HIS CHILDHOOD. 5 
Welcoming the coming seasons, or watching 
with special wonder and delight the return of 
the bright-liveried birds to their retreats, were 
employments which had for him an unequalled 
charm. Such ecstacy even did he experience 
when gazing on the shining pearly eggs, im- 
bedded in softest down, among dried leaves, or 
exposed on the burning weather-beaten shores of 
the Atlantic, that an intimacy with such objects, 
not of friendship merely, “ but of ardent passion 
bordering on frenzy,” he felt assured must ac- 
company his steps through life. This conviction 
increased with advancing years, fostered by the 
paternal companion who shared and sympathized 
in all his congenial pursuits. He longed to un- 
derstand nature, and the hidden agency by 
which the spells of her enchantment were 
wrought. In order for this he must ally him- 
self with her—he must devote himself to her; be 
the constant companion of her changing moods. 
Only through this allegiance could he make her 
his. He resolved; and wedded to this object 
of his dearest desire, during life he cherished it 
faithfully and well. Vicissitudes and trials had 
only power to stimulate him in his course. Yet 
disappointment awaited him for many years. 
He was inspired with an ardent wish to possess 
the productions of nature. This haunted him, 
and incited that creative impulse through which 
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