THE REV. J. G. WOOD. 
7 * 
still more popular “ Common Objects of the Country.” The 
success of these two-shilling volumes was phenomenal. Of the 
latter, the first edition of 100,000 copies was exhausted in a week, 
and other editions followed in quick succession. One of these 
early copies is before me as I write, and its well-thumbed pages 
bring back something of the delight with which they were 
scanned and consulted thirty years ago. It is to be regretted 
that the author himself benefited little by this large sale ; the 
copyright was disposed of for thirty pounds, and this was “the 
actual remuneration which he received for each.” With all his 
excellent qualities, Mr. Wood was not a good business man — 
evidences of this occur more than once in the story of his life. 
His most important work, the “ Illustrated Natural History,” 
began to appear in monthly parts in March, 1859. No expense 
was spared in its preparation ; original illustrations were drawn 
by the best artists, and the work still holds its position as a 
standard popular Natural History. “Homes without Hands” 
— the most popular and best known of his larger works — began 
its serial issue in 1864 ; and the “ Natural History of Man,” a 
companion to the “ Illustrated Natural History,” succeeded it in 
1867. Other works followed, the last of which was noticed in 
the April number of Nature Notes ; and a constant stream of 
contributions to various magazines was kept up. 
But a word must be said about Air. Wood as a lecturer, in 
which capacity he attained much popularity. He began to 
lecture about 1856, but it was not until 1879 that he took up 
lecturing “ as a kind of secondary profession.” Mr. Wood soon 
found himself in request, and from 1879 to 1888, inclusive, he 
delivered lectures in various parts of the country. These were 
illustrated by sketches drawn on a large and specially constructed 
black board, and afterwards on a large black screen, in coloured 
chalks. Mr. Wood was an adept at this method of conveying 
his ideas, and regretted that he could not illustrate his sermons 
in a similar manner. Two tours in America, in 1883-4 an d the 
following year, were undertaken — the first was successful, the 
second a failure. This part of the book is especially interesting, 
on account of the long extracts from Mr. Wood’s letters which 
it contains ; we could wish that even more of these had been 
printed. 
The account of the persevering struggles carried on to the 
last, when breath was failing and rest was needed, is sad read- 
ing. But so steady a worker was not likely to yield until he was 
constrained by a power stronger than that of his own will ; and 
four days before his death we find him lecturing, revising proof- 
sheets, and writing home, and, although the lecturer was evidently 
suffering much pain, “ those who were present said that the 
lecture was as interesting as ever, and the drawings as rapid and 
exact.” And when the end came, it found his intellect clear and 
his mind calm ; in his last letter, two hours before his death, “ the 
writing is as firm and steady as usual.” At six o’clock on 
