104 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLV. .No. 1153 



■wing and marvelous power of voiee, for that rich, 

 delicious, soft, and yet clear music was distinctly 

 heard long after the bird was out of sight. 



At tlie age of eleven lluir with his father 

 came to America to a farm, beside a lake a few 

 miles from Portage. His interest in the life 

 of the wilderness, new to him, was thrilling. 

 When first on Fountain Lake meadow he 

 saw the lightning bugs, he thought to him- 



that the whole wonderful fairy show must be in my 

 eyes; for only in fighting, when my eyes were 

 struck, had I ever seen anything in the least like 

 it. But when I asked my brother if he saw any- 

 thing strange in the meadow, he said: "Yes, it's 

 all covered with shaky fire-sparks." Then I 

 guessed it might be something, outside of us. 



Again when first he heard partridge drum- 

 ming he thought,* 



It must be made by some strange disturbance in 

 my head or stomach, but as all seemed serene 

 vsdthin, I asked David whether he heard anything 

 queer. ' ' Yes, ' ' he said, ' ' I hear something saying 

 boomp, boomp, boomp, and I 'm wondering at it. ' ' 

 Then I was half satisfied that the source of the 

 mysterious sound must be in something outside of 

 us, coming perhaps from the ground or from some 

 ghost or bogie or woodland fairy. 



Every boy who has grown up in Wisconsin 

 and has a tinge of the love of natiu'e will 

 appreciate how accurately does John Muir 

 tell of the feelings inspired in the heart of the 

 lad, after the long cold winter, by the first 

 migrating birds and the early spring flowers. 

 The robin and the bluebird declare that spring 

 is approaching, and the pasque flower shouts 

 that spring has arrived. 



Muir became intimately familiar with the 

 southern Wisconsin flowers. He knew the 

 gorgeous white water lily, the deliciously per- 

 fumed, delicate lady's slipper, white, pink and 

 yellow, the scarlet painted cup, the nodding 

 trilliiim and all the other beautiful early 

 spring flowers so dear to the Wisconsin coun- 

 try children. 



The life of the boy on the farm in pioneer 

 days was one of hard work, and that of Muir 



3 ' ' The Story of My Boyhood and Youth, ' ' p. 71. 

 i Ibid., p. 72. 



was exceptionally hard; but he differed from 

 the majority of his fellows in that he was not 

 content simply to become a plowboy. ISTotwith- 

 standing the prolonged physical labor, his 

 inner spirit expressed itself, in the summer 

 by his love of out of doors, and in the winter 

 by study and mechanical invention. 



After leaving school in Scotland at the age 

 of eleven, Muir had little further opportunity 

 as a boy for formal instruction. He suc- 

 ceeded, however, in persuading his father to 

 get for him a higher arithmetic; and in the 

 ends of the afternoons and in the evenings 

 after the day's work he mastered the book; 

 he followed this by algebra, geometry and 

 trigonometry. 



From the neighbors, and in various ways, 

 he possessed himself of Scott's novels and the 

 volumes of a number of the poets, including 

 Shakespeare and Milton; and also he read 

 the " Pilgrim's Progress," Josephus and sim- 

 ilar works. 



In the winter, immediately after prayers, 

 he was required to go to bed; but the elder 

 Muir, one night in repeating the order added, 

 " If you will read, get up in the morning and 

 read. You may get up in the morning as 

 early as you like." From that time through- 

 out the winter Muir was up at one o'clock. 

 Although his father protested, he was held to 

 his promise. In this manner Muir gained flve 

 hours each day, the time being used partly 

 with his books and partly in the mechanical 

 inventions in which he became interested — 

 thermometers, barometers, hygrometers, pyrom- 

 eters and clocks. 



His more complicated clock told not only 

 the hour of the day, but the day of the week 

 and the month, and also had attachments 

 which upturned his bedstead, setting him on 

 his feet at the required hour in the morning, 

 and other attachments to start the fire or light 

 the lamp. 



The ingenuity which young Muir displayed 

 in mechanical construction, had he followed 

 this talent, undoubtedly would have given him 

 a great career as an inventor. But such a life 

 would never have satisfied his inner impulses. 



Hearing of a state fair at Madison, Muir 



