38 REMINISCENCES. 



He walked with a swinging action, using a stick heavily 

 shod with iron, which he struck loudly against the ground, 

 producing as he went round the " Sand-walk " at Dov/n, a 

 rhythmical click which is with all of us a very distinct re- 

 membrance. As he returned from the midday walk, often 

 carrying the waterproof or cloak which had proved too hot, 

 one could see that the swinging step was kept up by some- 

 thing of an effort. Indoors his step was often slow and 

 laboured, and as he went upstairs in the afternoon he might 

 be heard mounting the stairs with a heavy footfall, as if each 

 step were an effort. When interested in his work he moved 

 about quickly and easily enough, and often in the middle of 

 dictating he went eagerly into the hall to get a pinch of snuff, 

 leaving the study door open, and calling out the last words of 

 his sentence as he went. Indoors he sometimes used an oak 

 stick like a little alpenstock, and this was a sign that he felt 

 giddiness. 



In spite of his strength and activity, I think he must 

 always have had a clumsiness of movement. He was natu- 

 rally awkward with his hands, and was unable to draw at all 

 well.* This he always regretted much, and he frequently 

 urged the paramount necessity of a young naturalist making 

 himself a good draughtsman. 



He could dissect well under the simple microscope, but I 

 think it was by dint of his great patience and carefulness. It 

 was characteristic of him that he thought many little bits of 

 skilful dissection something almost superhuman. He used to 

 speak with admiration of the skill with which he saw New- 

 port dissect a humble bee, getting out the nervous system 

 with a few cuts of a line pair of scissors, held, as my father 

 used to show, with the elbow raised, and in an attitude which 

 certainly would render great steadiness necessary. He used 

 to consider cutting sections a great feat, and in the last year 

 of his life, with wonderful energy, took the pains to learn to 



* The figure representing the aggregated cell-contents in ' Insectivo- 

 rous Plants ' was drawn by him. 



