Page:A History of Horncastle from the Earliest Period to the Present Time.djvu/120

 These, however, were among the less hardy of our sports. The good old Doctor's great aim was to get us healthily engaged in the country. With this object he would say on a Monday morning to the bigger boys of the two highest classes, "Now, lads, if you will translate this book of Virgil, or Homer, or this Greek play, as quickly as you can, you shall have the rest of the week to spend as you like." Put upon our mettle by such a challenge the work would be completed, by us perhaps on the Wednesday, and three days of varied



enjoyment in country rambles would follow. In these days, when bird-nesting is forbidden as being "cruelty to animals," it may horrify some of our readers to learn that the Doctor encouraged his pupils to collect eggs. On our excursions in early summer every hedge was carefully examined for many miles round, the tallest trees were climbed, or, as it was then called "swarmed," in search of the eggs of hawk, carrion crow, woodpecker, &c.; those of the