Oh. IV.] REMINISCENCES. 67 



Of his personal appearance (in these days of multiplied 

 photographs) it is hardly necessary to say much. Ho was 

 about six feet in height, but scarcely looked so tall, as he 

 stooped a good deal ; in later days ho yielded to the stoop ; 

 but I can remember seeing him long ago swinging back his 

 arms to open out his chest, and holding himself upright with 

 a jerk. He gave one the idea that he had been active ratber 

 than strong ; his shoulders were not broad for his height, 

 though certainly not narrow. As a young man he must have 

 bad much endurance, for on one of tbe shore excursions from 

 the Beagle, when all were suffering from want of water, he was 

 one of the two who were bettor able than the rest to struggle 

 on in search of it. As a boy he was active, and could jump 

 a bar placed at the height of the " Adam's apple " in his 

 neck. 



He walked with a swinging action, using a stick heavily 

 shod with iron, which he struck loudly against the ground, 

 producing as ho went round the "Sand-walk" at Down, a 

 rhythmical click which is with all of us a very distinct re- 

 membrance. As ho returned from the midday walk, often 

 carrying the waterproof or cloak which had proved too hot, 

 one could see that the swinging step was kept up by some- 

 thing of an effort. Indoors his step was often slow and 

 laboured, and as ho went upstairs in the afternoon he might be 

 heard mounting the stairs with a heavy footfall, as if each step 

 were an effort. When interested in his work he moved about 

 quickly and easily enough, and often in the midst of dictating 

 he went eagerly iuto the hall to get a pinch of snuff, leaving 

 the study door open, and calling out the last words of his 

 sentence as he left the room. 



In spite of his activity, he had, I think, no natural grace or 

 neatness of movement. He was awkward with his hands, and 

 was unable to draw at all well.* This he always regretted, 

 and he frequently urged the paramount necessity to a young 

 naturalist of making himself a good draughtsman. 



He could dissect well under the simple microscope, but I 

 think it was by dint of his great patience and carefulness. It was 

 characteristic of him that ho thought any little bit of skilful 

 dissection something almost superhuman. He used to speak with 

 admiration of the skill with which he saw Newport dissect a 

 humble bee, getting out the nervous system with a few cuts of a 

 pair of fine scissors. He used to consider cutting microscopic 

 sections a great feat, and in the last year of his life, with 



* The figure in Insectivorous Plants representing the aggregated cell- 

 contents was drawn by him. 



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