The inscription on this study of a gopher indicates that it was done at Fort Clark on April 15, 1834, three days before Bodmer and his patron left for St. Louis. In terms of both art and natural history, it demonstrates Bodmer's excellence as an illustrator and his ability to present his subjects in convincing, lifelike detail.

Drums and rattles were the most common Plains musical instruments. This particular drum belonged to Mató-Tópe, the Mandan chief pictured in Plates 317 and 318. The design, representing buffalo tracks and lightning, is red on a black background. The notation on the side of the drum says "reddish." In Tableau 48 of the published atlas, the drum is shown with a drumstick wrapped in strips of bright cloth and festooned with leather thongs.

The semisedentary tribes of the upper Missouri used a form of water transportation called a bullboat. The framework of these circular vessels was made of willow. The hoops and crosspieces are visible in Plate 297. Over this was stretched raw buffalo hide which was then stitched to the rim and allowed to dry. Heavy, tough bull hides were used and the name "bullboat" derives from this material. The boats were durable, capable of carrying heavy loads of firewood or other necessities, and yet were light enough when dry to be easily transported on the back of a woman.

The semisedentary tribes of the upper Missouri used a form of water transportation called a bullboat. The framework of these circular vessels was made of willow. The hoops and crosspieces are visible in Plate 297. Over this was stretched raw buffalo hide which was then stitched to the rim and allowed to dry. Heavy, tough bull hides were used and the name "bullboat" derives from this material.

Dated September 19 this study of an elk may depict the same animal that was killed on this day by helmsman Henry Morrin at some point below the mouth of the Judith River. It is one of several animal studies produced between September 18 and 22 in the general region of the Mauvaises Terres.

The semisedentary tribes of the upper Missouri used a form of water transportation called a bullboat. The framework of these circular vessels was made of willow. The hoops and crosspieces are visible in Plate 297. Over this was stretched raw buffalo hide which was then stitched to the rim and allowed to dry. Heavy, tough bull hides were used and the name "bullboat" derives from this material.

The semisedentary tribes of the upper Missouri used a form of water transportation called a bullboat. The framework of these circular vessels was made of willow. The hoops and crosspieces are visible in Plate 297. Over this was stretched raw buffalo hide which was then stitched to the rim and allowed to dry. Heavy, tough bull hides were used and the name "bullboat" derives from this material.

The Mandans and Hidatsas were divided into a series of age-graded societies into which a person purchased memberships successively as he or she grew older. Each age society had distinctive dances, songs, and insignia. There were four women's societies among the Mandans, and the individuals in this sketch are wearing the regalia of the White Buffalo Cow Society. The White Buffalo Cows had special hats made of rectangular pieces of hide from the rare and sacred white buffalo. These were wrapped around the head and laced at the back with a plume of owl or raven feathers at the front.

In addition to his Indian portraits, Bodmer made only a few other studies during the stopover at St. Louis in the spring of 1833. Included among these is an illustration of a frog rendered in watercolor. Similar to studies done some months before at Bethlehem and New Harmony, it is dated April 2, eight days before the travelers departed upriver

On Christmas Eve, Maximilian recorded in his journal that "a backwoods man came riding in on horseback from a distance of twelve miles and brought us a fine lynx ... for which I paid him two dollars .... The lynx was beautiful, but exceedingly slender. His feet were very thin." Although he makes no specific reference to Bodmer's having sketched this specimen, the dated inscription on the reverse of this study is the same as the journal entry.