BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 



He is a leisurely man, to whom haste and 

 the nervous pursuit of wealth or fame are 

 totally foreign. He thoroughly enjoys 

 country loitering, and when he gets a hint 

 of anything interesting or new going on 

 among the birds and little creatures of the 

 fields, he likes to stop and investigate. His 

 ears are remarkably quick and his eyes and 

 sense of smell phenomenally acute, and 

 much which to most of us would be unper- 

 ceived or meaningless he reads as if it wer^ 

 an open book. Best of all, he has the power 

 of imparting his enjoyment, and what he 

 writes is full of outdoor fragrance, racy, 

 piquant, and individual. His snap and 

 vivacity are wholly unartificial. They are 

 a part of the man — a man full of imagi- 

 nation and sensitiveness, a philosopher, a^ 

 humorist, a hater of shams and pretension. 

 The tenor of his life changes little from 

 year to year, his affections remain stead- 

 fast, and this hardy, gray poet of things 

 rural will continue, as ever, the warm- 

 hearted nature enthusiast, and inspirer of 

 the love of nature in others. 



XIV 



