THE "WONDERS OF THE SHORE. 7 



thirst for a knowledge which, even twenty years 

 ago, was considered superfluous for all but the 

 professional student. 



What a change from the temper of t\yo gen- 

 erations since, when the naturalist was looked 

 on as a harmless enthusiast, who went " bug- 

 hunting," simply because he had not spirit to 

 follow a fox! There are those alive who can 

 recollect an amiable man being literally bullied 

 out of the Tsew Forest, because ho dared to 

 make a collection (at this moment, we believe, 

 in some unknown abyss of that great Avernus, 

 the British Museum) of fossil shells from those 

 very Ilordlc Cliffs, for exploring which there is 

 now established a society of subscribers and cor- 

 respondents. They can remember, too, when, on 

 the first appearance of Bewick's " British Birds," 

 the excellent sportsman who brought it down 

 to the Forest was asked, "Why on oartli he had 

 bought a book about " cock-sparrows " ? and liad 

 to justify himself again and a'^ain, simply by 

 lending the book to his brother sp(jrtsmon, to 

 convince tliem that there were rafiif-r more than 

 a dozen sorts of birds (as they tlicn held) indi- 

 genous to Ilampsliire. But the book, perhaps, 

 which turned the tide in favcr of Natural His- 



