154 MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 



During the time I was busied with the figures of 

 the " History of Quadrupeds," many jobs interfered 

 to cause delay ; one of which was the wood cut of 

 the Chillingham wild bull, for the late Marmaduke 

 Tunstal, Esq., of Wycliffe. This very worthy gen- 

 tleman and good naturalist honoured me with his 

 approbation of what I had done, and was one of our 

 correspondents. He, or my friend George Allan, 

 Esq., employed me to undertake this job ; and on 

 Easter Sunday, 1789, I set off on foot to Chilling- 

 ham, accompanied by my acquaintance, William 

 Preston, the printer, on this business. After 

 tarrying a little with friends at Morpeth and Aln- 

 wick, we took Huln Abbey on our way across the 

 country to the place of our destination. Besides 

 seeing the various kinds of pheasants, &c., at the 

 last-named place, little occurred to attract atten- 

 tion, except our being surrounded, or beset, in 

 passing over a moor, by burning heather, and 

 afterwards passing over the surface of immense old 

 winter wreaths of frozen snow. Arrived at Chil- 



Bewick took his bride home to his "cot, at the Forth " (see p. 120), 

 which had previously been tenanted by Dr. Hutton, part of whose 

 furniture he had purchased. It was a " fine, low, old-fashioned build- 

 ing," situated in what was afterwards known as Circus Lane (probably 

 so called from the Amphitheatre erected in the Forth in 1789) and 

 had a long garden extending almost to the old Town Wall. From 

 its windows could be seen the ancient semi-circular bastions known 

 respectively as Gunner or Gunnerton Tower and West Spital Tower. 

 Of Gunnerton Tower there is a picture in one of the Tailpieces to the 

 " Water Birds," vol. ii., p. 109; and it is stated that the adventurous 

 youngster who is scaling its crumbling sides for jackdaws' nests (in 

 the original sketch he has a bright blue coat) is intended for Bewick 

 himself. West Spital Tower had been turned into a dwelling house 

 where lived Mr. Beilby and his family. Bewick was an enthusiastic 

 florist, and especially fond of roses. His garden was a never-ending 

 pleasure to him ; and, on those " red-night-cap days " whereof mention 

 is made hereafter, he might frequently be found there encircled 

 by the fumes of a meditative " churchwarden."] 



