1886-87.] Br James Gilchrist. Z 



mother's resources, and enable him to continue his education. 

 Here, while herding the cattle, he acquired a taste for read- 

 ing by having fallen in with an old Belfast almanack, the 

 anecdotes in which interested him. His love for objects in 

 nature was early developed. A brown mare that he herded 

 was so gentle, that when feedmg it would suffer him to leap 

 on its neck, and would gently hoist him on to its back. His 

 affection for this creature was very great, and when it was 

 sold he wept bitter tears. Again we find him with a tame 

 sparrow as an intimate companion. It would accompany 

 him on his walks, flying about him, and lighting on his 

 shoulder. A reckless boy threw a stone at it which killed 

 it, and so deeply did he feel the loss of his pet that he 

 has recorded the following — " That boy is now an old man, 

 but his name is recorded in a list (happily small) of people 

 who are not yet forgiven." He was also in very early years 

 a shrewd observer of nature, for though he knew nothing of 

 the names of the wild flowers, yet the place where and the 

 time when each was to be found were familiar to him. 



Through the kindness of a distant relative, who was a 

 teacher in the Dumfries Academy, Gilchrist was enabled to 

 obtain occasionally the benefits of that renowned institution. 

 Here he took the second prize in writing. 



While at the Academy a touching incident occurred, 

 which showed his ardent desire for scientific knowledge. 

 Three lectures on Geology were to be given in Dumfries, 

 which young Gilchrist was anxious to attend, but on making 

 inquiry he was much distressed to find that 5s. was the 

 price charged for admission, which seemed to bar the way 

 to his ever hearing them ; his distress, however, became 

 known to the rector, the kind-hearted Mr John M'Millan, 

 who at once took Gilchrist along with him to the lectures, 

 and at the close introduced the boy to the lecturer ; Gilchrist 

 asked some questions, which so pleased him that he presented 

 his young pupil with some specimens, to the latter's great joy. 



He was subsequently apprenticed to a draper in Dumfries, 

 but for this kind of work he had no special liking; and realis- 

 ing at this time more fully the deficiencies of his early educa- 

 tion, he strove in the intervals of business to supply that 

 want. Lennie's English Grammar and the Latin Rudiments 

 were always at his side. The hard toil and loss of sleep 



