EPISODES 



525 



body of the fishing bird, and fixed it on the board; another 

 wire passed above his upper mandible held the head in a 

 pretty fair attitude, smaller ones fixed the feet according 

 to my notions, and even common pins came to my assist- 

 ance. The last wire proved a delightful elevator to the 

 bird's tail, and at last — ^ there stood before me the real 

 Kingfisher. 



Think not that my lack of breakfast was at all in my 

 way. No, indeed! I outlined the bird, aided by com- 

 passes and my eyes, colored it, finished it, without a 

 thought of hunger. My honest miller stood by the while, 

 and was delighted to see me pleased. This was what I 

 shall call my first drawing actually from nature, for even 

 the eye of the Kingfisher was as if full of life whenever 

 I pressed the lids aside with my finger. 



In those hapjjy days of my youth I was extremely fond 

 of reading what I still call the delightful fables of 

 La Fontaine. I had frequently perused the one entitled 

 ^^ U Jiirondelle et les petits oiseaiix,'" and thought much of 

 the meaning imparted in the first line, which, if I now 

 recollect rightly, goes on to say that ^^ Quiconque a beau- 

 coup vu, pent avoir bcaucoup rctcnu.'' To me this meant 

 that to study Nature was to ramble through her domains 

 late and early, and if I observed all as I should, that the 

 memory of what I saw would at least be of service to me. 



"Early to bed, and early to rise," was another adage 

 which I thought, and still think, of much value; 'tis a 

 pity that instead of being merely an adage it has not 

 become a general law; I have followed it ever since I was 

 a child, and am ever grateful for the hint it conveyed. 



As I wandered, mostly bent on the study of birds, and 

 with a wish to represent all those found in our woods, to 

 the best of my powers, I gradually became acquainted 

 with their forms and habits, and the use of my wires was 

 improved by constant practice. Whenever I produced a 

 better representation of any species the preceding one was 



