[ 2IO ] 



It is amazing how much the being interefted to difcover parti- 

 cular objects contributes to our readily diftinguifliing them. 



Ij remember the being much furprized that a greyheaded game- 

 keeper always faw the partridge on the ground before they rofe, 

 when I could not do the fame ; he told me, however, that the 

 reafon was, I lived in a time when the fhooter had no occafion 

 to give himfelf that trouble. 



He then further explained himfelf, by faying, that when he 

 was young, no one ever thought of aiming at a bird on the wing, 

 and confequently they were obliged to fee the game before 

 it was fprung. He added, that from this neceffity he could not 

 only diftinguifh partridges, but fnipes and woodcocks, on the 

 ground. 



Another inftance of the fame kind, is the great readinefs with 

 which a perfon who is fond of courfing finds a hare fitting in her 

 form r thofe, however, who are not anxious about fuch fport y 

 can fcarcely fee the hare when it is under their nofe, and pointed 

 out to them. 



But more apparent objects efcape our notice, when we are not 

 interefted about them. 



Alk any one, who hath not a botanical turn, what he hath 

 feen in paffing through a rich meadow, at the time it is moft ena- 

 melled with plants in flower ; and he will tell you, that he hath 

 obferved nothing but grafs and daifies. If moft gardeners even 

 are in like manner afked whether the flowers of a bean grow on 

 every fide of the ftalk, they will fuppofe that they do ; whereas 

 they, in reality, are only to be found on one fide. 



The mouths of flounders are often turned different ways, which 

 one would think could not well efcape the obfervation of the 

 London fifhmongers ; yet, upon alking feveral of them whether 

 they had attended to this particular, I found they had not, till J 

 mewed them the proof in their own mops. 



A fifli- 



