MEMOIR xxvii 



Although his articles in that paper were unsigned, 

 many of its readers soon learned to recognise his 

 delightful discourses on animals and outdoor life, 

 but few were aware that some of the articles on 

 naval and military matters (particularly on the im- 

 portance of rifle-shooting), and others on such varied 

 topics as "Steeplejacks," "Modern Burglary," "Li 

 Hung Chang's Furs," "Children at the Guildhall," 

 " Race as a Factor in County Elections," and " The 

 Moral Value of Ancestors " were also from his pen. 



After the birth of his little daughter in 1894, his 

 studies of childhood appeared more frequently, and 

 though comparatively few in number they are, in the 

 opinion of the editor of the Spectator, among the 

 very best he ever wrote. 1 His first book, a mono- 

 graph on the New Forest, was published in 1894. 

 This was quickly followed by " Life at the Zoo," 

 which at once " produced an impression that here was 

 a new writer on open-air subjects who was looking at 

 his world independently with his own eyes, and repro- 

 ducing impressions which were peculiar to himself." 

 With the publication of "Wild England," the "Old 

 Gunner," and the/ other books which followed, recog- 

 nition of this grew deeper ; and he was soon offered 

 far more literary work than his various duties would 

 allow him to undertake. 



When Country Life embarked on its prosperous 

 career, Charles Cornish at once became a regular con- 

 tributor, and later on its shooting editor. In spite 

 of the funds of past experience which his well-stored 



1 I hope at some future date to republish these in book form. ED. 



