CHAP. r. BEGINNINGS OF NATURAL HISTORY. 5 



reason I can give for becoming a lover of Nature. I 

 know of none other/' 



While living at Kettle, the child began to walk. 

 He made friends with the cats and dogs about the 

 house. He was soon able to toddle out of doors. 

 At first, he wished to cultivate the acquaintance of 

 the cocks and hens and ducks, of which the village 

 was full But they always ran away before he could 

 get up to them and caress them. 



There was, however, another, and a much more 

 dangerous creature, whose acquaintance he sought to 

 make. This was a sow called Bet, with a litter of pigs. 

 Whenever he was missing, he was found looking in 

 at the pigs. He could not climb over the paling, but 

 could merely look through the splits. 



The sow was known to be ferocious, and she was 

 most so when she had a litter of pigs. Edward's 

 mother was afraid lest the sow should injure him by 

 biting his hands or face through the bars of the cruive.* 

 Therefore she warned him not to go near the beast. 

 But her warnings were disregarded. When she asked, 

 " Where's Tarn ?" the answer invariably was, " Oh ! 

 he's awa wi' the pigs." 



One day the boy disappeared. Every hen-house, 

 every stable, every pigstye, and every likely corner 

 of the village, was searched ; but in vain. Tom was 

 lost! He was then little over a year old. He 

 could not have gone very far. Somebody raised the 



* Cruive, a pigstye. 



