152 Visitors of the Collection. [OHAP. Ix. 
Several ladies called upon Edward to consult him about 
their favorite pets. One had a lap-dog that was sick; an- 
other a bird that was lame; others had crippled or diseased 
cats. He was asked to come and see a pig that had broken 
one of its legs. A gentleman called upon him one day 
about an old and favorite rabbit whose front teeth had 
grown so forward that it could not eat—‘* Would he come 
ahd cut them off?’ ‘No! he had not time. He must at- 
tend to his exhibition.” 
Very few people came. Those who did come knew very 
little about natural history. Their ignorance of the works 
of nature seemed to Edward surprising. Only a few knew 
any thing, excepting about the commoner sorts of animals. 
As to the number, and nature, and habits of living creat- 
ures, they appeared to know next to nothing. The trans- 
formation of insects was a mystery to them. They could 
not see how it was possible for an ugly caterpillar to be- 
come transformed into a beautiful butterfly. Edward felt 
very much for the ignorance of men of his own class: it 
was simply deplorable. ; 
Dr. Macgillivray, Professor of Natural History in Mari- 
schal College, Aberdeen, called upon Edward, and was much 
pleased with his collection of Banffshire fauna. The pro- 
fessor told him that the inhabitants of Aberdeen were not 
yet prepared for an exhibition of this kind. There was 
not even a public museum in the city; no collection of nat- 
ural objects; no free library; nothing for the enlighten- 
ment of the higher and nobler faculties of man. To this 
cause Edward, in a great measure, attributed the failure of 
his exhibition. Some of the professors who afterward call- 
ed to see the collection told Edward that “the people of 
Aberdeen were not yet prepared for such an exhibition, es- 
pecially as it had been the work of a poor man. .He had 
come several centuries too soon.” 
Several of the persons who examined the exhibition did 
not believe that it had been the work of Edward at all. 
