CHAPTEE IV. 



LITERARY WORK. 



First ideas of Authorship Popular ignorance of Natural History Scientists 

 and Nomenclature The smaller Natural History Its leading principle 

 Translation of " A Tour Round my Garden " First volume of 

 " Anecdotes of Animal Life " Its scope and character Appearance of the 

 second volume " Every Boy's Book "The Great Bird Question "My 

 Feathered Friends" "Common Objects of the Sea-shore" An amusing 

 adventure " Common Objects of the Country " Astonishing success A 

 singular request " The Playground " Preparations for the larger 

 Natural History The labour involved Character of the work 

 Destruction necessary for Preservation True object of the study of 

 Zoology Natural History and Religion. 



THE first idea of taking up literary work as at least a 

 supplementary profession appears to have occurred to my 

 father some time during the year 1850. At that time, 

 having given up his tutorship at Hinton, he was re- 

 siding in Oxford, and occupying himself partly in the 

 tuition of a private pupil with whom he afterwards 

 paid two short visits of a few weeks each to France 

 partly in studying comparative anatomy under Doctor 

 now Sir Henry Acland, the Eegius Professor, and 

 partly in reading for Holy Orders. Probably he felt 

 that it would be well, if possible, to obtain some 

 pecuniary profit from the work in which he was so 

 much absorbed ; and his rapidly increasing familiarity 

 with the wonders of the animal kingdom gave him good 

 ground to suppose that he could produce a book which 

 would at least be accurate as far as the subject-matter 



