He had a small collection of curiosities. Some visitors called, one morning; and Mrs. Byles, unwilling to be found at her ironing board, and desiring to hide herself, as she would not be so caught, by these ladies, for the world, the doctor put her in a closet, and buttoned her in. After a few remarks, the ladies expressed a wish to see the Dr's curiosities, which he proceeded to exhibit; and, after entertaining them very agreeably, for several hours, he told them he had kept the greatest curiosity to the last; and, proceeding to the closet, unbuttoned the door, and exhibited Mrs. Byles. He had complained, long, often, and fruitlessly, to the selectmen, of a quagmire, in front of his dwelling. One morning, two of the fathers of the town, after a violent rain, passing with their chaise, became stuck in this bog. As they were striving to extricate themselves, and pulling to the right and to the left, the doctor came forth, and bowing, with great politeness, exclaimed--"_I am delighted, gentlemen, to see you stirring in this matter, at last_." A candidate for fame proposed to fly, from the North Church steeple, and had already mounted, and was clapping his wings, to the great delight of the mob. Dr. Byles, mingling with the crowd, inquired what was the object of the gathering--"_We have come, sir_," said some one, "_to see a man fly_."--"_Poh, poh_," replied the doctor, "_I have seen a horse-fly_." A gentleman sent Dr. Byles a barrel of very fine oysters. Meeting the gentleman's wife, an hour or two after, in the street, the doctor assumed an air of great severity, and told her, that he had, that morning, been treated, by her husband, in a most _Billingsgate_ manner, and then abruptly left her. The lady, who was of a nervous temperament, went home in tears, and was quite miserable, till her husband returned, at noon, and explained the occurrence; but was so much offended with the doctor's folly, that he cut his acquaintance. A poor fellow, in agony with the toothache, meeting the doctor, asked him where he should go, to have it drawn. The doctor gave him a direction to a particular street and number. The man went, as directed; and, when the occupant came to the door, told him that Dr. Byles had sent him there, to have his tooth drawn. "_This is a poor joke, for Dr. Byles_," said the gentleman; "_I am not a dentist, but a portrait painter--it will give you little comfort, my friend, to have me draw your tooth_." Dr. Byles had sent the poor fellow to Copley. Upon the 19th of May, 1780, the memorable dark day, a lady wrote to the doctor as follows--"_Dear doctor, how do you account for this darkness?_" and received his immediate reply--"_Dear Madam, I am as much in the dark, as you are_." This, for sententious brevity, has never been surpassed, unless by the correspondence, between the comedian, Sam Foote, and his mother--"_Dear Sam, I'm in jail_"--"_Dear Mother, So am I._"