HOW I BECAME A NATURALIST 3 



slate a dead curlew they had shown me one evening. 

 The next time the net was brought and opened for 

 me to look at I showed them my curlew. From that 

 time dates my roaming in the marshes where the 

 birds lived. I never rested until the kind-hearted 

 fisher-lads had taken me with them to see for myself 

 the birds they talked about Fortunately for me I 

 could read well as a child, and any book I saw that 

 contained animals or birds I read if I could possibly 

 get at it. Very limited, however, were the publica- 

 tions of those days at least, for the general public ; 

 the children now have books that you could not 

 possibly have bought then for any money ; they did 

 not exist 



I was often missed at home ; no one knew where 

 I went, and many were the reproofs that I drew 

 upon myself some of them very forcible ones, for 

 coming home in the pickle I did. At last they let 

 me have my run ; the only question asked would be, 

 ' Are you going in the marshes or into the creek ? ' 

 Many a time have those fishermen brought me home 

 on their shoulders, giving me a string of goggle-eyed 

 flounders or other booty to take indoors, saying 

 ' Tell 'em you've bin with us.' 



Before long I knew where to look for the birds, 

 and could mimic their cries : the shriek of the curlew 



B2 



