18 THE REV. J. G. WOOD. 



liand or face, that hand or face was smartly struck with 

 a pea. The adversaries, too, laboured under the dis- 

 advantage that, although they could not see their 

 intended victim, whose room was in darkness, their 

 intended victim was perfectly well able to see them by 

 reason of the lights round the quad. So after a while 

 the enemy's forces were drawn off, a hurried consulta- 

 tion was held in a protected corner, and then a sudden 

 rush was made for the stairs. But on reaching the 

 last flight the expected victim was seen calmly wait- 

 ing, with the demi-john of water at hand, ready to 

 deluge the first besieger who should be bold enough 

 to approach. The leader of the attacking party paused 

 and took in the situation ; and then, with a laugh, 

 he remarked, " You fellows, I think we had better go 

 back." "I think you had," said my father ; and the 

 enemy departed in confusion. 



The three years of the ordinary college course came 

 to an end, examinations were safely passed, and in 1847 

 the future naturalist, still barely twenty years of age, 

 took his degree of Bachelor of Arts. Although not a 

 brilliant scholar, he had passed through his university 

 career with credit, and had imbibed a love for classical 

 learning which never left him to the end of his life. 

 Scarcely a day ever passed in which he did not read at 

 least a few pages of a Latin or Greek author. Horace 

 was always his favourite poet, and he was always pick- 

 ing up copies of his Odes at second-hand bookstalls, 

 at prices ranging from a penny upwards. Most of 

 these Odes he knew by heart, and would repeat them 



