44 MY LIFE 



that some of the worst features of society morals, such as are 

 occasionally revealed in the divorce courts, are by no means 

 uncommon. 



Mivart thoroughly enjoyed a good dinner (as did I myself) 

 and was rather fond of illustrative stories on gastronomic 

 subjects. One that has remained in my memory for its 

 almost pathetic humour was of two friends recalling old times 

 together. " Do you remember," said one, " that splendid 

 dinner we had at Grantham, and how we did enjoy it?' "I 

 do indeed," said his friend, " and it has been a constant regret 

 to me ever since that I did not have a second helping of that 

 magnificent haunch of mutton ! " 



He would also sometimes tell of the incredible doings of 

 some of the fashionable roues among the wealthy, and if I 

 doubted the possibility of such things being true, would appeal 

 to the priests, who would assure me that such things, and 

 worse, did really occur. 



Mivart was a very severe and often an unfair critic of 

 Darwin, and I never concealed my opinion that he was not 

 justified in going so far as he did. I also criticised some of 

 his own writings, but he took it all very good-naturedly, and 

 we always remained excellent friends. Besides natural history 

 we had other tastes in common. He enjoyed country life, 

 and for some time had a small country house in the wilds of 

 Sussex, about midway between Forest Row and Hayward's 

 Heath, where we sometimes spent a few days ; and some 

 years later he built a house on the Duke of Norfolk's estate 

 near Albury, where he had to make a new garden and began 

 to take an interest in horticulture. He was also greatly 

 interested in psychical research and spiritualistic phenomena; 

 but this I shall refer to again when I come to my own exper- 

 iences and inquiries on this intensely interesting subject. 



Even more completely than Darwin, Mivart was almost a 

 self-taught biologist. He was educated and trained for the 

 bar, but never practised, his father being a wealthy man. 

 When about five and twenty he began to take an interest 

 in anatomy, and determined to study it systematically; 

 and he one day told me that when he announced his in- 



