202 AUDUBON 



thinking by my fire, I should have done as well, for the 

 noise kept increasing in the streets, and the confusion was 

 such that until morning I never closed my eyes. At early 

 morning this first day of January, 1827, I received from 

 Captain Hall three volumes of his voyages, and from the 

 Countess of Morton four beautiful Pheasants and a basket 

 of rare hot-house flowers. 



Edinburgh, January 1, 1827, Monday} A Happy New 

 Year to you, my book. Bless me ! how fair you look this 

 very cold day. Which way, pray, are you travelling? Trav- 

 elling wherever chance or circumstance may lead you? 

 Well, I will take you for my companion, and we will talk 

 together on all kinds of subjects, and you will help me to 

 remember, for my memory is bad, very bad. I never can 

 recollect the name of an enemy, for instance ; it is only my 

 friends whom I can remember, and to write down some- 

 what of their kind treatment of me is a delight I love to 

 enjoy. 



January 6, Saturday. Ever since the first day of this 

 month I have been most closely engaged at my painting of 

 the " Pheasants Attacked by a Fox." I have, however, 

 spent another day and night at Dalmahoy. I have written 

 a long paper for the Wernerian Society on the habits of 

 Alligators, and am always very weary at night. 



January 7. I keep at my painting closely, and for a 

 wonder was visited by Dr. Bridges. I have labored hard, 

 but my work is bad ; some inward feeling tells me when it 

 is good. No one, I think, paints in my method; I, who 

 have never studied but by piecemeal, form my pictures 

 according to my ways of study. For instance, I am now 

 working on a Fox ; I take one neatly killed, put him up 

 with wires, and when satisfied of the truth of the position, 

 I take my palette and work as rapidly as possible ; the 



1 This entry begins a new blank book, in shape and size like a ledger, 

 every line of which is closely written. 



