How I Became a Naturalist 51 



HOW I BECAME A NATURALIST. 



MY home as a boy was in a quaint old fishing village 

 close to the edge of the North Kent marshes. 

 The place had an old, irregular look ; one would 

 think its inhabitants had begun building from the shore 

 inland to a certain point, and then come back and finished 

 along the water's edge. 



The top rooms of the houses generally projected over 

 the pavement — somewhat savouring of Shakesperian — 

 with queer gables, which were ornamented with grotesque 

 figures. By the water stood old mills, warehouses, and 

 shipyards, all having a decayed look. That business of 

 some kind had been once carried on there, the old wharves 

 and fine houses showed, but when that time was no one 

 about the place in my time knew. It was entirely isolated 

 from any other town or village, and railroads and steam- 

 boats were things known only by name to the general 

 community. Nearly all the people got their living od 

 the water. Poor they were, but a contented lot, and, as 

 this world runs, honest. Now and again it would be 

 gently hinted that they smuggled — who can say ? The 

 virtuous have enemies ; they, perhaps, had theirs. One 

 thing I can testify — if at any time a little medicine was 

 needed, it was sure to come out of a very short-necked, 

 dark-green bottle holding more than a pint, and that 

 medicine was certainly made in Holland. 



The fishermen and their lads always passed our house 

 on their way to and from their fishing boats, which lay 

 at anchor below in the marshes. On the return journey 

 they were sure to have something in the shape of wild 

 fowl — for you would find a duck gun on board all the 

 boats — and to catch a sight of these was my principal 

 delight. When they found out this they never passed the 

 door without showing " the boy " what they had got. 

 Many were the questions I asked them about bird and 

 fish, and I never rested until the kind-hearted fisher-lads 

 had taken me with them to see for myself the birds they 

 talked about. 



