Ill Farm and Garden. 



179 



knew they lived entirely on insects, worms, and such- 

 like creatures, without professing any knowledge of 

 ornithology. Indeed, w^e well remember when the 

 old boy heard that we had just published our first 

 book on bird-life, Rural Bird-life: being Essays on 



The Yellow Wagtail. 



Ornithology, how he paused one day at his work in 

 the fields and solemnly put the question: "Charley, 

 what is this ' Ornithowlogy'; is it a new religion?" 

 We confess to feeling fairly nonplussed at such a 

 remark, and did our best to tell him, with as serious 

 a look as we could command, the proper meaning of 

 the awful word. Poor old White, at a ripe age, has 

 been gathered to his fathers. He was one of the 

 most tolerant and philosophic farmers that we ever 

 met, and we dwell thus affectionately upon his 

 memory ; for we were always welcome, boy and man, 



