290 OUT OF DOORS. 



THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 1 



THERE are naturalists and naturalists. Certain dread- 

 fully scientific persons who call themselves by that 

 name seem to consider zoology and comparative 

 anatomy as convertible terms. When they see a 

 creature new to them they are seized with a burning 

 desire to cut it up, to analyse it, to get it under the 

 microscope, to publish a learned work about it, which 

 no one can read without an expensive Greek Lexicon, 

 and to ' put up ' its remains in cells and bottles. They 

 delight in an abnormal hsemopophysis ; they pin their 

 faith on a pterygoid process, they stake their reputa- 

 tion on the number of tubercles in a second molar 

 tooth, and they quarrel with each other about a notch 

 on the basisphenoid bone. 



Then there are the ' field naturalists,' who delight 

 in penetrating to the homes and haunts of the creatures 

 which they love, and spend whole days and nights in 

 watching their habits. Sometimes a field naturalist 

 remains at home, and immortalises an obscure village 

 by the simple process of using his eyes and telling his 



1 The proof sheets of this article, which was written in 1862, were 

 corrected by Mr. Waterton. 



