



1 68 



AUDUBON 



in their lineaments. Her eyes were very penetrating, and 

 I was struck with the strength of all she said, though noth- 

 ing seemed to be studied. She showed the effects of a 

 long, well learned round of general information. She, of 

 course, praised my work, but I scarce thought her candid. 

 Her eyes seemed to reach my very soul ; I knew that at 

 one glance she had discovered my inferiority. The group 

 of children she had with her were all fine-looking, but not 

 so gracefully obedient as those of the beautiful Mrs. Rath- 

 bone of Woodcroft. She invited me to her home, near 

 Roslyn, and I shall, of course, accept this courtesy, though 

 I felt, and feel now, that she asked me from politeness 

 more than because she liked me, and I must say the more 

 I realized her intelligence the more stupid did I become. 

 Afterwards I went to Mr, Lizars' to meet Dr. Meikleham, 

 who wishes me to go with him to Trinidad, where I shall 

 draw, so he says, four hundred birds for him, for a publi- 

 cation of " Birds of the West Indies." On Friday I go to 

 Mrs. Isabella Murray's, to see her and some fine engrav- 

 ings. I have omitted to say that the first impression of 

 the beautiful seal sent me by Mrs. Rathbone was sent to 

 my beloved wife ; the seal itself is much admired, and the 

 workmanship highly praised. Mr. Combe has been to see 

 me, and says my poor skull is a greater exemplification of 

 the evidences of the truth of his system than any he has 

 seen, except those of one or two whose great names only 

 are familiar to me ; and positively I have been so tormented 

 about the shape of my head that my brains are quite out 

 of sorts. Nor is this all ; my eyes will have to be closed 

 for about one hour, my face and hair oiled over, and plas- 

 ter of Paris poured over my nose (a greased quill in each 

 nostril), and a bust will be made. On the other hand, an 

 artist quite as crazy and foolishly inclined, has said that 

 my head was a perfect Vandyke's, and to establish this 

 fact, my portrait is now growing under the pencil of the 

 ablest artist of the science here. It is a strange-looking 



