116 BEHIND THE EYE. 



absorbed in farming, or in shoemaking, in 

 chemistry, or in Latin grammar, and have 

 no thought for anything beyond or beside. 

 Others of us, while there may be two or 

 three subjects toward which we feel some 

 special drawing, have nevertheless a general 

 interest in whatever concerns humanity. 

 We are different men on different days. 

 There is a certain part of the year, say from 

 April to July, when I am an ornithologist ; 

 for the time being, as often as I go out-of- 

 doors, I have an eye for birds, and, com- 

 paratively speaking, for nothing else. Then 

 comes a season during which my walks all 

 take on a botanical complexion. I have had 

 my turn at butterflies, also ; for one or two 

 summers I may be said to have seen little 

 else but these winged blossoms of the air. 

 I know, too, what it means to visit the sea- 

 shore, and scarcely to notice the breaking 

 waves because of the shells scattered along 

 the beach. In short, if I see one thing, I 

 am of necessity blind, or half-blind, to all 

 beside. There are several men in me, and 

 not more than one or two of them are ever 

 at the window at once. Formerly, my en- 

 joyment of nature was altogether reflective, 



