a Si | > aaa 
- ¥ 
Proceedings. Ixxxvil 
the tree (on being left by his companions, who had run away on 
being attacked by the wasps); he soon reached the nest, but he 
was now puzzled as to how he could remove this great prize 
without damaging it. A thought at last struck him, that his 
shirt was available; so he soon disrobed himself, and again 
approached the nest. He soon removed the byke, not without 
first being badly stung, and, haying placed it in his shirt and 
securely tied it up, made for home. He smuggled it into the 
house, and went to bed; his brother, however, noticing his 
nudity on getting into bed, gave him away by calling the atten- 
tion of his mother to Tom’s loss of his shirt. This brought his 
father forward, who bid him say what had become of his shirt, 
and made him produce it with the wasps’ nest carefully tied up 
in it. Tom for his trouble got the strap, and the bykes’ nest 
was destroyed. 
At last, at the age of four years, Edward was sent to school ; 
this, however, did not prevent him from continuing his country 
rambles, and he was constantly playing truant ; sometimes he 
would carry his birds, rats, and leeches with him to school ; 
these during the morning often escaped, and caused much 
distraction from lessons, so that he was constantly being flogged, 
and he was expelled for the same reason from three schools. 
One day on one of his excursions he picked up a live adder, 
taking it for an eel, and conveyed it home, having on his way 
to strip and wade across a stream, with his clothes in one hand 
and the adder in the other. On arriving home he caused great 
consternation, and was advised by an elder to take it up to 
Dr. Fergusson, who was also a chemist and collector. This he 
did, and the beast was put into a bottle of spirit, and Edward 
received a small remuneration. $ 
“After his expulsion from his third and last school, he went 
to work at a tobacco spinner’s; he got on fairly well with his 
employer, he being of a similar turn of mind to Edward, and 
giving his attention to bird-breeding. Edward kept him well 
supplied with nests and young and old birds; in return for these 
favours he was allowed to: keep rabbits. Tom remained in this 
situation for about two years, and was then anxious to better 
his position, his wages here being only four-pence a week. 
He next went to a factory at Grandholm, about two miles 
from Aberdeen. Edward was charmed with the surroundings 
of his new situation ; it stood in a beautiful valley teeming with 
nature and natural objects, and contained such quantities of 
birds, insects, and plants. He appears to have been very much 
struck with the wonderful note of the sedge warbler—also called 
the English mocking-bird and the Scottish nightingale—and 
wondered how such a wee thing could imitate so closely almost 
any bird. 
