NATURAL HISTORY OF NUNBURNHOLME. 55 



But our flower-garden— now our flower-garden is the prettiest flower- 

 garden in England — to my taste, at least. I will endeavour first to 

 describe it to you: no, I will not do so at once, but bit by bit, in con- 

 nection with the several species which give to each separate part a never- 

 failing pleasure of association. I shall, then, in the first instance, I repeat, 

 give an account of the birds, beasts, insects, plants, fishes, etc., found, and to 

 be found, within the narrow limits of the Rectory garden, and shall then 

 enlarge, widening out from this centre of the parish, like the circle caused 

 by the stone thrown into the lake, on the productions of the parish itself. 

 Fishes! you say, what fishes can you have in a Rectory garden? Why, 

 my good friend, the great ornament of our garden is a running stream 

 which winds all along one side of it, in view of several of the windows 

 of the house. The house! yes, an idea just occurs to me; I have a sketch 

 of the house made by a friend, and a very good likeness it is, and you 

 shall have a fac simile of it, so that you shall see, as it were, before 

 your eyes the residence of the author of the "British Birds," any one but 

 the "Great Unknown." Author, indeed ! who would have ever thought of 

 my becoming an author, and one so favourably received too, by the public! 

 Excuse, good reader, the passing feeling of satisfaction, nay, not passing, it 

 is one which will be a gratification to me as long as I live. Who would 

 have thought that my fondness for "Nature" in my schooldays, and my 

 then untiring hunts after birds and butterflies, should have led to such an 

 unexpected result ! 



But stop ! I said in brief that the Rectory I have and hold is one exactly 

 suited to me, and myself, in some degree, I would hope, to it, and now further 

 to shew this, as how desirably situated it is for my convenience, comfort, 

 and happiness in various ways, it has occurred to me that I may here make 

 a digression, from which, not after the manner of Tristram Shandy, I shall 

 duly return, and first give a short account of my birth, parentage, and educa- 

 tion: — before going on about the place, why not say something of the person? 

 If I have been right in supposing that my readers may take an interest 

 in seeing what my residence is like, why may it not be supposed that he 

 who dwells in it may, albeit that he owes the distinction of his position 

 as a successful author, far more, he feels, to the kindness of his readers 

 than to his own merits, come in for a share of the like curiosity? 



May it please you then, ladies and gentlemen; I was born (I will be 

 as brief as possible) on Lady Day, March 25th., 1810, and was married 

 on New Year's Day, 1835. My great great grandfather, Owen Morris, 

 was of Welsh, that is of Ancient British descent, the original stock of the 

 country before Saxon, Dane, or Norman had set foot on the island, and 

 we still bear the arms of Elystan Glodrydd, founder of the Fourth 

 Royal Tribe of Wales, quarterly with those of his son Cadwgan, or Cadogan. 



