106 DR. SHIPLEY'S REMINISCENCES 



a Professor in 1866 the number of those who passed the 

 Natural Science Tripos was but nine, the year Newton 

 died the numbers were, in Part I. 147, and in Part II. 36, 

 One of his best friends, one who " came up " about the 

 time Newton was elected to the Chair of Zoology and 

 Comparative Anatomy, and who in those remote days 

 frequented the Sunday evenings at Magdalene College, 

 told me that when his younger brother came up a few 

 years later he sent by his hand a brace of partridges. 

 The freshman knocked at the door, and entering the 

 room, faced the back of the Professor, and after an 

 almost audible pause, said " Please, sir, I've brought 

 you some birds." " Skins or skeletons," flashed back 

 the ornithologist, always more occupied in ornithology 

 than in gastronomy. Not that Newton did not value 

 a good dinner. He breakfasted a little late, but very 

 heartily, and he rather despised those who ate lunch — 

 a biscuit and a glass of sherry buoyed him up for his 

 one o'clock lecture — ^but he enjoyed his diimer. One 

 curious custom he had, he always watered his wine ; he 

 used to request a carafe to be placed near him and 

 poured a little water into each glass of wine, though if 

 I recollect aright he spared the port. 



On Sunday evenings after a glass, or perhaps two, of 

 port, and a couple of exiguous Russian cigarettes in the 

 Combination Room, the Professor used to retire, and 

 twenty minutes later those who were privileged to dine 

 with him in Hall went through the garden entrance, 

 and so into the inner room, where we found him seated 

 in an arm-chair just within the doors. The room was 

 plainly but comfortably furnished in the mode of the 

 Victorian period ; 'the fire was very hot, the guests were 

 seated in a large circle of chairs, something like the 

 Christy Minstrels of our boyish days ; and yet in 

 spite of these obvious disadvantages Newton's Sunday 



