6 SIR WILLIAM FLOWER 



of the Museum." The hard work and long hours 

 seem to have told on him considerably, but yet he 

 wrote cheerfully every week to his mother describing 

 fully everything he was doing. The following extracts 

 will show how, even at school, he was still following 

 up his favourite subjects : — 



Worksop, Feb. 25 (1844). — As well as the book I have already 

 mentioned I have one on chemistry. One very nice thing here 

 is that on Sunday evenings the large boys sing in the dining-room, 

 and the little ones (those of the second singing class), me among 

 them, have to come into the room and read or draw, whichever 

 we please, and Mr. Richmond, who keeps Dr. Heldenmaier's 

 collection of stuffed birds, always lends me one to copy. I have 

 done a skeleton of a starling, a knot, which is a kind of sandpiper, 

 and a water-rail. 



Worksop, August 25, 1844. — Webster and I are very busy 

 about natural history, always poking about for insects and 

 reading Jessies Gleanings in Natural History and Mudie's 

 Feathered Tribes of the British Islands. 



Worksop (March 1845). — Dr. Heldenmaier has given us a 

 room in the other house for dissecting. I wish you could see us 

 there with knives and scissors, cutting and injecting away. . . . 

 Since I have been here I have dissected, or helped in dissecting, 

 two good-sized dogs, one puppy, one cat, five rats, two rooks, one 

 jackdaw, etc. . . . 



Worksop, Feb. 4 (1845). — Oh ! the chemistry here is beautiful. 



Owing to his delicate health he had to leave 

 Worksop in the spring of 1845, and for more than 

 two years he lived at home, with the exception of a 

 short time at a school at Eastbourne, till in the 

 autumn of 1847, on entering University College, 

 London, he went to live at Cloudesley Terrace, 

 Islington. At this time, among the teachers at 



