x The Naturalist in Nicaragua 
to study so many things. I am afraid that I will not be 
able to carry on entomology and botany together; but 
entomology I will not give up.’”’ He had been studying 
“electricity, astronomy, botany, conchology, and geology.” 
At the age of sixteen he wrote: “I feel a longing, a natural 
desire, to explore and understand the ways of science. I 
am ambitious of doing something that will deserve the 
praise or excite the admiration of mankind.’’ When the 
praise and admiration came, no one could have been more 
indifferent to them than himself. Nature, his ‘ nurse,”’ 
had become his queen; and never was there a more devoted, 
whole-hearted subject, a more simple-minded follower of 
science for its own sake without any thought of the honour 
or glory that might accrue thereby. 
On August 10, 1849, he records: ‘‘ I have been thinking 
for the last few days about fixing on some subject or pur- 
suit on which to devote my life, as it is of no use first start- 
ing one subject and then another, thus learning nothing. 
After giving it a good deal of consideration, I have deter- 
mined on studying ‘ Natural History,’ not confining myself 
to any one branch of that vast subject. As this is a subject 
on which I intend to devote my leisure hours during the 
greater part if not the whole of my lifetime, I consider it 
to be of the greatest importance that I should lay a good 
foundation for it. I therefore intend during the ensuing 
winter to study the English language and composition, so 
as to be able to describe objects and explain my sentiments 
with greater clearness and precision than I can at present.”’ 
The last sentence illustrates the systematic thoroughness 
of all his work which was one reason of his success. 
Belt’s “‘ leisure hours’? were soon more numerous than 
he had anticipated when recording his determination to 
devote them to natural history. Already his health had 
shown signs of giving way, and presently there was a 
nervous break-down which necessitated his giving up all 
work and being out in the open air as much as possible. 
But what appeared to be probably the wrecking of his life 
provided the opportunity which might not otherwise have 
occurred of encouraging and developing his inborn love 
ofnature. Becoming a member of the Tyneside Naturalists’ 
Field Club, he interested himself greatly in the local fauna 
and flora, and formed very complete collections of the 
