4 MEMOIE OF THE AUTHOR 



pigeon matches. His evening pursuits included 

 the observation of ants — in which he followed 

 and verified Lord Avebury's work on the subject} 

 — and billiards, a game in which he quickly 

 became proficient. In all these things he was 

 satisfied with nothing short of the best ; and 

 there seems little doubt that he spent upon 

 them far more money than the slender salary 

 of a junior bank-clerk warranted, and in so 

 far unwisely mortgaged his future. His affairs 

 were further compHcated by the failure of the 

 Bank of Wales ; the assistants, indeed, were 

 mostly retained by the Metropolitan Bank, 

 which took over from the bankrupt concern ; 

 but Rees, like many others, lost his invested 

 capital. 



In 1896 he was transferred to Swansea, 

 where he spent the next five years of his life. 

 Here his opportunities for sport were much 

 restricted, but at the week-ends he found in the 

 Gower peninsula fresh fields for natural history 

 work. He also had drawing and painting 

 lessons, and attained considerable skill in each 

 branch. It was at this time that he began to try 

 his powers as a writer. He kept careful diaries 

 of his nature rambles, and on solitary walks 

 constantly amused himself by literary ^' phrase- 

 making." He had the usual experience of the 

 novice in writing. His business training led him 



