x BIRD NOTES 



Haydon in his studio a few years before his death 

 by his own hand. He was wild in his manner 

 then, and must certainly have been quite out of 

 his mind when he penned the strange advertise- 

 ments which appeared in the "Athemeum" and 

 other papers just before the sad event. 



' At the time we visited him he was painting 

 David fighting the Lion, and his studio was strewn 

 with the anatomical drawings that he had been 

 making from the dissected body of a lion that 

 had died in the Zoological Gardens. He had also 

 just painted a large angel's head in fresco on the 

 wall of his room. Fresco was then about to be 

 reintroduced, as it was thought, and he was full 

 of enthusiasm about it. Very much excited too ! 

 He had wounded himself just before by rushing 

 against the point of a bayonet whilst painting a 

 large picture of the Maid of Saragossa. He re- 

 ceived us very kindly, and I was terribly shocked 

 and grieved when I heard of his sad death.' 



From this same book of retrospective notes I 

 extract the following passage as showing some- 

 thing of the temper of mind of her early days, 

 and as throwing light on the character of the 

 verses that will be found among the Notes. 



