October 5, 1833
Cold fog. At seven thirty, 35°F [1.7°C]. Hoarfrost during the night. At noon, 54°F [12.2°C]. Two men came from Fort Cass on the Yellowstone in the afternoon, traveling to St. Louis. I quickly finished a letter [that] they took along. Afterward [I went on an] excursion through the lower forest onto the prairie. On the prairie, I found interesting seeds. Crows and common ravens moved in flocks to the forest, where I found a large group of them, also magpies. Single Fringilla canadensis [flitted about] in the thorn bushes. Fringilla erythrophthalma was still rather numerous here in the dense bushes. On the prairie [there were] Tetrao phasianellus; at the edge of the forest, flocks of Quiscalus versicolor.