8 CHILDHOOD AND SCHOOL 



The notebook still exists and the drawings that he 

 made that day are remarkable for their accuracy and for 

 the skill with which he emphasised the most characteristic 

 features of the birds drawn. He was always very fond 

 of drawing, and although he never possessed very great 

 skill as an artist, his drawings, whether of birds, beasts 

 or landscapes, were invariably accurate. Many of his 

 letters are full of drawings and later, when he was abroad, 

 he illustrated the incidents of his travels with very 

 humorous sketches. The following letter was illustrated 

 with an excellent drawing of a Brambling : — 



Stetchworth, 



Friday, March 7, 1845. 



My dearest Tedge, 



I dare say you will like to hear how my 

 Brambling * is. He is perfectly well and is, (considering 

 that he was only caught yesterday) very tame, much 

 more so than Skelly [a Starling] is now. He goes on 

 picking about while I am standing at the cage. I have 

 given you a Httle sketch of Brammy's head, but / can't 

 describe his markings they are so beautiful. There were 

 5 caught (in a clap net), 2 m. 3 f. ; the 3 unfortunate 

 females were sent to Ditton with about 100 other birds 

 for a shooting match and were shot. The other male 

 bird fluttered itself to death in the store cage and was 

 roasted and eat before I knew of it. They are called here 

 north-cocks. The man who caught them is going out 

 again to-morrow and so I trust I shall be able to get some 

 more. He caught some redpolls and reed sparrows, etc., 

 so I can probably get some. His prices are very reason- 

 able, Id. or M. for each bird. The reason I gave 6d. for 

 mine is that the man's httle girl had picked it out of the 

 others for its beauty and had taken a great fancy for it. 

 I have not got a very secure cage for him, but I keep 



* Fringilla montifringilla — Beak yellow, tip black ; nape snow white, 

 ear coverts black with green reflexions ; throat pale crimson-tawney, a 

 round white spot in the middle of the neck ; the rest of the head mottled 

 black and white. 



