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THE MISSOURI RIVER JOURNALS 



55 



Deer, species not identified. Spragtie and I went off last, 

 but brought in nothing new. This afternoon I thought 

 would be a fair opportunity to examine the manners of 

 Sprague's Lark on the wing. Bell drove Peter for me, 

 and I killed four Larks; we then watched the flight of 

 several. The male rises by constant undulations to a great 

 height, say one hundred yards or more; and whilst singing 

 its sweet-sounding notes, beats its wings, poised in the air 

 like a Hawk, without rising at this time ; after which, and 

 after each burst of singing, it sails in divers directions, 

 forming three quarters of a circle or thereabouts, then 

 rises again, and again sings; the intervals between the 

 singing are longer than those which the song occupies, 

 and at times the bird remains so long in the air as to ren- 

 der it quite fatiguing to follow it with the eye. Sprague 

 thought one he watched yesterday remained in the air 

 about one hour. Bell and Harris watched one for more 

 than half an hour, and this afternoon I gazed upon one, 

 whilst Bell timed it, for thirty-six minutes. We continued 

 on to Fort Mortimer to see its condition, were received as 

 kindly as yesterday, and saw the same persons. It was 

 four o'clock, and the men were all at dinner, having been 

 obliged to wait until this time because they had no meat 

 in the fort, and their hunters had returned only one hour 

 and a half before. We found that the river had fallen 

 about fourteen inches since last evening, and the men 

 would not remove for the present. On our way home- 

 ward Bell shot a fifth Lark, and when we reached the 

 ravine I cut out of a tree-stump the nest of an Arctic Blue- 

 bird, with six eggs in it, of almost the same size and color 

 as those of the common Bluebird. Sprague had brought a 

 female of his Lark, and her nest containing five eggs; the 

 measurements of these two species I will write out to-moi- 

 row. Our Buffalo hunters are not yet returned, and I 

 think that Squires will feel pretty well fatigued when he 

 reaches the fort. Mr. Culbertson presented me with a pair 



