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
February 8, 1833
In the morning, beautiful bright sky and sunshine. At seven thirty, -1°R [29.8°F, -1.3°C]. I felt somewhat better. My task this morning was to sketch a turtle from New Orleans. Mr. Lesueur fetched the Emys serrata in order to sketch it for me. At twelve thirty, 10°R [54.5°F, 12.5°C]. Dreidoppel was in the cornfields for a short while and found wild doves there, calling as they do in springtime. The evening was so warm and beautiful that the evening and night butterflies were flying about in Mr. Maclure’s orchard. Mr. Say spent the afternoon at my place and identified the ocean crabs obtained from New Orleans as the Lupa hastata S., which frequently occur near Philadelphia and thus inhabit the entire coast of North America. He came back again in the evening, and we had conversations about zoology.