4028 The Zoologist — June, 1874. 



Mr. Prinsep exhibits three pictures, Nos. 27, 274 and 943 ; the 

 first and last of these contain one animal each. No. 27 is called 

 "A Safe Confident," and represents a lady communicating her 

 secrets to the softest and whitest of cats. 



Mr. Leighton exhibits a treasury of pictures, Nos. 131, 303, 348 

 and 981; of these No. 131, "Moorish Garden: a Dream of 

 Granada," comes strictly within my limits as zoological : a girl is 

 leading two peacocks, one of them white, the other of the most 

 resplendent hues; it is very beautiful, but this need scarcely 

 be said of Mr. Leighton — his productions are always eminently 

 beautiful. 



Mr. Aster Corbould has been remarkably happy in selecting the 

 finest subject for animal painting that the whole range of English 

 poetry contains, Byron's "Mazeppa," No. 221, but I could not obtain 

 a view of it sufficiently satisfactory to pronounce any opinion on its 



merits. 



" A thousand horse, the wild, the free, 



Like waves that follow o'er the sea, 



Came thickly thundering on. 

 As if our faint approach to meet ; 

 The sight re-ncrved ray courser's feet, 

 A moment staggering, feebly fleet, 

 A moment, with a faint low neigh. 



He answered and then fell ; 

 With gasps and glazing ejcs he lay. 



And recking limbs immoveable, 

 His first and last career is done ! 

 On came the troop — they saw him stoop. 



They saw me strangely bound along 



His back with many a bloody thong : 

 They stop — they start — they snuff the air. 

 Gallop a moment here and there, 

 Approach, retire, wheel round and round. 

 Then plunging back with sudden bound, 

 Headed by one black mighty steed. 

 Who seemed the patriarch of his breed, 



Without a single speck or hair 

 Of white upon his shaggy hide ; 

 They snort — they foam — neigh — swerve aside 

 And backward to the forest fly, 

 By instinct, from a human eye." 



Edward Newm.^n. 



