4 THE UNRULY CHILD. CHAP. i. 



to like living things. He wished to live amongst 

 them. He made pets of them ; and desired to have 

 them constantly about him. 



From his birth he was difficult to manage. His 

 mother said of him that he was the worst child 

 she had ever nursed. He was never a moment at 

 rest. His feet and legs seemed to be set on springs. 

 When only about four months old, he leapt from his 

 mother's arms, in the vain endeavour to catch some 

 flies buzzing in the window. She clutctied him by 

 his long clothes, and saved him from falling to the 

 ground. He began to walk when he was scarce ten 

 months old, and screamed when any one ventured 

 to touch him. And thus he went on, observing and 

 examining, as full of liking for living things as he 

 was when he tried to grasp the flies in the window 

 at Gosport. 



When afterwards asked about the origin of his 

 love for Natural History, he said, " I suppose it must 

 have originated in the same internal impulse which 

 prompted me to catch those flies in the window. 

 This unseen something this double being, or call it 

 what you will inherent in us all, whether used for 

 good or evil, which stimulated the unconscious babe 

 to get at, no doubt, the first living animals he had 

 ever seen, at length grew in the man into an irresist- 

 ible and unconquerable passion, and engendered in 

 him an insatiable longing for, and earnest desire to 

 be always amongst such things. This is the only 



