THE USE OF BOOKS. 321 



Scientific and Learned Societies of Great Britain and 

 Ireland (published annually: Charles Griffin & Co., 

 Exeter Street, Strand). In the same volume use- 

 ful particulars may be found regarding the yarious 

 learned societies organized for similar purposes. 



Although of late years the tide has set strongly in 

 favour of biological science, and the solitary naturalist 

 is no longer regarded, even in I'ural districts, as quite 

 a lunatic, yet frequently he is solitary, and meets 

 with more prejudice than sympathy; and I cannot 

 help taking the opportunity of recommending to that 

 injured being, the solitary naturalist, two books of a 

 totally different class from any in my previous list — 

 Smiles' Life of Bich of Thurso, and his Life of 

 Edward, the Scottish naturalist, the record of whose 

 social troubles in the pursuit of science has probably 

 raised at once the laughter and the sympathy of many 

 kindred souls. The naturalist who looks upon 

 animals with the eye of a philosopher rather than 

 of a collector, will find passages that are of interest 

 in the Life of H. D. Thoreau, the pupil of Emerson 

 (by H. S. Salt : Bentley & Son). 



TJniversity Extension Lectures. Students in 

 country places may obtain much help from " Univer- 

 sity Extension Lectures." Any small band of students 

 who desire instruction in a given subject, can now 

 obtain a course of lectures, more or less popular, on 

 application to one of the universities. The example 

 of Capabridge, in providing lectures of this kind, has 

 now been followed by other centres of earning 



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