80 MEMOIR OF THE LATE 
ing; he was often punished for coming 
late, not knowing his lessons, and playing 
the truant; but no chastisement affected 
him so much as the being kept in school 
after the usual hour of dismissal His 
boyish days were not remarkable for any 
particular incidents. Like others at his 
time of life, he was lively and active, and 
never failed of playing his part in the usual 
sports of the village; a taste for rambling, 
and much fondness for objects of Natural 
History being, however, very strongly 
evinced. He collected all sorts of birds, 
though he often found it difficult to main- 
tain some of these favourites, especially 
the hawks and owls. For the sake of feed- 
ing a nest of the latter, the poor boy, after 
exhausting all his skill in catching mice 
and small birds, used frequently to spend 
the daily penny with which he should have 
procured bread for his own lunch, in buy- i 
ing bullock's liver for his owlets, though a 
walk of six miles to and from school, might 
well have sharpened his youthful appetite. 
He was likewise much attached to fishing, 
and very expert at it, and when he could 
not obtain proper tackle, had recourse to 
the simple means of a willow-wand, string, 
and crooked pin, with which he was often 
successful. From his earliest years, no- 
thing gave Douglas so much delight as 
conversing abouf travellers and foreign 
countries, and the books which pleased 
him best were Sinbad the Sailor and Ro- 
. binson Crusoe. The decided taste which 
he showed for gardening and collecting 
plants, caused him to be employed, at the 
age of ten or eleven years, in the common 
operations of the nursery-ground, attached 
to the gardens of the Earl of Mansfield, at 
Scone, under the superintendence of his 
kind friend and master, Mr. Beattie, with 
the ultimate view of his becoming a gar- 
dener. Here his independent, active, and 
mischievous disposition sometimes led him 
into quarrels with the other boys, who, on 
complaining of David to their master, only 
received the reply, “ I like a deevil better 
than a dult,” an answer which showed that 
1 he was a favourite, and put a stop to fur- 
oS ther accusations. In the gardens of the 
MR. DAVID DOUGLAS. 
Earl of Mansfield he served a seven } 
apprenticeship, during which time it i 
mitted by all who knew him, that no 
could be more industrious and anxio 
excel than he was, his whole heart : 
mind being devoted to the attainment o o 
thorough knowledge of his business, T 
first department in which he was plat 
was the flower-garden, at that time und 
the superintendence of Mr. M‘Gillivray 
young man who had received a tole 
education, and was pretty well acquain 
with the names of plants and the rudime 
of Botany. From him Douglas ge 
a great deal of information, and 
gifted with an excellent memory, he 
became as familiar with the collecti 
plants at Scone as his instructor. 
the subject of this notice found hims 
a situation altogether to his mind, and he 
followed in after life. 
fondness for books, and when the lab 
the day was over, the evenings, in W 
invariably found him engaged in the 
sal of such works as he had obtained 
his friends and acquaintance, or in 1 
extracts from them of portions whic 
his fancy, and which he would afte: 
commit to memory. In summer, 
the evenings were usually devoti 
botanical excursions, in company vit 
of the other young men as were of a $ 
lar turn of mind to himself, but wae 
he then had any intention of becom 
botanical collector, we have now no 
plants that he brought home. 
stated that these excursions were 
pursued on the Sabbath-day, se 
having strictly prohibited young D 
doing so, and this rule he at no time 
The hours which might be called his € 
were spent in arranging his specimens 
in reading with avidity all the wo 
Travels and Natural rac to whic 
these subjects, the gentleman (Mr. ' 
