160 AUDUBON THE NATURALIST, 
Working early and late he continued to im 
prove as far as possible his drawings, as well as 
diligently to collect from his portfolio all that 
related to the habits of the birds represented. 
At length, after years of anxiety, he was pre- 
sented with the first volume of the Birds of 
America, This was in 1835. So far, at least, 
he had the delightful assurance of the triumph 
of his hopes. Scrupulously comparing the 
plates, he felt convinced too of their: improve- 
ment as they proceeded, and looked forward 
confidently to the completion of the second vol 
ume. ° 
Subsequently he visited London and Edin- 
burgh, receiving from his friends in those cities, ° 
the most kindly assistance, as well as numerous 
interesting additions to his collections in some 
rare and beautiful specimens of birds. He was 
especially delighted traversing the highlands of 
Scotland. The rocky shores of their magnifi- 
cent lakes, the splendour of their mountains, and 
the roar of the torrents, the romantic glens, and 
picturesque passes, gorgeous landscapes and 
heather-purpled hills, with clusters of the licl.en 
and red-berried mountain ash, awakened his 
liveliest admiration. 
In the third volume of his illustrations it waa 
Audubon’s object to give a description of the 
water birds. Owing to the large size of these 
