people were only just beginning to come into existence; and Tam, who was
now eighteen, bought the first number of the _Penny Magazine_, an
excellent journal of that time, which he liked so much that he continued
to take in the succeeding numbers. Some of the papers in it were about
natural history, and these, of course, particularly delighted the young
man's heart. He also bought the _Weekly Visitor_, which he read
through over and over again.

In 1831, when Tam was still eighteen, he enlisted in the Aberdeenshire
militia, and during his brief period of service an amusing circumstance
occurred which well displays the almost irresistible character of
Edward's love of nature. While he was drilling with the awkward squad
one morning, a butterfly of a kind that he had never seen before
happened to flit in front of him as he stood in the ranks. It was a
beautiful large brown butterfly, and Edward was so fascinated by its
appearance that he entirely forgot, in a moment, where he was and what
he was doing. Without a second's thought, he darted wildly out of the
ranks, and rushed after the butterfly, cap in hand. It led him a pretty
chase, over sandhills and shore, for five minutes. He was just on the
point of catching it at last, when he suddenly felt a heavy hand laid
upon his shoulder, and looking round, he saw the corporal of the company
and several soldiers come to arrest him. Such a serious offence against
military discipline might have cost him dear indeed, for corporals have
little sympathy with butterfly hunting; but luckily for Edward, as he
was crossing the parade ground under arrest, he happened to meet an
officer walking with some ladies. The officer asked the nature of his
offence, and when the ladies heard what it was they were so much
interested in such a strange creature as a butterfly-loving militiaman,
that they interceded for him, and finally begged him off his expected
punishment. The story shows us what sort of stuff Edward was really made