32 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK 



apparent effort, he could switch off his mind, 

 as it were, from the discussion of some intricate 

 point of finance — say the involved fortunes of 

 the Peruvian bondholders — and discuss such a 

 problem of biology as parthenogenesis — and 

 there can be little doubt that this ability was 

 fostered by the habit that he formed thus early 

 of moving quickly from one subject to another. 

 It was a faculty which he had deliberately trained, 

 for the sake, primarily, of its utility in the bank- 

 ing business, where it was essential that he 

 should be able to turn at once from a topic with 

 which he was occupied and give his attention 

 to a client or to any question which incidentally 

 came up. Doubtless, moreover, it was a just 

 economy of the brain cells, for the change of 

 study from one subject to another provides as 

 good, if not better, a relaxation as leisure. Else- 

 where he gives an account of the disposition of 

 his hours of study, showing how predominant 

 was his interest in Natural History, and indicating 

 some points of interest in his education. 



" When not at the Bank," he writes, " my 

 time was mostly spent in study, distributed 

 something as follows : Chemistry, 1 hour ; Ger- 

 man, | ; History, 1 ; Mathematics, 1 ; Natural 

 History, 4 ; Literature, lj. This year my father 

 was High Sheriff and in February I went with 

 him to the East Kent nomination. Mr. Kirk- 

 patrick was my father's chaplain. In March 

 I went again with my father to Maidstone 

 for the Assizes. Visited Kit's Coty House, 

 which first roused my interest in Archaeology. 

 I did some drawings for Mr. Darwin. I was far 



