CHAPTER IX. 



THE SKETCH-LECTURES. 



Occasional Lectures Lectures at Oxford in 1856 Thei Origin of the Sketch- 

 lectures Course given at Brixton Hat-pie The Xewspapers on the Subject 

 " Gull "-pie Various Correspondents : Curious, Incredulous, and Indig- 

 nant " A Believer in Human Food " and his Views Funny Folks on 

 Rat-pie Advertising the Lectures Securing an Agent Division of Labour 

 Drawing up the Syllabus Construction of a Drawing-frame Value of 

 Impromptu Chalk Sketches How the Frame was Made Lectures at the 

 " Polytechnic "Limitations of Time Lectures at the Crystal Palace The 

 Baby Gorilla Meeting it at the Railway Station The Crystal Palace by 

 night Unpacking the Gorilla Its Companion, the Chimpanzee The 

 Gorilla's Death-blow Post-mortem examination Lectures at Forest School 

 Boys and the Sketch-lectures The First Season and its Engagements 

 Unfavourable Report of Newbury An Enterprising Reporter A Special 

 Lecture to Carters Result of the Season. 



THROUGHOUT almost the whole of his career as an author 

 my father delivered occasional lectures on natural history 

 subjects; sometimes gratuitously, for the benefit of 

 parochial funds ; sometimes at the special request of 

 scientific societies, and upon the ordinary terms of 

 remuneration. These lectures, as may well be imagined, 

 were very different in character from those which in 

 later years formed an important part of his regular pro- 

 fessional work. The power of extempore free-hand draw- 

 ing had not yet been developed, and he was contented 

 to illustrate his remarks by means of diagrams and 

 specimens. He had not yet struck out the original line 

 which he afterwards made so peculiarly his own. And 



