PAPER ON HABITS OP THE WILD PIGEON. 119 



him to join me in a glass of wine, but my foolish habit prevented 

 me. Having inquired after the health of his daughters, I 

 shortly left him and the room, for I was very hungry j and 

 although the table was loaded with delicacies, and the ladies 

 were enjoying them freely, I say it to my shame, that I had not 

 the confidence to lay my fingers on a single thing." 



An interval of a week occurs in the journal, and it is explained 

 by the fact that Audubon was busily engaged in other compo- 

 sitions, and writing twelve letters of introduction to persons in 

 America for Captain Basil Hall, and preparing an article on the 

 habits of the wild pigeon, which he had been requested to do, 

 to read before the Natural History Society. Dr. Brewster saw 

 the latter before it was read, and requested permission to publish 

 it in his journal. " This," says Audubon, " was killing two 

 birds with one stone, because I had promised to write Brewster 

 an article. I began that paper on Wednesday, wrote all day, 

 and sat up until half-past three the next morning ; and so 

 absorbed was my whole soul and spirit in the work, that I felt 

 as if I were in the woods of America among the pigeons, and 

 my ears were filled with the sound of their rustling wings. 

 After sleeping a few hours, I rose and corrected it. Captain 

 Hall called a few hours after, read the article, and begged a 

 copy : the copy was made, and sent to him at eight o'clock that 

 evening. 



" Captain Hall expressed some doubts as to my views respect- 

 ing the affection and love of pigeons, as if I made it human, and 

 raised the possessors quite above the brutes. I presume the love 

 of the mothers for their young is much the same as the love of* 

 woman for her offspring. There is but one kind of love ; God 

 is love, and all his creatures derive theirs from his ; only it is 

 modified by the diflerent degrees of intelligence in different 

 beings and creatures." 



On February 20, he writes, in a long letter to his wife : " It 

 is impossible yet to say how long I shall remain in England ; at 

 least until I have spent some months in London. I am doing 

 all I can to hasten my plans, but it will take some time to com- 

 plete them. The first number of my birds wiU be published in 

 March, and on the fifth of the month the ballot takes place to 

 decide my election to the Eoyal Society, tvhich, if successful. 



