Audubon's Ornithological Biography. 189 



with eagles, if attacked by them. It manages to guide its 

 course through the thickest fogs of the countries of the north, 

 and is able to travel over immense tracts of land or water 

 without rest." 



At the end of the descriptions, the scientific name of the 

 species and its zoological specific characters are given. 



The chapters that contain descriptions of American scenery 

 and remarkable incidents are delightful little episodes, which 

 increase the interest of the work without diverting the atten- 

 tion of the reader from its main object. The following brief 

 account of an earthquake is extracted from the first volume 

 (p. 239.) : — " Travelling through the barrens of Kentucky 

 (of which I shall give you a description elsewhere), in the 

 month of November, I remarked a sudden and strange dark- 

 ness rising from the western horizon. Accustomed to our 

 heavy storms of thunder and rain, I took no more notice of 

 it, as I thought the speed of my horse might enable me to 

 get under shelter of the roof of an acquaintance, who lived 

 not far distant, before it should come up. I had proceeded 

 about a mile, when I heard what I imagined to be the dis- 

 tant rumbling of a violent tornado; on which I spurred my 

 steed, with a wish to gallop as fast as possible to the place of 

 shelter: but it would not do; the animal knew better than I 

 what was forthcoming; and, instead of going faster, so nearly 

 stopped, that I remarked he placed one foot after another on 

 the ground with as much precaution as if walking on a 

 smooth sheet of ice. I thought he had suddenly foundered ; 

 and, speaking to him, was on the point of dismounting and 

 leading him, when he all of a sudden fell a groaning piteously, 

 hung his head, spread out his four legs, as if to save himself 

 from falling, and stood stock still. I thought my horse was 

 about to die, and would have sprung from his back had a 

 minute more elapsed ; but at that instant all the shrubs and 

 trees began to move from their very roots ; the ground rose 

 and fell in successive furrows, like the ruffled waters of a 

 lake, and I became bewildered in my ideas, as I too plainly 

 perceived that all this awful commotion was the result of an 

 earthquake. . . . Who can tell of the sensations which I 

 experienced when I found myself rocking as it were on my 

 horse, and, with him, moved to and fro like a child in a 

 cradle, and expecting the ground every moment to open and 

 present to my eye such an abyss as might engulf myself and 

 all around me? The fearful convulsion, however, lasted only 

 a few minutes, and the heavens again brightened as quickly 

 as they had become obscured ; my horse brought his feet to 

 the natural position, raised his head, and galloped off as if 



