44 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 



and went out collecting, with Albert Way of Trinity, who in 

 after years became a well-known archaeologist ; also with H. 

 Thompson of the same College, afterwards a leading agricult- 

 urist, chairman of a great railway, and Member of Parlia- 

 ment. It seems therefore that a taste for collecting beetles is 

 some indication of future success in life ! 



I am surprised what an indelible impression many of the 

 beetles which I caught at Cambridge have left on my mind. 

 I can remember the exact appearance of certain posts, old 

 trees and banks where I made a good capture. The pretty 

 Panagceus crux-major was a treasure in those days, and here 

 at Down I saw a beetle running across a walk, and on picking 

 it up instantly perceived that it differed slightly from P. crux- 

 major, and it turned out to be P. quadripunctatus, which is 

 only a variety or closely allied species, differing from it very 

 slightly in outline. I had never seen in those old days Lici- 

 nus alive, which to an uneducated eye hardly differs from 

 many of the black Carabidous beetles ; but my sons found 

 here a specimen, and I instantly recognized that it was new 

 to me ; yet I had not looked at a British beetle for the last 

 twenty years. 



I have not as yet mentioned a circumstance which influ- 

 enced my whole career more than any other. This was my 

 friendship with Professor Henslow. Before coming up to 

 Cambridge, I had heard of him from my brother as a man 

 who knew every branch of science, and I was accordingly pre- 

 pared to reverence him. He kept open house once every 

 week when all undergraduates, and some older members of 

 the University, who were attached to science, used to meet 

 in the evening. I soon got, through Fox, an invitation, and 

 went there regularly. Before long I became well acquainted 

 with Henslow, and during the latter half of my time at Cam- 

 bridge took long walks with him on most days ; so that I was 

 called by some of the dons " the man who walks with Hens- 

 low ; " and in the evening I was very often asked to join his 

 family dinner. His knowledge was great in botany, ento- 

 mology, chemistry, mineralogy, and geology. His strongest 



