THE EUROPEAN JOURNALS 301 



take a paper bag from him, containing a Carrier Pigeon, 

 and turn it out about five miles off. The poor bird could 

 have been put in no better hands, I am sure; when I 

 opened the bag and launched it in the air, I wished from 

 my heart I had its powers of flight ; I would have ventured 

 across the ocean to Louisiana. At Tittenhanger Mrs. 

 Swainson and her darling boy came to meet us, and we 

 walked slowly to the house ; its happy cheer had great in- 

 fluence on my feelings. Our evening was spent in look- 

 ing over Levaillant's^ work. We discovered, to the 

 great satisfaction of my friend, two species of Chatterers, 

 discovered by the famous traveller in Africa; until now 

 our American species stood by itself, in the mind of the 

 naturalist. My time afterwards was spent in shooting, 

 painting, reading, talking, and examining specimens. 

 But, my Lucy, the most agreeable part of all this is that 

 we three have decided to go to Paris about the first of 

 September, from there probably to Brussels, Rotterdam, 

 and possibly Amsterdam. 



August 20. Messrs. Children and Gray^ of the British 

 Museum called to see me this afternoon, and we talked 

 much of that establishment. I was surprised when Mr. 

 Gray told me ;£200 per annum was all that was allowed 

 for the purchase of natural curiosities. We were joined 

 by Captain Basil Hall. I now feel more and more con- 

 vinced that he has not remained in America long enough, 

 and that his judgment of things there must be only super- 

 ficial. Since these gentlemen left I have written to 

 Charles Bonaparte a long letter, part of which I copy for 

 thee : " My Sylvia roscoe, is, I assure you, a distinct spe- 

 cies from Vieillot's; my Turdus aquaticus is very differ- 

 ent from Wilson's Water Thrush, as you will see when 

 both birds are published. Mine never reaches further 

 south than Savannah, its habits are quite different. 



1 Franfois Levaillant, born at Paramaribo, 1753; died in France, 1824. 



2 John Edward Gray, 1800-1875, zoologist. 



