THE EUROPEAN JOURNALS 



297 



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May 1. Mr. Swainson has published a review of my 

 work in Mr. Loudon's magazine, and how he has raised 

 my talents. Would that I could do as well as he says I 

 do; then indeed would my pencil be eager to portray the 

 delicate and elegant contours of the feathered tribe, the 

 softness of their plumage, and their gay movements. 

 Alas, now I must remain in London overlooking engrav- 

 ers, colorers, and agents. Yet when I close my eyes I 

 hear the birds warbling, nay, every sound ; the shriek of 

 the Falcon, the coy Doves cooing; the whistling note 

 of the Grackle seems to fill my ear, again I am in the 

 cornfield amidst millions of these birds, and then, trans- 

 ported afar, I must tread lightly and with care, to avoid 

 the venomous Rattler. I sent the first proof of the 

 White-headed Eagle to the Marquis of Landsdowne; he 

 being the president of the Zoological Society, I thought 

 it courteous to do so. 



Sunday, May 4- Immediately after breakfast I went 

 out with George Woodley, and walked to the pretty vil- 

 lage called Hampstead. The rain that fell last night 

 seemed only sufficient to revive nature's productions; the 

 trees were lightly covered with foliage of a tender hue; 

 the hawthorns dispersed along the thickets had opened 

 their fragrant cups, the rich meadows showed promise of 

 a fair crop. Here and there a shy Blackbird's note burst 

 clearly, yet softly, while the modest Blackcap skipped 

 across our way. I enjoyed it all, but only transiently ; I 

 felt as if I must return to the grand beauties of the Wes- 

 tern World, so strong is the attachment impressed in man 

 for his own country. I have been summing up the pros 

 and cons respecting a voyage to America, with an absence 

 of twelve months. The difficulties are many, but I am 

 determined to arrange for it, if possible. I should like 

 to renew about fifty of my drawings ; I am sure that now 

 I could make better compositions, and select better plants 

 than when I drew merely for amusement, and without the 



