THE NATURE-WRITER 137 



you will find nothing new there ; ascend into 

 heaven or make your bed in hell for copy, as is 

 the fashion nowadays — But you had better look 

 after your parish, and go faithfully about your 

 chores; and if you have a garden with a tortoise 

 in it, and you love them, and love to write about 

 them, then write. 



Nature-writing must grow more and more hu- 

 man, personal, interpretative. If I go into the 

 wilderness and write a book about it, it must be 

 plain to my reader that " the writing of the book 

 was only a second and finer enjoyment of my 

 holiday in the woods." If my chippy sings, it 

 must sing a chippy's simple song, not some gloria 

 that only " the careless angels know." It must 

 not do any extraordinary thing for me ; but it 

 may lead me to do an extraordinary thing — to 

 have an extraordinary thought, or suggestion, 

 or emotion. It may mean extraordinary things 

 to me ; things that have no existence in nature, 

 whose beginnings and ends are in me. I may 

 never claim that I, because of exceptional op- 

 portunities, or exceptional insight, or exceptional 

 powers of observation, have discovered these mar- 

 velous things here in the wilds of Hingham. My 



