8 November: In the morning, cold; at 8 o’clock -1°R [29.8°F, -1.3°C]. The grass was covered with white frost. Sky overcast but rather bright. At nine thirty I took a walk to the hills where Mr. Bodmer had sketched a view of the Wabash and of Harmony. Yesterday he had seen two deer here. I stalked far over the hills, where they are covered by densely entangled undergrowth, but saw nothing except for some tits (Parus bicolor and atricapillus) and a yellow woodpecker (Picus auratus), and also crows and urubus above me. At the edge of the forest, I came upon a flight of small birds, gray and white, with two white side feathers in their tails (Fringilla hudsonia); these seem to have come southward from the north.

Mr. Bodmer could not continue to sketch, because it was too cold. Therefore, I gave him my shotgun and went home. At twelve noon, temperature of 2 2/3°R [38°F, 3.3°C].

Old man Hall from the island visited us and immediately pushed his way to the fireplace. In this country it is really very bad during the winter. The houses are quite flimsily constructed, some of the rooms [are] large, and there is no other fire except in the fireplace. We would not be able to endure it for the whole winter in the house where we are now living; we thus have no other choice but to travel south by steamboat as soon as possible, an unfortunate necessity since I am still sick. During the evening a visit from Mr. Lesueur.