The Story of My Boyhood and Youth

Index

• America,
  • early interest in, 51-53;
  • emigration to, 53-59.
• Anderson, Mr., 216, 217.
• Anemone patens var. Nuttalliana, 119-121.
• Animals,
  • man’s tyranny over, 83, 84, 109, 110, 181;
  • accidents to, 133-136;
  • the taming of, 185, 186;
  • cleanliness, 187, 188;
  • endurance of cold, 189, 190.
• Apples, wild, 124.
• Audubon, John James, on the passenger pigeon, 52, 53, 162-166.
• Aurora borealis, 205, 206.
  
  
• Badgers, 183.
• Bathing, 16, 17;
  • of animals, 187, 188;
  • of man, 188, 189.
  • See also Swimming.
• Bear, black, 171, 183, 184.
• Bees, 234-239.
• Beetle, whirligig, 114.
• Berries, 122, 123.
• Bible, the, 242-244.
• Birds,
  • removing their eggs, 64, 65;
  • met with in Wisconsin, 64-75, 137-167;
  • accidents to, 131-135;
  • bathing, 187, 188.
• Birds’-nesting, 27, 28, 44-48.
• Blackbird,
  • red-winged, 142, 143;
  • hunting, 175.
• Blacksmith,
  • the minister, 108;
  • his cruelty to his brother, 214-217.
• Bluebird,
  • nest, 62, 139;
  • a favorite, 138, 139.
• Boat, 115.
• Boatmen (insects), 115.
• Bobolink, 140, 141.
• Bob-white, or quail,
  • accidents to, 133-135;
  • habits, 151, 152.
• Books, 241-245.
• Botany, first lessons in, 280-283.
• Boys, savagery of, 23-26.
• Brush fires, 76, 77.
• Bull-bat, or nighthawk, 69-71.
• Bullfrogs, 74.
• Butterfly-weed, 122.
  
  
• Cats,
  • a boy’s cruel prank, 23-26;
  • a cat with kittens, 77, 78;
  • old Tom and the loon, 155-158.
• Charlie, the feeble-minded man, 214-217.
• Chickadee, 143, 144.
• Chickens, prairie, 145, 146.
• Chipmunk, 193, 194.
• Choke-damp, 232, 233.
• Chores, 202-204.
• Christian Philosopher, The, by Thomas Dick, 242.
• Clocks, 252-258.
• Clover, 199, 200.
• Combe’s Physiology, 188.
• Consumption, 212, 213.
• Coons, 170, 184, 185.
• Copperhead, 110, 111.
• Corn, husking, 105, 106.
• Cows, sympathy with, 94.
• Crane, sandhill, 68, 97.
• Crops, Wisconsin, 199, 200.
• Cypripedium, 121, 122.
  
  
• Dandy Doctor terror, the, 6-9.
• Davel Brae, 28-30.
• Deer, 169-174.
• Desk, a student’s, 283, 284.
• Dick, Thomas, his Christian Philosopher, 242.
• Dog, Watch, the mongrel, 77-83.
• Duck, wood, 147, 148.
• Ducks, wild, 147, 148.
• Dunbar, Scotland,
  • a boyhood in, 1-55;
  • later visit to, 37, 38.
• Dunbar Castle, 17.
• Duncan, William, 233.
  
  
• Eagle, bald, and fish hawk, 51, 52.
• Early-rising machine, 252-256, 284.
  
  
• Ferns, 122.
• Fiddler, story of a Scotch, 130, 131.
• Fighting, boys’, 28-30, 33-37.
• Fireflies, 71, 72.
• Fires,
  • brush, 76, 77;
  • household, 204;
  • grass, 230;
  • lighting the schoolhouse fire, 277-279.
• Fishes, 115-117.
• Fishing, 116, 117.
• Flicker, 66.
• Flowers,
  • at Dunbar, 12-14;
  • wild, in Wisconsin, 118-122.
• Food question, the, 241-244.
• Fountain Lake, 62, 115-118, 124-129.
• Fountain Lake Meadow, 62, 71.
• Fox River, 123, 141, 147.
• Foxes, 182, 183.
• Frogs, love-songs of, 74.
• Fuller, 129.
  
  
• Ghosts, 18, 19.
• Gilrye, Grandfather, 2-4, 43, 54, 55.
• Glow-worms, 72.
• Goose, Canada, 149-151.
• Gophers, 194-198.
• Grandfather. See Gilrye, Grandfather.
• Gray, Alexander, 60, 61.
• Green Lake, 103, 104.
• Griswold, Judge, 280-282.
• Grouse, ruffed, or partridge, drumming, 72.
• Grubs, 229.
  
  
• Half-witted man, 214-217.
• Hare, Dr., 7.
• Hares, 181, 182.
• Hawk, fish, and bald eagle, 51, 52.
• Hawks, 66, 177.
• Hell, warnings as to, 76, 77.
• Hen-hawk, 66.
• Hickory, 123.
• Hickory Hill,
  • purchase and development of the farm, 226-234;
  • life at, 234-263;
  • vacation work at, 279.
• Holabird, Mr., 148.
• Holidays, 174.
• Honey-bees, 234-239.
• Horses,
  • the pony Jack, 95-102;
  • Nob and Nell, 103-105, 107-109.
• Hunt, the side, 168, 169.
• Hunting expeditions, 171.
• Hyla, 75.
  
  
• Ice, whooping of, 207, 208.
• Ice-storm, 206, 207.
• “Inchcape Bell, The,” 5, 6.
• Indian moccasins (flowers), 121, 122.
• Indians,
  • hunting muskrats, 81, 82;
  • killing pigs, 88, 89;
  • stealing a horse, 103-105;
  • getting ducks and wild rice, 147;
  • hunting coons and deer, 170;
  • fond of muskrat flesh, 180;
  • rights of, 218-220.
• Industry, excessive, 222-226.
• Insects, 113-115.
• Inventions,
  • on the farm, 248-261;
  • introduced to the world, 260-272;
  • the clock fire, 277-279;
  • at the University, 283-286.
  
  
• Jack, the pony, 95-102.
• Jay, blue, nest, 62-65.
  
  
• Kettle-holes, 98.
• Kingbird, 66, 67.
• Kingston, Wis., 59-61.
  
  
• Lady’s-slippers, 121, 122.
• Lake Mendota, 129.
• Landlord, a friendly, 264, 265.
• Lark. See Skylark.
• Lauderdale, Lord, his gardens, 2.
• Lawson, Peter, 13, 14.
• Lawson boys, 126, 127, 175.
• Lightning-bugs, 71, 72.
• Lilium superbum, 122.
• Linnet, red-headed, 187, 188.
• “Llewellyn’s Dog,” 4, 5.
• Locomotive, riding on a, 267-269.
• Loon, 153-158.
• Lyon, Mr., teacher, 30, 37.
  
  
• Maccoulough’s Course of Reading, 51.
• McRath, Mr., 184, 185.
• Madison, Wis.,
  • State Fair at, 260, 261, 269-272;
  • life in, 273-287.
• Mair, George, 218, 219.
• Mallard, 147.
• Marmot, mountain, 186.
• Meadowlark, 143.
• Meals, 42, 43;
  • the Scotch religious view of, 249, 250.
• Melons, 200.
• Minister, the blacksmith, 108;
  • his cruelty to his brother, 214-217.
• Moccasins, Indian, 121, 122.
• Mosquitoes, 113, 114.
• Mouse, European field, with young, 3.
• Mouse,
  • meadow, or field, 106, 107;
  • eaten by a horse, 107.
• Muir, Anna, 56.
• Muir, Anne (Gilrye) (mother), 11, 15, 16, 20, 22, 23, 28, 49, 256, 259, 260, 263.
• Muir, Daniel (brother), 56, 115, 146, 223.
• Muir, Daniel (father), 10, 11, 24, 31, 43, 44, 49, 53-56, 58-61, 83, 90, 94-96, 100-102, 115, 148, 191, 195, 203, 205, 218, 222, 224, 226, 231-234;
  • admonitions, 76, 77;
  • Scotch correction, 84-87;
  • as a church-goer, 107, 108;
  • his advice as to swimming, 124;
  • his ideas about books and the Bible, 241-244;
  • rules as to going to bed and getting up, 245-251;
  • his religious view of meals, 249, 250;
  • and his son’s inventions, 253-258;
  • his parting advice to his son, 262;
  • theories on bringing up children, 263.
• Muir, David, 11, 20-22, 43, 53, 54, 56, 62, 78, 85-87, 97, 110, 115, 125, 126, 223, 231, 263, 264;
  • kills a deer, 172-174.
• Muir, John,
  • fondness for the wild, 1, 49, 50;
  • earliest recollections, 1-3;
  • first school, 3-10, 28-30;
  • favorite stories in reading-book, 4-6;
  • favorite hymns and songs, 9, 10;
  • early fondness for flowers, 12-14;
  • an early accident, 15, 16;
  • bathing, 16, 17;
  • boyish sports, 17-26, 40, 41;
  • grammar school, 30-39;
  • birds’-nesting, 44-48;
  • early interest in America, 51-53;
  • emigration to America, 53-59;
  • settling in Wisconsin, 58-62;
  • life on the Fountain Lake farm, 62-226;
  • escaping a whipping, 84-87;
  • learning to ride, 95-100;
  • learning to swim, 124-129;
  • ambition in mowing and cradling, 202, 223;
  • put to the plough, 220, 221;
  • hard work, 221-224;
  • running the breaking plough, 227-229;
  • life at Hickory Hill, 230-263;
  • adventure in digging a well, 231-234;
  • educating himself, 240-247;
  • early rising proves a way out of difficulties, 245-251;
  • inventions, 248-261;
  • deciding on an occupation, 259-261;
  • determines to take his inventions to the State Fair, 260-262;
  • starting out into the world, 262-269;
  • at the State Fair, 269-272;
  • enters a machine-shop at Prairie du Chien, 272, 273;
  • odd jobs at Madison, 273, 274;
  • enters the University, 274-276;
  • life at the University, 276-287;
  • teaching school, 277-279;
  • vacation work at Hickory Hill, 279;
  • first lessons in botany, 280-283;
  • more inventions, 283-286;
  • enters the University of the Wilderness, 286, 287.
• Muir, Margaret, 56, 253.
• Muir, Mary, 56.
• Muir, Sarah, 15, 56, 127.
• Muir’s Lake. See Fountain Lake.
• Muskrats,
  • an Indian hunting, 81, 82;
  • habits, 177-181.
  
  
• Nighthawk, 69-71.
• Nob and Nell, the horses, 103-105, 107-109.
• Nuthatches, 144, 145.
• Nuts, 123, 124.
  
  
• Oriole, Baltimore, 143.
• Owls, 145.
• Oxen, humanity in, 90-94.
  
  
• Pardeeville, Wis., 263-266.
• Partridge, or ruffed grouse, drumming, 72.
• Pasque-flower, 119-121.
• Phrenology, 266.
• Pickerel, 116, 117.
• Pigeon, passenger,
  • Audubon’s account, 52, 53, 162-166;
  • extermination, 83;
  • in Wisconsin, 158-162;
  • Pokagon’s account, 166, 167.
• Ploughing, 201, 202, 220, 221;
  • the breaking plough, 227-229.
• Plutarch’s Lives, 241, 242.
• Pokagon, his account of the passenger pigeon, 166, 167.
• Portage, Wis., 93, 94, 108.
• Prairie chickens, 145, 146.
• Prairie du Chien, 272, 273.
• Pucaway Lake, 147.
  
  
• Quail. See Bob-white.
  
  
• Rabbits, 181, 189.
• Raccoon, 170, 184, 185.
• Rails, splitting, 221, 222.
• Rattlesnakes, 110.
• Reid, Mr., 213, 214.
• Ridgway, Robert, 64.
• Road-making, 209.
• Robin, American, 139.
• Robin, European, 27, 28.
  
  
• Scootchers, 20-22.
• Scotch, the, their ideas of self-punishment, 130, 131.
• Scotch, the language, 57.
• Scottish Grays, 27.
• Self-punishment, 130, 131.
• Settlers in Wisconsin, 211-220, 222-226.
• Shrike, a burglarious, 195-198.
• Siddons, Mungo, 8, 9, 12, 30.
• Skaters (insects), 115.
• Skylark, 46-48.
• Snake, blow, 111.
• Snakes, 110-112.
• Snipe, a case of difficult parturition, 134.
• Snipe, jack, 73.
• Snowstorms, 206.
• Southey, Robert, his “Inchcape Bell,” 5, 6.
• Sow, the old, 88, 89.
• Sparrow, song, 143.
• Spermophile, or ground squirrel, a frozen, 135, 136.
• Spirit-rappings, 210, 211.
• Squirrel, flying, 192.
• Squirrel, gray, 190-192.
• Squirrel, ground. See Gophers and Spermophile.
• State Fair, 260, 261, 269-272.
• Stirling, Professor, 275, 276.
• Strawberries, wild, 122.
• Sunfish, 116.
• Swamps, 208, 209.
• Swans, wild, 149.
• Swimming, 124-129.
  
  
• Tanager, scarlet, 143.
• Thermometer, a large, 258, 259.
• Thrasher, brown, 139, 140.
• Thrush, brown. See Thrasher.
• Thunder-storms, 75, 76.
• Trap, the steel, 180.
• Tuberculosis, 212, 213.
• Turk’s-turban, 122.
• Turtle, snapping, 80.
  
  
• Vaccination, 11.
  
  
• Water-boatmen, 115.
• Water-bugs, 114.
• Water-lily, 118, 119.
• Well, digging a, 231-234.
• Whippings, 84-87.
• Whip-poor-will, 68, 69.
• Wiard, an inventor, 272, 273.
• Wilson, Alexander, account of fish hawk and bald eagle, 51, 52.
• Wind-flower, 119-121.
• Wisconsin, settling in, 58-62;
  • life in, 62-287.
• Woodpecker, red-headed, 66;
  • drowning, 131-133;
  • shot and resurrected, 175, 176.
• Woodpeckers, nest-holes and young, 65, 66.
• Wrecks, 38, 39.