1835. August.  The rage for investment in lands was now manifest in every visitor that came from the East to the West.  Everybody, more or less, yielded to it.  I saw that friends, in whose prudence and judgment I had confided for years, were engaged in it.  I doubted the soundness of the ultra predictions which were based on every sort of investment of this kind, whether of town property or farming land, and held quite conservative opinions on the subject, but yielded partially, and in a moderate way, to the general impulse, by making some investments in Wisconsin.  Among other plans, an opinion arose that Michilimackinack must become a favorite watering place, or refuge for the opulent and invalids during the summer; and lots were eagerly bought up from Detroit and Chicago.

17th.  I embarked in a steamer for Green Bay—­where I attended the first land sales, and made several purchases.  While there, I remarked the curious fluctuations in the level of the waters at the mouth of Fox River.  The lake (Michigan) and the bay appear to hold the relation of separate parts of a syphon.  It was now fourteen years since I had first noticed this phenomenon, as a member of the expedition to the sources of the Mississippi.  While at Green Bay I procured a young fawn, and carried it to be a tenant of my garden and grounds.  This animal grew to its full size, and revealed many interesting traits.  Its motions were most graceful.  It was perfectly tame.  It would walk into the hall and dining-room, when the door was open, and was once observed to step up, gracefully, and take bread from the table.  It perambulated the garden walks.  It would, when the back-gate was shut, jump over a six feet picket fence, with the ease and lightness of a bird.

Some of its instincts were remarkable.  At night it would choose its place of lying down invariably to the leeward of an object which sheltered it from the prevailing wind.  One of its most remarkable instincts was developed with respect to ladies.  On one occasion, while an unattended lady was walking up the avenue from my front gate to the door, through the garden grounds, the animal approached from behind, in the gentlest manner possible, and placed his fore feet on her shoulders.  This happened more than once.  Its propensity to eat plum leaves at last banished it from the garden.  It was then allowed to visit distant parts of the island, and, at length, some vicious person broke one of its legs, from its propensity to browse on the young leaves of fruit trees.  This was fatal to it, and I was induced to allow its being shot, after it had been an inmate of my grounds for about three years, where it was familiarly known to all by the name of Nimmi.

     Poor Nimmi, some are hanged for being thieves,
     But thou, poor beast! wast killed for eating leaves.