140 PROFESSOR OWEN ch. IV. 



Wappiti stag had forced open the wooden door 

 which separated them, and gored the poor creature 

 so horribly as to oblige the keeper to put it out of 

 its misery.' 



'November i. — R. at the British Museum 

 with Lord Northampton, who had written to R. 

 for an appointment. It was to examine a fossil 

 which has evidently puzzled people. It proved 

 to be the cartilaginous rays of the fins of an enor- 

 mous fish denuded of the connected membrane.' 



' 6th. — A visit from Dr. and Mrs. Buckland 

 and their two eldest boys, a friend, and a couple 

 of live marmots ; both the Doctor and Mrs. 

 Buckland looking all the better for their German 

 tour. The Doctor sat on the sofa with the two 

 marmots and his bag on his lap. They were all 

 going to Drury Lane. I don't know whether the 

 marmots are going too ! ' 



' ijtkr — R. very busy over the muscles of the 

 apteryx. When finished, he sat up till three read- 

 ing " Gilbert Gurney Married." ' 



On November 24 Owen received the news 

 from Lancaster of the illness of his mother, and 

 set off at once to his sisters. He wrote a short 

 note to his wife, dated Lancaster, Sunday, one 

 o'clock, November 25, 1838: — 



1 As I anticipated, my poor mother's sleep 

 proved to be her last ; she never revived more 

 than to be conscious of the little kind offices 

 done to ease her position and breathing and to sip 



