338 AISQUBON 



October 20. Nothing to do, and tired of sight-seeing. 

 Four subscriptions in se ven ^ jveeks. Slow work indeed. 

 I took a long walk, and watched the Stock Pigeons or 

 Cushats in the trees of Le Jardin des Tuileries, where they 

 roost in considerable numbers, arriving about sunset. 

 They settle at first on the highest trees, and driest, naked 

 branches, then gradually lower themselves, approach the 

 trunks of the trees, and thickest parts, remain for the 

 night, leave at day-break, and fly northerly. Blackbirds 

 do the same, and are always extremely noisy before dark ; 

 a few Rooks are seen, and two or three Magpies. In the 

 Jardin, and in the walks of the Palais-Royal, the common 

 Sparrow is prodigiously plenty, very tame, fed by ladies 

 and children, killed or missed with blow-guns by mis- 

 chievous boys. The Mountain Finch passes in scattered 

 numbers over Paris at this season, going northerly, and 

 is caught in nets. Now, my love, wouldst thou not be- 

 lieve me once more in the woods, hard at it? Alas 1 I 

 wish I was ; what precious time I am wasting in Europe. 



October 21. Redoute" told me the young Duchesse 

 d' Orleans had subscribed, and I would receive a letter to 

 that effect. Cuvier sent me one hundred printed copies 

 of his Proces verbal. 



October 22. The second day of promise is over, and 

 not a word from either of the ministers. Now, do those 

 good gentlemen expect me to remain in Paris all my life ? 

 They are mistaken. Saturday I pack; on Tuesday morn- 

 ing farewell to Paris. Redou t^ sent me three volumes of 

 his jpeautifi ri roses, which thou wilt so enjoy, and a com- 

 plimenTwhlch is beyond all truth, so I will not repeat it. 



October 26. I received a letter from Baron de la 

 Brouillerie announcing that the .King had subscribed t o 

 my work for his private library. I was visited by the 

 secretary of the Due d' Orleans, who sat with me some time, 

 a clever and entertaining man with whom I felt quite at 

 ease. He told me that I might now expect the subscrip- 



