THE ESSEX MARSHES 9 



long as I live " — show characteristic lines of thought 

 which he adhered to all throi^h life. 



However, he soon settled down to regular London 

 life, broken only by a run down to his home at 

 Stratford for a few days' hunting with his father, or 

 by a day on the Essex marshes with his long single- 

 barrel gun shooting wild duck and getting an 

 occasional goose. From these latter expeditions 

 the bag was usually brought back for purposes of 

 dissection and stuffing. Another means of acquiring 

 specimens was by going down to Leadenhall Market 

 in the early morning and looking through the birds 

 as they came in. In one letter he records having 

 got specimens of pintail, curlew, tufted duck, and 

 brent goose. The longer holidays were nearly all 

 devoted to walking tours, usually with his brother 

 Edgar, or with his life-long friend Septimus Sibley, 

 or with Harry Greenhow, who afterwards went 

 through the siege of Lucknow. 



** The most substantial parts of a journey are the 

 letters written ; talking vanishes, impressions fade, 

 but writing endures, so write, write and sketch.*' 

 So wrote Mrs. Flower to her son ; and accordingly 

 from every stopping - place he sent her long 

 descriptive letters, and a sketch-book always accom- 

 panied him, in which he recorded everything that 

 struck him as being of interest, whether it was a 

 building, a strange animal, or a fine piece of natural 

 scenery ; the humours or discomforts of their travels, 

 too, are frequently vividly portrayed. Among other 



