104 PROFESSOR OWEN ch. m. 



nearly all day looking over specimens ; he and R. 

 are at present so deeply interested in whales, 

 they can talk of nothing else. After dinner they 

 sat over their paper instead of their wine.' 



' gth. — This morning Mr. Gould brought 

 some coloured lithographs of birds' heads (New 

 South Wales), the work to be out directly. Our 

 pet tortoise keeps raising himself by the fore feet 

 on to the front of the fender, and uses every 

 possible exertion to get over it to be nearer the 

 fire. He ate a little of the cabbage-leaf to-day. 

 R. gave Dr. Farre a certificate of lecture attend- 

 ance. Read " Hunterian " proofs with R. till my 

 eyes ached/ 



' i $t/i. — Dr. Buckland called to-day, but R. 

 was in the library, with doors locked, and so 

 could not be reached, so Dr. B. left a box of 

 fossils.' 



1 2$tk (Christmas Day). — R. and I went to 

 church in good time. A very pleasant evening, 

 with readings from " Boz," playing and singing.' 



' 28//Z. — I made two ink outlines of shark's 

 teeth, and to-night translated from the German 

 for R. ; after that I read aloud from Cuvier whilst 

 R. compared the editions. Wrapped up the 

 tortoise in flannel before I went to bed, and put 

 it in the front cellar.' 



