12 September 1853 – 18 September 1853

I was struck this afternoon with the beauty of the Aster corymbosus with its corymbed flowers, with seven or eight long slender white rays pointed at both ends, ready to curl, shaving-like, and purplish disks, — one of the more interesting asters. The Smilacina race- mosa berries are well red now; probably with the two- leaved. It occurred to me when I awoke this morning, feeling regret for intemperance of the day before in eating fruit, which had dulled my sensibilities, that man was to be treated as a musical instrument, and if any viol was to be made of sound timber and kept well tuned always, it was he, so that when the bow of events is drawn: across him he may vibrate and resound in perfect harmony. A sensitive soul will be continually trying its strings to see if they are in tune. A man’s body must be rasped down exactly to a shaving. It is of far more importance than the wood of a Cremona violin. [Here follows an account of Thoreau’s second ex- cursion to the Maine woods, which began September 13th. As the story is told elsewhere, virtually in the language of the Journal, it is here omitted, with the exception of a few scattered sentences and paragraphs which for one reason or another were not used in the paper entitled “ Chesuncook.”’]

Friday. He[Joe Atean or Aitteon]' said the stone-heaps (though we saw none) were made by chub.

Saturday. The head [of the moose],? measuring from the root of the ears to the end of the nose or upper lip af Head and neck (from nose to breast (?) direct) 4 Fore leg below level of body 4 Height behind (from the tips of the hoofs to top of back) } 6 Height from tips of hoofs to level with back above shoulders ? 7 Extreme length (from nose to tail) 8 The ears 10 inches long.

Sunday. One end of the log hut* was a camp, with the usual fir floor and log benches and a ° clerk’s office. I measured one of the many batteaux lying about, with my two-foot ash rule made here. It was not peculiar in any respect that I noticed. Extreme length 31 feet Extreme width 54 Width of bottom 27, “ Length of - 2077; = < “ bow 619 “ 66 cé stern 34 &¢ Depth within 17 inches.