Life, Genius, and Personal Habits of Bewick. 101 
his keen and comic eye fixed on the fern and licheny stones of 
the mountain side, that slept in the warm and broad noon sun- 
shine. “I ha’ bin glowring a’ the while,” said he, for a ring 
ouzel (7trdus torquatus): this is the vara sort 0’ habitat for 
him. Did yaever see him alive?” ‘ Yes, Sir, at Llangollen 
in Wales, and on the rugged heights of the Breidden moun- 
tains, near my residence at Westfelton.” Pretty chiel,” 
continued he, turning his prodigious quid, ‘ I wish I could 
once see him.” On arriving at Castleton, we ordered dinner 
to be carried up to the ruins of Peveril’s Castle, at a consider- 
able altitude immediately over the mouth or entrance of the 
immense cavern, tow ards which we leisurely walked; and 
having passed a ladies’ boarding-school (¢ teachers of inutili 
ties, to say no worse,” as he called them) very near it, his 
merry mind elicited a broad joke.‘ What a place,” cries he 
(as their advertisements actually now word it), ‘* for a lady to 
open her seminary for the reception of pupils!” He then 
roared such a hearty cachinnation, that the Devil’s Cavern re- 
verberated from its windy intestines. It would be superfluous 
here, and indeed onerous, to attempt any description of either 
the exterior or interior of this dismal, extensive, and wonder- 
ful cavern; after the examination of which, we all clambered 
up to the castle of the renowned Peveril of the Peak, amid the 
weedy ruins of whose deserted halls, on the smooth green 
sward, we picked our mutton bones, and quaffed our foaming 
porter, with sweeter appetite, zest, and happiness, than is often 
enjoyed at the banquet boards of those miscalled the great. 
After dinner, the ladies collected fossil specimens in their 
little baskets, or gathered bluebells, cranesbills, pansies, and 
yellow violets ; twining flowers in their hair or summer-hats, 
while the jolly old bawcock and I blew a delicious pipe of 
Virginia. In a moment, with their lunular breasts, two ring- 
ouzels alit among the gillyflowers on the wall ; and, the same 
moment, Bewick silently oO grasped my arm, at once to suppress 
motion ana speech. After a minute’s perking, preening, and 
turning, they flew away; on which, in ecstasy of delight, he 
three times tenderly exclaimed, “ Pretty darlings ! pr etty dar- 
lings ! pretty darlings '” About this time he’ was dading 
through the press the sixth edition of his Birds; and, though 
a little anecdote connected therewith tells plaguily against me, 
I feel it a duty to record it. He put into my hand a proof- 
sheet and copy, for correction, as I had some hand in the 
contents. But, independent of typographic errors, finding 
several alterations, additions, and omissions, [ became pettish ; 
and, on his gently remonstrating, I furiously tore both proof 
ark copy to very tatters, tr ampled them on the floor, cursed 
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