CONSIDERATE TREATMENT OF STUDENTS 101 
lovable and undoubtedly the first ornithologist in 
Europe, and we were all proud of his fame. One 
thing always made a great impression on me: he 
treated his class as men and gentlemen, and we 
reciprocated his action. It was far otherwise with 
some of the professors. 
“ His interest in the habits of his students was 
remarkable. If he saw a good student careless 
he would remonstrate with him privately; while 
earnest attention gained his favour. With his 
rapid power of observation he could detect even a 
temporary lapse from diligence. His lectures were 
carefully written out, and he dictated an epitome 
of them once a week. Now and then he gave out 
a subject for an essay, say ‘The Sparrow/ and he 
indicated a preference for a paper bearing on its 
habits and life on the street and on the wing. As 
an examiner he was patient, tender, and gentle, 
unwilling to say an angry word. He would rather 
help out the hesitating student; but it was easy to 
see that carelessness was an abomination to him.” 
Another Aberdeen student of his day, but who 
was not in his class, lately a professor in a Canadian 
university, writes of him to me as follows 
“ He was about my own height ” (rather below 
medium stature), “ firm of step, erect of gait, as he 
trod the pavement of Broad Street or wound his 
way through the Gallowgate to the Old Town; 
great of reputation among British birds, and tire¬ 
less, pedestrianising with his class among the hills 
and heather of Deeside. He could walk the most 
active of them into limp helplessness, and remain 
as fresh as at the outside of the march.” “Keep 
your knees bent as you climb a mountain. You 
thus avoid having to raise your body at each step,” 
G 2 
