1839 - 4 ° 
RELAXATION 
177 
gratifying to yourself as they are to me. I can 
only say that I feel no further regrets at having 
been the cause of imposing this burden upon you, 
and shall always consider that, of my humble 
efforts in furtherance of scientific knowledge, the 
most important has been that, if not of causing, 
at all events of accelerating the production of so 
Valuable a report. I am so much delighted with 
it that I freely forgive you for christening my 
Plesiosaur “ Old Spooney.” ’ 
In November Owen was back again in 
London. His wife’s diary for November 21 
mentions that her husband ‘brought back with 
him to dinner Dr. Buckland, Professor Agassiz, 
and Dr. Mantell, and afterwards entertained them 
to their heart s content with the microscope. 
They made some experiments in blood globules. 
L>r. Buckland’s blood irregular, that of Agassiz 
regular. Dr. Mantell, who stated that he had 
a very slow circulation, on examination proved to 
have blood globules of a decidedly larger size 
than the others. Dr. Buckland was just saying 
with that droll look of his, “Why, Mantell, you see 
you have a good deal of the reptile about you,” 
when the news was brought in that the Queen 
Was safely delivered of a little princess, so the 
rliscussion was stopped by all the gentlemen 
drinking health to Her Majesty.’ 
Nothing afforded Owen more relaxation 
during his hard work than a visit to the theatre, 
VOL. I. 
N 
