Astronomy, a lifelong hobby, was cultivated in the family after the reading of Chalmers’s astronomical discourses; they bought a telescope and did some really good observing. Active games were not lost sight of: and the young Charles excelled all his neighhours in leaping and running. Stilt-walking was a favourite pursuit; and the youth once made a pair of stilts with a footing twelve feet from the ground, mounted on which he could walk well, and look into the upper windows of the house. Natural history tastes were further carried out in a somewhat unusual direction. Poultry and all kinds of domestic animals were studied so minutely, and their cries imitated so closely, that Charles could influence their behaviour towards himself just as if he had been one of themselves.[13] In the autumn of 1820 Charles Williams entered at Edinburgh University, attending Hope’s interesting lectures on Chemistry and the dry prelections of Monro tertius on Anatomy, alternated with Barclay’s extra-academical class. Later he diligently attended W. P. Alison’s courses of lectures, and had much personal instruction from him. He had not proceeded far in his medical studies before he became absorbed in chemical physiology, and especially in relation to respiration and animal heat. Carefully studying all the most recent chemical discoveries, he made new experiments showing that the change of colour between venous and arterial blood could take place when the blood was enclosed in an animal membrane out of the body, and surrounded by atmospheric air. Thus in 1823 he anticipated what Professor Graham so largely developed in relation to the general permeability of animal membranes. He further discussed the origin of animal heat, and suggested various developments of the theory of combustion. The paper, later amplified into a thesis for graduation in 1824, attracted Alison’s high commendation, although Hope had returned the paper with the remark that the subject was quite proper for a young gentleman’s thesis, but that he declined to enter into the subject. In 1824-5 the young doctor heard Charles Bell’s lectures on the Nervous System at the London College of Surgeons, and attended the surgical practice of several of the London hospitals. At midsummer 1825 he went to Paris, and in addition to French literature studied painting, becoming a good amateur landscape-painter both in water-colours and oils. In the winter he attended Majendie’s lectures on Physiology and the practice of Dupuytren, Laennec, and many others. But Laennec, the great auscultator, then in his last year of life, gained his most ardent devotion. It was surprising, says Dr. Williams, how little he was valued by French students. Those who attended his clinique were chiefly foreigners. M. G. Andral’s _post mortem_ examinations also he found invaluable.