THOMAS BEWICK. 



and having the word "engraven" on the title-page — one of the branches 

 disappears, and in all the later editions the black mass is transformed into a 

 beautiful piece of foreground work. In the background an ill-fed horse is 

 breathing its last — " Waiting for Death." 



The Red-Legged Crow is placed in the foreground of a landscape 

 very like that round Tynemouth Castle; it is a fine and true representation, 

 but " the crow, as a crow, fails to impress the world with his dignity, because, 

 compared with the utter nigritude of the raven's plumage, his feathers are 

 a little 'seedy,' weather-beaten, and dimmed; he always looks a little 

 ' out at elbows,' and reminds one of our hired mutes at a ' respect- 

 able' funeral."* The Snow-man vignette is a scene at Cherryburn, the 

 little boy on the stool being meant for Bewick himself. The boys have 

 nearly finished their large snow figure, but how the head was placed 

 so high by the small urchins is difficult to understand ; their joy and 

 pride at beholding their work are unmistakable, however, and they are 

 quite happy, though chilled "to the bone" by the severe frost. The 

 vignette of the Runaway Horse is a satirical comment on the practice 

 of long lingering at taverns by last-century drivers. The children 

 amusing themselves in the empty cart have startled the horse, which 

 rushes off more and more frightened by the screams of the terrified 

 children. A boy tumbles out at the back of the cart, the driver 

 hurries from the tavern, while a woman adds to the confusion by 

 shrieking her loudest. This design was also employed on Sunday School 

 broadsheets to exemplify the evil effects of children's rashness and 

 disobedience. The vignette of a Blind Man standing in a street patiently 

 fiddling away while no passengers are within eye or ear shot is 

 excellent. The dog seems to be quite aware of the humour of the 

 proceeding, and sits with a superior sort of consciousness, as if it 

 thoroughly enjoyed the position. The Black Ouzel, or Blackbird, has 



* From F. G. Stephens's "Notes," 1881. 

 B B 



