It was evident that Huxley often spent time in nature at Rice. The Institute’s isolation from the bustling city of Houston was perhaps a blessing in disguise, providing him ample opportunities to indulge in his favorite pastimes—observing wildlife and enjoying nature.

As such, Huxley took every opportunity to enjoy the outdoors as he is seen here participating in a picnic with the Tsanoffs, the family of a fellow faculty member in the philosophy department. 

Furthermore, one student recalls often finding him on the ground, lying in the grass, looking at the birds:

Mockingbird nests in the gas lamps under the hats, Mr. Huxley watches lying on his back—thought they were fascinating birds! - Camille Waggaman Brown (Class of 1918)

Football was an essential early part of Rice culture, and Huxley observed its form and culture as astutely as he did the campus' birds.

In 1914, he wrote to his father about Houston Carnival Week, which started with a "big 'Ball Game'" between Rice and A&M, "or in their words, the Rice Owls against the Aggies." Huxley evidently found the American mascot phenomenon quite entertaining.

Later, in 1915, Huxley wrote to his father again about attending the first football game of the season, where Rice beat Trinity 46-0. In his letters, he listed some "specimens" of cheers, commenting that "that what you might call rubbing it in" in response to the anti-cheer directed at Trinity's score.

While in Texas, Huxley wanted to take advantage of Rice’s location to travel around Texas and enjoy the nature that it had to offer.

In one instance, he wrote about his trip to Austin to visit his friend Stark Young:

This time, however, we had glorious weather instead of the vile stuff we had at Christmas, for the first time I feel I’ve seen a bit of the real West—that you see in the background of the Cowboy Movies.

Additionally, while in Houston, it appears that Huxley participated in one of Stark Young’s plays, hosted by the College Women’s Club, along with other faculty members such as John Tidden, who is pictured here with Huxley.

Huxley also often ventured around Houston, occasionally camping out at the Brazos River with other faculty members and driving out of Houston to camp wherever his Ford would take him.

Of course, while Huxley was in Texas, he wanted to explore the rest of the United States. In the summer of 1915, Huxley traveled to Colorado with the Tsanoffs, where they hiked and camped in the mountains. Of course, Huxley enjoyed observing the wildlife, particularly the birds of Colorado, as pictured.

After Colorado, Huxley continued his adventures in solo fashion to Wyoming, visiting a dude ranch in the Bighorn Mountains, admiring the landscape and nature, enjoying the Western experience, and riding around on horseback. In his autobiography, Huxley recalls hunting a prairie dog and a porcupine on this trip to bring back to the Rice Biology department’s teaching museum.

A significant component of Huxley’s adventures in and out of Houston was, of course, bird watching. Fascinated by North American birds, he had many opportunities to observe them.

From a letter written to his father about the birds in Houston:

“But the birds are fun: they are for one thing much tamer than in England: I saw 6 sort of woodpeckers on Sun—one a perfectly [...] brute—scarlet all over the head & neck, white and black, in two [...] only, on the back, pure white below!” (MS 474, Box 9, Folder 17)

“This place is very interesting (I get this from a young fellow here who is very keen on birds & has got a list of over 250 species!) because it is for one thing an intermediate between the Eastern & the Western region of the USA, & many birds’ [...] overlap just in Texas; & secondly it is directly in the line of many migrants: Most US Birds are migrants & winter in S. America—passing through Texas, as well as year long residents.” (MS 474, Box 9, Folder 17)

Some of Huxley’s students were also fascinated with birds and often accompanied him bird watching, such as Finley Simmons as previously mentioned. Pictured is a picture of a woodpecker from a series of pictures that Huxley took observing the birds behavior along with Simmons. This photograph found its way to G.C. Wheeler who had glued it in the front of his biology notebook. 

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