A NATURALIST. 



ing its plumes ; or, as he moves steadily along, he is 

 slightly startled by a sudden appearance of the towhe 

 bunting close to the side of the path. Except these 

 creatures, and these by no means frequently seen, he 

 rarely meets with animated objects : at a distance the 

 harsh voice of the crow is often heard, or flocks of 

 them are observed in the cleared fields, while now 

 and then the buzzard, or turkey-vulture, may be seen 

 wheeling in graceful circles in the higher regions of 

 the air, sustained by his broadly-expanded wings, 

 which apparently remain in a state of permanent 

 and motionless extension. At other seasons of the 

 year, the physician must be content to live in the 

 most positive seclusion : the white people are all 

 busily employed in going to and from market, and 

 even were they at home, they are poorly suited for 

 companionship. ..I here spent month after month, 

 and, except the patients I visited, saw no one but 

 the blacks : the house in which I boarded was kept 

 by a widower, who, with myself, was the only white 

 man within the distance of a mile or two. My only 

 compensation was this the house was pleasantly 

 situated on the bank of Curtis's creek, a consider- 

 able arm of the Patapsco, which extended for a mile 

 or two beyond us, and immediately in front of the 

 door expanded so as to form a beautiful little bay. 

 Of books I possessed very few, and those exclusively 

 professional ; but in this beautiful expanse of spark- 

 ling water, I had a book opened before me which a 

 life-time would scarcely suffice me to read through. 

 With the advantage of a small but neatly made and 



