HISTORY OF OREGON ORNITHOLOGY [ 47 ] 



explorers themselves were afraid to attempt it. After they had crossed 

 to the south bank of the river, hunting parties were immediately sent out 

 to get meat, resulting in this entry: 



The hunters had seen three elk, but could not obtain any of them; they however brought in 

 three hawks and a few black ducks, of a species common in the United States, living in large 

 flocks, and feeding on grass; they are distinguished by a sharp white beak, toes separated, 

 and by having no craw. Besides these wild fowl, there are in this neighbourhood a large 

 kind of buzzard with white wings, the gray and the bald eagle, the large red-tailed hawk, 

 the blue magpye, and great numbers of ravens and crows. We observe, however, few small 

 birds, the one which has most attracted our attention being a small brown bird, which seems 

 to frequent logs and the roots of trees. 



This furnishes our first record of the American Coot, California Condor, 

 Bald Eagle, Western Red-tailed Hawk, Coast Jay, American Raven, crow 

 (probably Western, though it might include the Northwestern Crow), 

 and the Western Winter Wren. 



From that date the explorers were too busy hunting food, building a 

 winter camp for shelter from the interminable rain, and making salt, to 

 pay any attention to birds for a while. On Thursday, January 2., 1806, 

 this entry was made: 



The birds which most strike our attention are the large as well as the small or whistling 

 swan, the sandhill crane, the large and small geese, cormorants, brown and white brant, 

 duckauinmallard, the canvass and several other species of ducks. There is also a small crow, 

 the blue crested corvus, and the smaller corvus with a white breast, the little brown wren, 

 a large brown sparrow, the bald eagle, and the beautiful buzzard of the Columbia. 



Here we have definite records for the Trumpeter and Whistling Swan, 

 Common Mallard, Canvas-back, Coast Jay, Oregon Jay, and Western 

 Winter Wren. The "cormorants" might have been any one or all of the 

 three coast species; the "sandhill crane" was possibly a Blue Heron; the 

 "brown and white brant" and "large and small geese" probably in- 

 cluded several species, though only the Lesser Snow Goose can be surely 

 identified; and the "large brown sparrow" might be either a Rusty Song 

 Sparrow or one of the wintering forms of Fox Sparrow, both of which 

 are common winter residents of the district. 



On Friday, March 2.8, 1806, the journal contained an account of Elalah, 

 or Deer Island, visited on the up-river trip. It mentioned: "... great 

 numbers of geese, ducks, large swan, sandhill cranes, a few canvass- 

 backed ducks and particularly the duckinmallard, the most abundant of 

 all." 



On Friday, April 4, 1806, "Wappatoo island," now known as Sauvies 

 Island, was visited and the "small speckled woodpecker, with a white 

 back" was recorded from that point, which is still a favorite haunt of 

 Gairdner's Woodpecker. One who is familiar with the present carp- 

 infested waters of this area, barren of aquatic vegetation, will read with 

 interest their account of the abundance of wapato (^Sagitfaria) and the 



