306 HEROES OF SCIENCE. 



general calibre of the spirit which lodges beneath 

 them. The picture which rises to the mind when 

 one thinks of Murchison, is that of a tall, wiry, 

 muscular frame, which still kept its erectness even 

 under the burden of almost fourscore years. It 

 seemed the type of body for an active geologist, 

 who had to win his reputation by dint of hard 

 climbing and walking, almost as much as by 

 mental power. It was, moreover, united in his 

 case with a certain pomp and dignity of manner, 

 which at one time recalled the military training 

 of the Peninsula days, at another the formal 

 courtesy of the well-bred gentleman of a bygone 

 generation." 



