MEMOIR. xix 
kept him from an occasional gallop with the hounds, 
he would have a long day's ride Into the country 
instead, drinking in, the while, deep draughts of 
enjoyment from the scenes he passed through. One 
such ride, still showing him faithful to his love of 
birds, he describes himself in a letter to one of his 
brothers on May Day, 1864, as follows : — 
"I had a jolly ride," he writes, "to Wychwood 
Forest a few days ago, with S of Wadham. 
We both enjoyed it, as we both entered into the 
loveliness of' the scene. Unfortunately the day was 
cold, and few birds were seen, though we did hear 
the nightingale once, and the cuckoo once or twice. 
We were riding about the forest in the dark, with 
some prospect of being lost, and did not get back 
to Oxford till eleven o'clock, having ridden about 
thirty-six miles." 
The exhilaration of these long rides was almost 
a necessity to him, counteracting, as they did in a 
measure, the strain of mental work. He also loved 
bathing, swimming, and sailing, the first two of 
which Oxford supplied him with In liberal measure, 
whilst even the last-named he found occasional 
opportunity of indulging his taste for on the Isis. 
Then there were cricket and rowing, to both of 
which he gave a share of his attention, with rifle- 
shooting at the butts, and fencing at the gymnasium. 
This is a tolerable list of occupations, in addition 
