I40 AUDUBON 



could be done, on this costly expedition. The young 

 Buffaloes now about the fort have begun shedding their 

 red coats, the latter-colored hair dropping off in patches 

 about the size of the palm of my hand, and the new hair 

 is dark brownish black. 



August 9, Wednesday. The weather is cool and we are 

 looking for rain. Squires, Provost, and La Fleur went off 

 this morning after an early breakfast, across the river for 

 Bighorns with orders not to return without some of these 

 wild animals, which reside in the most inaccessible portions 

 of the broken and lofty clay hills and stones that exist in 

 this region of the country ; they never resort to the low lands 

 except when moving from one spot to another; they swim 

 rivers well, as do Antelopes. I have scarcely done any- 

 thing but write this day, and my memorandum books are 

 now crowded with sketches, measurements, and descrip- 

 tions. We have nine Indians, all Assiniboins, among 

 whom five are chiefs. These nine Indians fed for three 

 days on the flesh of only a single Swan ; they saw no Buf- 

 faloes, though they report large herds about their village, 

 fully two hundred miles from here. This evening I caught 

 about one dozen catfish, and shot a Spermophilus hoodii, 

 an old female, which had her pouches distended and filled 

 with the seeds of the wild sunflower of this region. I am 

 going to follow one of their holes and describe the same. 



August 10, Thursday. Bell and I took a walk after 

 Rabbits, but saw none. The nine Indians, having re- 

 ceived their presents, went off with apparent reluctance, 

 for when you begin to give them, the more they seem to 

 demand. The horseguards brought in another Spermoph- 

 ilus hoodii ; after dinner we are going to examine one of 

 their burrows. We have been, and have returned; the 

 three burrows which we dug were as follows : straight 

 downward for three or four inches, and gradually becom- 

 ing deeper in an oblique slant, to the depth of eight or 

 nine inches, but not more, and none of these holes ex- 



