8o Life of Auduhon. 



occupation of my life. The rich magnolias covered with 

 fragrant blossoms, the holly, the beech, the tall yellow 

 poplar, the hilly ground, and even the red clay, all excited 

 my admiration. Such an entire change in the face of 

 nature in so short a time seems almost supernatural ; 

 and surrounded once more by numberless warblers and 

 thrushes, I enjoyed the scene. The five miles we walked 

 appeared short, and we arrived and met Mr. Perrie at his 

 house. Anxious to know him, I examined his features 

 by Lavater's directions. We were received kindly. 



^^ August II. We were awakened last night by a serv- 

 ant requesting me to accompany Mrs. Perrie to the house 

 of a dying neighbor about a mile distant. We went, but 

 arrived too late, for the man was dead, and I had the 

 pleasure of keeping his body company the remainder of 

 the night. On such occasions time flies very slowly, so 

 much so, that it looked as if it stood still, like the hawk 

 that poises in the air over his prey. The poor man had 

 drunk himself into an everlasting sleep. I made a good 

 sketch of his head, and left the house, while the ladies 

 were engaged in preparing the funeral dinner. 



'■'■August 12. Left this morning to visit a beautiful 

 lake, six miles distant, where we are told there are many 

 beautiful birds. The path led through a grove of rich 

 magnolia woods. On the way we saw a rich-colored 

 spider at work rolling up a horsefly he had caught in his 

 web. He spirted a stream of fluid from his mouth, at 

 the same time rolling the fly in it, until he looked like 

 the cocoon of a silkworm ; and having finished his work, 

 returned to the centre of his nest. This is no doubt the 

 way he puts up his food when he is not hungrj^, and pro- 

 vides for the future. 



'■'■August 25. Finished drawing a very fine specimen 

 of a rattlesnake, which measured five feet and seven inches, 

 weighed six and a quarter pounds, and had ten rattles. 



