REPORT OF THE SOCIETY 29 



As a boy he attended, not too regularly, the parochial .school at St. Denis, 

 until he reached the age of 11. When very young, he loved to wander through 

 woods anci fields and along the shores; his interest in things relating to natural 

 history, such as plants, insects, and birds, was being developed through contact 

 with nature herself. 



He was especially attracted by groves and by a certain swamp behind his 

 father's house, in which he used to see the Maryland Yellow-throat , a bird which 

 particularly attracted his attention as a beginner. 



When he left school, he remained on the paternal farm till he reached the 

 age of 15. A little later he went to school again for two different periods, to- 

 talling thirteen months. The teacher, Mr. Guillaume Robichaud, taught a 

 special class of two pupils, to which, as a favor, young Dionne was admitted, 

 but as a listener only, not being given the right to put any questions. Soon, 

 however, the teacher noticed his application as well as his eager desire for learn- 

 ing, so that he treated him just as he did the othei- pupils. His progress was 

 so remarkable that one day Mr. Robichaud, referring to him, said, "See young 

 Dionne; he has learned in thirteen months what most of the others require four 

 years to learn''. 



This special class furnished him an opportunity of seeing for the first time a 

 text-book on natural history. Having seen the coveted book on a shelf and being 

 too timid to ask for it, he had recourse to a stratagem to snatch it, siudy it, and 

 replace it as it was. Shortly afterward, the teacher, having discovered his 

 doings, amicably reproached him for his timidity and placed the book at his 

 disposal. Dionne read and reread the volume and copied all the figures there- 

 from. 



One of his brothers was an emploj^ee at the Quebec Seminary. Charles 

 decided to join him and on January 19, 1865, he was appointed a campus em- 

 ployee at a salary of S4.00 per month plus room and board with the students. 

 But after the fire of March, 1865, he was given work in the kitchen. 



There was then a museum at Laval University (closely associated with the 

 Seminary), but rigid rules forbade all employees to enter it. Young Dionne 

 did not even know that it existed. 



In September' 1866 he was appointed, apparitor in the Faculty of Law of 

 Laval University with free access to the library. In such proximity to the 

 museum Dionne became aware of its existence. He also began his botanical 

 studies by means of books from the library. His first author was Buffon. The 

 following year saw the beginning of his collection of birds. His collection of 

 insects was also commenced about that time, with the encouragement and 

 advice of Mgr Hame\ 



The only time which he could devote to his stud}' and the work of forming 

 his collections was that after the close of his day's work as an emploj'ee and what 

 he could spare at lunch time and he almost had to hide to use even these hours 

 in his favorite way for fear of ridicule from his fellows-employees. 



