48 SIJi EDWIN LANDSEER, R.A. 



eagles in heaven ; and not only to assassinate him, but, in a moral vein, to liken his carcass to 

 that of a Jackass ! It will not bear further reflection ; so, Hamish, out with your whinger, and 

 carve him — a dish fit for the gods — in a style worthy of Sir Tristram, Gill Morice, Robin Hood, 

 or Lord Ranald, No ; let him lie till nightfall, when we shall be returning from Inveraw with 

 strength suSicient to bear him to the Tent. 



"But hark, Hamish, to that sullen croak from the cliff! The old raven of the cove already 

 scents death — 



" ' Sagacious of his quarry from afar.' 



" What is your private opinion, O'Bronte,* of the taste of Red-deer blood ? Has it not a 

 wild twang on the tongue and palate, far preferable to sheep's-head ? You are absolutely under- 

 going transformation into a deer-hound ! With your fore-paws on the flank, your tail bran- 

 dished like a standard, and your crimson flews licked by a long lambent tongue, red as crimson, 

 while your eyes express a fierce delight never felt before, and a stifled growl disturbs the star 

 of your breast — ^just as you stand now, O'Bronte, might Edwin Landseer rejoice to paint thy 

 picture, for which, immortal image of the wilderness, the Duke of Bedford would not scruple to 

 give a draft on his banker for one thousand pounds ! " 



From this digression — not one, however, altogether irrelevant to the subject discussed 

 — I pass on to the picture from which an engraving is here introduced. It was painted 

 for the Queen, and exhibited at the Academy in 1842, under the title of "A Pair of 

 Brazilian Monkeys," and is now at Osborne House, which also contains numerous 

 other specimens of Landseer's works, some of them well-known to the public, and 

 others which have never appeared in exhibitions — ^pictures painted expressly for 

 her Majesty or the late Prince Consort. Naturalists have assigned to this diminutive 

 animal, the Brazilian monkey, the name of Marmozette, or Marmoset, and also of 

 Ouistiti : some account of it, as the habits and character of this creature are not gene- 

 rally known in England, may not prove uninteresting. Guiana and Brazil are the 

 countries where it is found. 



"The fur is long and exquisitely soft, diversified with bold stripes of black upon a ground 

 of reddish-yellow and white. The tail is long and fuU; its colour is white, encircled with 

 numerous rings of a hue so deep that it may almost be called black. A radiating tuft of white 

 hairs springs frpm each side of the face, and contrasts well with the jetty hue of the head. 



"On account of the beauty of its fur, and the gentleness of its demeanour when rightly 

 treated, it is firequently brought from its native land, and forced to lead a life of compelled 

 civilization in foreign climes. It is peculiarly sensitive -to cold, and always likes to have its 

 house well fiimished with soft and warm bedding, which it piles up in a corner, and under 

 which it delights to hide itself. 



" The Marmosets do not seem to be possessed of a veiy large share of intelligence, yet are 

 engagmg httle creatures if kindly treated. They are very fond of flies and other insects, and 

 will often take a fly from the hand of the visitor. One of these animals with whom I struck up 

 an acquaintance, took great pleasure in making me catch flies for its use, and taking them 



* Professor Wilson's favourite Newfoundland dog. 



