174 FRANCIS ORPEN MORRIS 



when advancing years stole on apace. It may easily 

 be imagined, therefore, that the walk was not seldom 

 made, and this the more when it was known that 

 at the end of the journey a kindly and genial wel- 

 come, coupled with a lively and friendly interchange 

 of ideas, was always in store for him. For many 

 years the two friends met periodically at each 

 other's houses to discuss religious, parochial, natural 

 history, and other subjects which were likely to be 

 to their mutual advantage when thus hammered out 

 between them. When these meetings took place, 

 Mr. Morris, according to his methodical ways, 

 generally had a carefully prepared list of questions 

 on various topics that had occurred to him as suit- 

 able for discussion since the previous meeting. But 

 over and above these alternate periodical visitations, 

 many pleasant social gatherings took place between 

 the two families after Mr. Wilton came to Londes- 

 borough in 1866. These were joyous and happy 

 days ; and not only so, but on several occasions, 

 when Mr. Wilton was spending a few hours at 

 Nunburnholme, something was casually seen or 

 heard in or about the Rectory which afforded a 

 theme to his poetic and tasteful mind, and the 

 result was shortly afterwards given forth in one of 

 those scholarly sonnets for which his name became 

 in course of time widely known. Perhaps it may 

 not be out of place if I here quote two out of several 

 such sonnets, linked as they are with his friend in 

 ways and pursuits peculiarly his own. One was 

 headed, " On seeing some birds in winter feeding at 



