Four-and-a-Half Months’ Stay in New Harmony
Description of the region – Natural history – Messrs. Say, Lesueur, and Owen – Hunting excursions in Indiana and Illinois – Wabash, Fox River – Illinois prairies – Albion – Black River – Mr. Bodmer’s trip to New Orleans
December 10, 1832
In the morning, everything white with hoarfrost. At seven thirty, -2°R [27.5°F, -2.5°C]. The live opossum drank water and ate pastries. At nine o’clock I went to the Fox River with Mr. Bodmer. The day was incomparable; noon very warm, at twelve o’clock, temperature of 9°R [52.3°F, 11.3°C]. It was beautiful along the Fox River. The water had risen greatly. We did not shoot any ducks. At noon we saw turtles, some of them very big ones, sunning themselves on the tree trunks in the stream. I looked in vain for the head of the paddlefish that I had recently laid down somewhere. Then I took my place along the Fox River near huge Platanus, entwined with vines, where the ducks moved past me without, however, pitching in. A turtle appeared on the surface but immediately dived down again. On the opposite bank I saw a gray squirrel running about looking for fruits on the ground. We severely wounded two gray squirrels but did not get them. Among the birds I saw today were many woodpeckers; Sitta; a bluejay, which we shot; as well as a cardinal, which likes to sit in tangled vines; and several ducks including various kinds of Mergus.
That evening at dusk we returned almost all of the way on foot; only the last part of the way did we cover in a canoe, in which we had placed the nice wings and tail, as well as the head and feet, of a very big wild turkey that Mr. Bodmer had found dead and, unfortunately, already somewhat decayed on Cutoff Island. Predatory animals had already chewed on it, and numerous raccoon tracks, in particular, were imprinted in the sand on the riverbank. On Fox Island we returned along the lower bank, which is completely covered with tall Platanus, elms, willows, and similar trees and made nearly impassable by the large amount of fallen timber. The strangest grapevines and other climbing plants entangle this tall forest on the shore. One must constantly climb over logs, and horses and cattle have trodden little trails here. In the fallen trees, one usually finds the winter wren, Troglodytes hyemalis. As we were sitting in the boat, an indescribably beautiful evening sky appeared along the length of the Wabash; it colored the river fiery red, and scant violet clouds surrounded it. At home, Russel, the hunter, had delivered two female raccoons and in addition had sold six more wild turkeys. Another man brought in nine of them. An extraordinary number of these birds have been brought to Harmony since we have been here. During the evening we rested up at home.