158 THE EEV. J. G. WOOD. 



which now adorn a small scrap-book in my possession. 

 These are chiefly of a humorous character, and for the 

 most part relate to scenes of collegiate life, the key to 

 which, of course, is now missing. But that he added 

 to these in after life is evidenced by the appearance of 

 " Ye Margate Mag-Pyes," a fancy sketch of two elderly 

 gossips conversing upon the Margate sands, and by a 

 whole series of illustrations of pelicans and flamingoes 

 in eccentric attitudes, drawn from life at the Zoological 

 Gardens, and reproduced almost exactly in the small 

 sketches of those birds which appear in the " Explana- 

 tory Index " to his edition of " Waterton's Wander- 

 ings." He would occasionally illustrate letters to 

 intimate friends, also, by small drawings, sometimes of 

 a wonderfully graphic character. But he never pre- 

 tended to be an artist, and, indeed, always disclaimed 

 the title, saying that he could show what he wanted 

 to show by a rough drawing, but that anything in the 

 shape of a finished sketch was altogether beyond his 

 powers. 



In the later years of his sketch-lectures he was very 

 particular about light, and would have neither gas nor 

 lamp anywhere near the screen itself, save in the form 

 of footlights some six or seven feet in front. He even 

 had a set of footlights made, and for some time carried 

 them about with him. But, finding that they were 

 seldom suited to the requirements of any particular 

 room, he contented himself with sending notice that 

 footlights must be provided in some form or other, and 

 that, if nothing better were forthcoming, half-a-dozen 



