WhenIwastenyearsoldImademyfirstjourneytoEurope。MybirthdaywasspentinCologne，andinordertogivemeathoroughly“party“feelingIrememberthatmymotherputonfulldressformybirthdaydinner。IdonotthinkIgainedanythingfromthisparticulartripabroad。Icordiallyhatedit，asdidmyyoungerbrotherandsister。Practicallyalltheenjoymentwehadwasinexploringanyruinsormountainswhenwecouldgetawayfromourelders，andinplayinginthedifferenthotels。OuronedesirewastogetbacktoAmerica，andweregardedEuropewiththemostignorantchauvinismandcontempt。Fouryearslater，however，ImadeanotherjourneytoEurope，andwasoldenoughtoenjoyitthoroughlyandprofitbyit。
WhilestillasmallboyIbegantotakeaninterestinnaturalhistory。IrememberdistinctlythefirstdaythatIstartedonmycareeraszoologist。IwaswalkingupBroadway，andasIpassedthemarkettowhichIusedsometimestobesentbeforebreakfasttogetstrawberriesIsuddenlysawadeadseallaidoutonaslabofwood。
Thatsealfilledmewitheverypossiblefeelingofromanceandadventure。Iaskedwhereitwaskilled，andwasinformedintheharbor。IhadalreadybeguntoreadsomeofMayneReid’sbooksandotherboys’booksofadventure，andIfeltthatthissealbroughtalltheseadventuresinrealisticfashionbeforeme。AslongasthatsealremainedthereIhauntedtheneighborhoodofthemarketdayafterday。
Imeasuredit，andIrecallthat，nothavingatapemeasure，Ihadtodomybesttogetitsgirthwithafoldingpocketfoot-rule，adifficultundertaking。Icarefullymadearecordoftheutterlyuselessmeasurements，andatoncebegantowriteanaturalhistoryofmyown，onthestrengthofthatseal。This，andsubsequentnaturalhistories，werewrittendowninblankbooksinsimplifiedspelling，whollyunpremeditatedandunscientific。Ihadvagueaspirationsofinsomewayoranotherowningandpreservingthatseal，buttheynevergotbeyondthepurelyformlessstage。Ithink，however，Ididgettheseal’sskull，andwithtwoofmycousinspromptlystartedwhatweambitiouslycalledthe“RooseveltMuseumofNaturalHistory。”Thecollectionswereatfirstkeptinmyroom，untilarebelliononthepartofthechambermaidreceivedtheapprovalofthehigherauthoritiesofthehouseholdandthecollectionwasmoveduptoakindofbookcaseinthebackhallupstairs。Itwastheordinarysmallboy’scollectionofcurios，quiteincongruousandentirelyvaluelessexceptfromthestandpointoftheboyhimself。Myfatherandmotherencouragedmewarmlyinthis，astheyalwaysdidinanythingthatcouldgivemewholesomepleasureorhelptodevelopme。
TheadventureofthesealandthenovelsofMayneReidtogetherstrengthenedmyinstinctiveinterestinnaturalhistory。IwastooyoungtounderstandmuchofMayneReid，exceptingtheadventurepartandthenaturalhistorypart——theseenthralledme。Butofcoursemyreadingwasnotwhollyconfinedtonaturalhistory。Therewasverylittleeffortmadetocompelmetoreadbooks，myfatherandmotherhavingthegoodsensenottotrytogetmetoreadanythingIdidnotlike，unlessitwasinthewayofstudy。IwasgiventhechancetoreadbooksthattheythoughtIoughttoread，butifIdidnotlikethemIwasthengivensomeothergoodbookthatIdidlike。Therewerecertainbooksthatweretaboo。Forinstance，Iwasnotallowedtoreaddimenovels。Iobtainedsomesurreptitiouslyanddidreadthem，butI
donotthinkthattheenjoymentcompensatedforthefeelingofguilt。
IwasalsoforbiddentoreadtheonlyoneofOuida’sbookswhichI
wishedtoread——“UnderTwoFlags。”Ididreadit，nevertheless，withgreedyandfiercehopeofcomingonsomethingunhealthy；butasamatteroffactallthepartsthatmighthaveseemedunhealthytoanolderpersonmadenoimpressiononmewhatever。Isimplyenjoyedinaratherconfusedwaythegeneraladventures。
Ithinkthereoughttobechildren’sbooks。Ithinkthatthechildwilllikegrown-upbooksalso，andIdonotbelieveachild’sbookisreallygoodunlessgrown-upsgetsomethingoutofit。Forinstance，thereisabookIdidnothavewhenIwasachildbecauseitwasnotwritten。ItisLauraE。Richard’s“NurseryRhymes。”Myownchildrenlovedthemdearly，andtheirmotherandIlovedthemalmostequally；
thedelightfullylight-hearted“ManfromNewMexicowhoLosthisGrandmotheroutintheSnow。”theadventuresof“TheOwl，theEel，andtheWarming-Pan。”andtheextraordinarygenealogyofthekangaroowhose“fatherwasawhalewithafeatherinhistailwholivedintheGreenlandsea。”while“hismotherwasasharkwhokeptverydarkintheGulfofCaribee。”
AsasmallboyIhad/OurYoungFolks/，whichIthenfirmlybelievedtobetheverybestmagazineintheworld——abelief，Imayadd，whichIhavekepttothisdayunchanged，forIseriouslydoubtifanymagazineforoldoryounghaseversurpassedit。BothmywifeandI
havetheboundvolumesof/OurYoungFolks/whichwepreservedfromouryouth。IhavetriedtoreadagaintheMayneReidbookswhichIsodearlylovedasaboy，onlytofind，alas！thatitisimpossible。ButIreallybelievethatIenjoygoingover/OurYoungFolks/nownearlyasmuchasever。“CastAwayintheCold。”“Grandfather’sStruggleforaHomestead。”“TheWilliamHenryLetters。”andadozenotherslikethemwerefirst-class，goodhealthystories，interestinginthefirstplace，andinthenextplaceteachingmanliness，decency，andgoodconduct。Atthecostofbeingdeemedeffeminate，IwilladdthatI
greatlylikedthegirls’stories——“PussyWillow“and“ASummerinLeslieGoldthwaite’sLife。”justasIworshiped“LittleMen“and“LittleWomen“and“AnOld-FashionedGirl。”
ThisenjoymentofthegentlersideoflifedidnotpreventmyrevelinginsuchtalesofadventureasBallantyne’sstories，orMarryat’s“MidshipmanEasy。”Isupposeeverybodyhaskinksinhim，andevenasachildtherewerebookswhichIoughttohavelikedanddidnot。Forinstance，Inevercaredatallforthefirstpartof“RobinsonCrusoe“
andalthoughitisunquestionablythebestpart，Idonotcareforitnow；whereasthesecondpart，containingtheadventuresofRobinsonCrusoe，withthewolvesinthePyrenees，andoutintheFarEast，simplyfascinatedme。WhatIdidlikeinthefirstpartweretheadventuresbeforeCrusoefinallyreachedhisisland，thefightwiththeSalleeRover，andtheallusiontothestrangebeastsatnighttakingtheirimprobablebathintheocean。Thankstobeingalreadyanembryozoologist，Idislikedthe“SwissFamilyRobinson“becauseofthewhollyimpossiblecollectionofanimalsmetbythatworthyfamilyastheyambledinlandfromthewreck。Eveninpoetryitwastherelationofadventuresthatmostappealedtomeasaboy。AtaprettyearlyageIbegantoreadcertainbooksofpoetry，notablyLongfellow’spoem，“TheSagaofKingOlaf。”whichabsorbedme。ThisintroducedmetoScandinavianliterature；andIhaveneverlostmyinterestinandaffectionforit。
AmongmyfirstbookswasavolumeofahopelesslyunscientifickindbyMayneReid，aboutmammals，illustratedwithpicturesnomoreartisticthanbutquiteasthrillingasthoseinthetypicalschoolgeography。
WhenmyfatherfoundhowdeeplyinterestedIwasinthisnotveryaccuratevolume，hegavemealittlebookbyJ。G。Wood，theEnglishwriterofpopularbooksonnaturalhistory，andthenalargeroneofhiscalled“HomesWithoutHands。”Bothofthesewerecherishedpossessions。Theywerestudiedeagerly；andtheyfinallydescendedtomychildren。The“HomesWithoutHands。”bytheway，grewtohaveanaddedassociationinconnectionwithapedagogicalfailureonmypart。
InaccordancewithwhatIbelievedwassomekindofmoderntheoryofmakingeducationinterestingandnotlettingitbecomeatask，I
endeavoredtoteachmyeldestsmallboyoneortwoofhislettersfromthetitle-page。Astheletter“H“appearedinthetitleanunusualnumberoftimes，Iselectedthattobeginon，myeffortbeingtokeepthesmallboyinterested，nottolethimrealizethathewaslearningalesson，andtoconvincehimthathewasmerelyhavingagoodtime。
WhetheritwasthetheoryormymethodofapplyingitthatwasdefectiveIdonotknow，butIcertainlyabsolutelyeradicatedfromhisbrainanyabilitytolearnwhat“H“was；andlongafterhehadlearnedalltheotherlettersofthealphabetintheold-fashionedway，heprovedwhollyunabletoremember“H“underanycircumstances。
Quiteunknowntomyself，Iwas，whileaboy，underahopelessdisadvantageinstudyingnature。Iwasverynear-sighted，sothattheonlythingsIcouldstudywerethoseIranagainstorstumbledover。
WhenIwasaboutthirteenIwasallowedtotakelessonsintaxidermyfromaMr。Bell，atall，clean-shaven，white-hairedoldgentleman，asstraightasanIndian，whohadbeenacompanionofAudubon’s。Hehadamustylittleshop，somewhatontheorderofMr。Venus’sshopin“OurMutualFriend。”alittleshopinwhichhehaddoneveryvaluableworkforscience。This“vocationalstudy。”asIsupposeitwouldbecalledbymoderneducators，spurredanddirectedmyinterestincollectingspecimensformountingandpreservation。ItwasthissummerthatIgotmyfirstgun，anditpuzzledmetofindthatmycompanionsseemedtoseethingstoshootatwhichIcouldnotseeatall。Onedaytheyreadaloudanadvertisementinhugelettersonadistantbillboard，andI
thenrealizedthatsomethingwasthematter，fornotonlywasIunabletoreadthesignbutIcouldnotevenseetheletters。Ispokeofthistomyfather，andsoonafterwardsgotmyfirstpairofspectacles，whichliterallyopenedanentirelynewworldtome。IhadnoideahowbeautifultheworldwasuntilIgotthosespectacles。Ihadbeenaclumsyandawkwardlittleboy，andwhilemuchofmyclumsinessandawkwardnesswasdoubtlessduetogeneralcharacteristics，agooddealofitwasduetothefactthatIcouldnotseeandyetwaswhollyignorantthatIwasnotseeing。Therecollectionofthisexperiencegivesmeakeensympathywiththosewhoaretryinginourpublicschoolsandelsewheretoremovethephysicalcausesofdeficiencyinchildren，whoareoftenunjustlyblamedforbeingobstinateorunambitious，ormentallystupid。
Thissamesummer，too，Iobtainedvariousnewbooksonmammalsandbirds，includingthepublicationsofSpencerBaird，forinstance，andmadeanindustriousbook-studyofthesubject。IdidnotaccomplishmuchinoutdoorstudybecauseIdidnotgetspectaclesuntillateinthefall，ashorttimebeforeIstartedwiththerestofthefamilyforasecondtriptoEurope。WewerelivingatDobbsFerry，ontheHudson。Mygunwasabreech-loading，pin-firedouble-barrel，ofFrenchmanufacture。Itwasanexcellentgunforaclumsyandoftenabsent-
mindedboy。Therewasnospringtoopenit，andifthemechanismbecamerustyitcouldbeopenedwithabrickwithoutseriousdamage。
Whenthecartridgesstucktheycouldberemovedinthesamefashion。
Iftheywereloaded，however，theresultwasnotalwayshappy，andI
tattooedmyselfwithpartiallyunburnedgrainsofpowdermorethanonce。
WhenIwasfourteenyearsold，inthewinterof’72and’73，IvisitedEuropeforthesecondtime，andthistripformedareallyusefulpartofmyeducation。WewenttoEgypt，journeyeduptheNile，traveledthroughtheHolyLandandpartofSyria，visitedGreeceandConstantinople；andthenwechildrenspentthesummerinaGermanfamilyinDresden。MyfirstrealcollectingasastudentofnaturalhistorywasdoneinEgyptduringthisjourney。BythistimeIhadagoodworkingknowledgeofAmericanbirdlifefromthesuperficiallyscientificstandpoint。IhadnoknowledgeoftheornithologyofEgypt，butIpickedupinCairoabookbyanEnglishclergyman，whosenameI
havenowforgotten，whodescribedatripuptheNile，andinanappendixtohisvolumegaveanaccountofhisbirdcollection。IwishIcouldrememberthenameoftheauthornow，forIowethatbookverymuch。WithoutitIshouldhavebeencollectingentirelyinthedark，whereaswithitsaidIcouldgenerallyfindoutwhatthebirdswere。
MyfirstknowledgeofLatinwasobtainedbylearningthescientificnamesofthebirdsandmammalswhichIcollectedandclassifiedbytheaidofsuchbooksasthisone。
ThebirdsIobtaineduptheNileandinPalestinerepresentedmerelytheusualboy’scollection。SomeyearsafterwardIgavethem，togetherwiththeotherornithologicalspecimensIhadgathered，totheSmithsonianInstitutioninWashington，andIthinksomeofthemalsototheAmericanMuseumofNaturalHistoryinNewYork。Iamtoldthattheskinsaretobefoundyetinbothplacesandinotherpubliccollections。Idoubtwhethertheyhavemyoriginallabelsonthem。
Withgreatpridethedirectorsofthe“RooseveltMuseum。”consistingofmyselfandthetwocousinsaforesaid，hadprintedasetofRooseveltMuseumlabelsinpinkinkpreliminarytowhatwasregardedasmyadventuroustriptoEgypt。Thisbird-collectinggavewhatwasreallythechiefzesttomyNilejourney。Iwasoldenoughandhadreadenoughtoenjoythetemplesandthedesertsceneryandthegeneralfeelingofromance；butthisintimewouldhavepalledifI
hadnotalsohadtheseriousworkofcollectingandpreparingmyspecimens。Doubtlessthefamilyhadtheirmomentsofsuffering——
especiallyononeoccasionwhenawell-meaningmaidextractedfrommytaxidermist’soutfittheoldtooth-brushwithwhichIputontheskinsthearsenicalsoapnecessaryfortheirpreservation，partiallywashedit，andleftitwiththerestofmywashkitformyownpersonaluse。
Isupposethatallgrowingboystendtobegrubby；buttheornithologicalsmallboy，orindeedtheboywiththetastefornaturalhistoryofanykind，isgenerallytheverygrubbiestofall。AnaddedelementinmycasewasthefactthatwhileinEgyptIsuddenlystartedtogrow。AstherewerenotailorsuptheNile，whenIgotbacktoCairoIneededanewoutfit。Buttherewasonesuitofclothestoogoodtothrowaway，whichwekeptfora“change。”andwhichwasknownasmy“Smikesuit。”becauseitleftmywristsandanklesasbareasthoseofpoorSmikehimself。