On the morning of 1 September, we viewed the Lehigh Gap; [the] mountains on one side, the northern one, are rather low. Forest covers them everywhere, and on them appear boulders, one isolated cluster of which is called the Teufelskanzel (Devil’s Rock). In the vicinity of the buildings here, we found large piles of lime-stone, which is quarried in the Mahoning Valley at the so-called Stone Mountain. It is of poor quality but is used to advantage as mortar for walls. A large number of small bivalve mussels are found in it, just as it frequently [——] with crystals of [——]. From here we went up along the Mauch Chunk Canal [and] observed various birds in the tall trees along the Lecha, where on the bank the small red-necked heron (Ardea virescens) was also abundant. We shot one of them, which Dr. Saynisch pulled out of the river with a boat he happened to find there. [Page 1:91] At about eight o’clock, we left the Gap and drove about one more mile away from the river, over intermittently gentle hills. The woodlands and mountains end here, as do the picturesque scenes of the romantic Lehigh, or Lecha, Valley.

Now we see individual planter’s or farmer’s habitations surrounded by their fields. Small, sparse little woods of various kinds of oak and walnut trees, beneath which the ground is always completely devoid of undergrowth, because the cattle graze off everything and tree cutting is not scientifically carried out here. Several miles farther and one reaches Berlin, a village consisting of an scattered extended street with large gaps. One is amused and surprised to see such names of European metropolises in these regions, when one sees how wretched such towns are by comparison. One crosses a brook (creek) and sees beside the road ahead a small church that bears the name Imschen (Indian) Church, just as one calls the wooded hills and mountains to the west Imschen (Indian) area country, because here Indians are said to have remained the longest in this region. The view of this Indian land is beautiful; woodland and meadows alternate pleasantly.

From here one reaches the village Cherryville, where there is a good inn on the street. Here there were many kinds of birds, including Picus auratus —very numerous—which flew about near the fences and fruit trees. Corn, potatoes, and clover thrive here. One sees whole fields now lying fallow, densely covered with Solidago plants with yellow blossoms, just as one frequently also sees similar fields colored completely yellow with Hypericum perforatum. Everywhere on trellises and doors of gardens and homes, the Convolvulus purpureus blooms in rare beauty with violet or red and white blossoms. All varieties, however, retain the beautiful blue longitudinal stripes.

We reached the valley of Hokendauqua Creek. The houses here are largely constructed from fine quarry stone. In the creek, which is now shallow, there are sandy islands overgrown with Platanus trees. A bridge leads across the creek.

From here one [soon] reaches the village Kreidersville, named for the first settler. From here to Bethlehem there are still 7 miles. Beside the road an isolated house where a certain Pastor Becker lives; [he] occupies himself with medicine and is said to be a zealous homeopath. In a sparse woods to the left of the road, there is a one-story building, the meeting house of a religious sect that one calls Manisten. The cemetery is near the building. Again we find ourselves here on lime soil.

The next place is Howardtown. At one house in the village Bignonia radicans was blooming very beautifully. The next creek is called Monocacy Creek; it is rather insignificant. On not a few houses I saw straw roofs, which are generally rare in Pennsylvania. A farmer’s large massive barn attracted my attention. It had a stone ramp of the kind one often sees here, large doors and shutters painted reddish brown, and round vents all around, neatly bordered with bricks.

The buckwheat was in bloom everywhere in this area. Four miles from Bethlehem, one comes to the village of Schoenersville, consisting of several houses and named after its first settler. Then, at one o’clock in the afternoon, we safely reached Bethlehem again. Here I found everything as before, except that Dreidoppel had been sick but was well on the way to recovery again. Now we had to make preparations for packing natural history specimens. Therefore, we ordered the necessary cases and undertook the necessary preliminary tasks. On the evening of the fourth, my cases and chests finally arrived, of which we had been deprived for so long and the lack of which had been so palpable; they were all in good condition.