14 PARENTAGE AND YOUTH CHAP, i 



personal influence in communicating the contagion of 

 his love of nature is vividly remembered by those who 

 knew him. As Ramsay came under this influence 

 when a mere boy, we can hardly doubt that it helped 

 in giving the bent to his future life-work. 



The other friend, who contributed still more to 

 the determination of Ramsay's geological career, 

 was Professor Nichol, already referred to. Besides 

 guiding the young man's reading, this helpful mentor 

 incited him to the undertaking of definite pieces of 

 geological field-work. Nichol, though not a professed 

 geologist, had himself read widely and critically in 

 geological literature ; he was therefore well qualified 

 to suggest lines of inquiry, to appreciate the signifi- 

 cance of new observations, and to share in the plea- 

 sures and excitements of geological rambles. He, too, 

 used to spend his summer holidays in Arran, and while 

 there enjoyed long walks and talks with his young 

 friend. If any stimulus to sustained geological effort 

 had been needed on Ramsay's part, it was amply 

 supplied by 'the Professor.' When the two friends 

 were separated, long letters of suggestion and advice 

 would come from Nichol. The kindly and helpful 

 interest thus taken in him was always gratefully 

 remembered by Ramsay, who never ceased to look 

 back upon the Professor of Astronomy as his true 

 father in science, to whose wise counsel and assistance 

 he owed the happy change from a merchant's office to 

 the life of a professional man of science. 



The fame of Arran as a happy hunting-ground 

 for the geologist drew many men of note to visit 

 it. Of one of these visits Lord Playfair has 

 been so good as to communicate the following recol- 

 lections : 



