Page:A Naturalist on the Prowl.djvu/137

Rh happiness is reached when the whole soul of a man is focussed on one point. What the point is matters little or nothing. I am speaking of a man's own happiness. To have your soul focussed on one point does not generally contribute to the happiness of your neighbour. It is because the whole powers of a gimlet are concentrated on one point that it bores so well, and a man under the same conditions bores too. This is not a pun, but a glance at the philosophy of human speech. You will gather that I do not altogether recommend the use of any subject as a burning glass to bring all the rays of mind and heart to one point. At the same time I am certain that there are few things in our mental constitution better worth the trouble of keeping alive than that same faculty of taking an interest. But it will not live without food, and that is why I recommend the rearing of caterpillars as a wholesome and palatable form of nourishment. As a pastime it combines the domestic amusement of keeping pets with the outdoor exercise of finding them. And it is good for the entire man. It conduces to bring about and then to maintain the mens sana in corpore sano.

To be a successful caterpillar hunter you must have good wind, serviceable legs, educated eyes, and more than