196 NATURE STUDIES. 



tesy for mere acquaintances; of inquiry for strangers;, 

 of warning against enemies/' an approach here, ons 

 may say, to language. 



Kepler first attracted scientific attention by a pecu- 

 liarity which, most probably, must be regarded as a 

 result of instinct, or as, at any rate, inherited, sine 3 

 nothing in Kepler's own life explains it as the result 

 of any process of reasoning. "When he/' that is 

 Kepler, "was very young/' writes Mrs. Huggins, 

 " his master discovered on taking him for a walk one 

 day, that he " (Kepler, not Dr. Huggins) " was very 

 much frightened at the sight of a butcher's shop, and 

 some little time afterwards, when he was out with a 

 servant, the feeling again showed itself, but in a much 

 more marked manner. On this occasion Kepler threw 

 himself upon the ground near the butcher's, exhibiting 

 every appearance of terror, and as no amount of 

 coaxing could induce him to pass the shop, the servant 

 was at last obliged to bring him home again. His 

 master, upon this, wrote to Mr. Nicholls, from whom 

 he had purchased Kepler, asking if he could throw any 

 light upon this strange dislike. Mr. Nicholls replied 

 that it had been strongly marked in Kepler's father 

 and grandfather, and was unusually strong in one of 

 his brothers, so much so, indeed, that he would fly at 

 a butcher, even when dressed in* plain clothes. These 

 facts being very striking, Dr. Huggins Kepler's 

 master wrote details of them to Mr. Darwin, who 

 was so much interested, considering the circum- 

 stances a clear instance of inherited antipathy, that. 



