1826, JUNE. WALLAW ALLAH 181 



Wednesday, 7th. — At eight this morning with a brigade of five boats I left 

 for Wallawallah, at the junction of Lewis and Clarke's Eiver with the 

 Columbia, which I intend to make my headquarters for six or eight weeks. 

 Passed the Stony Islands, a place in the river about half a mile in length, 

 exceedingly rugged and dangerous. At four and shortly afterwards, 

 camped on the south side of the river, earlier than usual, two of the boats 

 having been broken. This circumstance gave me a few hours among the 

 rocks, which I spent to great advantage. Killed a large rattlesnake, 

 3 feet long, on the edge of the river among some stones. Thermometer 

 at noon 92° in the shade. At night the heavens appeared an entire sheet 

 of lightning, until midnight, without thunder or rain. 



Thursday, 8th. — As usual started at daylight and took breakfast below 

 the Priest Rapids, on some very fine fresh salmon and bufEalo tongue. 

 As Mr. ConoUy was very desirous of reaching the next establishment this 

 night, no time could be lost. He informed me that his stay at that place 

 would be very short, therefore in the afternoon I wrote to Joseph Sabine, 

 Esq. ; but as a strong south wind with heavy rain began about five o'clock, 

 obliged me to leave my letter in a half-finished state. Arrived at Walla- 

 wallah, where I was kindly received by Mr. Black. Having had very little 

 sleep since I left Kettle Falls, I thought of indulging six or seven hours at 

 least, so I laid myself down early on the floor of the Indian Hall, but was 

 very shortly afterwards roused from my slumber by an indescribable herd 

 of fleas, and had to sleep out among the bushes ; the annoyance of two 

 species of ants, one very large, black, f of an inch long, and a small red one, 

 rendered it worse, so this night I did not sleep and gladly hailed the 

 returning day. As soon as I could see to make a pen I finished the 

 following letter to Mr. Sabine : — 



Junction of Lewis and Clarke's River with the Columbia : 



June Qth, 1826. 

 Dear Sib, — As an unexpected opportunity has occurred of com- 

 municating with the coast, I willingly embrace it, at the same time as 

 I have it in my power of sending the whole of my gleanings up to this time, 

 amounting to upwards of a hundred distinct specimens not in the collection 



are two remarkable spots destitute of plumage, of a bright brownish-yellow colour, 

 serving him as a crop. In size the female is smaller and less varied in plumage. Are 

 not shy ; will sit till within 30 or 40 yards and sometimes ten or twelve shots may be 

 fired at the same flock without them rising. Their flight is swift but steady ; when 

 they first leave the ground, they produce a burring sound with the wings, like the 

 common pheasant in England, and alternately with the wings give three or four flaps 

 and then float along for some distance, gradually falling while floating, and rising when 

 flapping, and so unwieldy do they appear at first that they look as if wounded. They 

 are very careless in the nests, give themselves little trouble : a few straws of dead 

 grass is all, placed imder the branches of Tigarea tridentata ^ or Artemisia among the 

 sand. It is only in the country (which is particularly dry, either sand or gravel) 

 where these shrubs grow they are found, and feed on the buds and tender leaves of both. 

 Has ten to seventeen eggs ; egg small in proportion to the bird (being only a Uttle 

 larger than the common EngUsh partridge), in form and colour the same, only this has 

 a few brownish small spots or freckles at the thick end. 



A river is said to exist called by the American hunters Prairie Hen River, thought 

 to faU into Rio del Norte in the Spanish possessions ; if this is the same bird, so called 

 by Lewis and Clarke, the range of country it inhabits must be very great. 



' Purshia tridentata, S. Wats. Bibl. Ind. N. Am. Bot. p. 309. 



