a wliite or blaciv colour at the 

 .lower part, and invariably white 

 at the top, forming a most beau- 

 tiful sihcr gray. Captain Lewis 

 thought tliis tlie most beautiful of 

 the whole species, exce})ting one 

 ^yhich he discovered on the Mis- 

 souri, near tli-i natural walls. 



8. .The antelope inhabits the 

 great plains of the Columbia, and 

 resembles those found on the 

 banks of the Missouri, and indeed 

 in every part of the untimberc<l 

 country, but they are by no means 

 so abundant on tins as on tlic 

 other side of tlte Rocky moun- 

 tains. The natives in tliis jiJace 

 make themselves robes of their 

 skins, and preserve the hair en- 

 tire. Jn the summer and autumn, 

 \Yhen the salmon Ijegin to decline, 

 the majoiity of the natives leave 

 the sides of the liver, and reside 

 in the open plains, to hunt the 

 antelope, a'. hich tliey pursue on 

 horseliack, and slioot w ith their 

 arrows. 



9. The sheep is found in many 

 places, but nifistiy in t!ie timber- 

 ed parts of the Iloclvy moxnitains. 

 TIjey live in greater numbers on the 

 chain of mountains forming the 

 c<>mmeneement of the woody 

 coimtry on the cojist, and passing 

 tlie C(dumlna befween the falls 

 and the rapids. We liave only 

 Been the skiuH of these animals, 

 which the njitives dregs with the 

 wool, aiid yie blaakcts wiich tl>ey 



manufacture from the wool. The 

 animal, from this evidence, ap- 

 pears to be of the size of our com- 

 mon sheep, of a white colour : 

 the wool is fine on many parts of 

 the body, but in length not equal 

 to thjit of our domestic sheep. 

 On the ixick, and particularly on 

 the top of the head, this is inter- 

 mixed witli a considerable propor- 

 tion of long straiglit hairs. From 

 the Indian account, these animals 

 luive erect pointed hoi ns : one of 

 our engagees informed us lie had 

 seen them in the black hills, and 

 tliat tVie liorns were lanated like 

 those of our domestic sheep. We 

 have nevertheless too many pi'oofs 

 to admit a doubt of their existing, 

 and in considerable numbers, on 

 tlic mountains near the coast. 



10. The beaver of this country 

 is large and fat : tlie flesh is very 

 palatable, and at pur table was a 

 real luxury. On the 7th of Ja- 

 nuary, ISOG, our hunter found a 

 beaver in his trap*, of which he 

 made a bait for taking others : 

 this bait will entice the beaver to 

 the trap, as far as he can smell it, 

 and tliis may be fairly stated to be 

 at the distance ()f a mile, as their 

 sense of smelling is very acute. 

 To prepare beaver bait, tlie castor 

 or bark stone is lirst gently press- 

 ed from the bladder-like bag 

 wliicli contains it, into a {)hial of 

 four ounces, with a large mouth : 

 five or six (jf these stones are thus 

 taken, to which must be added a 

 nutmeg, a do/eir or fifteen cloves 

 iuid thirty grains of cinnamon, 

 finely pulverized and stirred to- 

 gether, and as much ardent spirits 

 added to the composition as will 

 reduce the whole to the consist- 

 ency of muistaid. All this must 

 be carefujly coiked, as it soon 



loses 



