THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. ii 



his genius to the uses of everyday life. A son to 

 make any parent's heart glad — gentle tempered, elo- 

 quent, persevering, brave, good. An author on Botany 

 at fifteen, a Professor of the same at twenty, who can 

 wonder that from the time he met so hard a fate, and 

 was buried far from his home and kindred, that his 

 father's sensitive nature shrank from the use of that 

 weapon which had wrought such woe ! The girl won- 

 dered no more, and her surmise was correct. 



It must not be supposed that though the Natu- 

 ralist spent much time in the calm contemplation of 

 Nature, therefore his life was one of pleasure and ease. 

 The work of a country doctor made his life no idle 

 dream. Night and day he was at the service of the 

 fisher population, who loved him for the skill he 

 bestowed upon them, and yet more for the sympathy 

 he showed in all their doings. Many a rare trophy 

 drawn from the depths of ocean, and preserved by 

 the men, not because they saw any value in a bit of 

 coral or a queer shell, but because they knew that " the 

 Doctor will be glad o' the like " — many a splendid dish 

 of fish, many a well-knitted pair of socks or gloves, 

 showed that his kindness was fully appreciated by his 

 poor patients. 



Yet, with all his manifold duties, he found time to 

 study many books. He delighted in works of travel ; 

 and affirmed that Gordon Cumming's adventures would 

 be found to be nearer truth than the world generally 

 supposed. Later travellers have confirmed what poor 

 Gordon Gumming said. 



