, 1877-03-07

sCnO0I, lQ6 answer was, Learn TO write
l suppose you will be asking to learn to
dance next? What business have you with
writings Am l to be robbed of my time
to enable you TO learn to write? The great
feature in Edwards character after his in
tense love Of nature and power of observa-
ton is his invincible determination. He
had little ti.ie, no friends, and few
books, and yet he not only found time to
learn to write, to follow his fayourite pur-
suits, but to make extensive collections.
His first scientific collection was made In
1888, when he was 81 years old. This
was procured by the sacrifice ofhis nights
rest and by the help, so FAR as birds and
beasts were concerned, of an old gun which
he had bought for As. Cd, and which was
GO ricketty that lie had to tie the barrel
on the sock with a piece Of Irvine. He
carried bis powder in 6 COW horn and
measured hIs charge with the bowl of a
tobacco pip, willie hs shot was stored in
q loose paper bag. Thus equipped, he
used to start about nine at uigat, taking
his supper with hln, and so long as there
was any light he secured the country tor
moths, or be ties, or plants, or birds, or
any living thing that came il his way.
In this pursuit the long summer nights Of
the North Of Scotland must of stood him
in good stead when the light failed him he
slept under a bush or by the side of a
bank till dawn returned, when he resum-
Ell his chase after natural objects. Ga
Saturdays he never stayed out after mid
night. notwithstanding" Mr.. Smiles
tells us, "is an intoIerabIe sin in Scotland,
.o1A Ia itU.r 4 tryos tavavm sc. h,hoth hr.oI-,r -
To him Sunday was invariably a day Of
devotion and rest. In the course OF his
rambIings he had strange adventures with
wild animals. some of " hich are sufficient
to prove that he was no mere roSewater
naturalist. Whatever the animal, his first ef-
fort was 10 grasp it with his hands and
thus secure it. We need hardly remind our
readers that the man who thus grapples
with a badger, a polecat, or WeazIe, or
even with a squirrel or a RABBIT, may get
seriously bitten, and yet, at er all, lose bis
prey. Thus one badger, in whose hole
he had established himself for the
nignf, was 50 r%esolute in pressing into
lis own house that Edward had to
shoot him. On another occasion he
was worsted IN an encounter with
three full grown badgers, one of which
he ttied to seize by wrapping a hand
kercbicf round his hand, but ia the
scufla he was TIPPED up, and the trio es-
capped, leaving Edward fiat on his back,
with a tremendous bump on the back Of
his aead. Much in the same way he had
sharp experience OF the powers Of biting
displayed by most OF the night.r0aming
animals, as the fox, the stOat, the weazle,
the poIecat aud the rat the worst enemy
he ever had TO deal with being a polecat,
which attacked him while ne was sleeping
in the vaults of a ruined castle on the
Boync, and which would not leave him
till he groppied it as it craw,ed Up his
chest, Those who read his account OF the
struggir, which lasted about two hours,
must decidedly feel they would rather not
tackle a poIecat if they were naturalists.
While Edward held on to the beasts throat
it tore his hands to pieces with it's claws,
all the while yelling in q most unearthly
way nor would Edward ever have mas
tered the powerful creature had he not
dosed it with an ounce of chloroform which
sent it to sleep. Then he dislocated its
neck with his heel, and the prize was his.
His hands were sorely bitten, but the
polecat was a splendid specimen, and
Edward exults over the fact that he sue