PROFESSOR OWEN 
CH. VI. 
196 
this in bright sunshine from ten till five. We 
caught upwards of 200 eels, which were conveyed 
to the eel cage. All the small fish dace, roach, 
perch, &c.— held a meeting the next day and sent 
a vote of thanks for our timely interference and 
deliverance of them from the crafty and preda- 
ceous family which had so long tyrannized over 
the stream.’ 
On leaving Oulton Park Owen joined his wife 
and child again at Lancaster. There he went 
the rounds with his old preceptor. Dr. Harrison, 
in order to see the patients at Lancaster Gaol, 
and to revisit the scenes of his early adventures 
there. Before returning home to London, Owen 
went with his family to Heysham, and, writing 
from that place to Mrs. Clift (July 21), he says 
‘ Five young urchins have been bathing under 
my special care and guidance, ranging from Willie 
the youngest — and who took his first dip under the 
salt water most manfully — up through six years, 
seven, nine and ten, the good-natured sons of our 
host, all at home, holiday-time, and who volun- 
teered to go to the rocks as soon as they heard of 
my intention to bathe. I carried little Willie in, 
dipped him and rubbed him well over with the 
salt water. You may imagine the scene at com- 
ing out. The habiliments of two or three of the 
little folk tumbled confusedly together, and the 
Professor head-nurse and sole nurse. I never 
realized the complexity of a child’s dress before . 
