IV.] INTRODUCTION. IxXV 



occasionally not unfraught with sadness. A specimen 

 will in after days bring back to our minds many an in- 

 cident, which else had been forgotten, of woodland and 

 seaside rambles, of nautical adventure, of excursions in 

 foreign lands, and (above all) the companionship of be- 

 loved but lost friends, who have, alas ! left this fair world 

 and us. The bitter drop will arise from the midst of 

 the sweet and bubbling spring of pleasure, and give us 

 pain even among the encircling flowers. It is still the 

 same as when Lucretius wrote — 



" coronae, serta parantur ; 



Nequicquam : quoniam medio de fonte leporum 

 Surgit arnari aliqiiid, quod in ipsis floribus angat." 



Incidents of the pursuit. — It is not always easy to 

 enlist fishermen in the cause of science. Most of them 

 readily promise, but seldom keep their word ; and they 

 do not seem to comprehend how any sensible person can 

 take an interest in such pursuits, as they regard all the 

 products of the sea, which are not fish, as " trash.^' In 

 the Shetlands, however, I have received much assistance 

 from the long-line fishermen, who brought me all the 

 whelks (or " buckles ") which were caught sticking to 

 the bait on the deep-sea (or " haaf ") fishing-banks ; and 

 they did this regularly and for several weeks together. 

 M. Drouet complained bitterly of the difiiculty which he 

 experienced in inducing the native fishermen at the 

 Azores to bring him any shells, even although he ofiered 

 to pay them liberally for their trouble. They told him 

 they did not choose to alter their habits ; and one of them, 

 after seeing the French conchologist very busy collecting 

 some small land-shells, said to his muleteer one day in 

 confidence, "C^est bien dommage, mais ce seigneur 

 fran9ais est pris de la!^^ and, while saying this, he sig- 

 nificantly touched his forehead. How far some persons, 



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