BRITISH ZOOLOGISTS. 123 



father now lived, for a period of about four years. Subse- 

 quently he set up as a weaver in Paisley, in partnership 

 with a Mr David Brodie, afterwards a schoolmaster, with 

 whom he established a firm friendship, and who assisted 

 him greatly in studying both the more famous English 

 poets and some of the Latin classics. After a time, Wilson 

 tired of his occupation as a weaver, and determined to set 

 up as a pedlar, an avocation which would allow him to 

 gratify his love of nature and his taste for wandering, and 

 at the same time would supply him with bread and 

 cheese. He soon found, however, that the itinerant life 

 of a pedlar was by no means free from hardships and 

 annoyances, and he ultimately returned to Paisley, with 

 the intention of trying to utilise his poetical talents. He 

 had always had a taste for poetry, and had committed 

 many of his effusions to paper; and he now submitted 

 these to a gentleman in Paisley, upon whose judgment 

 he relied. The verdict being favourable, he printed a 

 small volume of poems, and again started off as a pedlar ; 

 his pack, however, now containing not only the ordinary 

 wares of his profession, but also a number of copies of 

 his book. This novel attempt to combine poetry with 

 hawking proved, as was to be expected, pecuniarily un- 

 profitable; and Wilson returned to Paisley, 'nearly 

 penniless, and much depressed in spirits.' 



In consequence of this failure of his scheme for con- 

 quering fame and earning a living through his poems, 

 Wilson was obliged once more to take up his old trade of 

 weaving, at anyrate as an occasional thing; and he fell 

 into a low condition both of body and of mind. Ulti- 

 mately, he once more resumed his pack, and set off 



