116 AUDUBON THE NATURALIST. 



ming "Mj love is but a lassie yet," in such 

 purely native fashion, that Audubon would 

 gladly have pronounced him a true Scot, but 

 for his unmistakably American tournure. This 

 conviction excited his curiosity still more, till 

 at length he was compelled to gratify it, by 

 accosting the stranger with, " Pray, sir, will you 

 allow me to examine the birds you have in that 

 cage?" At this request the owner of them 

 stopped, straightened his body, almost closed his 

 left eye, spread his legs apart, and, with an irresist- 

 ibly comic look, answered, " Birds, sir, did you 

 say birds ?" On the question being repeated, he 

 continued, "What do you know about birds, sir?" 

 " Sir," replied Audubon, I am a student of na- 

 ture, and admire her works, from the crawling 

 reptile you have in your bosom to the "human 

 form divine." "Ah I" replied he, "a— a— a nat- 

 uralist, I suppose." He then handed the cage, 

 which Audubon inspected, and was about to 

 take his departure, when the stranger requested 

 that he would accompany him to his lodgings. 

 On arriving there, they entered a long room, 

 where the most prominent objects were a num- 

 ber of pictures along the walls, a table covered 

 with painting apparatus, and a large easel with 

 a full length portait yet unfinished upon it. 

 Each of the drawings told the touch of a superior 

 artist. Audubon felt convinced it could be no 



