12 



MY LIFE AS A NATURALIST 



and my evening hours in the country. But a city life, even with 

 a good deal of leisure, was an uncongenial occupation for one 

 steeped in a love of the unkempt countryside, though the experi- 

 ence gained of routine and business acumen has proved of im- 

 mense assistance in after years, more especially in regard to my 

 literary activities, of which it is hardly possible for me to write 



FIG. 5. THE STREAM IN SPRING. 



on the present occasion. Suffice it to say that at the age of four- 

 teen my first published article appeared in the old Hertfordshire 

 Standard, and not long since I celebrated my literary jubilee by 

 the publication of my fiftieth book ! 



As a boy I had little access to books of reference. White's 

 " Natural History of Selborne " was my constant companion, 

 and, together with Knight's " Pictorial Museum of Animated 

 Nature " (still, happily, in my possession), constituted the only 

 volumes I was able to consult. 



An original edition of Culpepper's quaint " Herbal," I recollect, 



