CHAPTER XIV 



THE naturalist's VISION 



In the foregoing chapters it has been my en- 

 deavor to present a vista of the work and growth 

 of a naturaUst. To those who have followed the 

 story, it will be apparent that the fundamental 

 work, the skeleton, or frame on which the struc- 

 ture was reared, was the accumulation of collec- 

 tions of concrete things. In this case, these things 

 happen to be birds. It seems important, however, 

 to indicate how far-reaching is the instinct or 

 passion for collecting. By no means confined to 

 the human race, it is an attribute of the miser 

 as well as the philanthropist. Surely no miser or 

 collector of bric-a-brac is more assiduous than is 

 the magpie in the same direction ; and it is only 

 necessary to have some comprehensive view of 

 animal life in general to gain the knowledge that 

 the passion of obtaining or possessing, crops out 

 everywhere in the animal kingdom. It is not 

 always clear what results may accrue from this 

 instinct, what taste will develop, or what line of 

 work follow collecting, whether this be postage- 

 stamps, birds, or gold. 



340 



