5 CIENTIFIC

CIVILISATION A RIYKR

Presented to the

LIBRARY of the

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

by

CYRIL GREENLAND

SCIENTIFIC
ILLUSTRATIONS AND SYMBOLS.

BALLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO.
EDINBURGH AND LONDON

SCIENTIFIC

ILLUSTRATIONS AND SYMBOLS

MORAL TRUTHS MIRRORED IN
SCIENTIFIC FACTS

for tfje SRge of tfje Senate, tfje Bar, tjje Pulpit,
tfje ©rater, antj tlje H0&er of

BY

A BARRISTER OF THE HONOURABLE SOCIETY
OF THE INNER TEMPLE

SECOND EDITION

LONDON
R. D. DICKINSON, FARRINGDON STREET

1886

PREFACE AND GUIDE.

THIS book is an assemblage of striking and interesting scientific
facts, arranged so as to be of immediate use to men who require
ti suggestive topic, a forcible analogy, a cogent symbol, or a
suitable illustration.

It may also be pleasant reading to busy lovers of Nature who
are glad to spare half-hours from time to time in contemplating
the marvels of Creation.

Anecdotes have long been used to illustrate moral truth ; but
scientific facts are often preferable. Clergymen and ministers
are finding out that their hearers are somewhat tired of such of
the former as are drawn chiefly from the sentimental side of life
and do not rest upon reliable historical foundation.

Scientific facts being revelations of Nature herself, are not
open to cavil. Nature is a parable ; and if we listen with reverent,
loving ears, and look with sincere, eager eyes where she invites
us, we receive eternal truths. Every pond, and every star, has
its distinctive lesson ready for the man who will learn it.
Professor H. Drummond in his suggestive work speaks of
"natural law in the spiritual world." From my point of view
these terms should be reversed. Spiritual law is the one and
only law. The universe is merely the mirror thereof.

As regards the mechanical arrangement of the present volume,
it is such as should render rapid reference to every part quite
easy. All kindred topics are grouped throughout its pages
together. Besides this, there is at page 407 an alphabetical
index of all the general topics; and on page 416 an index of
natural objects, technical terms, places, things, and creatures.

vi PREFACE AND GUIDE.

In the third place, there is also a list of the books from which
various important facts have been culled, and an explanation
of those abbreviations which are used throughout these pages to
indicate the respective responsible authorities.

It is to be distinctly understood that no author whom I have
quoted is ever responsible for any illustration, symbol, analogy,
deduction, inference, or comment which I have anywhere made,
The references, which for convenience are placed at the end of
the topics, leave all such responsibility with me, and only indi-
cate the source whence the facts are derived.

In every instance — except that of merely common knowledge
— I designate by the abbreviation the name of some authority to
whom I am indebted for my information, and who may be re-
garded as eminently trustworthy. Wherever it has seemed
necessary I have given his very words. I thought it better to
do so than to curtail them ; because, whilst it is unnecessary that
any application of a particular fact should be more than a few
hints, it certainly is requisite, in an important instance, that the
fact itself should be stated with precision by the most competent
person, so that any speaker who uses it may be thereby made
master of his subject.

With a view to condensation I have, whenever possible, com-
pressed the moral application of my facts into the denoting
headings of the paragraphs.

SCIENTIFIC
ILLUSTRATIONS AND SYMBOLS.

Abjectness Caused by Dependency.

A CONDITION of long dependence upon the help of others will
always reduce men to a state more or less abject. This effect
of such dependence is also very obvious in the case of some
animals, and notably in that of the sheep. With no one quality
now to fit it for self-preservation, the sheep makes vain attempts
at all. Without swiftness it endeavours to fly ; and without
strength sometimes offers to oppose. But these feeble attempts
rather incite than repress the insults of every enemy ; and the
dog follows the flock with greater delight upon seeing them fly,
and attacks them with more fierceness upon their unsupported
attempts at resistance. Indeed, they run together in flocks
rather with the hopes of losing their single danger in the crowd,
than of uniting to repress the attack by numbers. The sheep,
therefore, were it exposed in its present state to struggle with its
natural enemies of the forest, would soon be extirpated. Loaded
with a heavy fleece, deprived of the defence of its horns, and
rendered heavy, slow, and feeble, it can have no other safety
than what it finds from man. Its long state of dependency has
made it abject. A.

Extermination of Aborigines.

Englishmen are not the only creatures who are successful
colonists. And the credit, if any, of exterminating aborigines
they are entitled to share with insects. Let us take the case of

2 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Ace

tho Australian bee. The Australian bee is about the size of a
fly, and without any sting ; but the English bee has been so
successfully introduced as to be now abundant in a wild state
in the bush, spreading all over the Australian continent, and
yielding large quantities of honey, which it deposits in the
liollows of trees : the immense quantity of honey-yielding
llowers, as Xanthorrhcea, Eucalyptus, Banksia, and a multitude
of others afford an abundant supply of material. The foreign
bee is fast driving away the aboriginal insect as the European
is exterminating the Black from the settled districts, so that the
Australian bee is now very scarce. Does this illustrate the
"survival of the fittest "? G.

Absolute Rest and Motion.

Motion and rest are either relative or absolute. By the rela-
tive motion or rest of a body we mean its change or permanence
of position with respect to surrounding bodies ; by its absolute
motion or rest we mean the change or permanence of its position
with respect to ideal fixed points in space. Thus a passenger
in a railway carriage may be in a state of relative rest with
respect to the train in which he travels, but he is in a state of
relative motion with respect to the objects (fields, houses, &c.)
past which the train rushes. These houses, again, enjoy merely
u state of relative rest, for the earth itself which bears them
is in a state of incessant relative motion with respect to the
celestial bodies of our solar system. In short, absolute motion
and rest are unknown to us ; in Nature relative motion and
rest are alone presented to our observation. EL.

Nature's Governance of Accidents.

The accident of the individual may be the design of Nature.
We see this illustrated again and again in the lives of men and
in the history of nations. In the forest we may clearly observe
Nature's governance of accidents. Many noble oaks have been
planted by the squirrel, who unconsciously yields no incon-
siderable boon to the domains he infests. Towards autumn this
provident little animal mounts the branches of oak-trees, strips

Ada] AND SYMBOLS. 3

off the acorns, and buries them in the earth, as a supply of food
against the severities of winter. He is most probably not gifted
with a memory of sufficient retention to enable him to find ever}r
one he secretes, which are thus left in the ground, and springing
up the following year, together with others which he accidentally
drops, finally grow into magnificent trees. The nut-hatch in
an indirect manner also frequently becomes a planter. Having
twisted off their boughs a cluster of beech-nuts, this curious bird
resorts to some favourite tree, whose bole is uneven, and
endeavours, by a series of manoeuvres, to get it into one of the
crevices of the bark. During the operation it oftentimes falls
accidentally to the ground, and is caused to germinate by the
moisture of winter. Many small beeches are found growing
near the haunts of the nut-hatch, which have evidently been
planted in this accidental manner. Thus, without design on
their part, the squirrel and the nut-hatch are most influential
planters of the two finest trees of the forest. When we gaze
with awe and admiration upon the grandest oak and the most
splendid beech in the landscape, we may reflect that those two
trees may actually owe their existence to two trifling accidents
— the one being that of a bird with a nut, and the other being
that of a squirrel with an acorn — which happened more than a
centurv a£jo ! no.

Adaptation a Law of Nature.

Nothing is more variable than the appearance of the stem in
vegetables and trees. The form, size, and direction of the stem
are beautifully adapted to the part which each plant has to take
in the vast vegetable population which covers and adorns the
globe. Plants which require to live in a pure and often renewed
air, have a straight stem, either robust or slender, according to
their individual habit. Where they require a moist and denser
atmosphere, when they have to creep along the ground, or to
glide among the brambles, the stems are usually long, flexible,
and trailing. If they have to float in the air, supporting them-
selves by plants of more robust growth, or to hang suspended
from forest trees in graceful festoons and light garlands, they are
provided with flexible, slender, and pliant stems, which enable

4 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Ada

them to embrace with their tendrils the trunks of trees or shrubs.
Thus Nature fashions the outward forms of plants according
to the part which they are intended to fill, and according to the
functions which have been allotted to them. v.

The Incapability of Adapting Oneself.

Many interesting facts might be brought forward respecting
the difficulty or facility which different animals have in accommo-
dating themselves to varieties of temperature. It would appear
that some animals, particularly those which inhabit the colder
latitudes, enjoy a very limited range. Among these may be
mentioned the reindeer, the Esquimaux dog, and the Arctic
or great white bear. All the Esquimaux dogs brought to this
country have perished. Arctic bears when imported suffer very
much from the change of temperature, and, in order to keep
them alive for any length of time, it is necessary to maintain a
certain degree of artificial cold in the places where they are kept.
Every attempt to introduce that beautiful and useful animal, the
reindeer, into England or Scotland, has invariably failed, though
in the latter country the moss, which constitutes the principal part
of its food, grows in great abundance. On the other hand, it is
equally curious that most animals brought hither from tropical
climates die of some form of scrofula. Eor there is a, law of
limitation for animals and men. And the facts respecting
the limited range enjoyed by some animals are not more note-
worthy than are those respecting the limited range of some men.
There are some persons who do well enough in the dull dreary
region of a cold official life, whose existence is unendurable in
the midst of the associations of wit and romance. The red-
tape species die if brought away from the frigid regions of
officialism and formality ; and there are many poor men who live
honest useful lives in the scenes of indigence, who, when fortune
unexpectedly transports them into the luxurious scenes of
opulence and gaiety, die from some one or other of the results of
the change for which they were not constituted. Many attempts
have been made to remove very good men from one position
into another, and the result has been a termination of their
usefulness, and often of their life. The notion that men can

[Ado AND SYMBOLS. 5

adapt themselves to anything is an error arising from a want of
observation. There is a sphere for every man ; and as a rule, the
removal of him when he is fairly acclimatised either renders him
useless altogether, or makes it necessary that he shall be sustained
by artificial inventions, and in that case he cannot lead that natural
life -which is necessary to the full development of his powers. It
will also be found that these difficulties in adapting men to
great changes of position increase with their age. 8.

The Love of Admiration.

Man is an animal possessed of a powerful instinct to orna-
ment himself, and to attract the attention of his fellows by
various external decorations. This is a passion strong in every
one of us : whether in the savage, who prides himself on his
tattooing ; or the !New Zealand chief, who disfigures his face
with linear incisions ; or the Red Indian, who considers the
ring in his nose as the symbol of nobility ; or the military,
arrayed in all the glories of feathers and gold lace ; or the fine
lady, in the fantastic creations of Parisian millinery. It is the
love of admiration that gives the common impulse to all. This
is the reason why the savage barters his gold for beads and
ostrich feathers, and why the soldier sheds his blood like water
for an iron cross or a silver medal. It is this which makes the
courtier sigh for a ribbon, or a star, or a garter ; and the citizen
gaze with admiration and awe at the cocked hat of the sheriff,
and the gilded coach of the lord mayor. s.

Adoration Premeditating the Destruction of its Object.

Every reader of newspapers is familiar with the recurring in-
cident of an inquest held over a person who has been killed by
another, on the avowed ground that he had for the deceased a
passionate adoration. The alliance between the deep feeling of
adoration, or even passionate love, and the determination of the
will to accomplish the destruction of the object which has called
forth the feeling, is one of those paradoxes which, though forced
on us, we cannot solve, unless, indeed, we accept as an explana-
tion that ready verdict of " insanity," which is an easy mode

6 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Adv

of shelving many metaphysical problems which are incon-
veniently baffling. But the fact is, even that would not account
for the anomaly altogether in this case. Because there are
people who systematically exhibit this anomaly as a settled
principle of their procedure. We refer to the Samoiedes (or
Samoyedes). They are scattered to the number of about a
thousand families along the coasts of the Frozen Sea in the
Government of Archangel, and in Siberia in the Governments
of Tobolsk and Tomsk. They are heathens, worshipping the
sun and moon, the water and the trees; but above all they
adore the bear, to whom they pray. Yet they hunt him to death.
Howbeit, before they enter upon any expedition against him, so
intense is their adoration of him, that they religiously spend
time in offering prayers and sacrifices to him. D.

Our Professional Adventurers.

The sea-mews, terns, boobies, and cormorants, live princi-
pally on fish which they catch for themselves. But the skuas
(Stercoraria) incessantly pursue, harass, and beat these species
until they have forced them to disgorge and drop their booty.
Before the fish falls into the sea it is caught by the active perse-
cutors. But these robbers are held in veneration in the Shetland
Islands, and the care and protection of the sheep are almost
entirely entrusted to them, owing to their possessing an invete-
rate hatred against eagles, for as soon as an eagle appears in
view, three or four of them combine together to give him battle.
They never attack him. in front, but harass him pitilessly until
his strength is so reduced that they can completely conquer him,
or at least force him to retreat. Here we have what might have
been intended as an allegory illustrative of " Our Professional
Adventurers." The sea-mews, terns, boobies, and cormorants
represent our bill-discounters, accountants, syndicate-mongers,
and brokers. The skuas represent the lawyers who perpetually
hunt, harass, and rob them of their earnings. These lawyers
are not ostracised, but, on the contrary, are, like the skuas,
encouraged ; because they are supposed to protect a lamb- like
public from the pillage of even greater rogues. Social skuas
are deemed preferable to social eagles. RE.

Agg] AND SYMBOLS. 7

The Uniting1 Power of Adversity.

Many people who are very quarrelsome in prosperity, become
very good friends when hostile circumstances throw them to-
gether. Many statesmen who quarrel desperately when they
are in power, become firm friends when they are combined
together on the Opposition bench. So venomous and non-veno-
mous snakes, when confined together, appear to live in good
fellowship ; they are then generally seen mutually entwined in
voluminous and intricate folds, and they have enjoyments in
common, for they all drink water freely, and seem pleased
when any is thrown over them. No doubt, restraint of liberty
and metaphorical cold water are good things for pacifying all
snake natures. G.

Aggressive Glory.

One of the most terrible of insects is that which is appropri-
ately called the driver ant of Western Africa (Anomma arcens).
They drive before them every living creature. There is not an
animal that can withstand them. In their march they carry
destruction before them, and every beast knows instinctively
that it must not cross their track. They have been known to
destroy even the agile monkey when their swarming host had
once made a lodgment on its body. So completely is the dread
of them on every living creature that on their approach whole
villages are deserted. Fire will frighten almost any creature,
but it has no terrors for the driver ant, which will dash at a
glowing coal, fix its jaws in the burning mass, and straightway
shrivel up in the heat. Here is a noble model for aggressive
military nations. When ants can be so courageous in the work
of destruction, surely men should renew their zeal in that
direction. Besides the eclat which must attach to them if
they equal the driver ants, there are ribbons and crosses and
decorations awaiting them, and the plaudits of Christendom.

H.

SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Agg

An Example for Human Aggressors.

It sometimes happens that the bees of an impoverished hive,
impelled by hunger, make up their minds to attack and pillage
a neighbouring hive which is well stocked with provisions.
Reaumur relates a strange fact which, he says, he has often
observed, and which proves that the bees do not fight to satisfy
a sanguinary and savage instinct, but (which is less reprehensible)
to satisfy their hunger. Bees attacked by a superior force are
in no danger of losing their lives if their enemies can induce
them to give up their throats — that expression conveys the idea.
Supposing three or four are previously attacking one bee : they
are pulling it by its legs, and biting it on its thorax. The
unfortunate object of this attack has then nothing better to do,
to escape alive from such a perilous situation, than to stretch out
its trunk laden with sweet-scented honey. The plunderers will
come one after the other and drink the honey ; then, cloyed,
satisfied, having nothing more to demand, they go their way,
leaving the bee to return to his dwelling-place. In the latter
part of their proceedings they set a good example to human
aggressors who, when they rob their fellow-men of their property
and country, are not content with taking that only which they
absolutely require. If all human aggressors emulated the bee,
and never attacked or sought to obtain the goods of others
excepting when absolutely pressed by hunger, the villainy of the
world would be very considerably diminished. L

Fortune is Fickle to Aggressors. ^i

The sea eagles (Pytliargus) are bold enough to attack even
the seal. As they cannot lift him, they cling to his back and
force him ashore by means of their wings. But having buried
its claws deeply in its prey, it is often buried by its own
audacity, for the large seals are sometimes strong enough to dive
and drag their foe under water, where, being unable to dis*-
engage its talons, it is compelled to stay and meet a miserable
death. Here, in the language of Horace, we have the pleasure
of seeing " Fortune quitting the proud, and returning to the
wretched." The seal is one of the most harmless and intelli-
gent of animals, and the attack made upon it by the rapacious

Anc] AND SYMBOLS. 9

aggression of the sea eagle meets a fitting termination when
that bold bird is dragged to its just doom under the sea. In
many of our history tales, and in most of our novels, we see a
working out of this principle of proper retribution overtaking
the wrong-doer. The interest very properly centres in the
arrival of Nemesis to interview the guilty ; and we all pray

" May Fortune with returning smiles now bless
Afflicted worth, and impious pride depress."

RE.

Analogues.

The outline of a tree in full summer foliage may be seen
represented in the outline of any one of its leaves ; the uniform
cellular tissue which composes the flat surface of the leaf being
equivalent to the round irregular mass of the foliage. In fact,
the green cells which clothe the veins of the leaf, and fill up all
its interspaces, may be regarded as the analogues of the green
leaves which clothe the branches of the tree ; and although the
leaf be in one plane, there are many trees, such as the beech,
whose foliage, when looked at from a certain point of view, is
also seen to be in one plane. Tall pyramidal trees have narrow
leaves, as we see in the needles of the pine ; while wide-spread-
ing trees, on the other hand, have broad leaves, as may be
observed in those of the elm or sycamore. In every case the
correspondence between the shape of the individual leaf and
the whole mass of the foliage is remarkably exact, even in the
minutest particulars, and cannot fail to strike with wonder
every one who notices it for the first time. Not only in trees,
but in shrubs, grasses, and all herbaceous plants, we find the
same typical correspondence between the leaf and the whole
plant ; we find the plant pattern repeated in the leaf pattern.
Every individual plant furnishes a special illustration of it, and
in some instances the resemblance is very extraordinary, placing
it beyond doubt that it is intentional, and not accidental — design,
and not mere coincidence. B.

Reliance on Ancestry.

There are persons who seem to have nothing on which to
base their claims to notice but the fact that they had noble

lo SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Ang

ancestry, and they are never tired of informing you of that fact.
There is every reason for likening them, as Sir T. Overbury did,
to that useful esculent, the potato. They make a show, arid
flourish ; but the best part of them, according to their own
boasting, is, like the potato, buried and underground. NE.

The Uses of Anger.

It might at first appear well for mankind if the bee were
without its sting ; but upon recollection it will be found that
the little animal would then have too many rivals in sharing
its labours. A hundred other lazy animals, fond of honey and
hating labour, would intrude upon the sweets of the hive, and
the treasure would be carried off for want of armed guardians to
protect it. And it might at first appear well for mankind if the
principle of anger was not a part of our constitution. But then
we should be overrun with rogues. The presence of anger,
always ready to start forth when an injury is done or intended,
has the effect of suppressing much gross impudence and intoler-
able oppression. The sting of noble anger applied to a dastard
who has bullied the weak or injured the unoffending has a most
salutary influence in restraining him for the future, and in
warning his fraternity of the like punishment which is all ready
for them. But man should control his anger as the bee does
her sting. It is not to be perpetually projected on every possible
occasion, but to be used only when impertinence, laziness, in-
justice, or fraud requires. A.

Anger Manages Everything Badly.

When the lion is irritated, he flogs his sides with, his tail,
and shakes his mane. If, therefore, a traveller finds himself
unexpectedly in the presence of a lion, he may know the
animal's intentions, and take precautions accordingly. If the
tail does not move, the animal may be passed without fear ; but
under the reverse circumstances no time must be lost in seeking
a place of refuge, unless you are in a position to commence
a contest with fire-arms, and then the more prompt and deter-
mined your action the more successful will be the issue. The
fact is, that the lion by his anger deprives himself of a good

Ani] AND SYMBOLS. ri

opportunity of stealing a march upon you. He loses ground,
and gives you vantage by his manifestation of it. It was an
old maxim with Statius, that "Anger manages everything badly."
In the transactions of mankind undoubtedly he was right in
this. It would seem from the conduct of the lion that the
maxim may have some application even to animals. M.

The Common Bond of Animated Nature.

When after a lengthened voyage and far from home, says
Humboldt, we for the first time set foot in a tropical land, we
are pleased to recognise in the rocks and mountain masses the
same mineral species we have left behind — clay, slate, basaltic
amygdaloid and the like, the universal distribution of which
seems to assure us that the old crust of the earth has been
formed independently of the external influences of existing
climes. But this well-known crust is covered with the forms
of a foreign flora. Yet here, surrounded by unwonted vegetable
forms, impressed with a sense of the overwhelming amount of
the tropical organising force, in presence of an exotic nature in
all things, the native of the northern hemisphere has revealed
to him the wonderful power of adaptation inherent in the human
mind. We feel ourselves, in fact, akin to all that is organised ;
and though at first we may fancy that one of our native land-
scapes, with its appropriate features, like a native dialect, would
present itself to us in more attractive colours, and rejoice us
more than the foreign scene with its profusion of vegetable life,
we nevertheless soon begin to find that we are burghers even
under the shade of the palms of the torrid zone. In virtue of
the mysterious connection of all organic forms (and occasionally
the feeling of the necessity of this connection lies within us),
these new exotic forms present themselves to our fancy as
exalted and ennobled out of those which surrounded our child-
hood. Blind feeling, therefore, says the same great traveller,
and the enchainment of the phenomena perceived by sense, in
the same measure as reason and the combining faculty, lead us
to the recognition which now penetrates every grade of humanity,
that a common bond, according to determinate laws, and there-
fore eternal, embraces the whole of animated nature. K.

12 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Ann

Nothing is Annihilated.

Denudation is the inseparable accompaniment of the pro-
duction of all new strata of mechanical origin. The formation
of every new deposit by the transport of sediment and pebbles
necessarily implies that there has been somewhere else a grind-
ing down of rock into rounded fragments, sand, or mud, equal
in quantity to the new strata. All deposition, therefore, except
in the case of a shower of volcanic ashes, is the sign of super-
ficial waste going on contemporaneously and to an equal
amount elsewhere. The gain at one point is no more than
sufficient to balance the loss at some other. Here a lake has
grown shallower, there a ravine has been deepened. The bed
of the sea has in one region been raised by the accumulation of
new matter, in another its depth has been augmented by the
abstraction of an equal quantity. Nothing whatever is anni-
hilated. For "matter," says Koucher, "like an eternal river,
stills rolls on without diminution." Everything perishes :: yet
nothing is lost. E.

Annoyance a Law of Life.

Everyday events manifest to very superficial observation,
that no created being, from the monster of the ocean ^ to the
insect that feebly creeps on the ground, exists free from the
persecutions or annoyances of another. Some may be subject
to fewer injuries than others, but none are wholly exempt : the
strong assail by power, and become assaulted themselves by
the minute or weak. The hornet attacks the wasp. The wasp
itself seizes the housefly, and the fly in its turn is conducive
after its manner to the death of many an animal. j.

Mortal Effects of Multiplied Annoyances.

Xear Golubacs, on the Danube, there is a range of caverns
famous for producing the minute poisonous fly too well known in
Servia and Hungary under the name of the Golubacser fly. These
singular and venomous insects, somewhat resembling musquitoes,
generally make their appearance during the 'first great heat of the

Ann] AND SYMBOLS. 13

summer, in such numbers as to appear like vast volumes of smoke.
Their attacks are always directed against every description of
quadruped, and so potent is the poison they communicate,
that even an ox is unable to withstand its influence, for he
always expires in less than two hours. This results, not so
much from the virulence of the poison, as that every vulner-
able part is simultaneously covered by numbers of these most
destructive insects ; when the wretched animals, frenzied with
pain, rush wild through the fields till death puts a period to
their sufferings, or they accelerate dissolution by plunging
headlong in the rivers. During life's pilgrimage a man has
sometimes to pass through scenes which are fraught with
petty annoyances. They harass him like these flies. He may
successfully defy several ; but when he is simultaneously
attacked by them on all hands he often utterly collapses, or
£oes mad. no.

o

Our Allotted Annoyances.

The gad-fly or breeze-fly of the sheep, (Estrus (Ceplialemyia)
ovis, has obtained notoriety on account of its attacking those
animals. Even at the sight of this insect the sheep feels the
greatest terror. As soon as one of them appears the flock
becomes disturbed, the sheep that is attacked shakes its head
when it feels the fly on its nostril, and at the same time strikes
the ground violently with its fore feet ; it then commences to
run here and there, holding its nose near the ground, smelling
the grass, and looking about anxiously to see if it is still pur-
sued. It is to avoid the attacks of the Cephalemyia that
during the hot days of summer sheep lie down with their
nostrils buried in dusty ruts, or stand up with their heads
lowered between their fore-legs, and their noses nearly in con-
tact with the ground. When these poor beasts are in the open
country, they are observed assembled with their nostrils against
each other and very near the ground, so that those which occupy
the outside are alone exposed. It seems singular that an animal
so thoroughly harmless as the sheep should be tormented in
this manner. Yet so it is. There appears to be a law running
through creation ordaining to each creature certain allotted

14 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [App

annoyances. Men are no more exempt from this law than
sheep. Even the most harmless among them has to endure
his gad-fly. To one it comes in the form of unaccountable
disease, to another in the form of systematic bad fortune, to
another in the form of insolent children, to another in the
shape of a Zantippe-like wife ; but in some way or other every
man has to endure his allotted annoyance. There is not a man
who has not his gad-fly. I.

A Needed Antidote Supplied by Nature.

The Quinquinas (Genus Cinchona; family Ruliacece) are
medical plants, than which none are more precious. They grow
along the eastern slope of the Andean Cordilleras in the republics
of Venezuela, New Granada, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. The
bark is the most effective of all febrifuges, and is endowed with
very valuable tonic and depuratory properties. Sir Samuel
Baker, in an address to the British Association at Dundee, pro-
nounced it the traveller's best friend, the powerful weapon with
which he could securely enter the African wilderness, and suc-
cessfully contend against its demon-host of fevers and agues.
And as if by a kind of compensation, the tropical forests, which
contain so many poisonous fruits, produce such trees as these.

D.

Appearance at Variance with Character.

The Medusae are amongst the most beautiful creatures in
nature, and appear absolutely harmless. Wonderfully beauti-
ful as are their form and colour, the amount of solid matter
contained in their tissues is incredibly small. The greater part
of their substance appears to consist of a fluid differing little, if
at all, from the sea-water in which the animal swims ; and when
this is drained away, so extreme is the tenuity of the mem-
branes which contained it, that the dried residue of a "jelly
fish," weighing two pounds, which was examined by Professor
Owen, weighed only thirty grains ! Yet these creatures are
capable of executing movements with considerable vivacity;
their disc contracts and dilates alternately by the action of a
band of what must be regarded as a muscular tissue; their

App] AND SYMBOLS. 15

tentacles are capable of seizing upon and destroying, by a
subtle venom, animals of far more complicated structure than
themselves ; and their delicate stomachs have the power of
speedily digesting the victim. Small fishes and Crustacea, and
all the infinite multitude of minute marine creatures, are seized
and paralysed by their deadly arms ; and as the mouth and
stomach are capable of almost indefinite dilation, the size of
their prey often appears exceedingly disproportionate. In fact,
in spite of the extreme delicacy of their tissue, these beautiful
Medusae are amongst the most voracious inhabitants of the
ocean. They afford another instance of the fact that, whether
among fishes or men and women, a beautiful and harmless
appearance is not inconsistent with a greedy and poisonous
character. N. H.

A Fine Appearance with a Nasty Character.

When the peacock appears with its tail expanded, there is
none of the feathered creation can vie with it for beauty, yet
the horrid scream of its voice serves to abate the pleasure we
find from viewing it ; and still more its insatiable gluttony and
spirit of depredation make it one of the most noxious domestics
that man has taken under his protection. Who has not known
peacock-men in every department of life — those who, by their
admirable demeanour, elegance, suavity, and graces, have irre-
sistibly awakened admiration, yet on acquaintance were detected
as the possessors of qualities which belied their appearance and
rendered them odious? Who has not known acquaintances
whose appearance suggested everything that was chaste, refined,
and graceful, but whose disposition was in every way unlovely
—who, like the peacock, were delightful as a spectacle, but in
other respects detestable ? A.

Appearances Fallacious Tests.

We require to be incessantly discriminating between the
reality and the thing that is like the reality. Even the insect
and the leaf enforce this lesson. Look at those singular insects
of which the herbivorous tribe, Phasmina, is composed, to which,

16 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [App

from their close resemblance to vegetable productions, the names
of walking sticlcs and walking leaves are commonly given. Both
are remarkable in their appearance. In the walking leaves
(Pliylliidce) the body is very flat and thin, and the wings form
large, leaf-like organs, covering nearly the whole abdomen, and
furnished with irregularly reticulated nervures, which give them
exactly the aspect of a leaf. This leafy structure pervades the
whole animal; the legs, especially the thighs, being always
foliaceous. Some species are of a bright green colour, whilst
others are of the brown of dead leaves ; and the natives of the
countries inhabited by these curious creatures generally inform
Europeans that the insects are all green at first, but that as the
leaves change colour they change also. But even amidst the
changes still the "things are not what they seem." Take another
example illustrating the same principle. It is well enough known
that many creatures, formerly supposed to be vegetable, such as
the corals and the zoophytes, have since found their proper place
in the animal kingdom ; and one consequence of this reforma-
tion was, that several real plants were supposed to be animals,
because they possessed some of the characteristics which had dis-
tinguished those animals that had been placed in their proper
position. Of these plants the coralline is a good example, for
until a comparatively late period it was placed among the
animals in company with the true corals. There was reason
for this error, for the coralline is a very curious plant indeed,
gathering from the sea-water, and depositing in its own sub-
stance so large an amount of carbonate of lime that when the
purely vegetable part of the alga dies and is decomposed, the
chalky portion remains, retaining the same shape as the entire
plant, and very much resembling those zoophytes with which
it has been confounded. While growing, the coralline is of a
dark purple colour, but when removed from the water the
purple tint vanishes, and the white stony skeleton remains. It
is, however, a true vegetable, as may be seen by dissolving away
the chalky portions in acid; there is then left a vegetable
framework precisely like that of other algse belonging to the
same sub-class. N. H. & c.

Ass] AND SYMBOLS. 17

Appreciation Intensified by Occasional Deprivation.

As a rule men and women do not appreciate keenly those
things which they always possess. Occasional absence makes
the heart grow fonder. Take, for example, the zest with which 1
we enjoy the return of vegetation in spring, because we have
been deprived of it all the winter. The inhabitants of the|
Southern Hemisphere — South America, Australia, and the Cape
of Good Hope — have no such zest in reference to their vegeta-
tion, because its leaves are not periodically lost. Thus those
people lose the enjoyment of, perhaps, one of the most glorious
spectacles in the world — the first bursting into full foliage of the
leafless tree. They may, however, say that we pay dearly for
our delight by having the land covered with mere naked
skeletons for so many months. This is too true ; but our senses
acquire a keen relish for the exquisite green of the spring, which
the eyes of those living within the tropics, sated during the long
year with the gorgeous productions of those glowing climates,
can never experience. EO.

Assimilation.

There is in man a principle of assimilation. From books,
companions, and circumstances he extracts just those principles
which will build up his character. Out of heterogeneous
materials his nature converts to its own use whatever is appro-
priate. So it is with his body. However various the articles
of food and drink may be, it is clear that there is a process by
which all differences are annulled and a uniform result attained.
Whatever characters these substances may have outside the
organism, are altered shortly after their entrance into it ; specific
differences vanish, and all varieties are merged in a vital
unity. PH.

Triumph of Associated Labour.

A single bee, with all its industry, energy, and innumerable
journeys it has to perform, will not collect more than a tea-
spoonful of honey in a single season, and yet the total weight of
honey taken from a single hive is often from sixty to one
hundred pounds. A very profitable lesson to mankind of

1 8 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Atfc

what great results may arise from persevering and associated
labour ! I. o.

Astonishment.

Certain folks are perpetually being astonished. The staunch
old Churchman is astonished at any innovation in the form of
worship ; he cannot recognise his religion unless it has always
the same surroundings. The old Tory is always astonished at
the inevitable changes in the details of the Constitution ; for
unless he has all the same externals he cannot believe his
position to be safe. Among domestic animals the cow is the
worthy representation of this feeling of astonishment. On any
alteration of its accustomed haunts, such as the change in the
appearance of a building, it is as astonished as a narrow
theologian is at a new theological term. The astonishment of
the cow at a new door has made the proverb, " Like a cow at a
new door." Dogs are astonished at any change in the outward
appearance of those they are familiar with, and at any strange
object : encompassing it repeatedly, and smelling at it to discover
its nature. They cannot recognise their master in the water,
but swim round him, astonished at hearing his voice, without
identifying him. p.

Athletic Glory.

The young athletic negroes in their ivory hunts well know
the prowess of the gorilla. He does not, like the lion, sullenly
retreat on seeing them, but swings himself rapidly down to the
lower branches, courting the conflict, and clutches at the fore-
most of his enemies. The hideous aspect of his visage, his
green eyes flashing with rage, is heightened by the thick and
prominent brows being drawn spasmodically up and down, with
the hair erect, causing a horrible and fiendish scowl. Weapons
are torn from their possessor's grasp, gun-barrels bent and
crushed in by the powerful hands and vice-like teeth of the
enraged athlete. Two negroes will be walking through one of
the woodland paths, unsuspicious of evil, when in an instant
one misses his companion, or turns to see him drawn up in .the
air with a convulsed, choking cry, and in a few minutes dropped
to the ground a strangled corpse. The terrified survivor gazes

Att] AND SYMBOLS. 19

up, and meets the grin and glare of the fiendish giant, who,
watching his opportunity, had suddenly put down his immense
hind-hand, caught the wretch by the neck with resistless power,
and dropped him only when he ceased to struggle. We make
a great boast at the present time about our athletics. Mr.
Wilkie Collins, in his masterly preface to " Man and Wife,"
expatiates upon the disastrous effect which has been produced
upon society by " the recent unbridled development of physical
cultivation in England," and clearly proves the intimate con-
nection which exists between that and the " recent spread of
grossness and brutality among certain classes of the English
population." Yet there are thousands of gentlemen who almost
venerate one of their number who may happen to be an athlete.
They appear to consider that the qualities which make up the
character are really noble. Let them study the gorilla, the ape
which most resembles man, and then reflect that when they
have done their utmost to train for the championship of the
world, that awful brute is their superior. RO.

The World Mirrored in an Atom.

There are myriads of atoms existing in a single drop of water,
recreating and executing all their functions and evolutions with
as much rapidity and apparent facility as if the range afforded
to them was as boundless as the ocean. He who has attentively
watched the motions of these living atoms in a single drop of
water, as displayed by the oxyhydrogen microscope, must feel
impressed with the conviction that their motions are voluntary,
and that their lives, like that of man, exhibit a mingled scene
of pain and of enjoyment. Their extreme minuteness, as judged
of by our feeble senses, does not prevent them from. having a
multiplicity of organs for their use, probably as perfect as in
much larger animals. s.

Reciprocal Attraction.

Reciprocal attraction is a principle running throughout the ,
world. Its result among men is friendship. Its consequence
in matter is adhesion. If two leaden bullets are cut with a I
penknife so as to form two equal and brightly polished surfaces,/

20 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Aud

and the two faces are pressed and turned against each other
until they are in the closest contact, they adhere so strongly as
to require a force of more that 100 grammes to separate them.
The same experiment may be made with two equal pieces of
glass, which are polished and made perfectly plane. When
they are pressed one against the other, the adhesion is so
powerful that they cannot be separated without breaking. As
the experiment succeeds in vacuo it cannot be due to atmo-
spheric pressure, but must be attributed to a reciprocal attraction
between the two surfaces. The attraction also increases as the
contact is prolonged, and is greater in proportion as the contact
is close. So with true friendship. EL.

The Attractive may be Perilous.

Of the poisonous plants of South America, an interesting one
is the manchineal (Hippomam mancenilla). This tree thrives
best, it is said, on the sea-shore. It bears a profusion of very pretty
fruit, resembling in form and colour the red apple (the Spanish
Manzanilla), and exhaling an agreeable lemon-like odour. They
are, therefore, scarcely less beguiling than Dead-Sea fruits ; but
they are also very poisonous, yet less deadly than the milky
juice which flows from the slightest incision made in the tree's
thick and greyish bark. This juice, received into the stomach,
or introduced into the blood through a wound, slays the victim
with awful quickness. If it do but touch the skin, it excites
a violent irritation, and raises swellings or boils of the worst
description. The very vapour which it emits causes a painful
itching in the eyes, the lips, and the nostrils. It was formerly
asserted that to sleep under the shade of a manchineal tree was
certain death, but the naturalist Jacquin, in the interests of
science, courageously made the experiment and proved the
falsity of the story. D.

Audacity and Ingratitude as Natural Characteristics.

The cuckoo is a perfect type of a creature endowed by
nature with audacity and ingratitude as its prominent character-

Aud] AND SYMBOLS. 21

istics. Instead of building a nest for itself, the cuckoo always
audaciously deposits her eggs in the nests of some of the smaller
insectivorous birds, generally placing only one egg in each nest.
The egg of the cuckoo is comparatively of small size, so that
the small birds into whose nest the intruder is thus foisted, are
not alarmed at its presence, but hatch it together with their own
offspring, and when hatched pay as much attention to the
young parasite as if his presence in the nest was perfectly
legitimate. The young cuckoo, however, repays all this care
with a behaviour which is gross ingratitude ; for as soon as he
has acquired sufficient strength, he proceeds in the most busi-
ness-like manner to get rid of his foster-brothers, in order to
appropriate to the gratification of his own inordinate appetite
the whole of the supplies brought by the parent birds. For
this purpose he gently insinuates himself under the body of
one of the young birds, and by the assistance of his wings,
contrives to hoist the unfortunate little animal upon his back,
which is furnished with a peculiar depression to enable the
latter to rest comfortably in that dangerous position. Having
succeeded thus far, the young cuckoo proceeds backwards to
the edge of the nest, and then, with a sudden jerk, throws off
his burden. In this manner, in the course of a few days, the
usurper remains in undisturbed possession of the nest, and
secures to himself the entire attention of the birds which he
has thus deprived of their legitimate offspring. This care is
continued long after the young cupkoo has left the nest. "We
see, therefore, that both the audacity and the ingratitude which
are the characteristics of this bird are crowned with success.
When we reflect upon this singular fact, we cannot fail to be
struck by the coincidence that these same qualities are just
those which have been such powerful factors in the success of
many men. Nor is it less remarkable that there are certain
families which Nature has endowed with audacity and ingrati-
tude as their most striking peculiarities. The biography of such
persons reveals quite plainly that it was owing entirely to these
cuckoo-like endowments that success attended them throughout
their career. The cuckoo instinct guided them. N. H.

22 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Aut

Audacity a Means of Success.

What may have been the cause of attributing a high degree
of ferocity to the tiger, is its incredible audacity. In this it
differs from the lion, for when hungry no obstacle, not even the
most certain danger, will arrest it. Nor does it delay nor
employ artifice to entrap its prey, nor will it abandon it if
too powerful; neither does it wait to be reduced by hunger
to the last extremity before it braves every obstacle. No ; it
throws itself without hesitation on the first object that presents,
whether man or animal, and will face death a thousand times
in order to carry it off. This temerity is frequently crowned
with success. Not only is it so in the case of tigers, but it is
so also in regard to men. The French people consider that the
success of the men who imposed the first French Kepublic upon
the reluctant nation was due to their acting up to " the maxim of
one of their grand prototypes of 1 793, de I'audace, encore, I'audace,
toujour de I'audace." Whether this estimate be correct or not,
certain it is that many of the vast things of history owe their
accomplishment to the exhibition of that same quality which
distinguishes the tiger — " audacity, always audacity." M.

Posthumous Mischief of Immoral Authors.

It is a remarkable fact, and is proved by Dr. Bell (in his
" History of British Insects "), that the poison of the rattlesnake
is even secreted after death. Dr. Bell, in his dissections of the
rattlesnakes which have been dead many hours, has found
that the poison continued to be secreted so fast as to require to
be dried up occasionally with sponge or rag. The immoral
author, like these rattlesnakes, not only poisons during his life-
time, but after death : because his books possess the subtle
power of secreting the venom to a horrible degree. A moral
sponge is constantly called into requisition to obliterate his
poison for many years after he himself has been dead. RE.

The Jealousy of Autocrats.

Autocrats, whether elected or usurping, are all more or less
jealous. The female autocrat is in some respects worse than the
male. Two queen bees will not live together in the same hive.

Avi] AND SYMBOLS. 23

And indeed, as soon as a young queen-bee is about to lay her
eggs, she is anxious to destroy all the royal pup® which still
exist in the hive. When she has become a mother, she attacks
one after the other the cells which still contain females. She
may be seen to throw herself with fury upon the first cell she
comes to. She tears an opening in it large enough for her to
introduce her sting. "When she has stung the female which it
contains, she withdraws to attack another. Man is not much
behind these jealous insects. Among certain tribes of Ethiopians
the first care of the newly crowned chief is to put in prison all
his brothers, so as to prevent wars by pretenders to the throne.
And even among more civilised nations the records are
numerous of the mean and petty tricks and cruelties adopted
by kings and queens for disposing of any possible rivals. In
favour of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen Bee it must
be said that when she has fairly got rid of all dread of rivalry,
she does set to her own legitimate work for the benefit of the
bee community with indefatigable zeal. It is to be regretted
that equal commendation cannot be given to the human autocrat,
whose laziness and roguery usually increase when security is
assured. i.

A Retribution on Avarice.

In the Island of Ternate, belonging to the Dutch, a place that
had been long celebrated for its beauty and healthfulness, the
clove trees grew in such plenty that they in some measure
lessened their own value : for this reason the Dutch resolved to
cut down the forests, and thus to raise the price of the com-
modity, but they had soon reason to repent of their avarice ;
for such a change ensued by cutting down the trees that the
whole island, from its being healthy and delightful, having lost
its charming shades, became extremely sickly, and has actually
continued so to this day. A.

The Utilisation of Avidity.

The cormorant (Phalacrocorax carlo") has an insatiable
appetite. The havoc it commits in rivers where it successfully
dives for fish is very great. The Chinese and Japanese utilise

24 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Bea

its habits for their own purpose. They turn them loose into
waters abounding with fish, and place a ring round their neck
which prevents them from swallowing the prey when it is
caught. The bird is trained to know its master's voice, and at
his call brings him all the fish it captures. It is wonderfully
dexterous and successful in securing the fish, and thousands of
small rafts and boats are used entirely for this species of fishery.
This is one of the many ways in which men show that they can
profit by the avidity of others. A natural thief is so greedy
that he is often employed by official authority to catch others ;
and hence we have the proverb, "Set a thief to catch a thief."
Lawyers are so rapacious for money that they can be employed
to hunt to the ends of the earth a man who owes any to their
client ; so that Lord Brougham once defined a lawyer as " a man
who wins back your estate for you, and keeps it himself." The
legal cormorant is, however, in these days under better control,
and like the ringed bird, now illustrates how avidity may be
safely utilised. RE.

The Production of the Beautiful.

Beauty, of course, is a mere mental conception. But, if we
once possess the idea and love it, we shall find that we enjoy a
great capacity for the production of that which corresponds to
our idea of what is beautiful. This does not only apply to the
moral world, but also to the material. There we can produce
the beautiful even out of very unpromising materials. Who
could have anticipated that matters so dull and common as sand
and the ash of a wood fire should, under certain circumstances,
unite to form bright transparent glass ? What feat can be con-
ceived more wonderful than from a substance so dingy, dirty,
and unpromising as coal-tar, to create the beautiful series of
aniline colours which we admire as mauve, magenta, solferino,
and bleu de Paris ? To such perfection, indeed, has chemistry
now carried this branch of manufacture, that there is hardly
any tint which may not be obtained from coal-tar by skilful
treatment. BE.

Bea] AND SYMBOLS. 2$

Subtleness and Fragility of Beauty.

Forms and existence of beauty, how evanescent they are !
How subtle, how fragile, yet what a fascination they possess !
Behold them on a humble scale in the life of the Cydippe pileus,
which is fragile as its form. It plays about rapidly, for a time,
in its little world of water, then dies, and disappears as if it had
melted into nothing. Yet when alive, even if it be cut in
pieces or broken up by the force of the waves, as is often the
case, its ciliated bands still continue to perform their work, and
the iridescent light plays over the fragments as beautifully as
when the existence was entire. But beyond compare with
these forms of beauty, see yonder glowing sunset, and its
wondrous tints and lights in their vast supernal splendours !
Oh, vision of beauty ! Alas ! as we gaze the tints are fading, and
the lights grow dim ; the celestial panorama is dissolving ; the
night-winds blow across the dismal sea, and a few darkening
clouds and faint streaks of amber light alone remain to tell of
the evanescence of beauty. D.

•

Unostentatious Beauty.

The name of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty, was first
given to the sea mouse on account of its marvellous loveliness.
The beauty of its hairs is almost inconceivable. They are as
magnificently coloured as the plumes that decorate the throat
of the humming-bird, and, unlike those feathers, change their
colour with every movement. Every colour of the rainbow is
reflected from these hairs ; and as each individual hair reflects
a different colour, it may be imagined that the appearance of
the animal is indeed beautiful. Why the creature should
be endowed with such a gorgeous dress is not easy to see,
because it lives where the light seldom penetrates, and where
its splendid clothing is all hidden. The chosen habita-
tion of the aphrodite is in the muddy bed of the sea, and as
if not satisfied with humbly hiding its beauties in the black
and foetid mud, it creeps beneath stones or shells, so as to be
completely hidden from the light. It is an illustration of a too
retiring unostentatious beauty, and is the reverse of the picture

26 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Bei

of flaunting elegance exhibited by both the peacock and the
vain belle of fashionable society. F.

How to Test the Worth of any Being.

If we put ourselves entirely on one side, and try to look at
animal life as a thing in which we had no part, we should, of
course, in attempting to fix the rank of any being, be guided
almost exclusively by the range and complexity of the duties
the creature was enabled to fulfil. We should use function
almost by itself as a test of worth, and should look upon
structure as simply the means to an end. Dignity of function,
springing as it does out of intricate and finished machinery,
must, when we look at animals apart from ourselves, form the
standard by which rank in life can be judged. On the one
hand, we may ponder over the dreary simplicity of a fish's life,
the monotony of its daily swim, the low character and even
small amount of nervous energy required to move its uniform
masses of muscle, and the feeble working of its diminutive
brain — limited apparently to the stirring up, through rough and
gross sensual perceptions, of a turbid consciousness, which the
accumulation of even years of experience can hardly mould into
anything like intelligence. Even in performing that duty which
usually calls forth the highest cerebral activity, viz., the care of
the young, the greatest effort of the fish is perhaps to construct
a nest of the rudest kind. But turning from these cold and
flabby creatures to the gifted bee, and meditating upon its bright
and varied life — on those wonderful exhibitions of its power
and skill which never fail to excite the admiration of mankind,
and on its finely-wrought and compact organisation put to use
in the facile accomplishments of difficult and delicate tasks, we
think it natural to rank so full a life above that of the plainer
vertebrate. The bee's life is as short as it is bright : it has
little time to learn ; little opportunity of accumulating experience
either for itself or for its offspring. If it were long-lived, and
the race to continue long-lived through many generations, there
would probably cease to be any dispute about the reason and
instinct of bees. If we are to consider mankind as standing at
the head of creation, we can only do so b.y virtue of our many

Bit] AND SYMBOLS. 27

powers and resources, and by reason of our mastery over the
circumstances of life. If we are to single out of the human
race particular individuals for especial rank, it should be those
who are qualified for high service by reason of the range and
character of their virtues and faculties. Q.

The Benignant Soul.

The benignant soul possesses a vital energy and an ubiquity
which resemble the moss. It matters not to the healthy action
of the mosses' functions whether the surrounding air be stagnant
or in motion, for we find them on the mountain-top amid
howling winds and driving storms, and in the calm, silent,
secluded wood, where hardly a breeze penetrates to ruffle their
leaves. The range of flowering-plants is circumscribed by con-
ditions of light, temperature, elevation above the sea, geological
character of the district, and various other physical causes ; but
the wonderful vital energy with which the mosses are endowed,
enables them to resist the most unfavourable influences, to grow
freely and luxuriantly even in the bleakest circumstances, and
to acclimatise themselves, without changing their character, in
any region of the earth, and every kind of situation upon its
surface. They symbolise the benignant soul. It is found in
connection with every form of religion, and where there is no
form of religion at all. In the fierceness of a world's persecution
it maintains its place, yet graces the humble secluded paths of
private life. It is found in men of all colours and climes ; and,
in various forms, dwells wherever there is suffering which needs
solacing, or calamities which demand heroism. FO.

The Biter Bitten.

The common pinna (Pinna pectinatct) are plentiful on the
southern coasts of England, particularly in Cornwall. One or
two inches of the pointed end of the shell are inserted in the
soil In its ordinary position this opening in the shell is about
two inches wide, exposing the contained animal, which occupies
but a small portion of the cavity, and seems to offer itself as
a prey to the first creature that may choose to devour it. Some
fish is thus tempted to enter, but the first touch within is a

28 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Ble

signal for its destruction. The shell closes not only at the side
but top, the latter action being effected by the separation of
the pointed ends, and the captive is either crushed to death,
or soon perishes from confinement. Here is a lesson to men
who are audaciously aggressive in their cupidity. The pinna
which you covet may encompass you ! o. s.

Blessings in Unexpected Places.

Poor as may be the fauna of the desert, there is yet cause
enough for astonishment that the species which compose it,
especially the herbivora, should be able to find subsistence in
these seas of sands, where they can find but a few saline plants
scattered at rare intervals, and where fresh water is almost
wholly wanting. It is, however, well known nowadays that
the wilderness provides its denizens with an aliment, which is
sometimes very abundant, suitable for man, the camel, and the
beasts, and is considered identical by many authorities with the
manna of the Bible. This substance is a cryptogamous vege-
table, variously christened lichen esculentus (Acharius), lecanora
esculenta (Pallas), luttarut (by the Arabs), and vassela-el-ard,
(by the Algerines). It sometimes forms on the sand, in the
morning, a layer one or two inches in thickness, and appears
to have dropped from heaven, or to have sprung spontaneously
from the soil during the night. It is probable that its spores,
transported by the wind, are developed by the humidity which
is condensed through the nocturnal coldness. A growth like
this teaches us not to be depressed on occasions when we may
happen to be in the wilderness tracts of our life. For we often
find blessings in unexpected places. Do not be afraid of the
wilderness when you remember the manna, and observe in this
wonderful provision of Nature how much of aptness there is in
Isaiah's allusion to the wilderness as a fruitful field. D.

Blessings are Relative.

In the recesses of the great cave of Kentucky, miles under
ground, there are waters which no ray of sunlight ever reaches,
and which are inhabited by blind insects and blind fishes. Dr.

Ble] AND SYMBOLS. . 29

Wyman examined fourteen of these fishes (Amblyopsis Spelcem),
and in three or four of them only was he able to detect an eye-
ball beneath the skin. These he dissected, and found that the
eye was wholly covered by areolar tissue, and was not organised
to receive images of external objects. Now, it is universally
affirmed that light is one of the greatest blessings in the world ;
and it might be supposed that if it could be made to penetrate
into any such recess as this cave it would be a vast benefit.
Yet what waste of energy it would be to break through the
rocks and open the rayless waters to the sunlight ! For here
you have creatures which do not need light ; " eyes which see
not," and lives which are independent of the sun. That which
would be an unspeakable blessing to others would be no bless-
ing here. To labour to light up this place would be as un-
necessarily disappointing as are the labours of those educa-
tionists who carry the blessings of music to unharmonious souls,
of reasoning to addle-pated dolts ; of poetry to blockheads ; of
Christliness to hypocritical formalists. Blessings are relative
things. It is absurd to judge that the same thing will benefit
all. It is waste time to attempt to carry the light of knowledge
to creatures whose natures are disqualified for its reception.
The spiritual eyes of some men are not organised to receive
impressions. All, therefore, that we have a right to expect
from such individuals is that they will harmlessly fulfil their
destiny in the darkness which is natural to them. MU.

Blessings Neutralised.

The world is full of instances of blessings which are
neutralised by surrounding circumstances. Springs of fresh
water are often found rising up in the sea. Nevertheless the
sailor dies of thirst, because the properties of the fresh water
are merged in and rendered inert by the sea, so he wails with
the Ancient Mariner,

" Water, water everywhere,
But never a drop to drink."

In social life we may see people blessed with ample riches, but
the benefit of them is rendered inactive by reason of disease or

30 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Blu

meanness. In the domestic world we may often see all the
pure springs of home-enjoyment completely neutralised by the
bittel waters of discontent, peevishness, vanity, and female
selfishness. MA.

The Diffusion of Blessings.

The globe of the earth is surrounded with a mass of
atmosphere extending forty or fifty miles above the surface.
Each particle of air is a luminous centre, receiving its light
from the sun, and it radiates light in every direction. Were
it not for this, the sun's light could only penetrate those spaces
which are directly accessible to his rays. Thus, the sun shining
upon the window of an apartment would illuminate just so
much of that apartment as would be exposed to his direct rays,
the remainder being in darkness. But we find, on the contrary,
that although that part of the room upon which the sun directly
shines is more brilliantly illuminated than the surrounding
parts, these latter are nevertheless strongly illuminated. In
the social world, too, there are luminous centres. These are
noble souls, who, being especially blessed themselves, diffuse
in every direction some of the blessings which they have
received. Were it not for them, and their power of spreading
brightness, goodness, and joy, the world would be indeed
rayless and cold. ' HA.

The Blusterer's Demeanour and Collapse.

The blusterer reminds us of the dorr beetle (Scarabceus sterco-
rarius), for he is noisy and affects fearlessness, yet is a great
coward. The dorr beetle, with a violent and noisy flight, pro-
ceeds on its way, or circles around with an apparent fearlessness
of harm; yet the instant it is touched, or interrupted in its
progress, though in no way injured, it will immediately fall to
the ground, generally prostrate on its back, its limbs extended,
stiff, and seemingly devoid of life, and suffering itself to be
handled without manifesting any signs of animation. In time,
finding no harm ensues, it resumes its former state. j.

Bra] AND SYMBOLS. 3t

The Destiny of the Braggadocio.

The ruffled grouse (Bonasia umbellus) found in the United
States of America measures about eighteen inches in length,
and furnishes an exceedingly delicate food. The most remark-
able of the American species is the pinnated grouse (Tetraro
cupido), which is found, though rarely, in many parts of the
United States. A remarkable habit of these birds is thus
described by Mr. Mitchell in Wilson's American Ornithology : —
"During the period of mating, and while the females are
occupied in incubation, the males have a practice of assembling
principally by themselves. To some select and central spot,
where there is very little underwood, they repair from the
adjoining district. From the exercises performed there, this is
called a scratching place. The time of meeting is the break
of day. As soon as the light appears, the company assembles
from every side, sometimes to the number of forty or fifty.
When the dawn is past, the ceremony begins with a low tooting
from one of the cocks ; this is answered by another. They
then come forth one by one from the bushes and strut about
with all the pride and ostentation they can display. Their
necks are incurvated ; the feathers on them are erected into a
sort of ruff ; the plumes of their tails are expanded like fans ;
they strut about in a style resembling, as nearly as small may
be illustrated by great, the pomp of the turkey-cock. They
seem to vie with each other in stateliness ; and, as they pass
each other, frequently cast looks of insult, and utter notes of
defiance. These are the signals for battles. They engage with
wonderful spirit and fierceness, leaping a foot or two from the
ground, and uttering a cackling, screaming, and discordant
cry." Occasionally, however, these exhibitions of pride receive
rather an unpleasant interruption; for the hunters often find
out the scratching places, and by concealing themselves over-
night, with their guns, in huts of pine branches, within a few
yards of the spot, deal wholesale destruction upon the unfor-
tunate birds, whilst these are engaged in strutting about or
fighting. It is the destiny of the braggadocio to be caught in
his work. Whether the braggadocio be feathered or human,
the end must be the same. Noise, swagger, vainglorying, and

32 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Bri

fighting must attract the attention of strong enemies. Those
enemies, of course, bide their time ; and when proud braggarts
are utterly engrossed in their fightings, they make them an
easy prey. Emperors and grouse are equally fated when they
assume the character of the braggadocio. ND.

Bright Tints in Unexpected Places.

The bright and the beautiful often arrest our attention, where
we should not have expected to have discovered them. Take
colours, for example. All transparent bodies, solids, liquids, or
gases, when in sufficiently fine laminae, appear coloured in very
bright tints, especially by reflection. Crystals which cleave
easily, and can be obtained in very thin plates, such as mica and
selenite, show this phenomenon, which is also well seen in
mother-of-pearl and in soap bubbles. A drop of oil, unattractive
enough in its own appearance, when spread rapidly over a large
sheet of water, exhibits all the colours of the spectra in a con-
stant order. Even a soap's bubble, when it is blown out, is
brilliant and iridescent.

Brightness in Combination with Impurity.

The illuminating power of phosphorus appears due to an
extremely slow chemical reaction, and it is affirmed that
vegetable and animal substances may grow phosphorescent at a
certain stage of decomposition, or even without any appearance
of putrefaction. Accredited authorities cite a host of examples
of fresh or stale meats which have been seen to shine during
the night with a more or less vivid clearness. Fish, and
especially salt-water fish, when no longer fresh, acquire a
phosphorescence which brightens during the first period of
putrefaction. Leave for two or three days dead salt-water fish
in non-luminous sea water ; at the end of that time the water
will be covered with a thin pellicle of fatty matter, and will
soon become phosphorescent. But it is not only in material
nature that we thus find brightness in combination with im-
purity. Genius itself has been found shining amidst moral
putrefaction. When so found its light is ephemeral and phos-

Bum] AND SYMBOLS. 33

phorescent, but when allied to moral goodness its blaze is like
the sun. MY.

Brilliant, but Nasty.

The luminous shark (Squalid fulgens) emits, from its head
and body, a vivid greenish phosphorescent gleam. Yet this
imparts to the fish a truly ghastly and terrific appearance. You
are fascinated by the brilliancy, but repulsed by the creature which
it reveals. The same feeling is excited in our minds by certain
men and women of genius whose wit and fancy sparkle over
moral hideousness in three-volume novels. Their intellectual
light may be attractive; but the appearance of their moral
nature, under their own irradiation, is horrible. G.

The Characteristics of a Bully.

There is no animal, how contemptible soever, that will
venture boldly to face the turkey cock, that he will not fly
from. With great insolence, however, on the other hand, he
pursues everything that seems to fear him, particularly lap-dogs
and children, against both which he seems to have a peculiar
aversion. On such occasions, after he has made them scamper,
he returns to his female train, displays his plumage around,
struts about the yard, and gobbles out a note of self-approba-
tion. " In fact he exemplifies all the characteristics of a bully.
Like the human bully, he is officious, insolent, and loves self-
display. His victories are trumpery, yet he is full of self-
applause. He is an arrant coward, and therefore struts and
swaggers, and delights in brag. A.

The Philosophy of Bumbledom.

The Cristatella mucedo is one of the most singular beings that
England, or indeed any country, produces. It appears much
as if it had been made of soft, woolly silk, and at first sight
bears a resemblance to a long-haired caterpillar that had been
flattened by accident. The strange point in this creature is
that it is locomotive, and can crawl along with a steady and

o

34 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Bus

slow motion. How it manages to crawl is really a wonder. If
it were a single animal, there would be no mystery about it ;
but it must be remembered that it is an aggregation of sepa-
rate animals, each distinct in itself, though preserving a connec-
tion with all the others. To all appearance these animals have
no particular organs of sensation, and their tentacles are merely
outspread as nets to entangle any particles of food that may
happen to float against them. It seems almost incredible that
beings thus constituted should have any power of concerted
action. Yet that such is the case is evident from the fact that
the aggregated mass is able to crawl about, for unless the
multitudinous animals agreed to move consentaneously, the entire
mass would remain still. To prove that there is really a concerted
action, and that the movement is not involuntary, it will be
seen that the Cristatella does clearly choose the direction in
which it goes, inasmuch as it shuns the dark and shady places,
and loves to crawl in shallow water, where it can enjoy the
light and heat of the sunbeams. This oddity is typical of
Bumbledom. Bumbledom is one of the queerest forms of
nineteenth-century social life. Considering the elements of
stupidity, vulgarity, obstinacy, and jobbery of which it is agglo-
merated, it is wonderful that' it makes any progress at all. Yet
it does so ; and it is remarkable that before it can take one
single step even to secure benefits for itself, all the separate
heads of stupidity, obstinacy, vulgarity, and jobbery have to
concur in the movement. Of course its pace is dismally slow ;
and since it resembles the Cristatella mucedo in so much, it
would be satisfactory if we could add that, like its prototype,
it is directed away from " shady places, and always towards the
lisht" F.

Business Aptitude.

It is a noteworthy fact that an ant will always avail itself of
any accidental circumstance that may assist it in building. One
of these industrious little beings has been observed to take advan-
tage of some straws that happened to cross one another, and to
convert them into beams wherewith the ceiling of its home could
be supported, depositing little clay pellets in the angles formed

Can] AND SYMBOLS. 35

by the straws, and then laying several rows of the pellets along
the sides of the straws. On account of these extemporised
beams, the ceiling was necessarily of much greater strength, than
those which were constructed in the usual manner. This insect
possesses an aptitude for the business in hand. It understands
how to turn everything to account in connection with the task
in which it may be engaged. In this respect there is a great
contrast between it and the jackdaw, who, when he flies towards
his nest with a branch which he has selected as suitable for use in
its construction, carries it crosswise, and so cannot enter any
small aperture leading to his nest, and therefore has to abandon
his load. This sort of business aptitude which the ant possesses
is just that quality which, in a man, helps to make a fortune.
Some men in a pre-eminent degree possess the ant-like tact,
which turns anything to account on the instant. H.

Calmness under Attack.

"When attacked, either by force or by argument, we often lose
our vantage-ground by our want of calmness. We may take a
useful hint from the deportment of the grey heron. When this
bird is closely pursued by its enemies, which generally are the
eagle and the falcon, it makes an admirable but quiet defence.
Its usual tactics are to wait for its enemy, using its bill like a
lance in rest, and to allow the attacker to pierce himself through
merely by his own impetuosity. Sometimes the adversary gets
completely impaled. " Be steady under attack " was the wise
advice of Mr. Justice Willes to a young barrister. And the
heron inculcates the same suggestion to everybody. RE.

The Cantankerous Character.

The life of the cantankerous man is like the life of the
hamster rat in nearly all prominent particulars. The life of
the hamster rat is, like his, divided between eating and fight-
ing. It seems to have no other passion than that of rage, which
induces it to attack every animal that comes in its way, without
in the least attending to the superior strength of its enemy.
Ignorant of the art of saving itself by flight, rather than yield
it will allow itself to be beaten to pieces by a stick. If it

36 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Cap

seize a man's hand, it must be killed before it will quit its hold.
The magnitude of the horse terrifies it as little as the address of
the dog, which last is fond of hunting it. This ferocious dis-
position prevents the hamster from being at peace with any
animal whatever. It even makes war with its own species.
Whether the creature prides itself, like the cantankerous man,
on being very brave because of all this unnecessary biting and
lighting we have no means of knowing. p.

Capacity Determined by Sphere.

Lyell mentions that when companies were formed in England
to work the mines in Mexico, some of the English miners who
were sent out, being fond of field-sports, brought greyhounds
with them, to have the pleasure of coursing on the Mexican
mountains, which abound in hares. They found, however, to
their great mortification, that the dogs were quite unable to
come up to the hares of Mexico. This is explained by recollect-
ing that these greyhounds, being transferred from the low and
flat lands of England to a mountainous country raised several
thousand feet above the level of the sea, and thus experiencing
a considerable diminution of atmospheric pressure, became short-
winded, and incapable of running down their game. But in the
course of a few years, their offspring which were born and
brought up in the new country, having their chests and' res-
piratory systems adapted to this elevated situation, proved
themselves in running down hares fully equal to their parents
in England. s.

The Capricious Disposition.

The genus Guenon comprises about thirty species of monkeys.
Geoffrey Saint-Hilaire says : — " They have a singular aptitude in
passing from gaiety, which is otherwise their usual state, to melan-
choly, from melancholy to joy, and from joy to anger in a few
seconds, and from the slightest causes. We see them ardently
desirous of obtaining a certain object, testifying the liveliest
pleasure if allowed to possess it, and almost immediately after
throwing it away with indifference, or breaking it in a fit of rage.
We also see them delighting in the society of another animal,

Cas] AND SYMBOLS. 37

evincing in their own way the most tender regard for it, and
then suddenly becoming irritated, pursuing it with hoarse cries,
and biting it as if it were an enemy ; immediately peace is made,
and the caresses recommence and continue, until a new caprice
brings about the same results." How much all this resembles
the proceedings which we see amongst men and women who are
types of the capricious disposition ! M.

Carcase-Seekers.

Where the carcase is, there will the vultures be gathered.
Directly an enterprise is brought to commercial ruin, what an
awful array of hungry accountants, lawyers, jobbers, and rogues
alight upon the scene, greedy, desperate, and keen ! Their
example seems to be the sociable vulture, an inhabitant of the
interior of the Cape of Good Hope, and of the eastern parts of
Africa. It dwells in the mountains, where the numerous caves
and fissures furnish it with a good shelter in which to pass the
night, or to repose during the day after a full meal. At sun-
rise they are seen perched upon the rocks in large bands ; and
from these stations they soar into the air to such a height as to
become quite invisible. But, even at their greatest elevation,
they still keep a sharp look-out upon the occurrences in the
world below them ; for no sooner does an animal die than the
vultures are upon it, " seeming," as Le Vaillant expresses it, " to
escape from a cavern in the sky." If a hunter kill an animal
which he cannot remove at once, he will find on his return that
the vultures are already busy on its carcase, although a quarter
of an hour previously not one was to be seen in the neighbour-
hood. MU.

Cast down, but not destroyed.

The hawksbill turtle is the animal which furnishes the
valuable " tortoiseshell " of commerce, and is therefore a crea-
ture of great importance. The scales ol the back are thirteen
in number, and as they overlap each other for about one-third
of their length, they are larger than in any other species where
the edges only meet. In this species, too, the scales are thicker,

38 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Cha

stronger, and more beautifully clouded than in any other turtle.
The removal of the plates is a very cruel process, the poor
reptiles being exposed to a strong heat which causes the plates
to come easily off the back. In many cases the natives are
very rough in their mode of conducting this process, and get
the plates away by lighting a fire on the back of the animal.
This mode of management, however, is injurious to the quality
of the tortoiseshell. After the plates have been removed, the
turtle is permitted to go free as its flesh is not eaten, and after
a time it is furnished with a second set of plates. These,
however, are of inferior quality, and not so thick as the first
set. NA.

A Casuist's Defence.

A peculiar organ possessed by many Cephalopoda is the ink-
bag, a small pyriform sac, which secretes a dark-brown fluid ;
its contents may be discharged into the water, which is thus
discoloured for a considerable extent. When attacked, the
animals constantly employ this artifice to facilitate their escape,
the inky secretion producing a thick cloud in the water, under
cover of which the cuttle-fish rapidly retreats to a safe distance
from the object which has excited his apprehensions. He saves
himself by this mystification. The mind of a casuist performs
an analogous feat when hard pressed in argument by an opponent.
It is wont to envelop itself in a thick cloud of words. Under
cover of their hidden meanings the casuist withdraws in great
dignity, and the disputant, who would have been his match in
a clear controversy, is left alone in defeat. N. H.

The Greatest Cemetery.

The crust of our earth is a great cemetery, where the rocks
are tombstones on which the buried dead have written their
own epitaphs. si.

The Instinctive Love of Change.

The quail, even when born in captivity and domesticated,
burns with that instinctive love of change which distinguishes

Cha] AND SYMBOLS. 39

its species generally. At the usual season of migration captive
quails become very uneasy, walk up and down their cages, and
throw themselves against the bars with such force that they
frequently fall back stunned, and sometimes even crushed in
their skulls. In their case there obviously is operating some-
thing beyond the ordinary considerations of climate and need
of food which stir many descriptions of wild birds to migrate.
It would seem to be an instinctive love of change. The same
inspiration is often seen in human beings. Some who, like the
captive quails, have never had liberty to move into unknown
spheres, and therefore cannot know whether removal were
better or worse, are nevertheless often stirred with the strongest
impulses to make some sort of change. The captive-born quail
cannot know that numbers of his species every year leave the
regions of Africa, cross the Mediterranean, and about the com-
mencement of May spread themselves over Europe, returning
again in September to accomplish the same journey. Yet there
is within him an impulse as strong as they possess to seek
liberty and change at Nature's appointed time. The instinct
is not superseded by domestication. Like some men whom
monotony drives nearly mad, he will risk his life in the attempt
to follow where instinct prompts. RE.

Change the sine qua non of Life.

Oxide of carbon is a poisonous gas. It is truly called a
poison, because its action is deleterious even in slight doses, no
matter what may be the state of the atmosphere. Carbonic
acid is only deleterious when the quantity in the atmosphere is
such that the absorption of oxygen is frustrated. Carbonic acid
passes to and fro, leaving the blood otherwise unaltered; but
oxide of carbon really kills the blood. If we take a little
venous blood and expose it to oxide of carbon, it becomes
instantly scarlet. In appearance the change has been nothing
more than would have occurred had oxygen instead of the
oxide been employed. But in fact the change has been very
considerable. The effect of oxide is to render the blood-discs
incapable of that process of exhalation on which the activity
of the organism depends. The blood, to all appearance, pre-

40 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Cha

serves its vitality, for neither the form nor the colour of its
discs is altered ; but the blood is really dead, because its rest-
less changes are arrested. Ever wonderful is the fact con-
stantly obtruding itself upon us, that life is inseparably linked
with change, and that every arrest is death. Only through
incessant destruction and reconstruction can vital phenomena
emerge, an ebb and flow of being. The moment we preserve
organic matter from destruction, we have rendered it incapable
of the restless strivings of life. A spirit like that of Faust
seems ranging through all matter; and if ever it should say
to the passing moment, " Stay ! thou art fair," its career will
be at an end. PH.

Superficial Change without Radical Alteration.

The Indians of South America have a curious art by which
they change the colours of the feathers of many birds. They
pluck out those from the part which they wish to paint, and
inoculate the fresh wound with the milky secretion from the
skin of a small toad. The feathers grow of a brilliant yellow
colour, and on being plucked out, it is said, grow again of the
same colour without any fresh operation. Here we have an
illustration of an attractive change which is merely of a super-
ficial character. Of course the birds which are operated upon
in this way remain quite unaltered in habits and disposition ;
and any person who judges of the nature of the bird by its
colours is utterly deceived. One of the triumphs of civilisation
consists in decking out men and women so as to improve their
external appearance as much as these Indians improve that of
the birds. One of our greatest follies consists in being taken
in by the imposture. Decorations, and stylish behaviour, no
more alter the character of men and women than the milky
secretion of the toad alters the character of the birds. Do not
judge the habits of the birds by coloured feathers. Do not
accept human beings as worthy your confidence merely because
their aspect is attractive. They may be detestable persons in
nature, and the appearance which has pleased you may be
merely the superficial attraction with which the tricks of art
have endowed them. TR,

Cha] AND SYMBOLS. 41

Tests of Character.

There are tests by which the character of rock may be under-
stood. The presence of carbonate of lime in a rock may be
ascertained by applying to the surface a small drop of diluted
sulphuric, nitric, or muriatic acids, or strong vinegar; for the
lime, having a greater chemical affinity for any one of these
acids than for the carbonic, unites immediately with them to
form new compounds, thereby becoming a sulphate, nitrate,
or muriate of lime. The carbonic acid, when thus liberated
from its union with the lime, escapes in a gaseous form, and
froths up or effervesces as it makes its way in small bubbles
through the drop of liquid. This effervescence is brisk or feeble
in proportion as the limestone is pure or impure ; or, in other
words, according to the quantity of foreign matter mixed with
the carbonate of lime. Without the aid of this test, the most
experienced eye cannot always detect the presence of carbonate
of lime in rocks. It does not do to rely upon mere appearances
either in the geological world or the social world. In neither
sphere is it wise to assume that things are exactly what they
seem. In the one world we test with acids, and in the other
with questions. The chemical test, as we have seen, tells us the
quality of our rocks ; and the second enables us to ascertain
how much manhood is in human bipeds. This moral test con-
sists of questions directed with a view to ascertain how an
individual is affected by vice, virtue, misery, nobility, and the
like ; and according to the effects produced upon him by these
test problems depends the character which we assign to him.
Goethe intimates that one capital way of testing a man's true
character is by ascertaining what are the things which he con-
siders to be ridiculous. E.

Character Defacement.

The late George Newport, F.K.S., showed clearly by many
experiments that if insects were injured accidentally or inten-
tionally in their larval or chrysalidal states these insects showed
traces of the injury in their perfect state. For instance, if a
foot was injured in a grub, or the place where the wing or

42 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Cha

antennae would be developed in the pupa, the foot, the wing, or
other organ was defective in the perfect insect. In like manner
it constantly happens that human character when mature
exhibits the defacement of injuries done to it in its earliest
stages. We can trace imperfect fidelity, imperfect honesty,
imperfect truthfulness, and many other blemishes in the dis-
positions of our friends, to the unfortunate injuries inflicted
upon various sides of their character by nurses, parents, teachers,
or companions in the early days of its development. MU.

Character and Circumstances.

Man ought not to be the creature of circumstances, you say ;
but, as a matter of fact, you must admit that he is so. The
vacillating man, the firm man, the suspicious man, the brave
man, are they not all very much what circumstances have made
them? Circumstances are like the soil, and men are like
roots. The composition of the soil, like the circumstances
of social life, varies singularly in different parts of the
globe. In order that every point of tfye surface of the
earth should be covered with vegetation, and that no part
of it should be without that incomparable adornment, roots
must take very varying shapes in order to accommodate them-
selves to these varieties in the composition of the soil. In one
place the soil is hard and stony, heavy or light, formed of sand
or clay ; in another it is dry or moist ; elsewhere it is exposed
to the heat of a burning sun, or swept on the heights by the
violence of the winds and atmospheric currents ; sometimes it
is sheltered from these movements of the wind in the depth of
some warm valley. Boots, hard and woody, separated into
strong ramifications, yet finely divided at their termination, are
requisite for mountain plants whose roots are to live in the
midst of rocks or between the stones, in order that they may
penetrate between the chinks of the rocks, and cling to them
with sufficient force to resist the violence of hurricanes and
other aerial tempests. Straight tap-roots and slightly crouching
plants are fit for light and permeable soils. They would not
suit close, clayey, and shallow soils. Such districts are suitable
for plants whose roots stand horizontally just under the surface
of the soil. So the circumstances in which some men can

Cha] AND SYMBOLS. 43

flourish would kill others. The brave, self-denying soul would
perish in the hothouse of servility : the court fop would wither
in the regions of bracing industry. Their roots are adapted to
their localities. v.

Character Consolidated by Time.

By far the greater number of the stones used for building and
road-making are much softer when first taken from the quarry
than after they have been long exposed to the air ; and these,
when once dried, may afterwards be immersed for any length of
time in water without becoming soft again. Hence it is found
desirable to shape the stones which are to be used in architecture
while they are yet soft and wet, and while they contain their
" quarry- water," as it is called ; also to break up stone intended
for roads when soft, and then leave it to dry in the air for
months that it may harden. Dr. MacCulloch mentions a sand-
stone in Skye, which may be moulded like dough when first
found ; and some simple minerals, which are rigid and as hard
as glass in our cabinets, are often flexible and soft in their native
beds : this is the case with asbestos, sahlite, tremolite, and
chalcedony, and it is reported also to happen in the case of the
beryl. The marl recently deposited at the bottom of Lake
Superior, in North America, is soft, and often filled with fresh-
water shell ; but if a piece be taken up and dried, it becomes
so hard that it can only be broken by a smart blow of the
hammer. But it is not alone in the geological world that we
find an illustration of the fact that character is hardened by
time. We see the same truth stamped upon all human ex-
perience. For good or evil every man's character becomes
consolidated by time. If it is to be shaped so as to be fit for a
corner-stone in the Temple of Virtue, the process of preparation
should begin early. History is replete with instances of men
whose characters might have been wrought into harmonious
proportions if the necessary care had been bestowed upon that
task at the proper stage ; characters which, in the absence of
the requisite shaping, became difficult to handle and unsightly
to gaze upon. Nor is there any deficiency in the record of those
other characters which, though too plastic for reliance in their

44 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Cha

earliest stages, nevertheless became, under the seasoning in-
fluence of time, like strong monumental columns in the
commonwealth. E.

A Test for Character.

A solid is buoyant in a liquid in proportion as it is light and
the liquid heavy. Thus the same solid is more buoyant in
quicksilver than in water, and in the same liquid cork is more
buoyant than lead. A solid which will float in one liquid will
sink in another : thus glass sinks in water, but floats in quick-
silver ; ebony sinks in spirits of wine, but floats in water ; ash
and beech float in water, but sink in ether. All these effects
are explained by the fact that in each case the solid sinks or
rises according as it is heavier or lighter, bulk for bulk, than
the liquid. The character of man, as he is found in modern
society, may be tested upon a somewhat similar principle.
Find out what sort of society the man has been able to float in,
and you will ascertain something concerning his moral and
intellectual weight. The society which will buoy up one man
will have no sustaining power for another. A man of solid
worth cannot float in giggle. A charlatan has no moral weight,
and therefore can always, and in all societies, keep up with the
scum, HA.

The Distinction between Character and Reputation.

The size of the pholas and the sharpness of its markings vary
in inverse ratio to the hardness of the rock in which it burrows.
From the softest sea-beds are taken the largest and most perfect
shells, while those specimens which are obtained from the hard
limestone rocks are comparatively small, and the surfaces are
rubbed nearly smooth. The very worst examples, however,
are those which are found in gritty rocks, interspersed with
pebbles. The shells that have burrowed into such substances
are dwarfed, abraded, and often misshapen, and are regarded as
valueless except to the physiologist. To him, of course, the
pholas which they contain is just as good as any other pholas,
for it is in all essentials the same sort of creature, though by
reason of its shell an inexperienced amateur might judge other-

Cir] AND SYMBOLS. 45

wise. "We must not always judge a creature by its shell, or a
man by his reputation. The reputation which a man acquires
is somewhat analogous to the pholas shell. It depends a good
deal upon the kind of place where he has to work. Some
men's reputations get much deformed by constant contact with
harsh, objectionable, and unfriendly influences. Other men's
reputations become beautiful because of the propitious and
happy circumstances which surround the men. Yet the real
character of all the men may be identical. We can detect the
pholas by his life and habits. We detect a true man in the
same way. Many men have had a hard time of it in boring
their way through the adamantine social rocks. We must take
that fact into account when we are considering their external
appearance and reputation ; and we must not doubt but their
real character is just as good as that of the smooth courtier
who has lived an easy life in burrowing in the luxuriance of
palaces. H.

Cheering Trifles.

A sombre night may, unless you are in an objectionable bed,
be made less sombre by even the presence of insects. In
Canada you may often see the whole air, for a few yards above
the surface of a large field, completely filled with fireflies on
the wing, thicker than stars on a winter's night. The light is
redder, more candle-like, than that of our glow-worm, and,
being in each individual alternately emitted and concealed,
and each of the million tiny flames performing its part in mazy
aerial dance, the spectacle is singularly cheerful. Thus, and
in many other ways, Nature provides us with cheering trifles
which often enliven the mind when there is nothing else at
hand to break the gloom or divert the thoughts. A sparkling
crystal, a sweet flower, a gay bird, a child's song, will often
create thoughts which will flit with cheerful brightness across
man's melancholy mood, and make him grateful for the diver-
sion which they have afforded to his musings. no.

Circumstantial Men.
The independent man has an appearance which marks him

46 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Cir

off from the things which surround him. But the circum-
stantial man takes his colour entirely from the present circum-
stances. You notice them, but you might pass him unobserved.
He cannot be said exactly to have lost his individuality, but
he has abandoned all those evidences by which it is usually
indicated. He may have his party colours, but he selects those
which are so common as to prevent his ever being distinguished
by them anywhere. He is like the caterpillar of a moth
(Noctua algce) which assumes the colour of the lichens upon
which it feeds, being grey when it feeds on a grey one
(Parmelia saxatilis), and always yellow when it feeds on a
yellow one (Cetraria juniperina). Or like the caterpillar of
the coronet moth (Acronycta ligustri), which feeds upon the
privet, and is so exactly of the colour of the underside of the
leaf, to which it usually clings during the day, that a person
may have the leaf in his hand without discovering the cater-
pillar. P.

Accommodation to Circumstances.

Plants continue closed through the night. Morning brings
them recruited vigour, expanding their leaves and flowers to the
fullest extent. It has been found, however, that the leguminosae
placed in a room from which daylight was rigidly excluded,, and
where they were subjected to artificial light at night, have, after
a short period of indecision, been brought to conform to this
altered condition, and have closed their leaves during the
darkened day, and expanded them at night. MAIL

Independent of Circumstances.

Nature sometimes creates minds which seem independent of
circumstances. She also creates other things which appear to
be equally so. Take one example. Owing to their geographical
position, the central and western regions of South Africa are
almost constantly deprived of rain. They contain no flowing
streams, and very little water in the wells. The soil is a soft
and light-coloured sand, which reflects the sunlight with a
glaring intensity. No fresh breeze cools the air ; no passing
cloud veils the scorching sky. We should naturally have sup-

Cir] AND SYMBOLS. 47

posed that regions so scantily supplied with one of the first
necessaries of life could be nothing else than waste and lifeless
deserts : and yet, strange to say, they are distinguished for their
comparatively abundant vegetation, and their immense develop-
ment of animal life. The evil produced by want of rain has
been counteracted by the admirable foresight of the Creator in
providing these arid lands with plants suited to their trying
circumstances. The vegetation is eminently local and special.
Nothing like it is seen elsewhere on the face of the earth.
Is early all the plants have tubrous roots, buried far beneath the
ground, beyond the scorching effects of the sun, and are com-
posed of succulent tissues, filled with a deliciously cool and
refreshing fluid. They have also thick fleshy leaves, with pores
capable of imbibing and retaining moisture from a very dry
atmosphere and soil ; so that if a leaf be broken during the
greatest drought, it shows abundant circulating sap. Nothing
can look more unlike the situations in which they are found
than these succulent roots, full of fluid, when the surrounding
soil is dry as dust, and the enveloping air seems utterly destitute
of moisture ; replete with nourishment and life when all within
the horizon is desolation and death. They seem to have a
special vitality in themselves ; and, unlike all other plants, to
be independent of circumstances. B.

Power of Utilising Circumstances.

Humming-birds, colibris, and their brothers of every hue,
live with impunity in the fearful forests where tropical Nature,
under forms oftentimes of great beauty, wages her keenest strife
in those gleaming solitudes where danger lurks on every side :
among the most venomous insects, and upon those most mourn-
ful plants whose every shade kills. One of them (crested, green,
and blue), in the Antilles, suspends his nest to the most terrible
and fatal of trees, to the spectre whose fatal glance seems to
freeze your blood for ever, to the deadly manchineal. It is this
parroquet, which boldly crops the fruits of the fearful tree,
feeds upon them, assumes their livery, and appears, from its
sinister green, to draw the metallic lustre of its triumphant wings.
Life in these winged flames, the humming-bird and the colibri,

48 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Cir

is so glowing, so intense, that it dares every poison. They beat
their wings with such swiftness that the eye cannot count the
pulsations; yet meanwhile the bird seems motionless, com-
pletely inert and inactive. Leaves, as we know, absorb the
poisons in the atmosphere ; flowers exhale them. These birds
live upon flowers, upon these pungent flowers, on their sharp
and burning juices, — in a word, on poisons. From their acids
they seem to derive their sharp cry, and the everlasting agitation
of their angry movements. That part of the earth where man
perishes or decays is the scene of triumph of the bird, where his
extraordinary pomp of attire, luxurious and superabundant, has
justly won for him the name of bird of paradise. It matters
not ! Whatever their plumage, their hues, their forms, this great
winged populace, the conqueror and devourer of insects, and, in
its stronger species, the eager hunter of reptiles, sweeps over all
the land as man's pioneer, purifying and making ready his abode
and rendering practicable the entrance to this dangerous faery
land. Nature endows the birds, as she also endows men, with a
marvellous capacity of accommodation to circumstances. Beauti-
ful birds are not made out of what we should consider whole-
some food, and beautiful characters are not made out of the
choice events of human history. Nature supplies us with an
appropriative power whereby we transmute everything to the
purposes which she intends us to serve. We see what the birds
can do with poison. We know to what splendid purposes genius
has been able to turn poverty, jails, cruelty, persecution, and
torture. Some of the finest characters in history have been
reared by, and flourished upon, these unpromising elements. We
degrade not ourselves and our purposes to circumstances,
but utilise circumstances for our necessities and purposes. The
bird does not take the poison and submit to death : it transmutes
it into life and beauty. The hero does not let circumstances
subdue him; he makes circumstances subserve the growth of
his character.

A Hint Respecting Circumstantial Evidence.

It is impossible to be too wary in our reception of circum-
stantial evidence. Countless errors are committed through

Civ] AND SYMBOLS. 49

that class of evidence being accepted without proper
inquiry. Let us illustrate this by a reference to conchology.
Generally when a shell is found on our shores, it is presumed
to be a genuine British species and is classified as such ; on
the same principle that any plant, insect, reptile, bird, or
mammal is considered as indigenous if it be discovered in a
living state within the four seas. But this ought not to be the
case with shells. A collector might discover some spot on our
coast which was rich in shells hitherto excluded from the British
list, and yet be entirely mistaken if he* were to consider them
as true inhabitants of our shores. The fact is, that great
quantities of shells are often conveyed from one country to
another among the ballast, and when the sailors throw away
the ballast overboard, they also fling into the sea various shells
among the stones and sand. These shells are subsequently
washed up by the tides, or dashed on the shore in a storm, so
that they are picked up by hand, or enclosed in the multifarious
contents of a dredge. Sometimes, too, a ship in ballast is cast
upon the shore and beaten to pieces by the waves, when the
ballast is necessarily thrown out, and in a year or two becomes
a part of the shore. In this way many enterprising collectors
have been deceived, and their mistake has not been discovered
until many years afterwards. c. s.

Civilisation a River.

In its influence upon barbarism, and in its fructifying,
fertilising movement throughout the world, civilisation re-
sembles a beneficent river in a desert land. We may compare
it, for example, to the Nile. The ancient Egyptians looked
upon their country as a gift from the river, whose periodical
inundations yearly deposit on the soil a new layer of that fertile
mud to which the land of the Pharaohs owes its proverbial fecun-
dity. Fluvial deposits, by their gradual accumulation through a
long series of years, have constituted immense masses and entire
strata of soil. Egypt, in fact, was conquered from the desert
by the river. " The world," says Miss Martineau, " has seen
many struggles, but no other so pertinacious, so perdurable, and
so sublime as the conflict of these two great powers. The Nile,

D

SO SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Cli

over young, \w\i\\ ••••. |«T|.<-.timlly renewing itH youth, appears to
tin; inexperienced eyo to have no chan'ce, with its atriplin :;
force, against tho great old Goliath the desert, whose might has
never relaxed from the earliest days till now; but tho giant
han not Conquered it." Tho river \\\M completed it;; mighty
task ; as civilisation, in due time, will accomplish hers. MY.

Climate and Character.

The disposition of the animal seems not less marked hy tho
climate than tho figure. Both at tho Lino and tho Polo Hi--
wild quadrupeds are fierce and untamcable. Africa has ever
boon remarkable for tho fierceness of its animals ; its lions and
its leopards are not loss terrible than its crocodiles and itH
serpents; their dispositions seem entirely marked with the
rigours of the climate ; and being bred in an extreme of heat,
they show a peculiar ferocity that neither tho force of man <M.M
conquer nor his arts allay. Tho food also is another cause in
the variety which we find in quadrupeds of the tame kind.
Thus tho boasts which feed in tho valley are generally much
larger than those which glean a scanty subsistence on the moun-
tain. Such as live in tho warm climates where tho plants are
much larger and more succulent than with us, arc equally re-
markable for their bulk. Tho ox fed in the plaint of Indoatan
in much 1,'i.r^c.r tlnui Mi;i.l. which i.; inon-. h;n«!ily nm.iiiUiricd on
the sides of tho Alps. Tho deserts of Africa, whore tho plants
are extremely nourishing, produce the largest and fiercest animals.
Hut it is not only in tho cam? of the lower animals that wo see the
omnipotent influences of climate upon character, for those same
influences are observable in insinkmd. Tho colour, tho form,
the pursuits, tho habits, tho diseases, and tho religions of men are
often tho result of climate. This being so, we ought to correct
some of those bigoted, insular judgments which we are too
prone to pronounce upon tho ways of othor nations when they
differ from our own. A.

The Effects of Climate on Intellect and Morals.

It may startle to declare that tho intellect and even tho
morality of peoples have hitherto boon wonderfully affected by

Col] AND SYMBOLS. 51

'I'll'' I/ipland'T; inli:il)it tin-, nor! 1 lernmost coasts of
Mi. Scandinavian peninsula, They aro ignorant, uncultivated,

:iinl fiif/n'i/ r;illi' r tli.ui ln:pile<,f Iheir friMjuont con-

1;id, with MM- Russian ; and I In- Swede,;, they h;ivr, no industrial

resources, no ml, no other commerce, than tln.1- which is afforded
by tho productH of the chase, of their fisheries, or their herds
of reindeer. Christianity, to which they wore converted about
two ceniurios ago, has not aroused them as yet from their
ni'.i;d :uid Intellectual lethargy. All religion being reduced, so
l.ir :i : Iliey aro concerned, to oral tradition, the devotion of each
i in proportion to his memory. Education among them has
attained to this standard, that a Laplander who knows his
alphabet corresponds to a young man among us who has
i;i.iduatod at Oxford or Cambridge. D.

How to Inaugurate a Colony wisely.

At cerlam period. i of UK; year l,hc, penguins assemble on MM-
beach as if they preoonoertftdly met for deliberation. Theso

a .end. In'. |;i ,|, I'm- a. day or two, and are conducted with an

obvious degree of solemnity. When the meeting results in a

d<< i i on, 1 1 iey proceed to work with groat activity. Upon a
ledge of rock, sufficiently level and of the necessary size, thoy
trace ;, . ,|ii;uv \\iih one of its sides parallel and overlooking tho
edge of the, water, which is loft open for the egress of the
colony. Then with their beaks they proceed to collect all tho
itonei in 1 1 10 neighbourhood, which thoy heap up outside tho
line/, marked out, to : .1 -i -ve tliem as a wall to shelter thorn from
Hi'1 pivvailiii;; wind:;. 'I'hoy afterwards divide tho enclosure
into smaller squares, each largo enough to receive a certain
niind'er of nests, with a passage between each square. No
architect could arrange tho plan in a more regular manner.
\Vli:it is most singular is that tho albatross, a bird essentially
> ''rial and ad.iphd I'm- Might, associates at this period with those
I'd!' li h, hall' l.irdn, the penguins; so that tho nest of an
• ill' iti" may bo seen next tho nest of a penguin, and tho
whole roN.iiy, so dill'eivnlly constituted, appears to live on tho
best terms of intimacy. Each keeps its own nest Other left*
l»i ids come to partake of tho hospitality of tho little republic.

52 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Col

"With the permission of the masters of the coterie they build
their nests in the vacancies that occur in the squares. Now, if
we contrast the way in which these birds inaugurate their colony
with that which is often pursued by mankind, we shall find
that the former exhibit quite as much wisdom as the latter, and
perhaps more so. For instance ; before the birds start they have
an open assembly of all those who are interested in the question.
There is no limitation of the franchise. When they meet there
is no hurry and no wrangling ; their whole demeanour is that
of deliberation. After coming to a decision they act upon it.
The conference does not end in sentiment, it results in most
systematic work — work undertaken and carried out without any
further hesitation or planning. Then, having effected their
own arrangements, they proceed upon a liberal policy towards
other tribes. They are not arbitrary, aggressive, or exclusive.
They freely allow others to come and take up their residence
with them. The result of all this wisdom is a happy and
prosperous community. "When modern men colonise, they are
apt to pass swaggering resolutions at big assemblies, and with
much noise to proceed to their work with the Bible in one
hand and murderous weapons in the other. They bluster about
their rights and are intolerant of the existence, anywhere near
them, of even the men whose land they have taken for their
colony. It is a question whether, with all their shrewd policy,
and their stupendous and unscrupulous use of brute force, they
are as successful or happy as they might be if they learned
their colonisation catechism from the penguins. RE.

Colossal Works unconsciously achieved.

When the sea has left a coral reef for some time it becomes
dry, and appears to be a compact rock, exceedingly hard and
ragged ; but no sooner does the tide rise again, and the waves
begin to wash over it, than millions of coral worms protrude
themselves from holes on the surface which were before quite
invisible. The growth of coral ceases when the worm which
creates it is no longer exposed to the washing of the tide. Thus
a reef rises in the form of a gigantic cauliflower, till its top has
gained the level of the highest tides, above which the worm

Com] AND SYMBOLS. 53

has no power to carry its operations, and the reef, consequently,
no longer extends itself upwards. The surrounding parts, how-
ever, advance in succession till they reach the surface, whero
they also must stop. Thus, as the level of the highest tide is
the eventual limit to every part of the reef, a horizontal field
comes to be formed coincident with that plane, and perpen-
dicular on all sides. The reef, however, continually increases,
and being prevented from going higher, extends itself laterally
in all directions. The nature of the coral worm does not permit
of its working in any other way, and thus, without any design
on its part, the necessary result of its activities is the accom-
plishment of grand results. It is more than probable that the
human race are, in like manner, working out some grand design
of the great Architect of the universe, of which they have no
more an adequate conception than the coral worm has of the
fact that it is engaged in making an island. MY.

Coloured by our Associations.

Although the natural hue of the Pholas (Boring-shell) is
white, it is often stained with the colour of the substance in
which it is imbedded ; and when it lives in the red sandstone,
the red is often so deep that it might easily be taken for the
natural colour of the shell. Like the stock-jobber on the
Exchange, the man at the clubs, or the conventional religionist,
the Pholas is toned by its associations, and cannot preserve an
independent colour. c. s.

A Combination of Utility and Beauty.

Sometimes we meet a man whose character is as beautiful as
his versatile abilities are useful. We are amazed almost at the
many different ways in which our admiration is challenged by
the variety of his valuable works and accomplishments, and the
diversity of uses to which his great powers may be applied.
He reminds one of that native tree of South America, the
Papaw. Its splendid appearance resembles the palm. But it
has more than mere beauty of form. It is embellished with
luxuriant yellow fruit ; and this fruit, besides being savoury and

54 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Com

aromatic, has many extremely remarkable properties. Its milky
juice exhales, when burnt, an ammoniacal odour, and chemical
analysis has recognised therein the presence of fibrine. Mix
some of this juice in water, plunge into the mixture fresh hard
meat, and in a few minutes it will become exquisitely tender.
The very exhalations of the tree operate in the same manner,
and the inhabitants of the regions where it nourishes suspend
to its branches such meat and poultry as they wish to soften.
Wondrous combination of beauty and utility ! D.

Combination is Strength.

The house martin (Chelidon urbicd), our common summer
visitor to all parts of Europe, seems quite to understand that
combination is strength. These birds possess some sort of
intelligence with each other which enables them to combine
their efforts to effect some desired purpose. Dupont de
Nemours says — "I once saw a martin which had unfor-
tunately, I know not how, caught its foot in the running knot
of a thread, the other end of which was attached to a gutter of
the College des Quatre Nations. Its strength being exhausted,
it hung and cried at the end of the thread, which it raised
sometimes by trying to fly away. All the martins of the great
basin between the bridge of the Tuileries and the Pont Neuf,
and perhaps from a still greater distance, collected to the
number of several thousands. They formed a cloud, all emitting
cries of alarm and pity. After much hesitation and a tumul-
tuous consultation, one of them invented a mode of delivering
their companion, made the others understand it, and commenced
its execution. All those that were within reach came in turn,
as if running at the ring, and gave a peck to the thread in
passing. These blows, all directed upon the same point,
succeeded each other every second, or even still more frequently.
Half an hour of this work was sufficient to cut through the
thread, and set the captive at liberty." No union of men for a
common purpose could more completely illustrate the truth that
combination is strength. MU.

Com] AND SYMBOLS. 55

Combination and Re-combination : Principles of

Nature.

It is noticeable that, in human society, individuals rarely
have any independent action. Men combine into sects and
parties, or cliques or partnerships, dissolve their associations and
recombine again, in order to carry on the affairs of the world.
Isolated action is seldom seen. It is remarkable of the simple
substances that they also are generally in some compound form.
Thus oxygen and nitrogen, though in mixture they form the
aerial envelope of the globe, are never found separate in Nature.
Carbon is pure only in the diamond. And the metallic bases
of the earths, though the chemist can disengage them, may well
be supposed unlikely to remain long uncombined, seeing that
contact with moisture makes them burn. Combination and re-
combination are principles largely pervading Nature. There
are few rocks, for example, that are not composed of at least
two varieties of matter, each of which is again a compound of
elementary substances. What is still more wonderful with re-
spect to this principle of combination is that all the elementary
substances observe certain mathematical proportions in their
unions. When in the gaseous state, one volume of them unites
with one, two, three, or more volumes of another, any extra
quantity being sure to be left over, if such there should be.
Combinations by weight are also governed by fixed and un-
changing laws of the greatest beauty and simplicity. It is
hence supposed by some that matter is composed of infinitely
minute particles or atoms, each of which, belonging to any one
substance, can only (through the operation of some as yet hidden
law) associate with a certain number of the atoms of any other.
There are also strange predilections amongst substances for each
other's company. One will remain combined in solution with
another, until a third is added, when it will abandon the former
and attach itself to the latter. A fourth being added, the third
will perhaps leave the first and join the new-comer. The extent
to which this law of combination operates in human society,
and has operated since the beginning of the world, is obvious.

VE.

56 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Com

Results of Bight Combination.

The lovely and fragrant rose is composed of no more than a
little carbon and water, some ammonia, and perhaps some iron
superadded ; and when disintegrated in the chemist's laboratory,
can be presented as a few grains and drops of colourless relic.

TH.

Commerce the great Uniter.

Diversity of climate and season — of summer and winter —
over the globe has produced for man's advantage a correspond-
ing variety of animal and vegetable life. Man himself has
an organic strength which enables him to exist in every clime ;
but other animals and all plants have a more limited geographi-
cal distribution, and are endowed with constitutions which enable
them to thrive in certain regions only. By means of commerce,
however, the shortcomings of one climate are happily supple-
mented by the riches of another, and all the most useful produc-
tions growing upon the earth are thus more widely scattered.
The necessary interchange fulfils its purpose of knitting the
whole world together in bonds of mutual dependence ; and the
man, or set of men, who would restrict commerce between the
various countries have obviously failed to understand one, of
the greatest and most important of Nature's designs. BE.

The Advantages of a Commotion.

A political commotion often does immense service in clearing
the moral atmosphere of its corruption. A religious commotion
is often of incalculable value in driving away cant, hypocrisy,
priestcraft, and fraud. These things may be well illustrated by a
storm of wind. It is often observed that storms are followed by
a sensible improvement in the air, and by a feeling of increased
comfort; hence it may be inferred that they are sent to cure some-
thing going wrong in Nature's household. We know that the
storm frequently checks the pestilence when human skill fails.
On the banks of La Plata in South America, there is a wind
which comes charged with the germs of intermittent fever from
the marshes lying to the north. The wretched inhabitants droop

Com] AND SYMBOLS. 57

and sicken and shiver into their graves. Suddenly a hurricane
sweeps across the Pampas from the cold summits of the Andes in
the south-west, and in a few days the seeds of the disease are
roughly yet effectually expelled by its searching force. Cholera
epidemics in this country have usually been attended with great
stillness in the atmosphere, by which the operation of causes
tending to concentrate the poison was no doubt favoured.
Therefore when we hear the stormy wind howling round our
houses, or sweeping through courts and closes, let us think of
it as one of Nature's most efficient sanitary agents, by which
she renovates the air, tainted through stagnation, and destroys
the seeds of the pestilence that were growing up for our
destruction. BE.

The Law of Compensation.

The makers of nice astronomical instruments, when they
have put the different parts of their machine together and set it
to work, find, as in the chronometer for instance, that it is
subject in its performance to many irregularities and imperfec-
tions— that in one state of things there is expansion, and in
another state contraction among cogs, springs, and wheels, with
an increase or diminution of rate. This defect the makers have
sought to overcome, and, with a beautiful display of ingenuity,
they have attached to the works of the instrument a contrivance
which has had the effect of correcting these irregularities, by
counteracting the tendency of the instrument to change its
performance with the changing influences of temperature. This
contrivance is called a compensation, and a chronometer that is
well regulated and properly compensated will perform its office
with certainty, and preserve its rate under all the vicissitudes
of heat and cold to which it may be exposed. In the clock-
work of the ocean, and the machinery of the universe, order and
regularity are maintained by a system of compensations. A
celestial body as it revolves around its sun flies off under the
influence of centrifugal force ; but immediately the forces of
compensation begin to act, the planet is brought back to its
elliptical path, and held in the orbit, for which its mass, its
motions, and its distance were adjusted. Its compensation is
perfect. T.

53 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Con

Compensation in Modes of Power.

If an insect's power of flying is not considerable, its power
of traction and propulsion are immense compared with the
vertebrate animals, and in the same group of insects those that
are the smallest and lightest are the strongest. The proportion
between the muscular strength of insects, and the dimension of
their bodies, would not appear to be on account of their muscles
being more numerous than those of the vertebrate animals, but
on account of greater intrinsic energy and muscular activity.

I.

The Limits of Compressibility.

Compressibility is the property in virtue of which the volume
of a body may be diminished by pressure. This property is
at once a consequence and a proof of porosity. Bodies differ
greatly with respect to compressibility. The most compressible
bodies are gases : by sufficient pressure they may be made to
occupy ten, twenty, or even a hundred times less space than
they do under ordinary circumstances. In most cases, however,
there is a limit beyond which, when the pressure is increased,
they become liquids. The compressibility of solids is much less
than that of gases, and is found in all degrees. Stuffs, paper,
cork, woods, are amongst the most compressible. Metals are
so also to a great extent, as proved by the process of coining,
where the metal receives the impression of the die. Here also
there is in most cases a limit beyond which, when the pressure
is increased, bodies are fractured or reduced to powder. So,
too, with bombastic sermons, and with sensational newspaper
articles. Compression reduces the former into sentimental
drivel, and the latter into intellectual dust. EL.

Conduct Shaped by Constitution.

Among the Albinos of the Isthmus of Darien, the practice of
sitting up at night and sleeping in the day is prevalent. Speak-
ing of them, "Wafer, an old traveller, says : " They see not well
in the sun, their eyes being weak and running with water if

Con] AND SYMBOLS. 59

the sun shines towards them, so that in the daytime they care
not to go abroad, unless it be a cloudy, dark day. But notwith-
standing their being thus sluggish and dull in the daytime,
yet when moonshiny nights come they are all life and activity,
running about in the woods and skipping about like wild bucks,
running as fast by moonlight even in the gloom and shade of
the woods as the other Indians do by day." s.

A Congregational Union.

Congregationalism reminds one, said the Rev. T. T. Lynch,
of what the naturalists sometimes talk about, and a queer thing
it is. There is a composite creature called the king-rat. It
is not common, but it is to be seen in certain museums. It
appears that rats, which are very fraternal creatures after a
fashion, associate with one another in such a way that their
tails get fastened together, and there are sometimes as many as
twenty rats making up one king-rat. Their heads are all
stretched outwards in a circle, and their tails all compacted and
agglutinated together, nobody exactly knows how. Congrega-
tionalism is very much like that. All the tails are agglutinated
together ; it is a compound creature, the heads all outwards
ready to run different ways, the tails amalgamated in this queer
fashion, so that no individual can move freely, and neighbours
hamper instead of helping one another. Behold in figure a
Congregational Union ! T. L.

The Conscience.

The hour of the day can be told between the tropics by the
motion of the magnetic needle as well as by the oscillations of
the mercury in the barometer, the mysterious march of the
needle being equally influenced by the course of the sun and
change of place upon the earth's surface. There are regions of
the earth where the seaman, enveloped for days in fog, without
light of the sun or stars, without all other means of ascertaining
the time, can still accurately determine the hour by the variation
of the dip of the needle, and know whether he be to the north
or south of the part towards which he would steer his course.
And does not every enlightened man carry with him an inward

60 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Con

monitor which, in like manner, enables him rightly to steer
his course amidst all the conflicting expediencies and surging
tempests of his daily life? Whether it be called conscience
matters not. "We are not concerned about the name when we
are conscious of the power. That power we know exists, and
is our safe regulator and unfailing guide in all our experiences
on life's changeable sea. K.

Conscious Strength Despises Tricks.

There are many little birds which, in order to decoy aggressors
away from their nests, are obliged to resort to tricks of deceit
which are often successful. Large birds, like great souls,
despise tricks, and rely solely upon their strength. The swan
is a good illustration of this. Swans care but little for conceal-
ing their broods, as they feel confident of their power to protect
them against every enemy. They will fight even with the
eagle itself, harassing it with beak and wings until the marauder
is glad to make a more or less honourable retreat. In the
protection of their young they display extraordinary courage
and resort to no stratagem. As it is always gratifying to see
courage conquer cunning, it is interesting to know that even
foxes are sometimes killed by them. BE.

X1 Consumption without Proportion.

Some caterpillars daily eat double their weight in food ; a
cow eats forty-six pounds daily, and a mouse eats eight times as
much in proportion to its own weight as is eaten by a man.
This consumption without proportion is a wonderful fact, and
we may recognise its operation amongst mankind. We need
not confine our view to princelings or courts to discover men
who are constantly consuming that which we should have
judged was out of all reasonable ratio to their needs. One
man absorbs the emoluments of pensions and sinecures the value
of which would make whole villages happy ; the rent-roll which
another appropriates would furnish substance for victualling an
entire city. In contemplating such a spectacle, which co-exists
with the poverty and suffering of a portion of mankind, we

Con] AND SYMBOLS. f,i

may consider we have indeed discovered an anomaly; for
this gigantic-personal-appropriation order of men cannot, in
defence, require that we place them in the same list with the
cow, the mouse, and certain caterpillars — for the simple reason
that these creatures are obeying the natural law which applies
equally to all their kind. PH.

Contrariety in Character.

The quick and sprightly eye of the swallow, the ever-twitter-
ing voice, now a low plaintive cry, and now a gay shrill scream,
all denote a being of marked character. And this character is
strange enough ; it might be termed a psychological riddle.
For while the swallow builds her nest confidingly and with
domestic quiet beneath man's roof, beside his hearth even, she
at the same time pursues her noisy journeys and gives way to
her love of unrestrained and aimless wandering. While she,
on the one hand, carries her vaunted cleanliness to wearisome
punctuality, she, on the other, builds up the walls of her
dwelling with dirt and mud. She is an illustration of that
contrariety in character which is exhibited by so many of the
human family. ST.

Things Appreciated by Contrast.

We appreciate things by contrast. For example, nowhere,
from the force of contrast, is summer more brilliantly joyous or
its approach welcomed with greater delight than in polar regions,
where amid perennial frost and snow winter seems to be
enthroned for ever. The long-continued night, after passing
through a tedious dawn, at length opens into that bright, brief
interval, in which spring, summer, and autumn are blended into
one. In rays of warmth the sun sends forth her signal and
Nature answers to the call. As heat increases, the solitude once
more shows signs of life and movement. The frozen lumps
and ledges covering the sea begin to strain and crack and split
asunder, and glacier masses breaking loose from their icy cables
yield themselves up to the current and to the wind. Creatures
that have long been slumbering in caves, or amid the snow,
now shake off their torpor. The short thick grass and moss

62 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Con

spread their carpet of green over every sheltered nook from
which the snow has melted, and the rest of the scanty but
often hrightsome flora of remotest North puts on with marvellous
rapidity its summer aspects. Here is indeed a scene which, by
contrast, can be well appreciated. Spenser in his "Faerie
Queene " indicates others : —

" Sleepe after toyle,
Port after stonnie seas,
Ease after warre,
Death after life,
Doth greatly please." BE.

Conventional Opinion.

The clearest proofs abound that in numberless cases rivers
have simply availed themselves of the courses prepared for them
by previous breaks in the rocks, opening depressions along
which the waters have passed. Take one of the largest of our
European streams, the Danube, and trace it from its source in
the flat plauteaux of Central Germany in which it rises, and
you see that whilst it never can have been a torrential stream,
it simply maintains a steady slow-flowing current as it winds
through the steep defiles and high cliffs of the hardest gneiss
and granite which had been opened out to receive it ; for even
now, where the gorges are deepest and narrowest, and where
the river must therefore have exerted its greatest power, the
buildings of Roman times have been daily bathed by the
stream, and not a fragment of them has been worn away.
"When, indeed, we look to the lazy-flowing, mud-collecting
Avon, which at Bath passes along that line of valley, how
clearly do we see that it never deepened its channel 1. Still more
when we follow it to Bristol and observe it passing through the
steep gorge or hard mountain limestone at Clifton, every one
must then be convinced that it never could have produced such
an excavation. In fact, we know that from the earliest periods
of history is has only accumulated mud, and has never worn
away any portion of the rock. The clear inference then, in
these and countless other instances, is that rivers in all suchN
cases simply flow in the gorges and depressions prepared for

Cou] AND SYMBOLS. 63

them by previous geological conditions. They resemble the
serene movement of conventional opinion as it flows through
society. It never cuts out for itself an independent course,
never invents a new turn or change, never removes any objec-
tionable impediment. It flows torpidly along the old channels
which superstition has made convenient for it. Its history is
altogether unlike that of the current of sincere thought, which,
bursting up from the deep wells of truth, carves its own way
through every obstruction, however mighty, and accomplishes
its destiny without any adventitious aid. Si.

Evils Attendant on Convulsive Action.

Convulsions, whether religious, political, or material, are
attended with alarming contingencies. For instance : Kivers
are stated to have sometimes run dry during earthquakes, and
again begun to flow after the shock. This is presumed to arise
either from the transit of an earth- wave along their courses up
stream, thus damming off their sources, or from sudden eleva-
tion of the land and as sudden depression. In like manner, in
times of religious revivals common-sense and reason are often
dammed completely up, and the wild tide of fanaticism rushes
over everything ; whilst in political convulsions the liberty of
the press and of the subject are either elevated in a manner
absolutely dangerous to any community, or crushed into depths
which plunge a country into despair. In point of fact, all sorts
of convulsions are attended with all sorts of inconveniences and
dangers ; and no sensible man, however anxious for any change,
would in the face of facts wish for it to be effected by that kind
of phenomena. MA.

The Power of Counterfeiting-.

Montaigne records some singular instances of counterfeits
which were followed by sad realities. "We have, on the other
hand, to notice very often in the present day counterfeits which
escape punishment. People counterfeit sickness and piety, and
are most successful. They are equal to the fox in their power
to sham. One of the most frequent stratagems of the fox, and

64 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Cow

which denotes an extraordinary amount of intelligence, consists
in simulating death when surprised by the hunters and there is
no hope of safety by flight. It may then be handled, kicked
about in every direction, even lifted by the tail, hung up in the
air, or carried thrown over one's shoulder, without showing
the slightest sign of vitality. But as soon as released and
opportunity for escape offers, it will decamp with all haste, to
the great amazement of those so cleverly duped. M.

The Tactics of Cowardice.

Cowards are like cats. Cats always take their prey by spring-
ing suddenly upon it from some concealed station, and if they
miss their aim in the first attack, rarely follow it up. They
are all accordingly cowardly, sneaking animals, and never will-
ingly face their enemy unless brought to bay or wounded, trust-
ing always to their power of surprising their victims by the
aid of their stealthy and noiseless movements. ND.

The Insolence of Cowards.

In North America there exists a very curious -species of
rodents, belonging to the sub-genus Spermophilus or Spermalo-
pliilus, that is grain-eaters. They are better known by the
hunter's name, prairie-dogs. The Hon. C. A. Murray, in his
Travels in North America, remarks that their number is incred-
ible, and their cities (for they deserve no less a name) full of
activity and bustle. They seem on the approach of danger
always to retire to their own homes ; but their great delight
apparently consists in braving it with the usual insolence of
cowardice when secure from punishment ; for as you approach
they wag their little tails, elevate their heads, and chatter at
you like a monkey, louder and louder the nearer you come;
but no sooner is the hand raised to any missile, whether gun,
arrow, stick or stone, than they pop into the hole with a
rapidity only equalled by that sudden disappearance of Punch
with which when children we have been so much delighted in
the streets and squares of London. D.

Cra] AXD SYMBOLS. 65

The Tricks of the Crafty.

You cannot do business with the crafty bad man with any
safety. You may take what you consider guarantees and
securities for his appearance at the right time to perform tho
agreement that he has made with you, but somehow or other you
cannot hold him even in this way. Subtle and deceitful, he
contrives to slip away at the moment you thought him secure,
lie represents honour and truth as being parts of himself, but
somehow or other he is not detained when you want him by
the one or the other. He eludes you like the glass snake which,
when pursued and touched, will contract the muscles of its
tail with such excessive force as to snap off that member, or
will even divide itself into two or more pieces, and thus uncatch-
able will then glide away from even these parts of itself into
some place where its snake-life can recuperate itself in safety.
The tricks of this man and the movements of this snake warn
us to avoid alike the biped and the reptile. IL.

The Crafty Rogue.

i

To what shall we compare that crafty rogue who, either in
the character of a cunning director of bubble companies, or in
that of a jobbing promoter of impossible undertakings, or in
that of a plausible trickish attorney, gives himself up to the
work of entrapping his fellow-men that he may ruin them for
his own benefit 1 He is similar to that elegant dragon-fly-like
insect, the ant-lion (Myrmeleo formicarins), which is found in
the environs of Paris. Its larvae are met with in great
abundance in sandy places very much exposed to the heat of
the sun. There they construct for themselves a sort of funnel
in the sand, by describing backwards the turns of a spiral whose
diameter gradually diminishes. Their strong square head serves
them as a spade with which to throw the sand far away. They
then hide themselves at the bottom of the hole, their head
alone being out, and wait with patience for some insect to
come near. Scarcely has the ant-lion perceived its victim on
the borders of its funnel when it throws at it a shower of dust,
to alarm it and make it fall to the bottom of the precipice,

E

66 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Cri

uhicli does not fail to happen. Then it seizes it with its sharp
nianibles and sucks its blood, after which it throws its empty
skin out of the hole and resumes the look-out. When this
larva reaches perfection it takes wings, and it diffuses an odour
of roses not suggestive of pitfalls or tricks, but very pleasant —
as are the varied elegances which, when rising into fashion and
success, the human crafty rogue displays. I.

Credit wrongly Ascribed.

When a New Zealander has received a gun-shot or other
injury, the priest prays over him, the wound is frequently
washed, and all extraneous substances are removed, and no
external application is used but water. The invocations of the
priests to the spirits are repeated occasionally during the time.
No married man or woman (excepting his own wife) is permitted
to see the patient during his illness, from a superstitious idea
that the spirits would be angry and retard the cure. The
excellent constitutions of the natives prevent any unfavourable
result, and they recover from most serious injuries in a short
time. But the priest gets the credit for having moved the
spirits by his prayers, just as in England some fanatics get
credit for having moved the Almighty to effect cures which
would have been accomplished entirely without their inter-
vention. GA.

The Crises and the Crisis.

We have many changes in life, but after all not, perhaps, so
many as caterpillars. For the life of a caterpillar seems one con-
tinued succession of changes, and it is seen to throw off one skin
only to assume another, which also is divested in its turn, and
thus for eight or ten times successively. We must not, however,
confound this changing of the skin with the great metamorphosis
which it is afterwards to undergo. The throwing off one skin
and assuming another seems in comparison but a slight operation
among these animals ; this is but the work of a day, the other
is the great adventure of their lives. Probably, without heeding
the caterpillars, we think too much on the changes through
which our life passes. No doubt those changes are important ;

Cul] AND SYMBOLS. 67

but surely tlie metamorphosis of the butterfly into wings is
trivial compared with the vastness of that last inevitable
transformation which we shall undergo, when all our little
crises will end in the great crisis of Being. A.

The Effects of Cultivation.

What marvellous encouragement man has to work ! In all
departments of action what splendid results have followed
his labour ! By what wondrous processes he has been able to
develop the beautiful from the crude, the valuable from the
worthless ! See his work transforming even the vegetation of
the globe. It has often been remarked that we do not owe a
single useful plant to Australia or the Cape of Good Hope,
countries abounding to an unparalleled degree with endemic
species, or to Kew Zealand, or to America south of the Plata,
and according to some authors not to America northward of
Mexico. Mr. Darwin does not believe that any edible or
valuable plant, except the canary-grass, has been derived from
an oceanic or uninhabited island. If nearly all our useful
plants, natives of Europe, Asia, and South America, had
originally existed in their present condition, the complete absence
of similarly useful plants in those great countries would indeed
be a surprising fact. But these plants have been so greatly
modified and improved by culture as no longer to resemble any
natural species, and so one can understand why those countries
have given us no plants of use to us in our present state of
civilisation, for they were either inhabited by men who did not
cultivate the ground at all, as in Australia and the Cape of
Good Hope, or who cultivated it very imperfectly, as in some
parts of America. These countries do yield plants which are use-
ful to savage man ; and Dr. Hooker, in his " Flora of Australia,"
enumerates no less than one hundred and seven such species in
Australia alone ; but these plants have not been improved, and
consequently cannot compete here with those which have been
cultivated and improved during thousands of years in the
civilised world. By proper cultivation they will become able to
do so. They may be almost transformed ; for by his labour
man is able out of the growths of the wilderness to develop the
blossoms of the rose. VA.

68 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Dan

Curiosity Seized as a Snare.

In the Makololo territories Dr. Livingstone met with numbers
of dragon-fly-looking insect?, the larvae of which prey upon
ants. These they capture in a peculiar manner. The larva
puts its head into a little hole in the ground and quivers its
tail rapidly. The ants come near to examine the novel object,
and urged on by curiosity, advance somewhat too closely, when
they are suddenly seized by the forcers or graspers with which
the vibratory tail is furnished, and thus are killed. Not only
do insects and the lower animals understand that the curiosity
of their victims may be effectively employed as a snare for
them, but human beings understand and act upon the same
principle. How many a young man has been utterly ruined
by a vicious thing through adopting the apparently harmless
course of " going to see what it was like " ! The proprietors of
the gaming-tables and the many other depraved resorts of
vice, have all caught their victims by ensnaring their curiosity.
Curiosity is a good servant but bad master. We should hold
its bridle with a firm hand, or it may gallop with us to the
point where ruin is ready to clutch us. I.

The Philosophic Way of Meeting Danger.

The hedgehog upon the approach of any danger rolls itself up
in a lump, and patiently waits till its enemy passes by, or is
fatigued with fruitless attempts to annoy it. Every increase of
danger only increases the animal's precautions to keep on its
guard. The dog vainly attempts to bite it, since he thus more
frequently feels than inflicts a wound ; he stands enraged and
barking, and rolls it along with his paws; still, however, the
hedgehog patiently submits to every indignity, but continues
secure. In this manner the dog, after barking for some time,
leaves the hedgehog where he found him, who perceiving the
danger past, at length peeps out from its ball, and, if not
interrupted, creeps slowly to its retreat. Thus, by being patient,
wary, and unresentful, the hedgehog escapes all injury. An
ill-natured cur imder similar circumstances would at least have
been bitten and worried by the attacking dog. The very fussi-

Dan] AND SYMBOLS. 69

ness of his defence would have brought him into peril. Tho
lesson to be learnt is that in the presence of danger a purely
philosophical defensive policy is the most effective. A.

The Unphilosophic Way of Meeting Danger.

The earth-worm meets threatened danger in a most unphilo-
sophic way. Directly it feels a slight shock in the earth it will
hasten to the surface, because it attributes that to the proximity
of its enemy the mole. The knowledge that the worm can
easily be panic-stricken has been acquired by the lapwings
( Vanellus), and these birds use it for their own advantage and
the destruction of their victim. The lapwings settle down on
fields recently ploughed, where they can find an ample suppl}
of worms, and striking against the ground with their feet, induce
the worms to come to the surface under fear that the shock is
caused by the mole. As fast as the worms come in fear to the
surface they are snapped up by the lapwings. Thus by endeavour-
ing to escape an imaginary danger, the worm encounters a real
one. There are many creatures, far higher in intelligence than
the poor worm, who follow exactly the same panic-stricken
policy in the supposed presence of danger. All weak natures,
in fact, are naturally impelled to adopt it. Hence amongst man-
kind, for want of self-control and discretion, half our miseries,
and often our doom, may be traced to acts caused by the dread
of a danger which has existed only in our fears. KB.

Danger is Slight when Evil is Offensive.

Gas is a great spoiler of the air; but it has the merit of
giving timely warning of the danger by the horrible smell which
accompanies its escape. This smell is perceptible when there is
only one part in a thousand parts of air ; becomes very offensive
AY hen the proportion is -^i^ or -5-^, and is almost insupportable
as the proportion increases. If the gas has escaped from a
crack in the pipes, and been allowed to mingle with the air in
which a free circulation by ventilation is impossible, so that
the proportion of gas amounts to -j^, it explodes on the intro-
duction of a candle. But the reason why this catastrophe so

72 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Dea

up to 20.000 or 30,000 before the end of autumn, and if most
of these were to survive the winter, even supposing there were
food for them, it would not be compatible with man's comfort,
if even, with his existence. BE.

Anticipating Another's Death.

M. D'Orbigny describes the Caracaras of South America as
accompanying the traveller throughout the vast solitudes of the
South American forests, but never making their appearance until
he comes to a halt ; then suddenly he will see these vultures
perching upon the trees in his vicinity, and apparently waiting
for the remains of his dinner. Mr. Darwin, however, attributes
a far less amiable object to these intruders, and regards this
conduct on their part as an evidence of their desire to indulge
their carrion-eating propensities at the personal expense of the
traveller. Of this he says any one may convince himself " by
walking out on one of the desolate plains, and then lying down to
sleep : when he awakes, he will see, on each surrounding hillock,
one of these birds patiently watching him with an evil eye." , It
is sad to think that there are among men vulture-natures which
resemble these birds in the eagerness with which they await tho
death of other people. Under the names, amongst others, of
heir-at-law, reversioner, residuary legatee, and executor, there
are many keen natures perched about in society, watching for
death to strike down other individuals whose remains will be
enjoyable. Of course they do not let their wishes become
known. From a superficial glance at their demeanour you
would judge them to be only interested in their friends' dinner
parties. MU.

Our Daily Death and Resurrection.

We die daily. We are constantly returning to the earth the
materials we received from it. Every movement of our bodies,
every exercise of thought and will, every muscular and nervous
effort, is accompanied by a corresponding change in the structure
of our frames, — exhausts the vitality of so much brain, and nerve,
and muscle. Every part of our body is undergoing a process of
constant disintegration and renovation ; constantly throwing off

Dec] AND SYMBOLS. 73

old effete matter, and constantly receiving deposits of new and
living matter. Day and night, sleeping and waking, this cease-
less dying and ceasless resurrection is going on with more or
less rapidity ; the river of life flows on changing its particles,
but preserving the same form and appearance. In seven years
the whole structure is altered down to the minutest particles.
It becomes essentially a different body, though the individual
still retains his original form and his personal identity unim-
paired. B.

An Example and an Emblem of Death.

Though geographical research has dissipated most of the wild
stories formerly accepted in reference to the peculiarly fatal
concomitants of the Dead Sea, it well deserves its expressive
name. It is a dead sea ; it has neither the ocean's living
movement nor deep-sounding roar; the surf and the spray
never sparkle on its rocks ; that " multitudinous laughter "
which Homer ascribes to the sea, is wholly wanting ; the wind
never makes a smile on its passive and sombre countenance.
By its shores one might realise Shelley's mournful wish, and
feel

" In the warm air his cheeks grow cold, and hear the sea
Breathe o'er his dying brain its last monotony."

It is lifeless, untenanted ; the fish found there, and brought
down by the Jordan, are dead. Unlike the Caspian, it is never
stirred by the whir of wings — by the flight of gulls, or pelicans,
or sea-mews. The migratory birds sweep across it without
even a pause, without seeking the prey which they could not
find. Its waters are denser than those of other seas : their
constituents are different, and mingled in different proportions.

D.

Lucrative Deceit.

The fishing frog is a sluggish fish, and as its ferocious appear-
ance by no means belies its character, it might be supposed that
it would have some difficulty in gratifying the enormous
appetite which must apparently be associated with such a
tremendous mouth. It is said, however, that the fish possesses

72 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Dea

up to 20.000 or 30,000 before the end of autumn, and if most
of these were to survive the winter, even supposing there were
food for them, it would not be compatible with man's comfort,
if even, with his existence. BE.

Anticipating Another's Death.

M. D'Orbigny describes the Caracaras of South America as
accompanying the traveller throughout the vast solitudes of the
South American forests, but never making their appearance until
he comes to a halt ; then suddenly he will see these vultures
perching upon the trees in his vicinity, and apparently waiting
for the remains of his dinner. Mr. Darwin, however, attributes
a far less amiable object to these intruders, and regards this
conduct on their part as an evidence of their desire to indulge
their carrion-eating propensities at the personal expense of the
traveller. Of this he says any one may convince himself " by
walking out on one of the desolate plains, and then lying down to
sleep : when he awakes, he will see, on each surrounding hillock,
one of these birds patiently watching him with an evil eye." , It
is sad to think that there are among men vulture-natures which
resemble these birds in the eagerness with which they await the
death of other people. Under the names, amongst others, of
heir-at-law, reversioner, residuary legatee, and executor, there
are many keen natures perched about in society, watching for
death to strike down other individuals whose remains will be
enjoyable. Of course they do not let their wishes become
known. From a superficial glance at their demeanour you
would judge them to be only interested in their friends' dinner
parties. MU.

Our Daily Death and Resurrection.

"VVe die daily. We are constantly returning to the earth the
materials we received from it. Every movement of our bodies,
every exercise of thought and will, every muscular and nervous
effort, is accompanied by a corresponding change in the structure
of our frames, — exhausts the vitality of so much brain, and nerve,
and muscle. Every part of our body is undergoing a process of
constant disintegration and renovation ; constantly throwing off

Dec] AND SYMBOLS. 73

old effete matter, and constantly receiving deposits of new and
living matter. Day and night, sleeping and waking, this cease-
less dying and ceasless resurrection is going on with more or
less rapidity ; the river of life flows on changing its particles,
but preserving the same form and appearance. In seven years
the whole structure is altered down to the minutest particles.
It becomes essentially a different body, though the individual
still retains his original form and his personal identity unim-
paired. B,

An Example and an Emblem of Death.

Though geographical research has dissipated most of the wild
stories formerly accepted in reference to the peculiarly fatal
concomitants of the Dead Sea, it well deserves its expressive
name. It is a dead sea; it has neither the ocean's living
movement nor deep-sounding roar; the surf and the spray
never sparkle on its rocks ; that " multitudinous laughter "
which Homer ascribes to the sea, is wholly wanting ; the wind
never makes a smile on its passive and sombre countenance.
By its shores one might realise Shelley's mournful wish, and
feel

" In the warm air his cheeks grow cold, and hear the sea
Breathe o'er his dying brain its last monotony."

It is lifeless, untenanted ; the fish found there, and brought
down by the Jordan, are dead. Unlike the Caspian, it is never
stirred by the whir of wings — by the flight of gulls, or pelicans,
or sea-mews. The migratory birds sweep across it without
even a pause, without seeking the prey which they could not
find. Its waters are denser than those of other seas : their
constituents are different, and mingled in different proportions.

D.

Lucrative Deceit.

The fishing frog is a sluggish fish, and as its ferocious appear-
ance by no means belies its character, it might be supposed that
it would have some difficulty in gratifying the enormous
appetite which must apparently be associated with such a
tremendous mouth. It is said, however, that the fish possesses

74 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Dee

a stratagem by which to satisfy the cravings of its maw with-
out the necessity of subjecting its unwieldy person to any very
violent exertion. On the upper surface of the front of the head
are two long movable bony filaments, the foremost of which is
dilated at its tip, which has a silvery lustre. Lying close to
the ground, the fish disturbs the sand or mud so as to obscure
the water around it, justly thinking, no doubt, that its appear-
ance is not sufficiently amiable to inspire much confidence in the
Aveaker inhabitants of the deep ; it then elevates the filamentous
appendages just described, and waves them to and fro in the
water, when the small fishes, which are soon attracted by the
hope that this silvery object is something to eat, become instead
the prey of their artful foe. This is said to be the ordinary
mode of procuring its food followed by this fish : and since it is
really a mode of living by deceit, it is to be confessed that the
morality of the creature is no better than that of a number of
men and women who really make a form of lucrative deceit the
work of their lives. KH.

The Ingratitude of Deceivers.

The VolucelloB have a strong resemblance to the humble bee.
Certain kinds make use and abuse of this resemblance to intro-
duce* themselves fraudulently into its nests and to deposit their
eggs therein. When these eggs have hatched, the larvae, which
have two mandibles, devour the larvae of their hosts the bees.
This is the return they make for the hospitality they have
received. I.

The Language of Deep Thought. w

r*

Popular ignorance mistakes a bombastic, turbulent, opaque
style. It regards it as the emanation of vast depths of thought
which are unrevealable. The fact is that such a style can only
exist where thought is shallow, and where the products of
scholarship have not been assimilated. The style of the deep
thinker is clear because he is a deep thinker, and the style of the
charlatan is obscure because he is only a charlatan. In deep
ocean the water is wondrously transparent. And why ? Because
the mineral and organic substances which enter into the com-

Dif] AND SYMBOLS. 75

position of the. ocean waters are so thoroughly incorporated that,
far from altering its limpidity, they seem on the contrary to
increase it. In certain parts of the Arctic Sea shells are dis-
tinctly visible at a depth of 450 feet ; and in the Antilles, at
the same depth, the sea-bed is as distinct as if it were nigh the
surface. The sea grows turbid and yellowish only in those
regions where its bed is shallow — muddy only where its agitated
waves stir up the sand and hold it in suspension. MY.

A Natural Defence for the Defenceless.

There are many kinds of "leaf-rolling" caterpillars, each
employing a different mode of rolling the leaf, but in all cases
the leaf is held in position by the silken threads spun by the
caterpillar. There are plenty of birds about the trees, and they
know well enough that within the circled leaves little cater-
pillars reside. But they do not find that they can always make
a meal on the caterpillars, and for the following reason : The
curled leaf is like a tube open at both ends, the caterpillar
lying snugly in the interior. So when a bird puts his beak
into one end of the tube, the caterpillar tumbles out at the
other, and lets itself drop to the distance of some feet, support-
ing itself by a silken thread that it spins. The bird finds that
its prey has escaped, and not having sufficient inductive reason
to trace the silken thread and so find the caterpillar, goes off to
try its fortune elsewhere. The danger being over, the cater-
pillar ascends its silken ladder, and quietly regains possession
of its home. CO.

Degree makes all the Difference.

"When a substance combines with oxygen, heat is evolved,
and if the union is rapid and fussy, light may be emitted as
well. The burning of a candle seems to be a very different
thing from the rusting of a nail ; but in truth the latter pro-
cess is simply a mild and dilatory species of combustion. It is
really a little conflagration, though it does not afford sufficient
heat to singe the wings of a moth, or sufficient illumination to
enable us to read a line. PO.

76 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Del

Self and Circumstance Conspire to Delude.

The effects of the mirage are extraordinary, but undoubtedly
they are heightened by the imagination of observers, generally
over-excited by fatigue, by privations, or sometimes by fever.
These causes contribute to vary the nature of the phenomenon
as seen by different eyes. Thus some gaze enraptured on
verdurous islands, bright as Armida's enchanted garden, with
feathery palms, and blooming flowers, and delicious sparkling
lakes ; other see in that dim far-off which is never reached
the laughing waves of the ocean, with ships calmly at anchor, or

" Veering up and down, they know not why,"

and camels browsing quietly upon its shores ; others again see
before them the rolling river, its banks studded with groves and
palaces ; and all this while there is not a solitary real object on
the horizon whose presence might serve in some degree as a
foundation for their visions. It is the very phantasmagoria of
Nature — her wildest, most wayward, and most fantastic sport.
The reflection of the sky, modified by the inequalities of, the
soil and the vibratory movements of the air, can alone account
for the singular deception. Imagination shows its victim, in
the reflected image of the cloudless sky, a sheet of water, which
is variously taken for a sea, a lake, or river; it invests the
slightest objects on the earth's surface with forms, colours, and
dimensions, which are easily metamorphosed into houses, ships,
men, animals ; and it seems certain that those which in Nubia
our fancy converts into camels, would in the Soudan be trans-
formed into elephants, and at Venice into gondolas. Imagina-
tion makes us its dupes, and gives to airy nothings

" A local habitation and a name."

It becomes absolutely necessary, therefore, to distinguish these
wholly personal illusions born of a heated brain from those which
are really due to a definite physical cause. The latter neces-
sarily suppose the existence of actual objects below or very little
above the horizon. Under such conditions, the most frequent
illusion is that which shows the sky or rocks reflected in the
expanse of rarefied air superincumbent on the earth's surface,

Dem] AND SYMBOLS. 77

and which through this cause also resembles water. It is then
that the ignorant or inexperienced traveller, overwhelmed with
fatigue and devoured by thirst, hastens his eager steps to reach
more quickly that limpid water where he hopes to refresh and
reinvigorate himself, but which flies before his advance, and
speedily vanishes altogether. Sometimes it is an inverted re-
presentation of terrestrial objects which appears in the air;
or rather these same objects, several times reflected, appear to
multiply themselves. D.

Delusive Daintiness.

There is a hot-house plant, Pilea allitrichoides, of tender,
brittle, and juicy aspect, which looks as if it would be good to
eat in a cooling salad, but which is really of so explosive a
temperament that it might fairly be called the pistol plant.
When near flowering, and with its tiny buds ready to open, if
the plant is either dipped in water or abundantly watered, each
bud will explode successively, keeping up a mimic Sebastopol
bombardment, sending forth a puff of gunpowder smoke or a
little cloud of dusty pollen as its stamens suddenly start forth
to take their place and form a cross. Some charming acquain-
tances, whose appearances promise us great pleasure, turn out to
be as explosive and delusive as this useless plant. v.

The Democratic Principle.

The political atmosphere is most healthy when composed of
a variety of elements. We know that the theory of the philo-
sophical democrat is, that in order to have a perfect political
constitution you must have a proper representation of all classes
of society. In order that the air should be wholesome it is
necessary that it should not be of one kind, but the compound
of several substances, and the more various the composition
to all appearances the more salubrious. But it is chiefly by the
predominance of some peculiar vapour that the air becomes
unfit for human support, and a thousand accidents are found to
increase these bodies of vapour. Heat may raise them in too
great quantities, and cold may stagnate them. Minerals may give
off their effluvia in such proportion as to keep all other kind of

78 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Dep

air away ; vegetables may render the air unwholesome by their
supply ; and animal putrefaction seems to, furnish a quantity
of vapour at least as noxious as any of the former. All these
united generally make up the mass of respiration, and are when
mixed together harmless ; but any one of them for a long time
singly predominant becomes at length fatal. In like manner it
is maintained that society is most safe and most healthy when,
on the one hand, no one class is unduly powerful, and when on
the other no class is unfairly lessened in influence : and that
because the objectionable qualities of each are balanced by the
compensating ingredients of all, it is desirable to preserve to
them severally their natural influence and scope, and perfect
freedom to ensure vitalising action. A.

The Specious Appearance of Moral Depravity.

A species of very destructive blasting is known to the
farmer under the name of bunt, and to the botanist as Ustilayo
fcetida, on account of the intolerable odour which it exhales.
It is one of the most common diseases to which wheat is sub-
ject. Scarcely a field is free from its attacks ; and in favour-
able circumstances it spreads widely and proves very destruc-
tive. It confines its ravages entirely to the grain. Externally
the infected ear presents no abnormal appearance. There is no
black dust, no stunted growth or malformation by which the
presence of the insidious foe may be recognised. On the con-
trary, the infected ears continue growing, and appear even
plumper and of a richer and darker green than the sound ones.
The very stigmata of the flowers remain unaltered to the last.
Stealthily and secretly the process of poisoning is accomplished ;
and not in many cases till the harvest is reaped and the wheat
ground for flour is the discovery made by the odour and colour
that the produce is unfit for human food. Under this external
mask of health all fecundation is rendered impossible ; there
is no development of the parts of fructification ; no embryo
whatever can be detected ; the whole interior of the seed when
broken and bruised is found to be filled with a black fetid
powder, which contains on chemical analysis an acrid oil, putrid,
gluten, charcoal, phosphoric acid, phosphate of ammonia and

Des] AND SYMBOLS. 79

magnesia, Lut no traces of starch, the essential ingredient in
human food. Certain sections of society are blasted by a moral
depravity which this " bunt " typifies. Externally, the persons
affected appear to be as honourable and respectable as the best
of the world. Sometimes, indeed, they appear to be the most
Christian of the Christian. But there is no germ of moral
goodness in them. Under the mask of social propriety there is
moral blackness. The infection of their wickedness rapidly
spreads all around them. Yet it is often neither seen nor sus-
pected by the ordinary observer. But when the preacher of the
gospel goes forth to " gather in his sheaves," the disappointing
discovery is made that there is no moral harvest to be rejoiced
over, but a disheartening spectacle of moral waste and worthless-
ness to be deplored. B.

Desolation.

There are epochs in some men's lives when faith, hope,
and happiness all vanish, and the human mind, driven into
gloom, experiences the awful sense of desolation. This mourn-
ful mood of soul has its symbol in the "Desolate Sea." In
the angle comprised between Humboldt's current and the warm
artery which flows to meet it from the centre of the Pacific,
there exists a vast area, a liquid desert of sinister aspect, deso-
late and barren, where nothing lives or moves, and which seems
stricken with an eternal curse. "The motionless sea," says
Felix Julien, " seems here deserted and abandoned. No whale
ever furrows its waves ; no halcyon or petrel ever skims its sur-
face. All the logs of ships and all the narratives of voyagers
agree in representing in the same dreary colours the picture
exhibited so efficaciously by this desolate sea. When the
mariner has doubled Cape Horn, he is surrounded and pursued
for several weeks by clouds of birds very common in the Austral
regions. The booby, the petrel, the albatross, the sea swallow
escort his vessel, wheel around it, and follow unfatigued in its
rapid track. But as soon as we approach the Desolate Sea, all
things quit us, disappear, and change. "We no longer descry
the halcyon, no longer hear the hoarse voice of the sea-gull.
The atmosphere is without sound, the waves of the ocean are
dumb, nothing animates the blank horizon. The whole universe

8o SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Des

seems deprived of life, and it is under the impression of this
indescribable sentiment of melancholy that man finds himself
alone in the presence of God and the immensity ! " MY.

A Type of Desolation.

Between Humboldt's current and the great equatorial flow
there is an area marked as the "desolate region." It was
observed that this part of the ocean was rarely visited by the
whale, either sperm or right. Why it did not appear, but
observations asserted the fact. Formerly this part of the ocean
was seldom whitened by the sails of a ship, or enlivened by the
presence of man. Neither the industrial pursuits of the sea nor
the highways of commerce called him into it. Now and then
a roving cruiser or an enterprising whaleman passed that way ;
but to all else it was an unfrequented part of the ocean, and so
remained until the gold-fields of Australia and the guano islands
of Peru made it a thoroughfare. All vessels bound from
Australia to South America now pass through it, and in the
journals of some of them it is described as a region almost void
of the signs of life in both' sea and air. In the South Pacific
Ocean especially, where there is such a wide expanse of water,
sea-birds often exhibit a companionship with a vessel, and will
follow and keep company with it through storm and calm for
weeks together. Even those kinds as the albatross and Cape
pigeon, that delight in the stormy regions of Cape Horn and in
the inhospitable climates of the Antarctic regions, not unfre-
quently accompany vessels into the perpetual summer of the
tropics. The sea-birds that join the ship as she clears Australia
will, it is said, follow her to this region, and then disappear.
Even the chirp of the stormy petrel ceases to be heard here,
and the sea itself is said to be singularly barren "of moving
creatures that have life." This is a type of desolation. It
represents that portion of the life of an unhappy man which by
age or circumstances is detached from society, and remains in
desolation. Now and then pilgrims, like ships of passage, may
cross the man's path, but his own sense of desolation remains
the same. No cheerful thoughts ever flit with bird-like beauty
across the horizon of his mind ; and the depths of his soul are
solitary with sorrow. T.

Des] AND SYMBOLS. Si

The Despicable the Destructive.

There is nothing noble in the power to destroy, though
soldiers seem to think so. The most despicable creatures are
always the most capable as instruments of destruction. The
larvae of an insect or fly, no larger than a grain of rice, silently,
and in one season, destroy some thousand acres of pine-trees,
many of them from two to three feet in diameter, and a hun-
dred and fifty feet high ! Whoever passes along the high road
from Georgetown to Charleston in South Carolina, about twenty
miles from the former place, can have striking and melancholy
proofs of the fact. In some places the whole woods, as far as
you can see around you, are dead, stripped of the bark, their
wintry-looking arms and bare trunks bleaching in the sun, and
tumbling in ruins before every blast, presenting a frightful
picture of desolation. This work of destruction would take any
of the creatures, which we call the noble ones of creation, an
immense time to accomplish. They could not at all compete with
these despicable insects in this work of destroying the growth of
years. An armed banditti in a few days can destroy pictures,
statues, monuments, palaces and temples, which are the result
of the wisdom and work of a thousand years. One breath of
pestilence in the breeze can kill a population more rapidly than
all the armies of Europe. There is no difficulty about destruc-
tion, and despicable instrumentalities are always its agents.
But the power to create, or restore, do you ever find that in
association with the despicable or contemptible 1 IN.

Despicable Conquerors.

Military brag has thrown a false halo around the word
"conqueror." The fact is that even despicable insects may be
conquerors. In Africa there are flies which are the actual lords
of certain extensive districts, ruling with so absolute a sway
that not only man and his cattle are fain to submit to them, but
even the most gigantic animals, the elephants and rhinoceroses,
cannot stand before them. There is the Zimb of Abyssinia, the
very sound of whose dreaded hum sends the herds from their
pastures, and makes them run wildly about till they drop with
fatigue, fright, and hunger. There is no resource for the

F

82 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Des

pastoral inhabitants but instantly to vacate the country, and
retire with their herds to their nearest sands, where they will
not be molested. This they would do though they knew that
hostile bands of robbers were waylaying them. Such is the
terror of a fly. When the British army hunts the Zulus, the
Abyssinian s, the Afghans, the Egyptians, or other helpless
people, immense honour is always given to its deeds. They are
covered with a blaze of glory. To drive away a mass of human
creatures in terror is a performance which the lovers of mili-
taryism deem to be exceedingly grand. Let us then do honour
to the transcendent Zimb ! "Without the aid of even a drum,
he makes a noise before which men and animals retreat. He
can depopulate and annex a country by the fright which he can
inspire. With our chaplains, and generals, and all the parapher-
nalia of costly war contrivances, blessed by the bishops and
prayed over by civilised aggressors, we are still unable to do
the work of cruelty much better than the Zimb. BT.

A Weak Point in Despotism.

Though the lion possesses colossal strength, it is wanting in
/ confidence in itself. Indeed its distrust is excessive. It
/ frequently happens that, against its inclinations, it leaves a prey
I which it deems to have been too easily obtained, suspecting it
to be a bait. Frequently, owing to this, man and animal who
-t have been its defenceless prey on the ground have been aban-
doned by the brute, and have thus miraculously escaped what
I seemed certain death. Other despots resemble this one in that
\ they have the same weak point of character, suspiciousness. If
\ they never faltered in self-belief they would often be able to
\ crush out human liberties with the force of their violence. Eut
our sultans, czars, emperors, kings, and other tyrants, are apt
to tremble with suspicion at their own doings. From dis-
trustfulness springs vacillation of policy ; and during the
despot's doubtings Liberty saves herself from mutilation. M.

A Destroyer without Sense of Shame.

The horror of the desert does not lie only in its aridity, in
its vacuity — this vacuity is not absolute ; in default of life,

Des] AND SYMBOLS. 83

death peoples its solitudes. The glens or gorges frequented by
the caravans are lined with stones, symmetrically disposed at
certain intervals. These stones mark the places where rest the
remains of the hapless pilgrims who have attempted to cross the
wilderness, and perished in the attempt. Round and about
each rugged tomb lie the skeletons of animals which none have
troubled themselves to bury in the sand. Frequently you may
see, on the sandy wastes of Africa, or the desolate plains of
Asia and the New World, these carcases laid out in two inter-
minable rows, indicating the gloomy track which should be
followed by the traveller, and never failing to remind him of
the tribute death levies upon mankind in these accursed regions.
Thus does the desert show itself more relentless than even the
hungry ocean, which at least devours its victims whole, and
affronts the eye with no traces of its murders. But the Moloch
of the desert has no shame ; it cynically exposes the hideous
remains of those whom it has killed ; it strews the earth with
their bones ; it has its museums of skeletons, or rather of pre-
served animals. D.

A Destroyer's Art and Force.

One of the most dangerous denizens of the marshy plains of
equatorial America is the gigantic boa-constrictor, a frightful
reptile often attaining to the length of thirty-six to forty-five
feet. In the morning and evening he places himself in ambush
on the border of some lake or water-course to surprise the
quadrupeds which flock thither to quench their thirst. By
means of his prehensile tail he suspends himself to a tree on
the shore, and patiently awaits the coming prey. When an
animal passes within his reach, he swiftly seizes it, enfolds it
in his spiral coils, crushes it against the tree which serves for
his point d'appui, compresses its bleeding mass into a convenient
form, covers it with a glutinous saliva, and swallows it. In
this fashion he will devour a stag or even an ox entire, nor does
he fear to attack the puma and jaguar. D.

84 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Dea

Destruction of Destroyers.

The green and black caterpillars of the white cabbage
butterfly, devastate our cabbage beds, make sieves of the leaves,
and are disagreeably tenacious of their rights of possession.
Pest as it is to the gardeners and cooks, it would be a hundred-
fold worse but for the exertions of a fly so small as hardly to be
noticed but by its effects. Small though it be, one such insect
can compass the destruction of many a caterpillar, though not
one thousandth part of the size of a single victim. While the
caterpillar is feeding, the ichneumon fly, as it is called, settles
upon its back, pierces its skin with a little drill wherewith it
is furnished, and in the wound deposits an egg. This process
is repeated until the ichneumon's work is done. As each
wound is made the caterpillar seems to wince, but shows no
further sense of uneasiness and proceeds with its eating as
usual. But its food serves very little for its own nourishment,
because the ichneumon's eggs are speedily hatched into ichneu-
mon grubs, and consume the fatty portions of the caterpillar as
fast as it is formed. In process of time the caterpillar ought to
take the chrysalis shape, and for that purpose leaves its food
and seeks a convenient spot for its change. That change never
comes, for the ichneumons have been growing as fast as the
caterpillar, with whose development they keep pace. And no
sooner has their victim ceased to feed, than they simultaneously
eat their way out of the doomed creature, and immediately
spin for themselves a number of bright yellow cocoons, among
which the dying caterpillar is hopelessly fixed. Sometimes it
has sufficient strength to escape, but it never survives. co.

Detection of Destroyers.

When the caterpillars of the buff-tip moth have increased to
a tolerably large size, they disband their forces, and each indi-
vidual proceeds on its own course of destruction. Were it not
for the colours they assume, these creatures would do great
damage ; but the ground being yellow and the stripes black, the
caterpillars are so conspicuous that sharp-sighted birds soon find
them out, and having discovered a colonyj hold revelry thereon,
and exterminate the band. co.

Des] AND SYMBOLS. 85

Destruction and Renovation— Principles of Nature.

The uniformitarian, who would explain every natural event
in the earliest periods by reference to the existing conditions
of being, is stopped at the foundation-stones of the great
natural edifice, each storey of which has been inhabited by dif-
ferent creatures. Nature herself, in short, speaks to him through
her ancient monuments, and tells him that, though she has
worked during all ages on the same general principles of de-
struction and renovation of the surface, there were formerly dis-
tributions of land vastly different in outline from those which
now prevail The primeval sediments were penetrated by out-
bursts of great volumes of igneous matter from the interior, the
violence of which is made manifest by many clear evidences.
Fractures in the crust of the earth caused by earthquakes that
suddenly removed masses to positions far above or beneath their
previous levels were necessarily productive of such powerful
translations of water as abraded and destroyed solid materials,
and spread them out over continents, or altogether swept them
away by operations infinitely surpassing any changes of which
the historical era affords examples. We could cite the works
of many eminent writers for numerous evidences of the grander
intensity of causation in former epochs, by which gigantic
stratified masses were sometimes inverted, or so wrenched,
twisted, and broken as to pass under the very rocks out of
which they were formed. The traveller amid the Alps and
other mountain-chains will there see clear and unmistakable
signs of such former catastrophes, each of which resulted from
fractures utterly inexplicable by reference to any of those puny
oscillations of the earth which can be appealed to during his-
torical times. si.

Elements that Wait for Destruction.

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the prairies or sa-
vannahs from the pampas and llanos is that the dryness in the
former is never sufficiently severe to destroy vegetation, as is
the case in the latter. But the herbs and grasses often grow
so dry in summer that the most trivial accident, such as a

86 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Dev

lighted match flung carelessly away, or the ashes dropped from
a hunter's pipe, will kindle the most awful conflagrations, and
the flames will spread devouringly over leagues of open ground,
consuming trees and shrubs, and burning to death the cattle or
wild animals which haply fall within their range. With the
crackling, hissing, seething noises of the fire mingle the groans
of the perishing beasts, while huge clouds of smoke roll before
the wind like the billows of a wind-swept ocean, and live
tongues of flame ever and anon light up the terrible scene with
lurid splendour. These " prairie fires " are sometimes kindled
in revenge by the Indians, and occasionally the settlers resort to
this dangerous but summary method of clearing the encumbered
ground. D.

Proper Development Dependent on Proper
Conditions.

Plants as well as animals, nurtured and grown in perfect
darkness, never acquire their natural colour. The former become
white instead of green. This fact is observed in the etiolation
or blanching, as it is termed, of certain kinds of vegetables, such
as celery, seakale, endive, etc. Their leaves, deprived of the
sun's rays, do not attain their normal growth or form, neither is
the natural odour of such plants fully developed. Professor
Robinson, descending into a coal mine, accidentally met with a
plant growing luxuriantly. Its form and qualities were new to
him. The sod on which it grew was removed, potted, and care-
fully attended to in his garden. The etiolated plant languished
and died, but the roots speedily threw out vigorous shoots which,
from the form of the leaves and their peculiar odour, he readily
recognised as tansey. He repeated similar experiments upon
other plants, viz., lovage, carvi, and mint, with analogous results.
The biography of mankind affords innumerable examples illus-
trative of this same principle, that the proper development of
every kind of life is dependent on proper conditions. It is not
thereby necessarily implied that man is the slave of his circum-
stances, because, unlike the lower creation, he possesses within
certain limits power to bring himself under the influence of the
conditions favourable to the proper development of his intellect

Dis] AND SYMBOLS, 87

and character. Certain, however, it is that where opportunities
for the exercise of that power have been wanting, and where the
man has not been brought under suitable conditions, his faculties
have dwindled into insignificance, or become abnormally dis-
torted in their growth. A stunted moral and physical manhood
is inevitably the result of certain conditions of existence which
can easily be named : and the converse is also true. IL.

Directness of Course.

The Lemmings are natives of the mountains of Lapland, where
they feed on mosses and lichens. At very irregular dates the
Lemmings migrate in immense numbers, and make their way
towards the south in crowded columns. It seems as if they
were drawn on by some irresistible power towards a certain
fixed point, so straight is the character of their march. They
never go round any obstacle, except when it is absolutely im-
possible to surmount it, and then, as soon as the impediment
is past, they again take 'their former direction. If a large rick
of hay happens to stand in their path, they bore right into it,
and make a thoroughfare through it. If a boat is moored in a
river, and thus crosses their direct road, they will climb over it
and take to swimming again on the other side of it. They are
not only determined to pursue directness of purpose, but also
directness of course. It is an old proverb that " sometimes the
longest way round is the shortest way home." They are never
influenced by such a consideration. There are human minds
which, in this peculiarity, resemble the Lemmings. They will
have not only a direct purpose, but also a straight road to it.
No ingenuity is ever called into play to avoid an unnecessary
difficulty. A blunt honesty requires them to move in one line
only. To them the line of march seems of as much importance
as their destination. M.

The Influence of Disappointment.

After many disappointments we cannot do our work well.
We are disheartened. The poetry of life has departed. With
the loss of our hopes was the loss of our love. The bird whose

88 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Dis

nest has been robbed several times, builds up her last in a
very slovenly manner. And we act much as that bird does if,
after repeated failures, we again attempt our disappointing task
at all. A.

Excusable Disappointment.

There is plenty of disappointment which is not excusable.
People do things which their own common sense, if they would
use it, could tell them must end only in one way. Yet, when
the inevitable misfortune comes, they call it disappointment. On
the other hand, there is an excusable disappointment, as when
one trusts to a fixed law of Nature and finds it has suddenly
varied. Take, for instance, the case of people who, having
always found rain-water to be clear and clean, are disappointed
to find a shower of a wholly different character. This experi-
ence happened in South America to the inhabitants of one of
the Argentine provinces — the city of San Juan. They once
had black rain ! For many hours during a day and a night this
black disappointment poured down upon them. Clothes 'left
out to dry were saturated with black water ; and all the vessels
which should have gathered pure water were filled instead with
black water. No one could have been prepared for this. No
one could have guarded against it. People expect rain-water to
be clear, just as they expect a good bank to pay its depositors.

i. o.

The Discontented Character.

There are people who are constitutionally discontented. No-
thing gives them satisfaction. They are like the hermit-crabs,
and may well be designated " crabbed." We see that the animal
and the shell are mostly well suited to each other ; but it is a
remarkable fact that, however well the shell and the crab may
seem to be suited to each other, the crab always thinks that a shell
belonging to another crab would make a better house. Conse-
quently they will wage direful battles over a few empty shells,
although neither of the shells would make so commodious a
habitation as that which was already occupied. F.

Dis] AND SYMBOLS. 89

Discretion is the Better Part of Valour.

In the forests of Tartary and South America, says Lord
Brougham, where the wild horse is gregarious, there are herds
of five or six hundred, which, being ill prepared for fighting,
or indeed for any sort of resistance, and knowing that their
safety is in flight, when they sleep appoint one in rotation who
acts as sentinel while the rest are asleep. If a man approaches,
the sentinel walks towards him, as if to reconnoitre and see
whether he may be deterred from coming near ; if the man con-
tinues, he neighs aloud and in a peculiar tone, which rouses the
herd, and all gallop away, the sentinel bringing up the rear.
Nothing can be more judicious or rational than this arrangement,
simple as it is. R.

Unconscious Disseminators.

One of the most extraordinary of microscopic plants is the
Achlya prolifera, whose soft silky threads may sometimes be
seen adhering to the surface of gold-fishes, and covering them,
as it were, with a whitish slime. This appearance is generally
looked upon as a species of decay or consumption in the animal
itself, and not as an external clothing of parasitic plants. It is,
however, a true vegetable growth, each individual consisting of
a single filament with a minute pear-shaped ball on the top
containing numerous grains, which are the seeds or embryos of
future plants. The unconscious fish is the means of their dis-
semination, and they may be carried by him unwittingly into
places where no such plants ever grew before. Birds unknow-
ingly often carry seeds to great distances ; so do the winds.
But the methods by which nature uses unconscious agents for
the dissemination of seeds is not more remarkable than the
processes by which ideas get scattered throughout the human,
race. A falling apple carries with it a suggestion respect-
ing the law of gravitation. The failure of a quadruped carries
with it notions of better mechanical locomotion. A tea-kettle
sings a song which tells of the application of steam. Balaam's
ass even has a communication to make. In a thousand ways
all sorts of things and events are used as the unconscious agents

90 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Dis

for the dissemination of ideas. There is a mighty mass of
things for ever moving about the world, carrying with them
associations which, on coming in contact with the mind of man,
develop into germs of thought. CH.

Dissimilar Causes may Produce like Effects.

The natures of some people seem to be utterly stupefied and
deadened by prosperity. Others are chilled into torpor and
petrifaction by adversity. These different processes work out
the same result — inactivity. So in the tropics the intensely hot
season causes the crocodile and other amphibious animals to
conceal themselves in the mud and lie apparently dead ; whilst
in the cold regions the severities of the winter throw other
animals into a state of hybernation. VL

The Dissimilar Effects of the same Cause.

Consider the totally different effects which the same tKing
has on different people. An act, simple in itself, will rouse the
joys of one and the rage of another. A substance which is food
to one man is poison to another. The same medicine which
effects a cure in one case will in a similar case in another man
aggravate the malady and enchance his sufferings. Look again
at the effects of the tempest on creation. A large number of
the existences on the globe are terrified. But the seals love
above all the tempest, the roaring of the waves, the whistling
of the wind, the mighty voice of the thunder, and the vivid
flashings of the lightning. They delight to see, rolling along
in a sombre sky, the great black clouds which predict torrents
of rain. Then it is that they leave the sea in crowds and come
and play about on the shore, in the midst of the fury of the
elements. They are at home in the tempests. It is in these
crises of nature that they give full play to all their faculties,
and to all the activity of which they are capable. When the
weather is fine and the rest of creation is full of enjoyment
they fall asleep, and resign themselves lazily to the dolce far
niente. M.

Dis] AND SYMBOLS. 91

The Delusive Effects of Distance.

Not un frequently we discover that the distance between a
friend and ourselves has caused us to take an entirely wrong
view of him and his proceedings. We contemplate him through
a medium which is illusory. When we approach near, however,
we see the reality to be the reverse of what it appeared. Now
in like manner a natural object of the landscape, when seen
from a distance, may appear to the eye to be in a state exactly
the reverse of what it really is. Who does not acknowledge
instantaneously the magical truth of Wordsworth's saying of a
cataract, seen from a station two miles off, that it was "frozen
by distance." It looks all ice. In all Nature, however, there
is not an object so essentially at war with the stiffening of a
frost, as the headlong and desperate life of a cataract, and yet
notoriously the effect of distance is to lock tip this frenzy of
motion into the most petrific column of stillness. Such is the
illusory effect of distance. DE Q.

The Illusions of Distance.

The three bright stars which constitute the girdle or bands of
Orion never change their form ; they preserve the same relative
position to each other, and to the rest of the constellation, from
year to year and age to age. And yet in the profound rest
of these stars there is a ceaseless motion, in their apparent
stability and everlasting endurance there is constant change.
In vast courses with inconceivable velocities, they are whirling
round invisible centres and ever shifting their positions in space,
and ever passing into new collocations. They appear to us
motionless and changeless because of our great distance from
them. B.

Distinctiveness.

Every blade of grass, leaf, flower, tree, or animal, has dis-
tinctiveness. No two things of the same sort can be found
exactly alike. Mr. Dixon remarks that even " to every hen
belongs an individual peculiarity in the form, colour, and size
of her egg, which never changes during her lifetime, so long as

92 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Div

she remains in health, and which is as well known to those who
are in the habit of taking her produce as the handwriting of
their nearest acquaintance." DX. : VA.

Diversity of Form but Unity of Benefit.

Diversity of climate circumscribes within limits more or less
narrow many of the most useful of our food-producing plants ;
but this unavoidable evil has sometimes been lessened or
obviated in a way which affords another instance of the kind
forethought of our Father. One of the most valuable elements
of vegetable diet is sugar, and nature has taken care that many
articles in common use shall contain a fair proportion of it. At
the same time there are certain plants in which it exists so
abundantly that we are accustomed to resort to them for our
large supplies. Of these the chief is the well-known " cane."
But the sugar-cane flourishes only in the tropics and adjacent
regions ; and therefore all sugar from this source, consumed in
extra-tropical countries, must be brought to them by commerce.
Many a wide district, however, lying far in the interio'r of
continents, is unfavourably situated for thus receiving its
supplies ; and it might either have been deprived of this nutri-
ment altogether, or at least have been inadequately provided
with it, had not Providence, with kind intent, created other
sugar-producing plants constitutionally suited to different
climates, for the purpose of distributing the gift more generally
over the world. Thus we find that from the tropical " cane "
region to the Mediterranean, the supply of sugar is maintained
by several plants, among which may be mentioned the date-
palm and the fig. Beyond this, in climates corresponding to
Southern Europe, there are the sorghum and maize, from which
much sugar is now manufactured in France and America.
Farther to the north, the beet-root in the field and the maple
in the forest extend the series of sugar-producing plants almost
to the verge of the Arctic circle. Farinaceous food is tropically
represented by the rice-plant in great abundance. Proceeding
northwards, rice is associated with the maize or Indian com ;
that is succeeded by wheat ; and, lastly, we have oats and
barley flourishing almost up to the North Cape. The same

Div] AND SYMBOLS. 93

representative system is observed in regard to many other
important vegetable principles. In this manner then the
difficulties interposed by climate to the wide distribution over
the globe of some of the most valuable products of the vegetable
kingdom have been entirely surmounted. According to the
laws regulating the vegetable kingdom, it was impossible for
the same useful plants to flourish everywhere ; but Providence
created duplicates, as it were, to yield abundantly the same pro-
ducts, and adapted them by their constitution to take up their
position in the different climatic belts of the world, in order
that no extensive region should be without them. There is an
endless diversity of form but unity of benefit. The form is
not of any importance, but the food, of course, is essential. If
we turn to the human world we shall see the same principle
illustrated in politics, in religion, and in institutions. It is
necessary that men should have some government, but the form
of it must depend upon local conditions, and, therefore, will
be republican, monarchical, or tribal, according to exigencies.
They must have religion, but its forms are protean, and grow
according to the necessities and aspirations of nations. They
must have dress and speech, but whether broadcloth or linen,
whether English or Arabic, will depend upon zone. In an
infinite diversity of forms we obtain all our important blessings.

BE.

Diversity Concealed by Resemblance.

The resemblance between two objects may be so striking as
to blind our eyes to the diversity which, on inspection, may be
found to be more striking than the resemblance. For instance,
if we compare the buffalo with our common cow, no two
animals can be more nearly alike either in their form or their
nature ; both equally submissive to the yoke, both often living
under the same roof, and employed in the same domestic
services ; the make and the turn of their bodies so much alike
that it requires a close attention to distinguish them, and yet,
after all this, no two animals can be more distinct, or seem to
have stronger antipathies to each other. A.

94 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Dra

Every Condition has its Drawbacks.

The man-of-war or frigate-bird is virtually nothing more than
wings, scarcely any body — barely as large as that of the
domestic cock — while his prodigious pinions are fifteen feet in
span. The great problem of flight is solved and overpassed, for
the power of flight seems useless. Such a bird, naturally sus-
tained by such supports, need but allow himself to be borne
along. The storm bursts ; he mounts to lofty heights where he
finds tranquillity. When he chooses to oar his way seriously,
all distance vanishes : he breakfasts at the Senegal, he dines in
America. He may continue his progress through the night
indefinitely, certain of reposing himself. Upon what 1 On his
huge motionless wing, which takes upon itself all the weariness
of the voyage ; or on the wind, his slave, which eagerly hastens
to cradle him. This strange being is gifted with the proud
prerogative of fearing nothing in this world. Little, but strong
and intrepid, he braves all the tyrants of the air. He can
despise, if need be, the pygargue and the condor ; those huge,
unwieldy creatures will with great difficulty have put themselves
in motion when he shall have already achieved a distance of ten
leagues. From all this it might be concluded that this bird was
a type of freedom worthy of envy, and that its condition was
nearly perfect. But, as often happens in other cases which we
consider exempt from disadvantages, a little more information
suggests a different judgment. Every condition of life — whether
that of statesmen, authors, travellers, or birds, beasts, and fishes —
has its drawbacks. It is so with this frigate-bird. If we exa-
mine it a little closer we shall find to our astonishment that,
when contemplated from near at hand, this bird, the first of the
winged kingdom, has nothing of the serenity which a free life
promises. His eye is cruelly hard, severe, mobile, unquiet.
His vexed attitude is that of some unhappy sentinel doomed,
under pain of death, to keep watch over the infinity of ocean.
On looking at him closely you perceive that he has no feet ; or,
at all events, feet which, being palmate and exceedingly short,
can neither walk nor perch. With a formidable beak, he has
not the talons or strength of a true eagle of the sea. He strikes
and slays ; can he seize ? Thus, then, this being, so well armed

Dre] AND SYMBOLS. 95

and winged, leads but a trembling and precarious life. Superior
to all others in power of flight and vision as in daring, his life
is uncertain, and he would die of hunger had he not the
industry to create for himself a purveyor whom he cheats of his
food. His ignoble resource is to attack a dull and timorous
bird, the noddy, famous as a fisher. The frigate-bird, which is
of no larger dimensions, pursues him, strikes him on the neck
with his beak, and compels him to yield up his prey. All this
takes place in the air ; before the fish can fall he catches it on
its passage. Such is the character, and such are the drawbacks
in the condition of the beautiful bird which at first sight
appeared to be a noble type of a grand existence. The biography
of many a man whom we admire suggests numerous reflections
which are similar to those which the story of this bird-life
furnishes.

Boyhood's Dreams and Time's Silver-Thaw.

Nothing produced by the magic touch of winter can excel a
phenomenon which may often be seen in the woods of some
transatlantic countries, where it is familiarly called silver-thaw.
It is caused by rain descending when the stratum of air nearest
the earth is below 32 deg., and consequently freezing the instant
it touches any object. The ice accumulates with every drop of
rain, until a transparent, glassy coating is formed on the shrubs
and trees ; the effect is magical, and reminds one of fairy scenes
described in Oriental fables. Every little twig, every branch,
every leaf, every blade of grass, is enshrined in crystal ; the whole
forest is composed of sparkling, transparent glass, even to the
minute leaves of the pines and firs. The sun shines out. What
a glitter of light ! How the beams, broken, as it were, into
ten thousand fragments, sparkle and dance as they are reflected
from the trees ! Yet it is as fragile as beautiful. A slight
shock from a rude hand is sufficient to destroy it. The air is
filled with a descending shower of the glittering fragments, and
the spell is broken at once. It is a representation of the visions
of boyhood vanishing in Time's silver-thaw. At first they are
full of pure splendours, all loveliness, all allurements, all graces.
Time touches them with harsh hand, and they vanish from our

96 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Dro

gaze like the beautiful ice-phenomenon, leaving only a gorgeous
memory behind. no.

The "Doldrums" of Life.

Seafaring people have, as if by common consent, divided the
ocean off into regions, and characterised them according to the
winds ; e.g., there are the " trade-wind regions," the " variables,"
the "horse latitudes," the "doldrums," etc. The "equatorial
doldrums," besides being a region of calms and baffling winds,
is a region noted for its rains and clouds, which make it one
of the most oppressive and disagreeable places at sea. The
emigrant ships from Europe for Australia have to cross it.
They are of ten baffled in it for two or three weeks \ then the
children and the passengers who are of delicate health suffer
most. It is a frightful graveyard on the way-side to that golden
land. In crossing the equatorial doldrums the mariner has
passed a ring of clouds that encircles the earth. And do not
these doldrums illustrate a class of influences to which we are
all subject1? Are we not all certain in our journey to have^days
of deep melancholy, when all is dismal, when our hopes are
baffled, when we make no progress and yet have no calm?
Then, indeed, we suffer ; and depression clouds the sky of all its
light. Take courage, drooping heart, and remember that thou
too hast a golden land in view ! T.

Nature's Sentence upon Drones.

It will be profitable to idle people to observe the arrangement
whereby nature condemns the drones to death in the bee com-
munity. No sooner is the business of swarming ended, and
the worker-bees satisfied there will be no lack of fertile queens,
when issues the terrible edict for the massacre of the drones.
Poor fellows ! It is to be hoped they comfort themselves with
the reflection that their fate is an everlasting homily, presented
by Nature in dogmatical but most effective fashion, of the use-
lessness of all who labour not for their living. If one must
die for the good of one's kind, by all means let it be as -a martyr.
Poor fellows ! how they dart in and out, and up and down the
hive, in the vain hope of escape. The workers are inexorable.

Dul] AND SYMBOLS. 97

Huber tells us the latter plant their stings so deeply — for the
most part between the segments of the abdomen — that they
cannot extricate themselves without turning as upon a pivot.
The cruelty apparent in the fierceness of the attack is perhaps
only kindness, for the wound is immediately fatal ; the drones
expand their wings and die. B. w.

Dull Natures are Splendid Pain-Bearers.

In reptiles and batrachians the brain is small, a peculiarity
which explains their slight intelligence and the almost entire
impossibility of teaching them anything. They can, it is true, be
tamed ; but although they seem to know individuals, they do not
seem to be susceptible of affection ; the slight compass of their
brain renders them very insensible. This insensibility to pain
enables them to support mutilations which would prove imme-
diately fatal to most other animals. For instance, the common
lizard frequently breaks its tail in its abrupt movements. But
this curtailment does not seem to affect him ; he waits patiently
for the return of the organ, which complaisant Nature renews as
often as it becomes necessary. A tortoise will continue to live
and walk for six months after it is deprived of its brain. It is
obvious, therefore, that these kinds of creatures can endure very
splendidly that which, in the ordinary way, would be called
pain, not because they have fortitude, but because they have
insensibility. They remind us in this of many men and1
women who get great credit for the manner in which they
endure the ills of life. Some are praised for their Christianity,
others for their philosophy, others for their magnanimity, when
investigation will often reveal the fact that the real reason of
their composure is to be found in their low organisation. When
a moral hero bears pain with bravery he does so at an immense
effort, because, since he has capacity for vast feeling, so also
has he capacity for vast suffering. When a dull and stupid man
endures suffering with resignation it is because his nature is not
endowed with high sensibility. Extremes meet, and he often
takes his stand by the hero and is applauded for virtues which
he does not possess. A tortoise-brained man will actually enjoy
himself under calamities which would crush a poet. KB.

G

ix

98 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Edu

The Transitional Nature of the Earth.

There is in the delta of the Indus a singular region, called
the Runn of Cutch, which extends over an area of 7000 square
miles, which is neither land nor sea, but is under water during
the monsoons, and in the dry season is encrusted here and
there with salt about an inch thick, the result of evaporation.
Dry land has been largely increased here during the present
century by subsidence of the waters and upheavals by earth-
quakes. " That successive layers of salt may have been thrown
down one upon the other on many thousand square miles in
such a region is undeniable," says Lyell. " The supply of
brine from the ocean is as inexhaustible as the supply of heat
from the sun. The only assumption required to enable us to
explain the great thickness of salt in such an area is the con-
tinuance for an indefinite period of a subsiding movement, the
country preserving all the time a general approach to horizon-
tality." The crust of the globe is constantly changing in some
form or other in all places. It is true in a material sense that
the fashion of the world passeth away. • w.

Economy that is Loathsome.

Like all the reptiles, the toad changes its skin, but the cast
envelope is never found, although those of the serpents are
common enough. The reason why it is not found is this : the
toad is an economical animal, and does not choose that so much
substance should be wasted. So after the skin has been en-
tirely thrown off, the toad takes its old coat in its two fore-
paws, and dexterously rolls it, and pats it, and twists it, until
the coat has been formed into a ball. It is then taken between
the paws, pushed into the mouth, and swallowed at a gulp like
a big pill. co.

The Virtue and Limits of Education.

Education is the development of a man's capacities. It gives
nothing ; it only brings out what there may be to bring out.
The child contains in himself the germ of all he will ever be.
Hazlitt contends in his essay " On Personal Character " that no

Eff] AND SYMBOLS. 99

one ever changes his character from the time he is two hours
old ; that under all circumstances the internal original bias
remains the same always, true to itself to the very last. His
development is analogous to that of humbler creatures. The
material which is capable of expansion is settled once for all.
That which is not settled is the mode of its development — the
education of it. In this men are like insects. All insects,
whatever transmutations they seem to undergo, are yet brought
forth with those very limbs, parts, and wings which they
afterwards seem to acquire. In the most helpless caterpillar
there is still to be seen the rudiments of that beautiful plum-
age which it afterwards expands when a butterfly ; and though
many new parts seem unfolded to the view, the animal acquires
none but such as it from the beginning possessed. The grass-
hopper, though seemingly without wings, is in reality from
the first possessed of those instruments, and only waits for
sufficient force to break the bonds that hold them folded up,
and to give them their full expansion. AN.

The Dissimilar Effects of an Easy and Anxious -v
Existence.

Those animals whose food is always within their reach are
in general indolent and peaceful, and possess but little mental
activity ; and such are the herbivores, with few exceptions.
But, on the other hand, the carnivores are extremely prompt
and lively ; their bones are more compact, their muscles
stronger, their faculties keener, an4 their sense of percep-
tion greater; and hence their sensations are more intense
and more easily excited, their actions quick and resolute,
hesitating at neither plunder nor destruction. Those men
whose worldly fortune has been made for them, and who are
not challenged to think about the everyday wants of life, are
often phlegmatic, stupid, dense. Those other men, who have
to produce by their own mental and physical energy every-
thing needful for their own existence, what a different sort are
they ! Of them come our legislators, poets, artists, inventors,
the mental and moral aristocracy of the world. PA.

ioo SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Elo

The Smallest Effort is not Lost.

The smallest effort which is honestly put forth for the public
good must have an influence. It is never lost. It works mar-
vellously though we trace it not. Is any one incredulous 1 Let
him observe the effect on old ocean of one single act on the
part of a tiny inhabitant, and he will be astonished at the in-
fluence which a unit may exert. Let us suppose the ocean to
be perfectly at rest ; that throughout it is in a state of complete
equilibrium ; that with the exception of those tenants of the
deep which have the power of extracting from it the solid
matter held in solution, there is no agent in nature capable of
disturbing that equilibrium, and that all these fish, &c., have
suspended their secretions, in order that this state of a perfect
aqueous equilibrium and repose throughout the sea might be
attained. In this state of things — the waters of the sea being
in perfect equilibrium — a single mollusk or coralline, we will
suppose, commences his secretions, and abstracts from the sea-
water solid matter for his cell. In that act this animal has de-
stroyed the equilibrium of the whole ocean, for the specific
gravity of that portion of water from which this solid matter
has been abstracted is altered. Having lost a portion of its solid
contents, it has become specifically lighter than it was before ;
it must, therefore, give place to the pressure which the heavier
water exerts to push it aside and to occupy its place, and it
must consequently travel about and mingle with the waters of
the other parts of the ocean until its proportion of solid matter
is returned to it, and until it attains the exact degree of specific
gravity due to sea water generally. T.

A Condition of Eloquence.

Proper burning depends upon proper conditions. All bodies
which burn in the air, burn with increased brilliancy in oxygen
gas ; and many substances, such as iron, which do not readily
burn in the air, may be made to do so in oxygen. A red-hot
chip of wood, or a taper with glowing wick, is suddenly re-
kindled and bursts into flame when plunged into a jar of this
gas. Sulphur, which in the air burns with a pale lambent
flame, emits in oxygen a bright violet light ; and a small piece

Ene] AND SYMBOLS. 101

of phosphorus, when inflamed and placed in oxygen, burns
with a dazzling light. It is therefore obvious that successful
burning depends upon a suitable atmosphere. "We may say
just the same of successful oratory — it depends upon suitable
pervading influences. If the best orator in the world is placed
in an uncongenial moral atmosphere he cannot glow with proper
brightness. But if he be placed where his sympathies are fired
by the enthusiasm of his audience, his eloquence is kindled and
he shines with a glorious lustre. It has been said paradoxically
that "eloquence is in the audience." The fact is that the
audience supply the moral oxygen which enables the orator to
display its brilliancy. E. c.

Power of Small Enemies.

Sometimes most gloomy fears are entertained for the noble
oak and pine forests of Germany. It is stated that millions of
fine trees have already fallen under the insidious attacks of a
beetle, a species of extreme minuteness, which lays its eggs in
the bark, whence the larvse penetrate between the bark and the
wood, and destroy the vital connection between these parts,
interrupting the course of the descending sap, and inducing
rapid decay and speedy death. In the north of France the
public promenades are almost everywhere shaded by avenues
of noble elms. In very many cases these trees are fast
disappearing before the assaults of a similar foe. And the
grand old elms of our own metropolitan parks and gardens are
becoming so thinned that great alarm has been felt, and the
resources of science employed for the checking of the mischief.
Fifty thousand trees, chiefly oaks, have also been destroyed in
the Bois de Yincennes, near Paris. In all these cases the
minute but mighty agent has been some species or other of the
genus Scolytus. This is an illustration of the singular power
for mischief often possessed by small enemies whose capacity
seems but is not despicable. RO.

The Power and Method of Small Enemies.

Very often the little cares of life break down the constitution
which successfully dared great dangers and defied vast dim-

102 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Ene

culties. Very often the little traitor has ruined the enterprise
which authority could not crush. Very often man finds his
worst enemies amongst the smallest creatures. Very often the
greatest creatures, having braved even man, succumb to little
enemies which appear contemptible. Thus the whale, that
giant of the sea, finds the narwhal a worse enemy than man.
It may escape the lord of creation, his fleets and harpoons ;
but these narwhals, assembling in a troop, advance in line of
battle against the whale, attack it on all sides, bite it, harass it,
fatigue it, force it to open its mouth, and then devour its tongue.
The wounded whale, then losing a quantity of blood, is worn
out and becomes the easy prey of white bears, dog-fish, and
like enemies whom it could before defy. The leviathan is
vanquished by insignificant fishes. Little enemies look out for
weak places. They always know the value of the tongue, and
have brought down many a strong personage by a strategious
method of attack having that for the object. M.

Our own Peculiar Enemies.

Even different sorts of animals seem to have allotted to them
their own peculiar enemies. One of the causes which render
the centre of Africa difficult to be explored is a fly not larger
than the house-fly. The Tsetse fly is of brown colour, with a
few transverse yellow stripes across the abdomen, and with
wings longer than its body. It is not dangerous to man, to
any wild animals, or to the pig, the mule, the ass, or the
goat. But it stings mortally the ox, the horse, the sheep, and
the dog, and renders the countries of Central Africa uninhabit-
able for those valuable animals. It seems to possess very sharp
sight. It darts from the top of a bush as quick as an arrow
on the object it wishes to attack. This sucker of blood secretes
yin a gland, placed at the base of his trunk, so subtle a poison
/that three or four flies are sufficient to kill an ox. Men all
the world over are subject to some sort of moral Tsetse fly.
The tormentor seems specially adapted for injury to the par-
ticular persons whom it attacks, and it passes over others. The
Tsetse wife, Tsetse mother-in-law, Tsetse inquisitor, are all
\creatures who have a mission to sting to death the various

Ene] AND SYMBOLS. 103

classes of victims which have been specially allotted to them,
by Nature. The moral mules and moral pigs may escape their ^
Tsetse fly. But the more highly organised, and the most
useful specimens of humanity, are as certain to be attacked
by their tormentor on their journey through the " barren land "
as are the valuable animals in the centre of Africa. I.

No one is too Contemptible to have an Enemy.

Life is strangely beset with enemies. No man is too con-
temptible to have one. Even humble creatures like caterpillars
have enemies. For example, the ichneumon fly deposits its eggs
upon caterpillars, boring holes in their skin with its pointed ovi-
positor, and inserting its eggs in the perforations. Minute as
is the insect when compared to the caterpillar, bearing about
the same relationship that a rabbit bears to an elephant, the
legs are so long that they can include a considerable portion of
the skin in their embrace, and so strong that they can retain
their hold in spite of the contortions with which the poor
caterpillar tries to rid itself of its persecutor. H.

The Unexpected Enemy.

How often the enemy is found to be the person who appeared
to be ignorant of even our existence — one fully occupied with
objects far away, and totally engrossed in nobler things. Now
behold his emblem in yonder kite. Notice the bird. Its
flight is singularly graceful and easy. The extended wings
seem to have the power of supporting their owner in the air
almost without the least exertion : it glides smoothly along
without effort, now rising gently, now descending, to use the
words of Bufifon, " as if sliding upon an inclined plane," now
wheeling round in graceful circles, and all with scarcely a
perceptible movement of the wings, but simply by the action
of the rudder-like tail. It seems all occupied with the sky.
During his graceful evolutions, however, the kite has his eyes
steadily fixed upon the ground beneath him, with which he
seems to have so little to do ; and the moment his prey makes
its appearance in the shape of a mole, a mouse, a young rabbit,

104 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Ent

or leveret, or any other small terrestrial animal, the long wings
are closed in an instant, and the kite descends with astonishing
velocity upon his surprised and unsuspecting quarry. T. B.

The Perils of Enjoyment.

Enjoyment is often attended with deadly peril. We set our
heart on obtaining some sweet pleasure; little resistance is offered,
and we obtain our desire ; but the price is ruin. We are caught
like the winged creature which seeks the sweets of the glaucus
birthwort. The whole of the internal surface of the tubular
flower of the glaucus birthwort (Aristol glauca) is beset with
minute strong spines pointing downwards ; these present no
impediment to the animal which may seek for the sweet liquor
lodged upon the nectarium at the base of the blossom, nor is
there any obstruction provided for its return by means of valves
or contractions, the tube remaining open ; but the creature
cannot crawl up by reason of the inverted spines ; and to pre-
vent its escape by flying up the tube, the flower makes an
extraordinary curve, bending up like a horn, so that' any
winged creature must be beaten back by striking against the
roof of its neck as often as it attempts to mount, and falling
back to the bulbous prison at the base of the flower, dies by
confinement and starvation. j.

The Deobstruent Power of Enthusiasm.

Vapour of a high ^temperature is capable of dissolving silica,
and Mr. Darwin alludes to an instance in Terceira (one of the
Azores), where steam, issuing from fissures in the trachytic rock,
gradually softens and decomposes the crystalline mass till the
whole is reduced to a white chalky clay, with which the inha-
bitants whitewash their houses. In like manner the high en-
thusiasm of a people when it issues forth against petrified con-
stitutional monstrosities possesses a power to melt them away.
No time-hardened opposition of colossal forces can resist its
operations. Its warmth will reduce them, and from the resi-
duum will obtain properties for the general benefit. Though
the enthusiasm of the people is sometimes designated " mere

Err] AND SYMBOLS. 105

vapour," we can see that "vapour" possesses a power to melt
and to remove. AD.

The Instinct and Operations of Error.

Moral error has in it the instinct of mischief. It is bred of
malice, works maliciously, and rears its progeny often on the un-
suspecting and the unoffending. This is the law of its existence,
and all its family follow it. In the history of its birth, its in-
sidiousness, and its cowardice, it resembles the flies of the
ichneumon tribe. All the flies of the ichneumon tribe are
produced in the same manner, and owe their birth to the de-
struction of some other insect, within whose body they have been
deposited, and upon whose vitals they have preyed till they
came to maturity. As moral error attacks everything within its
reach, so also do the flies. There is no insect whatever which
they will not attack in order to leave their fatal present in its
body ; the caterpillar, the gnat, and even the spider himself, so
formidable to others, is often made the unwilling fosterer of
destructive progeny. A.

The Reappearance of Old Errors.

It is very remarkable that errors which are buried in one
generation often arise and are current in subsequent gene-
rations. You think they have disappeared for ever, but lo,
they are again in motion yonder. They remind us of the sub-
terranean courses of some of the rivers which we meet with,
more particularly in the Secondary Limestone districts of some
countries. Styria and the neighbourhood of Trieste are examples.
Suddenly emerging in large volumes from the base of a lofty
mountain, the waters flow across rich alluvial plains, and are
then as suddenly lost in the cavities of another mountain, again
to issue forth to the light of day in a distant region after their
subterranean course. MA.

The Recuperative Power of Error.

Error is a worm which it is difficult to destroy. It possesses
a power of wriggling away from its assailants and recuperating

io6 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Err

its existence even when, to all appearances, it has been annihi-
lated. Its vitality resembles that of the earthworm which we
often see an object of contention between two birds, neither of
which is willing to part with it. In the contest the worm is
frequently divided into three parts, each of the birds flying
away with a portion, and leaving the centre part of the animal
behind, which, if the situation where it is left be favourable,
begins in a few days to repair its loss, and in a short time restores
its deficient parts and resumes activity. In like manner an error
often revives after triumphant controversialists have departed in
complacency, rejoicing in their spoils. p.

The Annihilation of Error.

The Fiume Salso in Sicily enters the sea so charged with
various salts that the thirsty cattle refuse to drink of it. A
stream of sulphureous wrater, as white as milk, descends into
the sea from the volcanic mountain of Idienne, on the east of
Java ; and a great body of hot water, charged with sulphuric
acid, rushed down from the same volcano on one occasion, and
inundated a large tract of country, destroying, by its noxious
properties, all the vegetation. In like manner the Pusanibio,
or "Yinegar River" of Columbia, which rises at the foot of
Purace", an extinct volcano. 7500 feet above the level of the sea,
is strongly impregnated with sulphuric and hydrochloric acids,
and with oxide of iron. We may easily suppose the waters of
such streams to have properties noxious even to marine animals.
It is a marvellous fact, however, that when these and other
bad waters commingle thoroughly with the great ocean they
lose all their power to injure. They are absorbed in its infinite
purity, and their badness is extinguished. Sir Isaac Newton
likened truth to the sea. Accepting his metaphor, we may
with more patient eyes watch all the vicious and erroneous
currents of pestilent public opinion running their course, and
feel sure that their power to injure mankind is circumscribed,
because they will eventually be neutralised by and absorbed in
the sublime ocean of truth. B,

Evi] AND SYMBOLS. 107

The Eternal Cycle.

On the surface of our globe there moves an eternal cycle of
interchanges. The inorganic is continually being fashioned into
the organic, and this, after passing through successive changes,
and after having displayed the manifestations of life, is ever
passing again into the inorganic, ever again giving .up its
fashioning forces. The crude and formless mass of the air
gradually organised in vegetables, passes without change into
animals, and becomes the instrument of sensation and thought ;
then vanquished by this effort, and, as it were, broken, it
returns as crude matter to the source whence it had come.
Thus is the mysterious cycle of organic life upon the surface
of the globe completed and maintained. The air contains or
engenders the oxidised substances required — carbonic acid, water,
nitric acid, and ammonia. Vegetables, true reducing apparatus,
seize upon the radicals of these, carbon, hydrogen, azote, ammo-
nium, and with them they fashion all the variety of organic or
organizable matter which they supply to animals. Animals,
again, true apparatuses of combustion, reproduce from them
carbonic acid, water, oxide of ammonium, and azotic or nitric
acid, which return to the air to reproduce the same phenomena
to the end of time. BL.

Eventide Favourable to Meditation.

The dimness of evening is favourable to meditation, because
much light stimulates the optic nerve to a degree that distracts
the attention from remembered ideas, and impresses realities
too forcibly to permit imagination free exercise. u.

The Good of Evil.

When the minarets of Asia sparkle in the morning's rays,
the vultures, crows, storks, ibises, set out from their balconies
on their various missions ; some to the fields to destroy tho
insect and the serpent ; others, alighting in the streets of Alex-
andria or Cairo, hasten to accomplish their task of municipal
scavengering. Did they but take the briefest holiday, the
plague would soon be the only inhabitant of the country. If

loS SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Evi

the sun is punctual in fertilising life, these scavengers — sworn
in and licensed by Nature — are no less punctual in withdrawing
from his rays the shocking spectacle of death. Seemingly they
are ignorant of the importance of their functions. Approach
them and they will not retreat. When they have received the
signal from their comrades, the crows, which often precede
them and point out their prey, you will see the vultures
descending a cloud from one knows not whence, as if from
heaven. Naturally solitary and without communication, mostly
silent, they flock to the banquet by the hundred, and nothing
disturbs them. They quarrel not among themselves, they take
no heed of the passers-by. They imperturbably accomplish
their functions in a stern kind of gravity, with decency and
propriety ; the corpse disappears, the skin remains. In a
moment a frightful mass of putrid fermentation, which man
had never dared to draw near, has vanished — has re-entered
the pure and wholesome current of universal life. The vulture
is an offensive bird, and typifies moral evil. Like moral evil,
it has to accomplish good. Our tyrant kings, our brutal
soldiery, our dishonest speculators, what have they, the high
priests of moral evil, been compelled to accomplish in spite
of their own designs 1 They have been used by Nature as
vultures. They have cleared the way for settled government,
strong laws, railways, roads, and civilisation. T. B.

Destroyers of Evil.

The secretary bird, or serpent-eater (Serpentarius reptilivorus),
is found upon the dry plains of Southern Africa, where it wages
an incessant and deadly war with the infinite multitude of
snakes and reptiles of all kinds with which that region abounds.
Its wings, which are of large size, and covered with strong quill
feathers like those of most Falconidse, are further armed with
blunt but strong spurs at the wrist joint, and these wings
the bird holds before him like a shield, keeping them in con-
tinual agitation, sparring, as it were, as he advances sidelong
towards his intended prey. His long legs, which enable him
to run with rapidity, also give him a great advantage in this
mode of attack, by raising his head to a safe height from the

Evi] AND SYMBOLS. 109

ground ; and as he gradually approaches the snake, he watches
carefully for the moment when the latter is about to spring
upon him, and to fix its poisonous fangs in some vulnerable
part of its adversary's body. But this is usually a vain
attempt ; as the reptile dashes upon its enemy, a sudden and
most violent blow from the bird's armed wing throws him
writhing upon the ground, and this process is repeated if the
snake be strong enough to return to the attack. After reduc-
ing his foe to a helpless condition by these tremendous blows,
the bird, like a victorious gladiator, proceeds to despatch his
opponent, whom he swallows whole if of convenient size, or
tears to pieces if too large to be disposed of at a single gulp.
He has sometimes been seen to carry up a snake, which refused
to die easily, to a great height in the air, and then let him
fall to the ground. He confers great benefits upon the inhabi-
tants of a region so overrun with reptiles as Southern Africa.
It is somewhat difficult to understand the reason for the crea-
tion of these poisonous reptiles, as also it is to account for the
introduction into our world of moral evil and its mischievous
progeny. The secretary bird may be taken to illustrate the
ve^r important truth that although Nature has produced and
does rear evil things she also provides adequate means for their
destruction. To help in the destruction of noxious reptiles we
have the secretary bird. For the purpose of combating the
vices we have the preacher and the reformer. MU.

The Power to Reject Evil.

It is a remarkable fact that the venom of poisonous snakes
(indeed any morbid and venomous virus) can be swallowed
with impunity. It is neither acrid nor burning, and only pro-
duces a sensation on the tongue analogous to that caused by
greasy matter. If healthy, there is a power within us to neu-
tralise the operation of this poison, and to reject it. The mind
possesses an analogous power. It may imbide moral poison,
but if in a healthy condition it will not appropriate it into
the system. RE.

i io SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Evi

The Limitation of Evil.

The raptores, or birds of prey, live only by rapine, and are
naturally plunderers and bloodthirsty. Like the carnivora
among mammalia, they live on animals either dead or living ;
like them too they possess the strength and adroitness which
are necessary to satisfy their sanguinary appetites. They enjoy
no power of song. Destruction seems the sole object of their
existence. Nocturnal and diurnal, they are the terror of all
the rest of the feathered creation, amongst whom, they make
numerous victims. They are cruelly despotic, and reign as
lords and masters in the districts which they choose for their
territory. But Nature puts a limit to evil, physical as well as
moral. And so, with her ever-admirable foresight, she has
wisely limited the reproduction of these destructive and cruel
creatures. The largest of them only lays two eggs a ye#r ; the
others on an average five or six. What a horrible thing it
would be if they possessed the fecundity of the domestic fowl !
A few specimens of evil are quite enough, and so Nature pro-
vides that there shall only be a few. Caligulas, Neros, Buona-
partes, and all that class of creatures — the human raptores — are
also beneficently kept within limits as to numbers. RE.

Evil in Unexpected Places.

Evil is not limited to any locality or set of circumstances.
Men sometimes think that if they could get away from the
din and jargon of the city, and the tricks and snares of the
market, they could discover some quiet, sacred glen, or lovely
peaceful retreat, where baseness and depravity could not enter.
Never was there a greater error. Of old the serpent found his
way into even paradise. Commerce and religion are two
mighty streams whose civilising influences are felt all the world
over ; yet even in closest contiguity to their influences what
horrible forms of evil and grotesque shapes of barbarity are
discernible ! The physical world suffers like the moral world
from the intrusion, into its most beautiful associations, of in-
congruous and detestable forms. Look at those two magnificent
rivers — the Orinoco and Amazon. Behold the forests which

Evi] AND SYMBOLS. m

cover the region that divides them — forests the growth of
thousands of years, grand and noble, almost sublime. What
have we in this noble panorama, to mar the beauty and to chill
our joy 1 Why, where the shallow parts of the river disclose a
sandbank, the crocodile may be seen, with open jaws, and
motionless as a rock, its uncouth body often covered with
birds ; while the chequered boa-constrictor, its tail lashed round
the trunk of a tree, lies coiled in ambush near the bank, ready
to dart with certain aim on its prey. Rapidly uncoiling, it
stretches forth its body to seize the young bull, or some feebler
prey, as it fords the stream, and moistening its victim with a
viscid secretion, laboriously forces it down its dilating throat.
Let the lesson be learnt that in this world there is no scene
into which evil will not creep, no place where danger does not
lurk. vi.

Evil Detected though in New Modes of Existence.

It is not at all uncommon for honey to be unwholesome on
account of its having been collected by bees from poisonous
plants. The honey of Trebizond, for example, has long been
Notorious for its deleterious properties ; it poisoned the soldiers
of Xenophon during the famous retreat of the Ten Thousand.
Pliny too speaks of it ; and to this day its intoxicating effect is
frequently witnessed. It arises, no doubt, from the plants,
chiefly the Azalea pontica, from which the honey is gathered.
Mr. Barton has given us a similar account of the poisonous
quality of the honey gathered by bees from the savannahs of
New Jersey, where the calmia and the azalea are the principal
flowering shrubs. I*

The Breaking Forth of Hidden Evil.

Sometimes the moistened clay on the margin of the swamps
near the Orinoco will blister and swell slowly into a kind
of mound, until, with a violent noise, like the outbreak of a
small mud volcano, the accumulated earth is cast high into the
air. The spectator who comprehends the purport of this
strange scene immediately retreats, for he knows that the birth

112 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Exi

of the portentous travail will be a gigantic water-snake or huge
crocodile aroused from its torpidity. D.

The Terrific Force of an Evil Thing.

The lance-headed viper or Trigonocephalus (Bothrops lanceo-
latus) is most common in the West Indian Islands, where it is
justly dreaded. It has been computed that at Martinique fifty
persons out of a population of one hundred and twenty-five
thousand souls die annually from the bite of these odious reptiles.
Their fecundity is frightful. Every female bears sixty young,
which on their very advent into the world are completely
formed and able to wound. This viper, unlike the rattlesnake,
carries no warning rattle ; nothing indicates its presence. D.

The Unwisdom of Exaction.

The llama, or guanaco (Auchenia llama), is found among
the recesses of the Andes. In the silver mines his utility is
very great, as he frequently carries the metal from the mines
in places where the declivities are so steep that neither asses
nor mules can keep their footing. The burden carried by this
useful animal, the camel of the New World, should not exceed
from one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five pounds. If
the load be too heavy he lies down, and no force or persuasion
will induce him to resume his journey until the excess be re-
moved. Thus he teaches us the unwisdom of endeavouring to
exact too much from those who are willing to serve us well.

VT.

Existence by Instalments.

There are creatures which possess existence by instalments.
"The Vibrio, Kotifer, Macrobiotus, &c., are," says Professor
Owen, " organisms which we can devitalise and revitalise,
devive and revive, many times." Living together as these sorts
of organisms generally do, tenanting the same tufts of moss or
the same patches of lichen, they eke out their existence by in-
stalments, instead of enjoying a more or less definite and con-
tinuous span of life. They possess the power of resuming

Ert] AXD SYMBOLS. 113

active vital manifestations, after these have been completely in
abeyance for five, ten, fifteen, or even twenty years. During
the suspension of their functions they can no more be looked
upon as living things than can the dormant seeds in the Egyp-
tian catacombs. Though not living, they, like these seeds, possess
the potentiality of manifesting life ; and for each alike, in order
that this potentiality may pass into an actuality, the first re-
quisite is water, without which life in any real sense is impos-
sible. B. L.

Exteriority Secondary to Utility.

The swallow caught in the morning and closely examined is
seen to be a strange and ugly bird ; but this fact perfectly well
agrees with what is, par excellence, the bird — the being among
all beings born for flight. To this object Nature has sacrificed
everything; she has laughed at mere form, thinking only of
movement, and has succeeded so well that this bird, ugly in
repose, is, when flying, the most beautiful of all Scythe-like
wings, projecting eyes, no neck (in order to treble her strength),
feet scarcely any or none ; all is wing. These are her great
general features. And a very large beak always open, which in
flight snaps at its prey without stopping, closes, and again re-
opens. Thus she feeds while flying; she drinks, she bathes
while flying ; while flying she feeds her young. Her exteriority
having been made in all respects entirely subservient to her
efficient performance of her movements, she does all these things
easily and well. It would be a good thing if some of our
fashionable ladies and gentlemen would learn the lesson which
Nature teaches by means of the swallow. Why cannot they so
arrange their externals as to make them helpful instead of
retardatory in the work of life1? Why must they put the
proper discharge of duties in the second place, and showy
exteriority in the first ? T. fc.

External Change without Radical Alteration.

It is of paramount importance to discriminate between a mere
change of form of a thing and a radical alteration in its nature.
Here is the test question for solution : " Is the change in

H

ii4 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Exp

question merely an external one, or is it a change in essence 1 "
Ee not deceived ; you may have a total change in the outside
which leaves the subject of it still the same. Look among the
bushes there and you behold clearly enough the skin of a snake.
He has certainly changed. Yes, but only in his -skin. The
snake is still alive, and as much a snake as ever. Even this
modification of his external appearance too was (as it often is
with other existences besides the snake) a mere matter of con-
venience. The external covering just thrown off was not so
good as the one which was to supersede it, and which had been
in preparation some time. So as soon as the new skin was
quite ready the snake wriggled to the bushes most expedient for
his purpose, and by their help literally crawled out of his old
skin and left it there on the bush. A wonderful change no
doubt in one sense ; and yet it is one which is unattended by any
alteration in the nature of the snake. We often observe total
changes in the manners of society, and in the tricks of politics,
•which are not at all important, and superficial alterations which
have no radical significance whatsoever. When the acorn
develops into the oak, the transformation is wonderful. But
when the snake sheds its skin, it is still a snake. The proceeding
is just one of those many surface changes which the world sees
whereof nothing important issues. 0. o.

Boom for Expansion.

The narrow dogma makes no allowance for the expansion of
men's hearts and brains, and therefore becomes obsolete. The
society which is based on rigid bigoted small rules and pedantic
formulas breaks up, because no arrangements have been made
for the inevitable expansion of the hopes and opinions of its
members. There must be room for expansion. This is per-
fectly well understood in the arts, and practical men make
proper arrangements in obedience to this law. The bars of
furnaces must not be fitted tightly at their extremities, but at
least must be free at one end, otherwise in expanding they
would split the masonry. In making railways a small space is
left between the successive rails, for if they touched, the force
of expansion would cause them to curve or would break the

Eye] AND SYMBOLS. 115

chairs. Water pipes are fitted to one another by means of tele-
scopic joints, which allow room for expansion. In every depart-
ment there must be provision made for expansion. EL.

The Love for Extremes.

The force'of attraction varies in different parts of the magnet ;
it is strongest at the two ends, and is totally wanting in the
middle. This may be seen very clearly when a magnetic bar
is placed in iron filings ; these become arranged round the ends
of the bar in feathery tufts, which decrease towards the middle
of the bar, where there are none. That part of the surface of
the bar where there is no visible magnetic force is the neutral
line, and the points near the ends of the barsAvhere the attrac-
tion is greatest are the poles. Men are often like these iron \JJ/
filings on the magnet. They shun the neutral line, and rush
to one or other of the opposite poles of thought. In nearly all
departments of thought and action, and amongst all religionists
and politicians, we see the masses attracted by some extremes.
In times of passion and excitement it seems of little service to
point out to men that experience teaches that truth often resides
between the extremes. The attractive force of that abstract
fact is not enough for them. The magnetism of the extreme
view is all-powerful ; and thus the partisans draw off, not only
as far as possible from each other, but also a very long way from
the truth itself, which, though they heed it not, remains like a
neutral line drawn between them both. EL.

The Eye not Infallible.

One of the most curious mirage effects is to be seen on the
Wash during hot summer weather. The mirage is there known
as the " looming of the land," and when it is about it is im-
possible at moments to distinguish the sand and weed-banks
from the sea, while the distortion, both perpendicular and
horizontal, of ship-masts, &c., is ludicrous. In one case a
herd of seals on a sand-bank seemed transformed into a row of
long-legged monsters, wading in water, or rather rooted by their
long legs to the legs of a similar row of monsters below them,
which was their distorted reflection in wet mud. NAT.

ii6 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Fal

Creatures without Eyes.

Men who have no intellectual perception and men who have
no spiritual perception may be met with. Nature produces
creatures without eyes sometimes. In the grotto of the Mada-
lena at Adelsburg, in Illyria, many hundred feet below the
surface are seen creatures like slender fish moving in the mud
below the water. These are the protei : the animal is of a
fleshy whiteness, and transparent in its natural state, but when
exposed to light its skin gradually becomes of a darker colour,
and at last gains an olive tint. Being abundantly furnished
with teeth, it is inferred that the animal is one of prey, yet in
its confined state it has never been known to eat, and it has
been kept alive for many years by occasionally changing the
water in which it was placed. In dry seasons the protei are
very seldom seen in the lake of the Madalena, but after great
rains they are often abundant. Their natural residence is an
extensive subterraneous lake, from which in great floods they are
sometimes forced through the crevices of the rocks into the place
where they are found. These singular creatures have no ougans
of vision, but in their place are two small dots which occupy
the position of eyes. It has not been ascertained that they
have any power of perception. The entire absence of colour,
and the imperfect development of their organs in at least their
intermediate condition, between those of a reptile and a fish,
seem to be the result of the absence of light. SA.

The Tempting Instinct of the Fallen.

One of the most remarkable examples of the instinct to
tempt others into a lower condition is shown in the method by
which the tame female elephant is trained to catch wild males.
The females appear, from the accounts which we have of their
proceedings in Sir Stamford Baffles' s Life, and in " Williamson's
Sports," to manifest a desire to bring the males, which the
hunters point out to them, into the same condition in which
they are themselves. They will inveigle any one to which
their attention is directed with the most artful and curious
wiles ; they will lead him about so as to divert his attention

Fam] AND SYMBOLS. 117

from the huntsmen or drivers ; and when the cords are passed
round- his legs, they will even assist in fastening them. How
similar is all this to the efforts which those who have become
slaves to habit and sin put forth in order to reduce other per-
sons into a like bondage ! R.

Obstacles to Falling1.

Since a body falls to the ground in consequence of the earth's
attraction on each of its molecules, it follows that, everything
else being the same, all bodies, great and small, light and heavy,
ouglifc to fall with equal rapidity, and a lump of sand without
cohesion should, during its fall, retain its original form as per-
fectly as if it were compact stone. The fact that a stone falls
more rapidly than a feather is due solely to the unequal resist-
ances opposed by the air to the descent of these bodies. The
resistance opposed by the air to falling bodies is especially
remarkable in the case of liquids. The Staubbach in Switzer
land is a good illustration. An immense mass of water is seen
falling over a high precipice, but before reaching the bottom i
is shattered by the air into the finest mist. In a vacuum
however, liquids fall like solids without separation of their
molecules. The resistance opposed by the customs and ethics
of society is the reason why many men are deterred in a
rapid fall into ruin. Take away all the resistance which eti
quette, conventional morality, philanthropy, and religion, offer
to the downfall of men, and, like things in a vacuum, how
sadly fast the descent would become. Many men in respect-
able elevation owe their adventitious position to the happy
accident of strong resistance offered to their fall by the circum-
stances and influences surrounding. EL.

Unlike the Family.

"We are sometimes in human society startled to find a mem-
ber of a family utterly unlike every other member of it in
character, appearance, and habits. No ancestor can be dis-
covered to bear resemblance to him. This is strange ; but the
peach-tree can tell a stranger story. Occasionally, at long
intervals of time, a peach-tree in England, or under the widely

rig SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Fea

different climate of Virginia, produces a single bud, and this
yields a branch which ever afterwards yields nectarines. Now
nectarines differ, as every one knows, from peaches in their
smoothness, size, and flavour, and the difference is so great
that some botanists have even maintained that they are speci-
fically distinct. Thus does Nature intimate to us that she can
make use of the parent to produce something quite unlike the
parent's family. A. P.

Fascination a Weapon of Destruction.

The rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) feeds principally upon
smaller mammals and upon birds, which it seems certain it
possesses a peculiar power of fascinating — the effect, it may be,
of intense fear. " When the piercing eye of the rattlesnake is
fixed upon them," says Mr. Murray, "terror and amazement
render them incapable of escaping ; and while involuntarily
keeping their eyes fixed on those of the reptile, birds have
been seen to drop into its mouth as if paralysed, squirrels, de-
scend from their trees, and leverets run into the jaws of the
expecting dovourer." Hogs and peccaries, however, are un-
affected by this panic, and feed greedily upon the reptile which
causes it, whose venomous fangs cannot penetrate their formid-
able hide. D.

The Stupefying Effects of Fear.

At the mere sight of one of the falcon tribe a partridge will
stop as though struck with stupor, and so overcome with fear
as almost to be incapable of concealing itself, remaining ab-
solutely immovable, and it is not until the dreaded enemy is
gone that it regains self-control. It will even permit itself to
be stifled in its hiding-place rather than expose itself to the
falcon, vulture, or sparrow-hawk. The like stupefying effects
of fear are constantly seen amongst mankind. The lives of
many are subject to constant misery as the result of fears,
sometimes reasonable, sometimes unreasonable, respecting the
intentions of real or imaginary enemies. And probably there
is no individual who has not at some time or other been under

Fee] AND SYMBOLS. 119

the horrible spell of fear which, whether acting on man or bird,
lias for the time the power to snatch from the muscles and
nerves all their vigour and tone, and deprive its subject of all
capacity for action. BE.

The Might of the Feeble.

Before despising what may appear feeble and impotent, it is
worth while to pause to learn a lesson from some of Professor
Bailey's examinations. Professor Bailey having examined deep-
sea soundings obtained by Brooke's deep-sea-sounding apparatus
from the bottom of the ocean, at the depth of more than two
miles, found them, he tells us, all filled with microscopic shells.
They were chiefly made up of perfect little calcareous shells
(Foraminiferce), and contained also a small number of siliceous
shells (Diatomacce). It would seem that these little marine
insects, which, when alive, glow and sparkle on the surface of
the sea, and there build their habitations, when they die sink in
vast multitudes, and settle at the bottom, as if for the purpose
of filling up the vast chasms of the ocean. They are the atoms
of which mountains are formed, plains spread out. Our marl-
beds, the clay in our river bottoms, large portions of many of
the great basins of the earth, are composed of the remains of
just such little creatures as these, which the ingenuity of Brooke
and the industry of Berryman have enabled us to fish up from
the depth of more than two miles (twelve thousand feet) below
the sea-level. These foraminiferce, therefore, when living, may
have been preparing the ingredients for the fruitful soil of a
land that some earthquake or upheaval in ages far away in the
future may be sent to cast up from the bottom of the sea for
man's use. Now who does not recognise in history that some-
thing of a similar process goes on all the world over ; that the
influences which appeared merely transient have not been so,
but have reappeared in other forms and places ; that the little
things which were forgotten have nob been obliterated, but have
been accumulating and gathering power ; that the multiplication
of little things has produced vast changes ; that society is not
renovated by rapid alterations upon its surface, but by the
operation of an immense number of individuals ; that, in fact,

120 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Fern

the weak things of the world often confound the mighty, and
the base things are those chosen to fill up social chasms and
effect stupendous changes ? That which the hurricane is power-
less to accomplish is quietly done by the foraminiferce. The
change which revolutions are impotent to achieve is realised
merely by accumulated words of wisdom and deeds of bene-
volence. T.

Feminine Masculinity.

It is a singular fact that the males in certain sub-breeds of
fowls have lost some of their secondary masculine characters,
and from their close resemblance in plumage to the females are
often called "hennies." Mr. Grantley F. Berkeley relates the
still more singular case of a celebrated strain of " pole-cat game-
fowls " which produced in nearly every brood a single hen-cock.
The great peculiarity in one of these birds was that he, as the
seasons succeeded each other, was not always a hen-cock, and
not always of the colour called the pole-cat, which is black.
From the pole-cat and hen-cock feather in one season he moulted
to a full male-plumaged black-breasted red, and in the following
year he returned to the former feather. But this is not the
only specimen of feminine-masculinity exhibited by creatures
under domestication. There is the modern married man, whose
ancestors have been under severe conjugal training — the half-
man. This curiosity of dejection always reminds one of the
" hennies." For a season he has the appearance of being a
manikin, but for quite an equal period he resembles the shrew.
Unfortunately there is, in his case, no fixed time for his alter-
nations of character, so you can never be sure as to how you
may find him. He may show signs of the masculine character
at the very moment when you expect to behold him in his
most interesting effeminacy ; and, on the other hand, you may
find him with all the vices of the female at the very moment
when you had anticipated that he would exhibit himself as a
man. He is most often met with in the middle-class suburbs
of London and large towns in the South, and is clearly an in-
teresting addition to the list of organisms which have very much
varied under domestication. VA.

Fie] AND SYMBOLS. 121

Fictitious Prestige.

It would be a marvellous investigation to ascertain the prin-
ciples upon which honour and credit and reputation are bestowed
on men by their fellows. Very often there is no more just
ground for the reputation men are enjoying than there is
for the reputation which the chimpanzees have acquired.
The chimpanzees live in troops in the forest, or at least they
congregate for the purpose of repelling the attacks made upon
them by the carnaria, and to drive from their domains such
other animals as may attempt to instal themselves therein to
their disadvantage. Their weapons are ready to their hand —
stones and the branches of trees. Like the orangs, they con-
struct rude beds or couches of interwoven boughs stripped of
their greenery. In consequence of this the negroes of Guinea,
scarcely much higher in the scale of intelligence than them-
selves, look upon them as a nation, and believe that if these
men of the woods do not speak, it is because they fear to be
condemned to work or carried off into slavery, and not from
'incapacity. So these creatures have credit for being a nation,
and as it also seems for being very acute and shrewd. It is
obvious that in many other instances among men individuals
and classes are credited with powers and a status which are
entirely fictitious. "In the kingdom of the blind, the one-
eyed man is king." Stupid conventionality, stolid preju-
dice, cold formality, and long habit, have all had the effect
of so dwarfing our mental capacity that we are constantly
ascribing to those whom the accident of birth has placed in
a sphere different from our own, some wonderful ability which
they cannot possess, and some extraordinary power which does
not exist. In all this we are like those negroes of Guinea,
for we look up at assemblages of little men in elevated positions,
and ascribe to them fictitious prestige, as they look up at the
chimpanzees, and actually conceive them to be in mind sagacious
and in social power a nation ! D.

122 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Fit

The Finical Disposition.

Humboldt states that the Capuchin Saki (a monkey inhabit-
ing Brazil, Guiana, and Columbia) takes the most minute
precautions not to wet its beard. When it is thirsty, it seats
itself by the side of a stream, and scooping up the water in the
hollow of its hand, carries it to its mouth, repeating these
movements as often as may be necessary to quench thirst, but
without ever wetting or rumpling its valued chin appendage.
It is not, however, with all this affectation of nicety, superior
to other monkeys in other particulars. It is a good representa-
tive of the finical character amongst men — of that individual
who is punctiliously careful not to crease a glove, ruffle a hat,
or soil a boot, yet in all essential particulars and habits is not
one whit better than his fellow-men. M.

Fits and Starts.

It is sometimes complained of a great genius that he works
by "fits and starts." The fact, however, is that this is in
some cases the natural way of making up the required work.
Let us refer to the phenomena of the sea. Instances of com-
motion in the sea at uncertain intervals — the making, as it
were, of efforts by fits and starts to keep up to time in the
performance of its manifold offices — are not unfrequent, nor
are they inaptly likened to spasms. The sudden disruption of
the ice which Arctic voyagers tell of, the immense bergs which
occasionally appear in groups near certain latitudes, the vari-
able character of all the currents of the sea — now fast, now
slow, now running this way, then that — may be taken as so
many signs of the tremendous throes which occur in the bosom
of the ocean. Sometimes the sea recedes from the shore, as if
to gather strength for a great rush against its barriers, as it did
when it fled back to join with the earthquake and over-
whelm Callao in 1746, and again Lisbon nine years afterwards.
Colossal power cannot be expected always to work with the
mechanical precision of a watch, and perform a uniform number
of movements each minute. T.

Des] AND SYMBOLS. 12;

Refreshing Influences for Flagging Energies.

In order to watch ants, Huber constructed a vivarium in
which they could work, and supplied them with earth, sand,
and other necessaries. As in this artificial state of existence the
insects could not procure moisture from the depths of the earth,
moisture from other sources was necessary. Whenever the
insects had ceased to work, they could almost always be induced
to renew their labours if water was supplied them so as to
descend like very fine rain upon the earth. As soon as the
formerly quiescent ants felt the shower they regained their
activity, ran about with renewed energy, and set to work upon
the soil. In their artificial state they especially needed re-
freshing influences. So do we in ours. We often feel that we
can work no more. Our societies and institutions sometimes
seem to come to a standstill. But if some refreshing influence
from outside is brought to bear upon us, the whole appearance
of things is at once changed. If we take the history of church
and chapel debts, and of philanthropic and political societies,
we shall have a long record of the instances in which the
suspended activities of communities were entirely resuscitated
by opportune refreshing influences from without. H.

Pools as a Species.

When we see how perverse, ridiculous, and incapable of being
made wise are some of the persons who thrust themselves upon
public notice, and observe that in all ages and countries the
man whom Solomon persistently designates as " the fool " has
been a well-known character, we are reminded of what Mr.
Darwin says of the goose. He remarks that " this bird deserves
some notice, as hardly any other anciently domesticated bird or
quadruped has varied so little." In the year 388 B.C. these
birds were kept in the capitol at Rome as sacred to Juno. But
the goose has proved inflexible in its organisation under long-
continued domestication. The chief variation which can be
detected is that the bird has increased in size and in productive-
ness, and varies from white to a dusky colour. "The amount

124 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [For

of variation which it has undergone, as compared with most
domestic animals, is singularly small. This fact can be partially
accounted for by selection not having come largely into play.
Birds of all kinds, which present many distinct races, are valued
as pets or ornaments ; no one makes a pet of the goose : the
name indeed, in more languages than one, is a term of reproach."

VA.

" Footprints on the Sands of Time."

In our own islands footmarks of Sauroid animals have been
detected in the Coalfield south of Edinburgh, and the impres-
sions of the feet of another reptilian animal have been found in
the Coalfield of the Forest of Dean. The American geologists
have evidences, in their lowest Silurian (Potsdam) beds, of
numerous trails of animals, probably crustaceans, by which a
film of mud or sand formed by one tide was tracked and
burrowed before another covered the impressions, and left them
to future ages as proofs of layers deposited on the shores of
former lands. Some of the coal sandstones in the environs of
Manchester exhibit on their surfaces the clearest indications bf
having been shore- deposits, certain tracks having been marked
on them by animals which must have crawled at ebb tides.
Longfellow speaks of " footprints on the sands of time ; " and
here they are literally. In a metaphorical sense we may trace
also through the centuries the footprints of our intellectual
giants. They are seen in our literature, in our picture galleries,
in our sculpture, in our architecture, and our laws. SL

The Mightiness of Silent Forces.

We often overlook the mightiness of forces because of their
silence. Were we endowed by Nature with a microscopic eye,
and were the integuments of plants completely transparent, the
world of vegetation would not meet us with that aspect of
immobility and repose in which it now presents itself to our
senses. The interiors of the cellular structures of vegetables
are ceaselessly animated by the most diversified currents, rotary,
rising and falling, dividing and ramifying, or altering their
direction, as is made manifest by the movement of the granular

For] AND SYMBOLS. 125

sap-corpuscles in the leaves of several winter plants (Xajades,
Characese, Hydrocharidae), and in the hairs of phanerogamous
land-plants. There is at the same time seen a confused mole-
cular movement, first observed by the distinguished botanist,
Robert Brown, but which also occurs among finely divided
particles of matter of all kinds, the phenomenon not taking
place only within organic cells ; the circular movement of the
globules of the cambium, in a system of special vessels
(cyclosis) ; lastly, the singular articulated filiform vessels of the
anthers of the chara, and the reproductive organs of the liver-
worts and sea- weeds, which have the faculty of uncoiling them-
selves, and in which Meyen, snatched too soon from science,
believed that he recognised the analogues of the spermatozoa of
the animal creation. If to the multifarious excitements and
movements we add those that belong to endosmose and the
processes of nutrition and growth, and farther to the penetra-
tion (and exhalation) of air, we have a picture of the forces
which, almost unknown to us, are active in the silent life of
the vegetable world. K.

Foreknowledge and Prophecy.

What decides birds to emigrate ? It is not want of nourish-
ment, for most begin the journey while they have abundance.
Those confined in cages are very restless at the time of their
proper migration. Atmospherical currents are not the cause ;
nor do the changes of season explain it, as the greatest number
set off while the weather is yet fine, and others, as the larks
and starlings, arrive while the season is bad. Atmospherical
influences can only hasten the migration in autumn, or retard
or derange it in spring. It is the foreknowledge of what is to
happen which determines birds to begin their journey. It is
an instinct which urges them, and which initiates them into
the meteoric alterations that are preparing. They have a par-
ticular faculty of foreseeing the rigour of the coming season,
an exquisite sensibility for atmospherical changes which have
not yet arrived, but are approaching. Some men are also
endowed by Nature with a foreknowledge which is even more
wonderful than that which has been bestowed upon the birds.

126 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS (Tor

They are furnished with a faculty for foreseeing future events
and describing future processes. These men are prophets, and
are amongst the most valuable of the human race. T. B.

Foresight.

The "hand-to-mouth" people are a sad nuisance. As long
as they have anything which they can consume they will con-
sume it, no matter whether they can do as well without it or
not, and when they are in distress through their prodigality
they beg. Utterly improvident, wasteful, and self-indulgent,
destitute of all foresight, they act like apes. For the ape will
indulge himself very completely and recklessly. Covetous of
and appropriating everything, he not only lays by no store, in
consequence of the abundance of food with which he is sur-
rounded, but even throws away the food he is eating to
possess himself of the next object which attracts him. But
the " hand-to-mouth " people need not imitate such antics as
these when they know the penalty they always bring. Crea-
tures less like themselves than the ape can teach them a wiser
method. For some animals during hybernation always lay up
provisions ; nor is this precautionary economy confined to that
period alone. The satiated spider secures its new captives in
its web ; and the shrike spits beetles on thorns as a reserve for
a future meal. Owls, ravens, magpies, and nuthatches hide
their superfluous food ; the wolf, the fox, the lynx, and the
wild dog bury portions of their food against the next calls of
hunger. Even here we have foresight. p.

Forethought.

The leopard every day, before going in search of its prey,
sharpens its claws on a tree, against which it stretches all its
length. Learn from him to prepare yourself for the work you
mean to do. Good work needs forethought and preparation quite
as much as bad. M.

For] AND SYMBOLS. 127

Forewarned is Forearmed.

The negroes of Martinique, who of necessity are assiduous
reptile- hunters, state as an incontrovertible axiom, confirmed
by immemorial experience, that "a serpent seen is a serpent
dead." The Trigonocephalus or lance-headed viper (a most
poisonous reptile) is only formidable to man when not per-
ceived, and when one treads upon it accidentally in the
countries which it inhabits. If the wayfarer be prudent and
beat the herbs and bushes as he advances with a switch, the
reptile, which is too large to glide away unseen, will reveal
itself and take flight. In the open field its defeat and death
are inevitable, however little coolness or skill its assailant may
possess. D.

The Formalists.

The formalists devote all their energies to modifying or
altering the external appearances of things. There are civilised
formalists and uncivilised formalists. Amongst the latter it
is in point to refer to those who give their attention to the
appearance of the head. ISTow it is possible to modify the
shape of the head very considerably, without inflicting any
great or abiding injury on the mental faculties, by applying
compression in a particular way, so as to make the skull assume
a different shape from the natural one without lessening its
volume or the mass of its contents. Dr. Graves tells us that
some of the Indian tribes -called Flatlieads compress the skull
laterally, and by this means the head is made to assume a
flattened and elongated shape, so that a line passing from be-
neath the chin to the vertex, instead of measuring seven or
eight inches, is nearly twice that length. The origin of this
disfigurement is to be traced to that all-prevailing principle,
vanity, a flat and elongated head being looked upon by the
Indians as an unequivocal mark of nobility and beauty. Other
tribes compress the head backwards and downwards so as to
make it project posteriorily in a very curious manner. Which
of these modes is the most physiological it is not necessary to
pronounce, but they certainly succeed in altering the shape of
the skull and brain to a very considerable extent ; and what is

128 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS

equally curious, this unnatural treatment does not appear to
interfere much with the development of their intellectual facul-
ties. It would appear that though the natural shape of the
brain is greatly changed, still this organ retains its usual size
and weight. Amongst the civilised formalists we have those who
are always aiming at alteration in the forms of the Church ;
others, who by an enforced improvement in the customs of
society seek to put a new appearance upon the country. The
like amount of work expended with an intelligent desire to
change the inner character of the people would produce glorious
results. Of what consequence are mere forms if the great mind
of the world is all right? What can the form, either of the
skull or of the institution, matter if the brains are strong and
healthy ; for if the latter be really all right, of what possible
importance is it whether the former have or have not the
appearance of being either broad or narrow, expanded or con-
tracted ? And if that which is contained in the form be not
strong and healthy, how can you produce the strength and the
health by merely operating upon the outside form ? s.

»

Running Bisks in Fortune-Fishing.

The Pondicherry eagle (Haliastur Indus) is a common and
conspicuous species in India. It is seen constantly sailing over
the tanks, rice-fields, and rivers at a moderate height, often
passing up and down the course of a river, ready to pounce
down in a moment at any unlucky fish that may make its
appearance at the surface of the water. It usually snatches up
its prey from the surface without immersing itself, but occasion-
ally it dips entirely under water, when it experiences some
difficulty in rising again with its prey. It then risks its being
upon its speculation. In this it resembles the human fisher for
fortune. Sometimes he departs from his proper course and
stakes upon a novel and greedy adventure his whole nature —
his health and his soul. He dives into the very waters of the
poisonous Styx to obtain what he wants. He may escape
being drawn down into the stream of hell, but it is with diffi-
culty that he rises to enter again into the sunny air of rectitude.

MU.

Fri] ^.VD SYMBOLS. 129

Even the Vile have Friends.

When the crocodile of the Nile takes his food, his mouth
is constantly covered with myriads of insects called bdella,
which are no other than our European gnats. They fly
into the reptile's mouth in such numbers that they cover the
entire surface of the palate and form a brownish crust. They
pierce the reptile's tongue with their stings, and even excite it
to madness. The Charadrius ^Egyptius or Nile-bird comes to the
rescue. It flies to the mouth of the monster to catch them and
deliver him from such innumerable enemies, and is perpetually
seeking even in the mouth of the crocodile the insects which
form the principal part of its nourishment. The rapacious
crocodile, though it lives on flesh, and with one bite could
destroy, shows its recognition of the service, and never harms
the bird. It would seem that as it is amongst reptiles, so it is
among men ; there is none so vile as to be utterly deprived of
friends. Even some of our vilest burglars and murderers have
been blessed with wives and children who have tended to their
necessities and been faithful unto death. Mutual advantage is
the bond of union between the crocodile and the Nile-bird ;
and it is often (though of course not always) the explanation of
many queer human coalitions, from which monsters derive vast
advantage. RE.

Emblems of True Friendship.

You may learn a lesson from that prettily marked pilot-fish,
with its beautiful purplish-coloured back and head, although it
is only between four and eight inches long. It is Deputed to bo
a guide to the shark ; and whenever the shark is alone it is a
rare occurrence to find him without the attendance of one or two
pilot-fish. But when there are several sharks together, the
faithful attendant seems too retiring to intrude himself, for he
is then absent. If you are a humble friend to any one, learn
from this to come when you are wanted, and do not intrude
yourself when your company is not required. GA.

130 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Fus

The Frothy Period.

The aphrophora - lives in froth. In the months of June and
July one sees on nearly every tree, and on plants of the most
different kinds, a sort of white froth, composed of air bubbles,
deposited on the leaves and branches. It is produced by the
aphrophora, \yhich lives in it, and only leaves it when it has
wings. The animal which lives in this froth is a six-legged
grub. If the froth is cleared away from it, it will hurry to
certain parts of the stalk of plants, where by dint of its
operations on the sap it laboriously creates for itself another
covering of froth. If withdrawn from this froth the volume of
its body diminishes perceptibly, and the poor grub dies, like a
fish taken out of its natural element. There are many beings
besides the aphrophora who have their frothy season. The
adolescence of the litterateur, the preacher, and the orator is
often a period of froth. It should be remembered that this is
a mere passing phase of their existence. They grow out of it
by the time that their mental wings are strong enough for use.
It is unkind to attempt to accelerate the emergence of any one
from the froth, for you may unnecessarily destroy a genius who
would have raised himself out of it at the proper epoch, and
who, until then, will be best left to his bubbles. i.

Great Effects without Fuss.

Without storm or noise the winds in their usual course
accomplish surprising feats. All expanses of shifting sand,
whether maritime or inland, like the deserts of Africa and Asia,
are yearly modified by the agency of wind-drift, the wind
carrying the dry sand left by the tides forward and landward
beyond the reach of the waters ; and where the aerial current
blows steadily for some time in one direction, as the trade-winds
and monsoons of the tropics, it will carry forward the drifting
material in that direction. Hence the gradual entombment of
fields, forests, and villages that lie in the course of such progres-
sive sand-waves as on the Biscay seaboard of France and on
the western verge of Egypt. Results like these arise "from
merely the ordinary operations of wind ; its extraordinary opera-

Gen] AND SYMBOLS. 131

tions are manifested in the destructive effects of the hurricane,
the whirlwind, and tornado. Gentle as it may seem, the con-
tinuous drifting of sand over the surface of hard rocks has been
known to wear and polish down their asperities, and even to
grind out grooves and furrows like those produced by the motion
of glacier ice or the flow of running water. Here then we may
observe great effects produced without fuss ; and we may easily
observe, in the phenomena of social life, that there are plenty
of illustrations there of the same principle. The whirlwind of
revolutions, and hurricane of insurrections, have no doubt pro-
duced startling consequences. But the influence of noble ideas,
spoken by undemonstrative men, or embalmed in unpretending
volumes, and of pious lives lived in seclusion, has produced a
far greater effect upon the civilisation of the world than all the
blustering storms of war raised by kings and factions and rever-
berating through history. AD.

The Irresistible Current of Genius.

Arctic voyagers tell us of an under-current setting from the
Atlantic toward the Polar basin. They describe huge icebergs,
with tops high up in the air, and of course the bases of which
extend far down into the depths of this ocean, ripping and tear-
ing their way with terrific force and awful violence through the
surface ice or against a surface current, on their way into the
Polar basin. Captain Duncan, master of the English whale-ship
Dundee, says at page 76 of his interesting little narrative : " It
was awful to behold the immense icebergs working their way to
the north-east from us, and not one drop of water to be seen ;
they are working themselves right through the middle of the
ice." They were moved by an invisible power which no super-
ficial facts could account for. They remind us of those great
men in history who, in defiance of all the frozen opposition of
the world, have worked themselves onwards to the accomplish-
ment of their destiny. Upon the surface of things there has
been nothing to account for either their course or their might.
Fixed in their places by concrete conventionalities, what is it
whuh has moved then right through all consolidated obstacles ?

132 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Glu

An unseen influence — the stream of genius. The minds which
are moved by that current plough their way in splendour through
all the world's superficial opposition. T.

The Perpetuating Power of Genius.

At Knaresborough in Yorkshire is a dripping well, which
appears to convert everything into stone. It actually covers
over everything with a coating of stone-like material, which of
course takes the form of the objects which it encrusts. Mr.
Frank Buckland examined, amongst other things, a pheasant,
birds' nests and eggs, all beautifully preserved under a stone-like
cover. The reason of the petrifaction is that the surrounding
rocks of the dripping well are composed of magnesium lime-
stone, and the lime becomes dissolved in the spring water. So
highly charged, indeed, is it with mineral matter, that in a
gallon of water there are of carbonate of lime 23 parts, sulphate
of magnesia 1 1 parts, and sulphate of lime 132 parts ; and a
pint weighs 24 grains heavier than common water. The water,
by giving up its mineral treasures to all the things within its
reach, confers upon them the perpetuity of stone. The well
of human genius possesses a similar power to confer per-
petuity.' Poetic men have placed all sorts of objects within its
influence, and have given them endless duration. Burns
brought a " field mouse ; " Coleridge, " an ass ; " Wordsworth,
"a kitten;" Byron, "many ladies;" Bulwer Lytton, "the
bones of Raphael;" Thomas Moore, "a pretty rose-tree;"
Tennyson, " a goose ; " Milton, his " deceased wife ; " and many
other men who are not poetic many other things, and v they
have been perpetuated by genius, all of them, even to Charles
Lamb's " roast pig," — perpetuated as effectually as if they had
been petrified by stone in the well at Knaresborough. cu.

Gluttons and Geese.

The glutton and the goose are alike in many respects. In
these days of liver complaints we will take an example of their
anatomical resemblance. Look at the size of the liver in the
case afforded by the celebrated Strasburg geese. By feeding

God] AND SYMBOLS. 133

these geese in a particular way, and keeping them in artificial
heat, the liver becomes diseased, grows to an enormous size,
and in this way furnishes the materials of a pate much sought
after by the scientific gourmand. How many instances occur
where our citizens, exposing themselves to the long-continued
operation of the very same causes, confinement, overfeeding,
heat, and want of exercise, are affected by them exactly in the
same way ! How slight the difference between the morbid
phenomena displayed in the post mortem of a city feaster and
the autopsy of an overfed goose ! s.

The Fate of Gluttony.

The favourite haunt of the python is the low marshy ground,
rank with moist herbage, where they prey upon birds and
small animals, swallowing them whole — swallowing them even
alive — after having seized them in the invincible folds of their
long sinuous bodies, and always commencing with their hinder
parts. So greedy a repast must necessarily be followed by a
slow and difficult digestion, and cannot be renewed at any very
brief interval. They eat in effect but once a month, or once in
two months. During the lethargic and semi-somnolent con-
dition which invariably follows their debauch, they fall easy
victims to the attacks of their enemies. D.

Human Opinions Concerning God.

It cannot be too clearly impressed upon the inquirer that
human opinions respecting God have frequently merely the
effect of obscuring the glories of God. They are only the
media, often the dense and unhealthy media, through which
certain human intelligences look at Him; and so far from
revealing Him, they, rising from impure sources, obstruct the
clear view which under other influences might be obtainable.
Let men's opinions in different ages and lands be what they
may respecting God, He is still absolutely the same and un-
changed. That which changes is the human opinion or medium
through which men gaze. And it is pestilent or wholesome
according to an infinitude of circumstances. Sometimes we

134 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Gol

see the sun with absolute clearness. When there are less
favourable conditions it is enveloped in dimness. But the
change is not in the sun : it is contingent upon the exhalations
of sublunary things. For it is evident that at each hour of
the day the solar rays come from the parts above the atmosphere
with the same power whether the sky be clouded or clear. If
no cloud intervenes, all the rays come to the surface of the
earth and heat it, but if one-half or one-fourth of them should
be intercepted by cloud, only the other half or three-fourths of
the rays can affect the surface ; and when the whole sky is
covered with dense clouds, the greater part of the solar rays
will be intercepted by it. ON.

The Accuracy of Job's Reference to Gold and Silver.

The fear that gold may be greatly depreciated in value
relative to silver (a fear which at one time seized upon the
minds of some people) seems unwarranted by the data regis-
tered in the crust of the earth ; for looking to all the recent
discoveries, we may be assured that gold is much the 'most
restricted (in its native distribution) of the precious metals.
Argentiferous lead, on the contrary, expands so largely down-
wards into the bowels of the rocks as to lead us to believe that
it must yield enormous quantities of silver for ages to come, and
the more so in proportion as better machinery and new inventions
shall lessen the difficulty of subterranean mining. It may
indeed well be doubted if the quantities both of gold and silver
procured from regions unknown to our progenitors will prove
more than sufficient to meet the exigencies of an enormously
increased population and our augmenting commerce and luxury.
And the author of "Siluria" as a geologist says that Pro-
vidence seems to have adjusted the relative value of these
two precious metals for the use of man, and that their relations,
having remained the same for ages, will long survive all theories.
Modern science in short, instead of contradicting, only confirms
the truth of the aphorism of the Patriarch Job, which thus
shadowed forth the downward persistence of the one and the
superficial distribution of the other: "Surely there is a vein
for the silver. . . . The earth hath dust of gold." si.

Goo] AND SYMBOLS. 135

The Political Value of Good Feeding.

Zimmerman has correctly observed that " hunger is the
mother of impatience and anger." Those of the ruling classes
who are quick to denounce, and ready to be apprehensive of
the mob, would do well to bear this in mind. Depend upon it,
good feeding has a far greater political value than they suppose.
History does not furnish accounts of riots, uproars, or atrocities
committed by well-fed mobs. A hungry mob is a dangerous
mob. If the supercilious politician has no real sympathy
whatever with the people, he should still even as a measure of
expediency do what he can to feed them if he fears them. He
may look upon the hungry classes as very inferior creatures,
but he will find they are uncommonly like himself in being
easily accessible to the influences of good feeding. The ser-
pents of faction, however much they hiss around the altars of
sedition, are much like other serpents. Whenever any of the
serpent kind have gorged themselves to a great extent, when-
ever their body is seen particularly distended with food, they
then become torpid, and may be approached and destroyed
with safety. Patient of hunger to a surprising degree, when-
ever they seize and swallow their prey, they seem like surfeited
gluttons, unwieldy, stupid, helpless, and sleepy ; they at that
time seek some retreat, where they may lurk for several days
together and digest their meal in safety : the smallest effort
at that time is capable of destroying them ; they can scarcely
make any resistance, and they are equally unqualified for flight
or opposition. That is the happy opportunity of attacking
them with success ; at that time the naked Indian himself does
not fear to assail them, and the most timorous politician would
not be too cowardly to follow. A proverb in the Efik language
says : " It is the stomach which rules the man." A.

Good Pound where least Expected.

The eggs of the turtle are thought as great delicacies as its
flesh ; and it is rather a remarkable fact, that although the flesh
of the hawksbill turtle is distasteful to all palates, and hurtful

136 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Ore

to many constitutions, the eggs are both agreeable in flavour
and perfectly harmless. IL.

The Loneliness of the Great.

Great men, as a rule, are not club men. The thinkers of
the world have not been society fractions. In their isolation
they remind us of the oak, which is never seen in a crowd,
forming what may be properly termed a wood. An oak forest
is nothing more than a poetical figure ; for the oak stands
alone, or mingled with other trees of different foliage, which it
dominates with venerable feudal sovereignty. We have one Dr.
Johnson and a number of Bos wells around about him. ST.

Healthfullness of Great Britain.

The following is a comparative estimate of the rate of
mortality in the European States : — One in twenty-eight in the
Roman and Venetian states ; one in thirty in Italy in general ;
one in thirty in Greece and Turkey ; one in thirty-nine in the
Netherlands, France, and Prussia ; one in forty in Switzerland,
Austria, Spain, and Portugal j one in forty-four in European
Russia and Poland ; one in forty-five in Germany, Denmark,
and Sweden ; one in forty-eight in Norway ; one in fifty-three
in Ireland ; one in fifty-eight in England ; one in fifty-nine in
Scotland and Iceland ; so that we perceive that the duration
of life in this country is very great when compared with others,
and that whatever foreigners may say about its dull and foggy
climate, it is a fact that its inhabitants live much longer than
those of the sunny climes of southern Europe. The boasted
climate of Italy, with its soft vernal breezes and cloudless
skies, gives a mortality of one in thirty, whereas among our
Irish bogs it is only one in fifty-three ; while in the Roman
and Venetian states more than twice as many out of a given
number die as among the bleak districts of the Scotch High-
lands. It is, then, perfectly well ascertained that in England,
Ireland, and Scotland, the mortality is much lower than in the
poetic " lands of the sun," Italy and Greece. s.

Ore] AND SYMBOLS. 137

Everything Great is Composed of the Small.

Let us contemplate a drop of rain, multiplied rain-drops,
and their influence. Few persons have ever taken the trouble
to compute how much the fall of a single inch of rain over an
extensive region in the sea, or how much the change of even
two or three degrees of temperature over a few thousand square
miles of its surface, tends to disturb its equilibrium, and con-
sequently to cause an aqueous palpitation that is felt from the
equator to the poles. Let us illustrate by an example : The
surface of the Atlantic Ocean covers an area of about twenty-
five millions of square miles. Now let us take one-fifth of
this area, and suppose a fall of rain one inch deep to take
place over it. This rain would weigh three hundred and
sixty thousand millions of tons ; and the salt which, as water,
it held in solution in the sea, and which, when that water was
taken up as vapour, was left behind to disturb equilibrium,
weighed sixteen millions more of tons, or nearly twice as
much as all the ships in the world could carry at a cargo each.
It might fall in an hour, or it might fall in a day ; but occupy
what time it might in falling, this rain is calculated to exert so
much force — which is inconceivably great — in disturbing the
equilibrium of the ocean. If all the water discharged by the
Mississippi River during the year were taken up in one mighty
measure, and cast into the ocean at one effort, it would not
make a greater disturbance in the equilibrium than would the
fall of rain supposed. Now this is for but one-fifth of the
Atlantic, and the area of the Atlantic is about one-fifth of the
sea area of the world ; and the estimated fall of rain was but
one inch, whereas the average for the year is sixty inches, but
we will assume it for the sea to be no more than thirty inches.
In the aggregate, and on an average, then, such a disturbance
in the equilibrium of the whole ocean as is here supposed
occurs seven hundred and fifty times a year, or at the rate of
once in twelve hours. When we reflect that this mighty work
is accomplished by multiplied rain-drops, we cannot but re-
member the old Latin proverb, that " Everything great is com-

138 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Ore

posed of many things which are small." In further illustration
of the same truth are the words of Young,

"Sands form the mountain, moments make the year."

T.

Great Tyrants sometimes Succumb to Small Heroes.

The raptores are daring, cruel, and strong, yet, like other
tyrants, they can be frightened. We read in Wilson that a
tiny bird, a fly-catcher, such as the purple martin, will hunt the
great black eagle, pursue it, harass it, banish it from its district,
give it not a moment's repose. It is a truly extraordinary spec-
tacle to see this little hero adding all his weight to his strength
that he may make the greater impression, rise and let himself
drop from the clouds on the back of the large robber, mount
without letting go, and prick him forward with his beak in lieu
of a spur. David in his dealings with Goliath, and other men
in all lands and times, show us that in the human family, as
among the feathered tribes, great tyrants will often succumb to
small heroes. T. B.

The Greatest Good occasioning the Greatest Evil.

By universal consent religion is man's greatest blessing ; and
water is the greatest boon of the thirsty all the world over.
Yet what a confirmation both religion and water afford of the
fact that the greatest good may occasion the greatest evil !
Take, first of all, the illustration supplied by the water, and in
the words of Oliver Goldsmith. In those burning countries
where the sun dries up every brook for hundreds of miles round,
when what had the appearance of a great river in the rainy
season becomes, in the summer, one dreary bed of sand, a lake
that is never dry, or a brook that is perennial, is considered by
every animal as the greatest convenience of Nature. As to food,
the luxuriant landscape supplies that in sufficient abundance ; it
is the want of water that all animals endeavour to remove, and
inwardly parched by the heat of the climate, traverse whole
deserts to find out a spring. When they have discovered this,
no dangers can deter them from attempting to slake their thirst.
Thus the neighbourhood of a rivulet in the heart of the tropical
continents is generally the place where all the hostile tribes of

Gre] AXD SYMBOLS, 139

Nature draw up for the engagement. On the banks of this
little envied spot thousands of animals of various kinds are
seen venturing to quench their thirst, or preparing to seize their
prey. The elephants are perceived in a long line, marching
from the darker parts of the forest; the buffaloes are there,
depending on numbers for security ; the gazelles, relying solely
upon their swiftness; the lion and tiger, waiting a proper
opportunity to seize ; but chiefly the larger serpents are upon
guard there, and defend the accesses of the lake. Not an hour
passes without some dreadful combat ; but the serpent, defended
by its scales, and naturally capable of sustaining a multitude of
wounds, is of all others the most formidable. Ever on the
watch until their rapacity is satisfied, few other animals will
venture to approach their station. Now take the illustration
which religion supplies of the fact that the greatest good may
occasion the greatest evil. The splendid anthem of Spohr only
tells us, in beautiful music, the fact which history in unmusical
language proclaims, that as the hart pants after the water, so
all souls seek after God. Here, then, is admitted to be the
great source of all good. How have men approached that
source? Do you find peace, love, charity, and all happiness
characterising their proceedings ? Look at the religions of the
world, with their cruelties and barbarisms ; listen to the bray-
ings of cant and the howlings and ravings of sectaries and
bigots ; and notice the insidious craft and poisonous malice with
which some of the smooth zealots do their work ! Behold how
fiercely they fight among one another ; how eagerly they pounce
upon any who are not of their number, but whom they descry
afar off, eagerly seeking after the source of All-purity ; and how
desperately they struggle, each with each, for the mastery and
capture of the anxious humble seekers of living water ! What
brings all these rampant men together, and occasions this hoarse
clamour of coarse voices where we anticipated gentle forms and
loving sounds 1 The banks of the river of life have brought
them there, and by their presence they occasion the greatest
evil where we have a right to expect the greatest good. A.

140 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Gro

Insatiable Greediness.

Insatiable greediness appears to characterise all the movements
of some men. Everything they do has for its object the acquire-
ment of some benefit for themselves. They resemble the fishes
whose ruling impulse is the desire to obtain something. This
appetite compels them to encounter every danger, and indeed
their rapacity seems insatiable. Even when taken out of the
water and almost expiring, they greedily swallow the very bait
by which they were allured to destruction ; just as the miser at
the point of death will still excite himself about obtaining more
of the gold which has been his ruin. A.

The Greedy Disposition.

The king vulture will not permit any other bird to begin its
meal until his own hunger is satisfied. The same habit may be
seen in many other creatures, including some men, the more
powerful lording it over the weaker, and leaving them only the
remains of the feast instead of permitting them to partake of it
on equal terms. If the king vulture should not happen to be
present when the dead animal has reached a state of decomposi-
tion, which renders it palatable to vulterine tastes, the subject
vultures would pay but little regard to the privileges of their
absent monarch, and would leave him but a slight prospect of
getting a meal on the remains of the feast. Thus the greedy
disposition, whether in the high or low, never concerns itself
about the want of others. IL.

Gross Natures in Useful Employment.

The pig is an important auxiliary in keeping rattlesnakes at a
distance in countries where they abound. In the west and
south of America when a field or farm is infested by these
ferocious reptiles it is usual to put a sow with its young brood
there, and the snakes, it is said, will soon be eaten up. It
appears that, owing to the fatty matter which envelopes the
body of this animal, it is safe from the venomous bite. Besides,
it likes the flesh of the snakes, and eagerly pursues them. When
a pig sees a rattlesnake, it smacks its jaws and its hairs bristle

Hab]

AXD SYMBOLS.

141

up : the snake coils itself up to strike its enemy, tlie pig ap-
proaches fearlessly, and receives the blow in the fold of fat which
hangs upon the side of its jaw. Then he places a foot on the
tail of the snake, and with his teeth he begins to pull the flesh
of his enemy to pieces, and eats it with evident enjoyment.
Infidelity, intemperance, and tyranny are horrible social reptiles,
and they are often successfully attacked by ferocious, illiterate,
gross "revivalists" and demagogues, who bristle up to their
work of annihilating them on a method and with a zest not
inferior to this rattlesnake-destroyer. These men are not plea-
sant beings, but like those other coarse creatures, they are useful
for coarse work. Their grossness is their qualification ; for the
stings and wounds by which the progeny of vice would kill
other public men do not affect that bloated self-complacency
and dense coarseness in which their rude nature is entirely en-
veloped. And our feelings of loathing and disgust for these
rough sons of coarseness should always be tempered by the re-
membrance that they are not quite so bad as that which they
destroy. The pig, after all, is better than the rattlesnake.

RE.

The Force of Habit.

It is, as Mr. Darwin says, notorious how powerful is the
force of habit. The most complex and difficult movements
can in time be performed without the least effort or conscious-
ness. It is not positively known how it comes that habit is so
efficient in facilitating complex movements; but physiologists
admit that the conducting power of the nervous fibres increases
with the frequency of their excitement. This applies to the
nerves of motion and sensation as well as to those connected
with the act of thinking. That some physical change is pro-
duced in the nerve-cells or nerves which are habitually used
can hardly be doubted, for otherwise it is impossible to under-
stand how the tendency to certain acquired movements is
inherited. That they are inherited we see with horses in
certain transmitted paces, such as cantering and ambling, which
are not natural to them; in the pointing of young pointers
and the setting of young setters; in k the peculiar manner of
flight of certain breeds of the pigeon, &c. "VVe have analogous

I42 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Kal

cases with mankind in the inheritance of tricks or unusual
gestures. As to the domination which evil habit acquires over
men, that needs not even a passing allusion. It is remarkable
that the force of habit may affect even caterpillars. Caterpillars
which have been fed on the leaves of one kind of tree have
been known to perish from hunger rather than to eat the leaves
of another tree, although this afforded them their proper food
under a state of nature. Their conduct might suggest reflec-
tion to men who are tempted by habit to risk death by adher-
ence to debauched courses rather than return to a natural mode
of living. EX.

Age Altering Habit.

A few years often change the habits of a man. The middle-
aged man has scarcely any of the habits of the youth left.
And if the proof of his identity depended on their resemblance,
it would indeed be hard to establish. A like change of habit
is observable in many other existences. We may take from a
class of molluscs the acorn shells (Balanus balanoides) as an
example. It is a very remarkable fa^it, that although the
balanus never moves from the spot on which it has taken up
its habitation, and, indeed, is incapable of any kind of locomo-
tion, yet when very young it was an active, wandering little
creature, furnished with jointed limbs, much resembling a
shrimp or crab, and swimming freely through the water with a
succession of bounds. "What a complete settling down to quiet
ways ! what a thorough transformation is here ! But is it
more striking than the metamorphosis of the hobbledehoy
youngster into the sedate sage ? D.

Half-Truths and Hemiopia.

There is an affection called hemiopia, in which the patient
can only discern a part or the half of an object. He may see
a man walking without head and shoulders ; or with the upper
portion of his frame hovering in the air, but no lower limbs to
sustain it ; or with a trunk like a mutilated statue j or with a
body which has only a single eye, half a nose, half a chin —
appearing, in fact, to be sliced down the centre, as if the one

Ean] AND SYMBOLS. 143

moiety were not only divorced from the other but absolutely
annihilated. Dr. Wollaston was twice attacked in this manner,
and states that he could perceive but half of an individual
whom he met, and that on attempting to read the name of John-
son over a door, he saw only son. There is a mental hemiopia.
The men who are affected by it are never able to see the whole
of any question. They are often emphatic in stating precisely
that which they do see, because their vision respecting that is
clear enough. These enunciations of theirs constitute the
" half-truths " which we so constantly meet with in society, in
books, and in legislation. Men who are affected with mental
hemiopia are, as an almost universal rule, quite unconscious of
the fact. The great difficulty in making them aware of it
arises from a strong hallucination which accompanies the
disease and assures the sufferer that he is exceptionally strong
and perfect in his mental vision. People affected in this way
will often declare that they have discovered, and can proclaim,
"the whole truth of God," the fact being that they have barely
seen half of it. Mental hemiopia is either chronic or acute.
The former is incurable. The latter will yield to judicious treat-
ment and the removal of the proximate and exciting cause, which
is usually passion, avarice, bigotry, love, or jealousy. p.

Hangers-on.

The remora. instead of swimming far by its own exertions,
greatly prefers being transported from place to place on ships'
bottoms, or even the bodies of sharks. When one of the
sharks to which a remora is clinging is caught by a hook, and is
pulled out of the water, the little parasite is shrewd in its own
interest, for it drops off and makes for the bottom of the
ship. As long as a ship remains within the tropics, numbers of
remorae cling to its bottom, whether that be coppered or not,
whence they dart off occasionally to pick up any morsels of
greasy or farinaceous matter that may be thrown overboard,
retiring again rapidly to their anchorage. These hangers-on
resemble our social ones in the following particulars : they like
travelling about ; they do not care what they attach themselves
to so long as it suits their purpose for the time ; they will not

144 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Har

get along by their own exertions if they can find others to carry
them ; they are sharp in their own interests, and know quite
well when to desert a supporter ; and they are ready to avail
themselves of discarded or accidental ailment. MU.

Happiness is Relative. X

The Peloncea ccrrugata is remarkable as much for its habits
as its shape. It is not fixed to any object, but is as motionless
as if it were attached to a rock, and seems to pass a singularly
unenjoyable existence. Yet it is doubtlessly happy in its own
way, though that way is a very strange one. It lives embedded
in the mud, its whole body being sunk, and only the ends of
the two apertures projecting into the water. The existence led
by some men and women seems almost as much at variance with
our antecedent notions of a happy life as is that of this peloncea
corrugata. Their sluggish, impassive natures grovel in low
pursuits, and never move about amongst the intelligent currents
of human society. No doubt their existence has its pleasures.
Happiness is a relative thing. The peloncea corrugata would
find no gratification in the conditions of life which the mack'erel
enjoys. The delights of a clown would be misery to a sage.

c. s.

Harmless yet Armed.

The hedgehog is one of the most harmless animals in the
world. Unable or unwilling to offend, all its precautions are
only directed to its own security ; and it is armed with a
thousand points to keep off the enemy, but not to invade him.
While other creatures trust to their force, their cunning, or
their swiftness, this animal, destitute of all, has but one
expedient for safety ; and from this alone it finds efficient
protection. As soon as it perceives itself attacked, it withdraws
all its vulnerable parts, rolls itself into a ball, and presents
nothing but its defensive thorns to the enemy : thus while it
attempts to injure no other quadruped, they are equally in-
capable of injuring it. One might suppose that the noisy dog
with its sharp teeth was more capable of defending himself
than this quiet animal, but it is not so. Indeed it is by no

Eat] AND SYMBOLS. 145

means certain that the very defiant-looking creatures are the
most invulnerable. Quiet men and peaceable nations are often
quite as well able to defend themselves as those who swagger
about their defensive power. Inoffensiveness does not mean
helplessness, though the cur thinks it does when he essays to
worry the hedgehog, and cur-natures think so under all circum-
stances. A.

Harmony where least Expected.

Before Captain Maury's researches, ocean appeared to the
most judicious observers as nothing more than a grand mass of
water, inert, passive, obedient to blind and changeful forces.
He has demonstrated, however, that there, as in all other parts
of the economy of Nature, harmony and order reign ; that every-
thing is planned, weighed, and compensated; and more, that
ocean is endowed with a combination of movements similar to
those which nourish life in the plant and the animal ; that it has
a circulation, free and regular as that of the blood ; a pulse ever
throbbing and beating; veins and arteries, 'ay, and a heart; and
that beyond the purely physical causes to which we may attribute
this circulation, there exists an essential agent which we should
seek in vain elsewhere, a vital force — that of the myriads of
invisible beings which are born, live, multiply, and die in the
teeming womb of its waters. Each of these imperceptible
existences changes the equilibrium of the ocean ; they also help
to regulate the climates of the earth and to preserve the purity
of the seas. The principal agents of this circulation are three
in number. The first and most apparent is caloric, the solar
radiation ; but of itself this would be insufficient. The second,
and most important, is the salt. The third is the animal life —
the " living infinite of the sea," as Michelet calls it — the infu-
soria. Truly, as we contemplate this wonderful arrangement
we may say, " He divideth the sea with His power." MY.

Through the Hateful to the Happy.

Few of our joys are ever reached until we have journeyed
through much that is vexing and hateful. To endure the vex-
ing and the hateful, moreover, we often need to think of the

K

146 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Hea

goal beyond. Our road is often like that leading to a place
named Wady Nassoub, situated a short distance from Sarabit-
el-Kadim, on the road from Sinai to Suez. It is gained after
traversing Ramleh ("the sandy"), a sandy ravine which serves
as a retreat for horrible black serpents, both big and little,
and for enormous lizards. It is followed by a narrow valley,
"Wady Nassoub," one of the most magnificent spectacles in
the world. It is a circus of twenty to twenty-five leagues in
extent, surrounded by huge rocks arranged in successive terraces,
and of incomparable beauty of form and colour. Its arena is an
immense sheet of black basalt, furrowed here and there by
torrents of yellow sand. A dazzling sun kindles up this land-
scape, which is one of incredible splendour. The traveller can
now afford to look back triumphantly on the serpents in the
valley he has passed; and as he does so, his position is not
unlike that of him who, having borne himself nobly in the
journey of life, and having attained a glorious consummation,
looks back at the vexations he has passed for ever. D.

Some Heads Worth Little.

If a man loses his head, he dies immediately ; but an insect
is not nearly so fastidious, and continues to live a long time
without any head at all. Indeed there are some insects, which,
if beheaded, die not so much on account of the head but of
the stomach ; for having then no mouth, they cannot eat, and
so die of hunger. And some insects there are which positively
live longer if decapitated than if left in possession of their
head. c. o.

The Sun a Source of Health.

" Where there is sun there is thought." All physiology goes
to confirm this. Where is the shady side of deep valleys there
is cretinism. WTiere are cellars and the unsunned sides of
narrow streets there is the degeneracy and weakliness of the
human race, mind and body equally degenerating. Put the
pale withering plant and human being into the sun, and, if not
too far gone, each will recover health and spirit. I. L.

Her] AND SYMBOLS. 147

The Ministration of the Heavenly Bodies.

In Arctic regions the moon and the stars alone temper the
darkness of the long winter's night, and all who have read the
story of polar voyages will recollect the thankfulness with which
the moonlight is welcomed. The Arab of the desert steers on
emergency by the light and position of the moon. Over the
pathless seas the moon is the navigator's friend and counsellor,
and places within his reach a sure means for measuring the
longitude and fixing the spot where the ship may be. When
we think of the fleets of noble vessels with their wealth of
merchandise, and the thousands of lives whose safety is depen-
dent on its teachings, we may form some estimate of the value
of this blessing. " Without the moon's aid," an astronomer
observes, " our ships, instead of fearlessly traversing the ocean
from pole to pole, would probably even now be incapable of
performing long voyages, and would content themselves with
exchanging commodities and intelligence between well-known
and neighbouring shores." BE.

The Transmission of Hereditary Peculiarities.

Tendencies to particular vices are inherited, and are exhibited
in cases where the early death of parents, or the removal of the
children in infancy, prevents the idea of any imitation or effect
of education being the cause. That the organisation of a thief\
is transmitted from father to son through generations seems/
tolerably certain. Gall has cited some striking examples.
And murder, like talent, seems occasionally to run in families.
Parents with an unconquerable aversion to animal food have3
transmitted that aversion ; and parents with the horrible pro-
pensity for human flesh have transmitted the propensity to
children brought up away from them under all social restraints.

PH.

Hereditary Results.

It appears that many habits, physical as well as moral, are to
a remarkable extent hereditary; of this we could adduce
numerous instances. The hereditary tendency to certain moral
or immoral habits in particular persons has long been known ;

I48 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Hid

and it has been frequently remarked that the offspring of such
individuals share in the same tendencies, and are exposed to
the same dangers in passing through life. The same hereditary
resemblance exists also with respect to certain habits of body.
j^Lhus if the parents are accustomed to the use of a certain
I species of aliment, the same will be found to agree with their
'offspring. Our infante would soon sicken and die if obliged"?
to take the food on which the infants of the Greenlander and)
Esquimaux subsist and thrive. s.

Hidden Enemies.

Nocturnal birds of prey fly without making the least noise.
They can, therefore, pounce unawares on their victims, seizing
them before they have any idea of necessity for escape. When
they lay hold of their prey it is immediately devoured. But
their large staring eyes cannot bear the light of mid-day. They
therefore remain hidden in their retreats while the sun is high,
and do not begin to hunt until the luminary has approached the
horizon, when they are able to distinguish with surprising
clearness the objects on which they prey. Some of a man's
human enemies resemble these birds. They never attack
openly in the daylight. They are sly and quiet, and pounce
upon their victim before he is aware of their approach, and when
surrounding conditions are such as to prevent his being able to
defend himself. BE.

The Hideous Implies the Dangerous.

There is a close connection between ugliness and vice.
Amongst human beings a hideous expression of face usually
implies a wicked person, excepting of course in cases where it is
accounted for by illness or accident. There are men whose bad-
ness is written in repulsive characters upon their complexions,
so that any observer may avoid them. Not only so. It curiously
happens that in some of the creatures whose rage is likely to be
fatal to man, there should be something in the physiognomy
which puts him on his guard. It is so in regard to the sharks ;
it is so in the crocodiles ; it is so pre-eminently in the venomous

Eig] AND SYMBOLS. 149

serpents. There is in most of these an expression of malignity
which well indicates their deadly character. Their flattened
head, more or less widened behind, so as to approach a triangular
figure ; their wide gape, and the cleft tongue ever darting to
and fro ; and above all, the sinister expression of the glaring,
lidless eye, with its linear pupil, are sufficient to cause the
observer to retreat with shuddering precipitancy. Darwin,
speaking of a sort of viper which he found at Bahia Blanca,
says, " The expression of this snake's face was hideous and
fierce ; the pupil consisted of a vertical slit in a mottled and
coppery iris; the jaws were broad at the base, and the nose
terminated in a triangular projection. I do not think I ever
saw anything so ugly, excepting, perhaps, some of the vampire
bats." no.

The Higher Life requires the Higher Aliment.

The air which has once passed through the lungs of a man,
and which, in losing four or five per cent, of its oxygen, has
become charged with three or four per cent, of carbonic acid,
will yield but very little of its remaining oxygen when again
passed through the lungs ; and if this air be breathed over and
over again until the sense of suffocation force a cessation, the
air will still be found to contain ten per cent, of oxygen — that
is to say, nearly half of its original quantity. In air thus vitiated
the respiratory process is impossible, but only impossible for warm-
blooded animals in health : frogs, reptiles, fish, and molluscs,
instead of perishing when the air has lost about half its oxygen,
continue to breathe and absorb oxygen almost as long as there
is any left. Spallanzani, Humboldt, and Matteucci have placed
this beyond a doubt by their experiments. It is equally beyond
a doubt that in the intellectual world also the higher life
requires the higher aliment. The conversation which will
kindle and sustain all the vitality of a number of weak-minded
gossips, will cause a man of intellect to experience a sensation
of suffocation. The intellectual atmosphere of some churches
and chapels, which is fully adequate to the wants of a certain
tepid order of mind, who can exist on the same truth uttered
over and over again, is one in which men composed of vigorous

150 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Horn

brain and warm heart could not possibly exist. Their nourish-
ment can only be derived where purity and light abound.

PH.
\

Hissing1.

As a fact, hissing is the only sound in Nature which makes
no echo. If criticism, at the meeting or at the desk, be naught
but hissing, and can do naught but hiss, it is altogether a poor
affair, and will awaken no echo of sympathy. Therefore an
earnest man may ignore it when it assails him in his endeavours
to do good. He should go on his course remembering the
ancient words of Sana! : " What matters it whether the words
thou utterest for religion are Hebrew or Syrian, or whether the
place in which thou seekest for truth is Jabalka or Ja"balsa."

G. s.

Power of Early Home Associations.

Early home associations have a far more potent influence
than is generally supposed. Some natures, of course, are more
susceptible to them than are others, but over many men they
have a sovereign power. Nor is their influence confined to "the
human family. The affection of birds is frequently extended
to their own haunts, and they cling with constancy to the place
where they were born. Nightingales, swallows, and many
others find their way back to the spot where their early days
were spent, and often to the very nest-homes with which their
joys were associated. Everybody knows with what fidelity
rooks stick to their native trees, and how doggedly they resist
every effort to dislodge them. Though all the trees of the
country are open to their choice, rooks sometimes prefer a nest
in a solitary tree in some great city, because it is the home where
they were born. For eight months of the year not a bird,
perhaps, is to be seen there ; but with commencing spring the
constant rooks, winging their way over streets and houses, once
more appear and set about patching up the old nest. BE.

Home-Leaving1.

When the adult termites of Southern America leave their
homes they fly off in large clouds, but as soon as they touch

Horn] AND SYMBOLS. 151

the ground they shed their wings, and then they begin to find
how many enemies they have. Of the myriad host that pour
into the evening air, not one in twenty thousand survives. They
have foes above, below, and on every side. The bats and goat-
suckers hold high festival on these evenings when the termites
are abroad ; and after the insects have cast their wings they arc
pursued by ants, toads, spiders, and a host of other enemies.
Yes, the loss of the home-wings is a crisis, not only in the
life of the termites, but in that of men. A young man flies off
from home with his companions, full of high hopes, and settles
himself down, as he thinks, in some suitable place. He is no
sooner settled than his troubles commence. When soaring aloft
he had no conception of the fact that he was to be at once set
upon by enemies and troubles, nor in his home dreams did ho
suspect their number or their nature. Happy is he if he saves
himself from the spiders of the law, the toads of malice, and
the many social grubs who are ready to ruin him. H.

The Home Instinct.

Swallows (Hirundo) are celebrated for their migratory journeys.
In the early days of spring they reach Europe, not in flocks, but
as isolated individuals or in pairs. They occupy themselves
almost immediately either in repairing their last year's nests,
or, if these have been destroyed, in constructing new ones.
Among the arrivals are many young birds of the previous year
which have not had nests; and yet it is not a little extra-
ordinary that these, after six months' absence, return with
unerring certainty to the old dwelling where hatched. This
fact has been too often recorded to admit of any doubt on the
subject. This home instinct exists also very strongly in some
families of men. Though the various members may roam far
and wide over the whole surface of the world, they return
always to the old birthplace, impelled by an impulse which
seems irresistible, and which operates independently of the
fact that the companions of the old place have departed this
life. RE.

152 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Hos

Emblems of the Horrible very Arbitrarily Chosen.

Painters always represent their imps as upborne by bats'
wings, furnished with several supplementary hooks ; and
sculptors follow the same principle. In consequence, all bats
and objects connected with bats are viewed with great
horror. It is said that the African negroes depict and describe
their evil spirits as white ; and that, in consequence, the negro
children fly in consternation if perchance a white man comes
into their territory. Yet the white man is not so horrid an
object after all if one only dare look at him; and the same
remark holds good with the bats. o. o.

A Test for Hospitality.

If the two hands be plunged, one in water at the tempera-
ture of 200°, and the other in snow, and being held there for
a certain time are transferred to water of the intermediate tem-
perature of 1 00°, this water will appear warm to one hand and
cold to the other — warm to the hand which has been plugged
in the snow, and cold to the hand which has been plunged in
the water at 200°. The anomaly is easily explained. The
sensation of heat is relative. When the body has been exposed
to a high temperature, a medium which has a lower tempera-
ture will feel cold, and when it has been exposed to a low
temperature, it will feel warm. Now this fact will suggest, by
analogy, a way for testing hospitality. It is not uncommon to
hear a man speak about " the warmth " of somebody's hospi-
tality. Perhaps that same " warmth " seemed very much like
coldness to us. How are we to explain the difference in the
sensations of our friend and ourselves ? Simply by remember-
ing that hospitality, like heat, is a relative thing. A man who
has just come out of the cold house of Mrs. Niggard will feel
the tepid house of Mrs. Moderate to be quite a warm, hospi-
table place. On the other hand, a man who goes to Mrs.
Moderate's house after a prolonged stay at the genial mansion
of the generous Lady Bountiful, will feel that establishment to
be rather chilly in its hospitality. When your friend talks of
" warm " hospitality, you cannot accurately gauge his meaning

Hum] AND SYMBOLS. 153

unless you know the temperature of the hospitality which he
has accustomed himself to. HA.

Human Sympathy.

No part of the world affords a more difficult or dangerous
navigation than the approaches of our northern coast in winter.
Before the warmth of the Gulf Stream was known, a voyage at
this season from Europe to New England, New York, and even
to the capes of the Delaware or Chesapeake, was many times
more trying, difficult, and dangerous than it now is. In making
this part of the coast, vessels are frequently met by snowstorms
and gales which mock the seaman's strength and set at naught
his skill. In a little while his bark becomes a mass of ice ;
with her crew frosted and helpless, she remains obedient only
to her helm, and is kept away for the Gulf Stream. After a
few hours' run she reaches its edge, and almost at the next
bound passes from the midst of winter into a sea at summer
heat. Now the ice disappears from her apparel ; the sailor
bathes his stiffened limbs in tepid waters ; feeling himself
invigorated and refreshed with the genial warmth about him,
he realises out there at sea the fable of Antaeus and his mother
Earth. He rises up, and attempts to make his port again, and
is again as rudely met and beat back from the north-west ; but
each time that he is driven off from the contest, he comes forth
from this stream, like the ancient son of Neptune, stronger and
stronger, until, after many days, his freshened strength pre-
vails, and he at last triumphs and enters his haven in safety.
His experiences bear a resemblance to those of the man who
is tempest-tossed upon the sea of social life. This man, struggling
in what Shakespeare designates " a sea of troubles," has to brave
great billows of adversity and to face the chilling blasts of
misfortune. He is well-nigh hopeless and powerless, when he
suddenly encounters the warm stream of human sympathy
which flows even into society's most icy regions. Under its
vitalising influences the horrors of his despair melt away ; his
heart glows with renewed hope; he is nerved with fresh
strength for a successful struggle against his calamities, so that
he is able at length to accomplish his destined purpose. T.

154 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Hum

The Human Body Constructed on Musical Principles.

The universal disposition of human beings, from the cradle to
the death-bed, to express their feelings in measured cadences of
sound and action, proves that our bodies are constructed on
musical principles, and that the harmonious working of their
machinery depends on the movements of the several parts being
timed to each other, and that the destruction of health as regards
both body and mind may be well described as being put out of
tune. Our intellectual and moral vigour would be better sus-
tained if we more practically studied the propriety of keeping
the soul in harmony by regulating the movements of the body ;
for we should thus see and feel that every affection which is
not connected with social enjoyment is also destructive of indi-
vidual comfort, and that whatever tends to harmonise also tends
to promote happiness and health. u.

An Archetype of Human Society.

The picture of a bee-kingdom, which Shakespeare has drawn
in the following lines, has the precision of a naturalist, united
to the fancy of a poet and the wisdom of a philosopher : —

" So work the honey-bees,
Creatures that by a rule in Nature teach
The art of order to a peopled kingdom.
They have a king, and officers of sorts,
Where some, like magistrates correct at home ;
Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad ;
Others, like soldiers, armed in their stings,
Make loot upon the summer's velvet buds ;
Which pillage they with merry march bring home
To the tent royal of their emperor :
Who, busied in his majesties, surveys
The singing masons building roofs of gold ;
The civil citizen kneading up the honey ;
The poor mechanic-porters crowding in
Their heavy burthens at his narrow gate ;
The sad-eyed justice with his surly hum
Delivering o'er to executors pale
The lazy, yawning drone."

B. W.

Hyp] AND SYMBOLS. 155

The Fecund Force of Humility.

The little and the lowly may be found in combination with
wondrous energy. The coralline (Corrallina officinalis), which
may be found most abundantly on any of our coasts, growing in
greatest perfection near low water-mark, is a small plant seldom
exceeding five or six inches in height, and not even reaching
that size. However, it compensates for its low stature by its
luxuriant growth, being usually found in dense masses wherever
it can find a convenient shelter. If the vital force of this plant
had shot upwards, pushing out numerous and majestic branches
in the air, and covering itself with abundant leafage and blossom,
it would have attracted more attention and admiration, but it
would not have gained force, or perhaps usefulness, thereby.
Thus with human minds. Those whose powers shoot upward
by some splendid feat of genius in literature or battle, arrest
public attention and win public plaudits. Whereas possibly
they neither gain more strength nor achieve more usefulness
than those less showy men who work modestly for the common
good in the obscurer regions of human life, and who, like the
coralline plant, are always accessible to those who seek them at
the low water-mark of life's affairs. C.

The Hypocrite.

"Would the hypocrite like to behold a creature something
resembling himself 1 Let him look at the mantis. The insects
of the tribe Mantina are principally inhabitants of hot climates,
although a few species are common in the south of Europe.
The Mantides move slowly along, and their whole attitude is
so solemn that they are regarded with veneration by the
inhabitants of all the countries in which they occur. In the
south of Europe they are universally known by names indicative
of the belief that their singular attitude is one of prayer. All
this, however, is purely imaginary. The Mantis is one of the
most voracious of its class, and only assumes this solemn and
devout appearance for the beguilement of its unsuspecting
victim. Slowly and cautiously it steals along by almost
imperceptible degrees until within striking distance of its

156 STlEiyTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Ign

prey, when one of the forelegs is instantly extended, and the
struggling victim is soon mangled by the tremendous weapons
of the destroyer. These insects are excessively pugnacious, and
as is the case with sanctimonious hypocrites, two of them can
scarcely come together without a combat. In the case of the
Mantis the termination of the quarrel is generally fatal to one
if not to both of the combatants. Here the analogy unfortunately
must end, for when hypocrites quarrel, their crafty selfishness
teaches them how to survive. N. H.

Idiosyncrasy defies Coercion.

There are persons even in Europe to whom a mutton-chop
would be poisonous. Cases are known where animal food has
been poisonous to people. Some persons cannot take coffee with-
out vomiting ; others are thrown into a general inflammation if
they eat cherries or gooseberries. Many persons are unable to eat
eggs, and cakes or puddings having eggs in their composition
produce serious disturbances in such persons : if they are
induced to eat them under false assurances of no eggs having
been employed, they are soon undeceived by the unmistakable
effects. Only gross ignorance of physiology, an ignorance
unhappily too widely spread, can argue that because a certain
article is wholesome to many it must necessarily be wholesome
to all. Each individual organism is specially different from
every other. However much it may resemble others, it
necessarily in some points differs from them, and the amount
of these differences is often considerable. If the same wave
of air striking upon the tympanum of two different men will
produce sounds to the one which to the other are inappreciable ;
if the same wave of light will affect the vision of one man
as that of red colour, while to the vision of another it is no
colour at all, how unreasonable is it to expect that the same
substance will bear precisely the same relation to the alimentary
system of one man as to that of another ! Experience tells us
that it is not so. PH.

Ignorant Bigots.

On entering the Gudarigby Caverns, near the Murrumbidgee
River, New South Wales, you will see large numbers of the

Ina] AND SYMBOLS. . 157

great-leaved horse-shoe bat. If you proceed with torches they
will become so eager to escape from your light that they will
annoy you exceedingly by flapping against your face in their
eagerness to escape into a congenial darkness. How much they
remind one of those ignorant bigots who, when the torch of
truth is carried into the recesses of superstition, dash in wild
exasperation against the enlightener, and do their utmost to seek
intellectual gloom ! GA.

Accidental Images.

A coloured object being placed upon a black ground, if it is
steadily looked at for some time, the eye is soon tired, and the
intensity of the colour enfeebled; if now the eyes are directed
towards a white sheet, or to the ceiling, an image will be seen
of the same shape as the object, but of a complementary colour ;
that is, such a one as united to that of the object would form
white. For a green object the image will be red ; if the object
is yellow, the image will be violet. Accidental colours are of
longer duration in proportion as the object has been more
brilliantly illuminated and the object has been longer looked
at. When a lighted candle has been looked at for some time,
and the eyes are turned towards a dark part of the room, the
appearance of the flame remains, but it gradually changes
colour ; it is first yellow, then it passes through orange to red,
from red through violet to greenish blue, which is gradually
feebler until it disappears. If the eye which has been looking
at the light be turned towards a white wall, the colours follow
almost the opposite direction ; there is first a dark picture on
a white ground, which gradually changes into blue, is then
successively green and yellow, and ultimately cannot be dis-
tinguished from a white ground. The reason of this phenomenon
is doubtless to be sought in the fact that the subsequent action
of light on the retina is not of equal duration for all colours,
and that the decrease in the intensity of the subsequent action
does not follow the same law for all colours. But the illusion
is very startling ; and it bears some analogy to the occasional
remarkable creations of the memory when, in reproducing
certain events and personages, it presents them in forms some-

158 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Im{

what discernible, yet distorted ; similar, yet totally different ;
true to life in outline, yet wholly erroneous in detail. Wonder-
ful, under such circumstances, is the correspondence between
the objective truth and the subjective reality. Yet the dis-
parity is as tremendous as its existence is unsuspected, where the
clearness of the mind's image is mistaken for its correctness.

EL.

The Habit of Imitation.

Animals living in societies often copy or imitate the actions
of an individual leader ; and among insects, this is particularly
remarkable with the procession caterpillars, which move more
or less in processional order. The procession is always headed
by a single caterpillar ; sometimes the leader is followed by one
or two in a single file, and sometimes by two or three abreast,
and the whole train pursues its track through every turn and
sinuosity without the slightest deviation. "Wild-fowl, in the
various forms they assume in their flight, are led by one
individual whose movements direct the flock. An entire flock
of sheep following each other through a hedge will often jump
when they reach a particular spot because their leaders jumped
there, and they do so although the particular obstruction which
first rendered the movement necessary has been actually
removed. In like manner, we constantly see men following
leaders, not because they have elected them to be their leader,
but because of that strong principle of imitation which stirs
them to follow. So, too, we may observe that when one fanatic
commences his crawlings over the tree of bigotry, there will
always be a procession of fanatics ready to follow him in his
peculiar courses. And when the mob has the example of one
of the most audacious of its numbers, there is soon a goodly
following. The working of the same principle is perhaps more
observable in the world of fashion than anywhere else. A
Royal personage, as the result of illness, is obliged to walk with
a limp. Forthwith fashionable ladies, the necessity for the
limp being entirely absent, go about limping. Alexander the
Great having a wry neck, it at once became the fashion in a
nation of slaves. To-day any little dapper fellow, moving in

Imi] AND SYMBOLS. 159

privileged circles, can, in matters of fashion, rely on the follow-
ing of a flock of the sheeps'-heads amongst us. p.

Imitation as a Deceiver's Art.

The natives of South Africa designate the puff-adder ( Vipera
inflata) the Noga-poutsane or the goat's serpent, because it
makes at night a bleating exactly resembling that animal.
There were, says Livingstone, certainly no goats in the place
where he happened to hear it. The natives suppose that by this
bleating it hopes to deceive the traveller, and draw him within
its reach. D.

Ludicrous Effects of Imitation.

What ludicrous results may be observed where men imitate
with servility the doings of others ! The ambitious young
preacher who is setting up as a genius, copies the peculiari-
ties in attitude and manner of the popular preacher near him,
and causes actual merriment in the very matters in which he
thinks he is most effective. Tom Snob the rich soap-boiler,
and his corpulent spouse, affect the airs, elegances, and foibles
of the aristocracy, and either get themselves into serious diffi-
culties by the attempt, or at least make a fortunate escape
amidst the derision of all beholders. These folks in their antics
are very like those monkeys whose imitative power, Hams says,
the Indians turn to destruction in this way : — Coming to their
haunts with basins full of water or honey, they wash their faces
in the sight of these animals, and then substituting pots of thin
glue instead of the water or honey, they retire out of sight
The monkeys, as soon as they are gone, come down and wash
their faces likewise, and sticking their eyes together, become
blind and are easily captured. In other places they brought
boots into the woods, and putting them on and off, left them,
well lined with glue or a sort of bird-lime ; so that when the
unhappy monkeys put them on, they stuck fast, and hindered
their escape. How many men have found it impossible to
extricate themselves from corresponding difficulties into which
they have been drawn through attempting to "swell" it off in
the boots of the aristocracy ! p.

160 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Imp

The Impermanence of Life's Forms.

Life's forms are for ever changing. Not only do individuals
perish, but even types. Numberless creatures which once
flourished on our earth are not even represented here now.
The dodo will be seen no more ; the race has fleeted away.
Among birds, the emeu, the cassowary, and the apterix are
species rapidly vanishing; amongst quadrupeds, the kangaroo,
the platypus ; others slowly, but not less surely. After a while
they will be gone from the earth wholly, as bears, wolves,
mammoths, aud hyenas have gone from our own islands. The
Bos primigenus, or great wild bull, was common in Germany
when Julius Caesar flourished. The race has become wholly
extinct, if, indeed, not incorporated with, the large tame oxen
of Northern Europe. The beaver built his mud-huts along the
Soane and the Rhone up to the last generations of man ; and
when Hannibal passed through. Gaul on his way to Italy, beavers
in Gaul were common. Thus have animals migrated or died
out ; passed away, the balance of life remaining. s. N.

The Model of Impertinence.

The sparrows are a tame, troublesome, and impertinent
generation, and nestle just where you don't want them ; they
stop up your stoves and water-pipes with their rubbish, and
build in the windows and under the beams of the roof, and
would stuff your hat full of stubble in half a day if they found
it hanging in a place to suit them. They are extremely perti-
naceous in asserting their right of possession, and have not the
least reverence for any place or thing. LA.

The Impostor.

If the opossum is surprised by the farmer flagrante delicto
it lies down on the ground, counterfeits death, and takes any
amount of beating without wincing ; but as soon as the man,
thinking that he has killed it, turns his back, the rogue de-
camps as fast as he can, and regains the forest. How like is
this to the sleek sanctimonious impostor ! M.

Inc] AND SYMBOLS. 161

Distinct and Faint Impressions.

The organs of perception are like wax, and outward events
are the seals which are stamping impressions. If the organs or
faculties of perception, like wax overhardened with cold, will
not receive the impressions of the seal from the usual impulse
wont to imprint it, or like wax of a temper too soft, will not
hold it well when well imprinted, or else supposing the wax of
a temper fit but the seal not applied with a sufficient force to
make a clear impression — in any of these cases the print left
by the seal will be obscure. LO.

Impudence Balked by Stupidity.

The jackal is most impudent ; but its impudence would be
more profitable were it not checked by stupidity. It sometimes
happens that a jackal steals silently into an out-house to seize
the poultry or devour the furniture, but hearing others in full
cry at a distance, without thought it instantly answers the call,
and thus betrays its own depredations. The peasants sally out
upon it, and the impudent animal finds, too late, that some-
thing more than impudence is requisite to success. Many men
and boys have had to learn the same lesson. If impudence
could ensure the triumph of their plans, all would be well with
them ; but it often happens that Nature, by way of counter-
poise to their impudence, has weighed them with stupidity.
Society is thereby protected from some of their rascality. A.

Incongruous Advantages.

There is a peculiarity attending the constitution of the great
water-beetle (ditiscus marginalis) which marks it as a creature
specially endowed for the station in which it is placed. Multi-
tudes of insects exist in the larva state for a certain space of
time in water ; and having accomplished a given period in this
state, perfecting their forms, they take wing, and become aerial
creatures, after which a return to the element whence they sprang
would be death to them. But this beetle, when it has passed
from the larva state and obtained its wings, still lives in water,

L

162 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Inc

and never uses them except in the case of having to leave one
pool for another. It would, therefore, on a superficial view appear
to enjoy superfluous advantanges, which are incongruous with its
position. In this it resembles a large number of persons in the
middle and upper circles of human society. We see many of
them raised from lower states and endowed with the wings of
wealth, prestige, and honour which should enable them to rise
into the azure realms of benevolence and good taste ; yet they
never ascend to their possibilities. These advantages are super-
fluous and incongruous endowments, and in spite of them they
remain in their old world of coarseness, sensuality, and selfish-
ness. Libertine Jockey develops into an earl, yet his coronet
cannot alter his tastes for the slums ; Rhahab Wanton changes
into a duchess, but her instincts direct her to the old ways
and haunts. J.

Incongruous Combinations.

Mr. Darwin found near Buenos Ayres a shallow lake of brine,
which in summer is converted into a field of snow-white ^alt.
The border of the lake, like others of the sort in Siberia, is a
fetid black mud, in which are imbedded large crystals of gypsum
three inches long, and of sulphate of soda. "The mud in
many places was thrown up by numbers of some kind of worm.
How surprising is it that any creatures should be able to exist
in brine, and that they should be crawling among crystals ! "
Truly this is an incongruous spectacle ! Yet human society
presents views which are equally incongruent. Men who are
in goodness and intelligence the very " salt of the earth," are
often hemmed in in their narrow grooves of action by that which
is morally putrescent. A ring of loathsome law and customs
has often surrounded and enclosed saints and martyrs. In the
midst of society's basest pollution we often catch a ray of moral
goodness, and discover that, like the crystal glittering in the
black mud, there are some better elements than first appearances
suggested. The presence of worms crawling among pure salt
and beautiful crystals is not more unbecoming than the sight
of rascals wearing coronets, rogues assuming the ermine, and
tyrants wearing crowns. N. v.

Inc] AND SYMBOLS. 163

Incongruous Situations.

Neither animals nor men look well in incongruous situations.
On the ground the sloths are about the most awkward and
pitiable creatures that can well be imagined, for their fore-legs
are much longer than the hind ones ; all the toes are terminated
by very long curved claws ; and the general structure of the
animals is such as entirely to preclude the possibility of their
walking on all fours in the manner of an ordinary quadruped.
In this, which is an unnatural situation, they certainly appear
the most helpless of animals, and their only means of progression
consists in hooking their claws to some inequality in the ground,
and thus dragging their bodies painfully along. But in their
natural home, amongst the branches of trees, all these seeming
disadvantages vanish. It is obvious, therefore, that when the
sloth is not in the trees he is in an incongruous situation. And
what a lesson his absurd position there should be to us not to
make ourselves ridiculous by appearing on scenes where we can
only exhibit our incapacity, and evoke either the pity or laughter
of mankind ! A man with an inapt, unjudicial mind, presiding
on the bench of justice and performing his functions under the
inspiration of a bad heart and an uneven temper, is a spectacle
whose incongruity equals that presented by the most clumsy
sloth that ever ambled out of its element. Monstrously incon-
gruous, too, is that other spectacle, of a man who has a jockey's
tastes and bull-dog's nature, stalking down to the gilded chamber
occupied by the highest wisdom in England, for the purpose of
displaying himself as an hereditary legislator ruling a free
people. Poor awkward sloth ! dragging yourself in unhandy
fashion over the ground along which you were never intended to
travel, you may be a sad illustration of a creature in an incon-
gruous position, but you are not the most laughable one.
These men dispute with you the prize for being the most
ridiculous. N. H.

The Strength of Inconsiderable Creatures.

The strength of some creatures, especially insects, considering
the smallness of their size, is in several instances prodigious.
The strength of the black ants is manifested by the quantity

164 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Ine

and magnitude of the materials which they collect for their
heaps ; but the common little red ant (formica rubea), a much
smaller creature, gives daily proofs of its abilities to remove
heavy substances equal to any that we meet with. One of these
little creatures, thirty-six of which only weigh a single grain,
has been seen to bear away the great black fly as its prize,
equal to a grain in weight, with considerable ease ; and even
the wasp, which exceeds forty times its own weight, will be
dragged away by the labour and perseverance of an individual
emmet. Learn from these facts not to estimate the strength of
things by mere reference to their material magnitude. One
very little man like Pope may possess poetic power to shape a
nation's literature. One hero, not six feet high, may create a
kingdom or overturn it. j.

The Triumph of Industry over Adversity.

Nothing is more absurd than to throw up the hands in wild
despair, or to sit down in sullen despondency, when calamity
overtakes us. The remedy for the evil is work — hard, earnest
work. Let us " go to the ant ; consider her ways, and be wise."
"When," says Mr. Frederick Smith, "the habitations of the
ants are by any means injured or destroyed, no time is lost in
useless despair ; one spirit animates each individual ; simul-
taneously they set to work to repair their misfortune ; unceas-
ingly they labour; nothing damps their ardour or abates their
industry, until, as if by a magic wand, their habitation again
rises to its former height and beauty, and all trace of ruin has
disappeared. MU.

Inexplicable Beauty.

The crimson topaz (Topaza pelld) is a bird of magnificent
beauty, but curiously enough, although it is bedecked with re-
splendent hues, which seem to need the presence of daylight, and
to be made expressly for the purpose of reflecting the brightest
beams of the sun, yet the lovely bird is one of the night wan-
derers, being seldom seen as long as the sun is above the horizon,
and preferring to seek its food while the world is shrouded in
darkness. The sea-mouse, too, whose iridescent garment possesses

Inf] AND SYMBOLS. 165

all the tints of the rainbow, is also a darkness-lover, and passes
its life sunk in the black mud of the sea-shore. Here, there-
fore, we have two instances of inexplicable beauty. " Beauty
which is not explicable is," says a great thinker, " dearer than
a beauty which we can see the end of." Certainly in Nature
we never see the end of it. It is ever coming upon us as a new
surprise. It is an eternal symbol. H.

Inexplicable Services.

The most singular species of all the white ants is that of the
parasol ants of Trinidad in the "West Indies, which walk in
long procession, each carrying a cut leaf over its head, as a
parasol in the sun, and these they deposit in holes ten or
twelve feet under ground, apparently with no other object than
to form a comfortable nest for a species of white snake, which
is invariably found coiled up among them or digging out the
deposit. What regard they can have for this snake, or why
they should render him any service, is quite a mystery : as also
are the acts of men who have bequeathed vast wealth to rich
people whom they have never seen and who never did them
any good. Such proceedings rank amongst the inexplicable
services of the world. I. L.

Earth's Hints of the Infernal.

Beauty, says Akenside, was sent from heaven the loving
mistress of truth and good to this dark world. And beauty
gives us many a splendid picture in every clime and on every
shore, which suggests a glory yet to come, a paradise elsewhere.
But there are in Nature many scenes over which beauty does
not preside — views which are overshadowed by appalling
forms, coloured with awful hues, and portraying the huge, the
poisonous, the hideous, moving in horrible and stupendous
combination around abyssmal depths, or on plains vast and
terrible in their gloomy grandeur. Look where the densely
leaved cypress of the New World grows in company on the
plains of California, Louisiana, and Virginia, forming extensive
forests. There, with the tree of some thousand years — in some

166 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Inf

instances the age has been computed at four thousand — the
grandeur becomes a demoniac power. As yet, says Dr. Herman
Massius, no axe has thinned these aboriginal wildernesses, no
skill drained these moors abounding in terrors, and which have
been denounced under the name of cypress swamps, described
by Sealsfield with such terrible and lively colouring. Gigantic
trunks, more than three hundred feet in height and of unheard-
of strength, crowd close together, entwining their branches, and
spreading even over the brightest day the obscurity of night ;
so that the foot which penetrates hither can only venture its
timid step by the gleam of torches. Blocks of stone and half-
rotten trunks of trees, piled up in wild confusion, rise from out
the bottomless mire. Here alligators, serpents, and the biting
tortoise lie in ambush, the sole lords of this frightful pool,
reeking under the burning heat of an almost tropical sun.
Such is the aspect of things in summer ; whilst in spring the
thick and muddy waters of overflowing rivers pour tumultu-
ously for miles over this ungenial vegetation. With our eye
upon a scene like this, may we not say that, though the world
possesses many emblems of paradise, it also has some which
are, at least, hints of the infernal. ST.

Influence Lost in Form but not in Force.

The Amazon, the Eiver Plata, Orinoco, Mississippi, Zaire,
Senegal, Indus, Ganges, Yangtsee, or Irawaddy, &c. &c., — these,
and such like stupendous rivers, extend their influence to a
considerable distance from the coast, and occasionally perplex
and delay the navigator in open sea, who finds himself struggling
against a difficulty wholly unconscious of the cause. The
River Plata, at a distance of 600 miles from the mouth of the
river, was found to maintain a rate of a mile an hour ; and the
Amazon, at 300 miles from the entrance, was found running
nearly three miles per hour, its original direction being but little
altered and its water nearly fresh. We are reminded by this
of other influences which also lose their form but not their
force. Though the man dies, his influence still lives. He no
longer acts upon the world in the capacity of public speaker,
writer, or statesman, but his influence has gone forth and

Inj] AND SYMBOLS. 167

joined the great ocean of thought. The sect or party changes
its form and loses its individuality, but its influence has gone
forth and is felt in the current of opinion. All the separate
and distinct influences of men and sects become universalised
in the great sea of eternity. MA.

Injured but not Destroyed.

Though your attempt to destroy a man's position may fail
to accomplish that object, it maybe productive of serious injury
to him. Yet, fortunately for him, that very injury may after-
wards bring forth good results. His friends may rally round
him ; his resources may be added to through the medium of the
sympathetic ; or he may be so acted on as to put forth power
from within which develops new graces and fresh vigour.
You injure a tree, and you will discover reparation is at work
even there. The wheel of your cart, for instance, grazes the
trunk, or the root of the tree is wounded by your passing
ploughshare ; the result is an adventitious bud comes. Where-
ever you see those adventitious buds which come without any
order, you may recollect that their formation is frequently thus
produced, by the irritation caused by injury. You cut down
the heads of a group of forest trees \ you have not destroyed
them. Like the men you have injured, they live to tell the
tale. The pollarded dwarf remains to declare what the forest
tree would have become but for you. Even the date of your
attack can be ascertained; for the stunted group will cover
themselves with branches all of the same age and strength,
which will exhibit to the sky the evidence of the story :
Injured these all are ; yes, but not destroyed. v.

The Persecution of the Injured.

It is a strange fact that both animals and men enter heartily
into the persecution of the injured. The motive which induces
animals to attack and even destroy the wounded and disabled of
their own species, arises from an impulse which certainly is not
easily defined ; but it is clear the deed is perpetrated, and that
under feelings of the most intense hatred. "When a wolf or

168 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Inj

hyena is wounded, its companions instantly tear it fto pieces and
devour it ; and among domestic dogs, the persecuted, defenceless
cur, yelping in its flight from the brutality of the idle urchins
in the streets, is chased and worried by every dog within hear-
ing of its distress. There exists an instinctive repugnance to
everything which cannot defend itself. The motive which per-
mits men to attack or neglect those who are disabled is also
impenetrable. But the sad spectacle is sometimes seen ; and the
man who is in search of protection from a horde of persecutors,
goes from one man to another for aid only to be snapped at,
cuffed, brow-beaten, and snubbed. p.

The Recuperative Powers of the Injured.

Like many other beings that occupy a very low position in
the animal kingdom, the star fishes have a very great power of
reproducing lost or damaged members. It is a common thing
to find specimens of this very species with only three rays,
and sometimes a five-finger star-fish (Uraster rubens) is found
with only one ray complete. Now the fisherman, either igno-
rant of their reproductive powers, or failing to draw a just
inference from their knowledge, have a custom of tearing the
star-fish in two, and throwing the pieces back into the sea.
The consequence is, that the two halves become two individuals,
and the fisherman has only doubled the power of his foe in-
stead of destroying it. From these facts persecutors might
learn a very useful lesson. The creatures they wantonly injure
have a recuperative power which is not taken into adequate
consideration. All history will attest this fact. When in-
quisitorial and brutal " fishers for men " have been sent for-
ward by despots, who have desired to break up religious sects
and destroy political parties, it has never been properly under-
stood that the very means for extermination which have been
adopted have been the very ones which would multiply the power
of those whom these scoundrels intended to injure. Tyrants
may exert their utmost force against their humble enemies, and
find, too late, that they have multiplied in consequence of it.
The recuperative power has come into work, and multiplication
has joined it. r.

Inj] AND SYMBOLS. 169

Unconscious Injurers.

The little boring wood-beetle attacks books, and will even
bore through several volumes. An instance is mentioned of
twenty-seven folio volumes being perforated in a straight line
by one and the same insect, in such a manner that by passing
a cord through the perfect round hole made by it the twenty-
seven volumes could be raised at once. It also destroys prints
and drawings, whether framed or kept in a portfolio. These
poor insects have no conception of the value of the things they
may destroy. Any common trash of closely packed paper would
suit them just as well ; but in their ignorance they are destroyers
of that which is of value to the world. They have their imitators
amongst humanity. There are dull men on societies who nibble
away in their petty line of action until the programme of the
entire institution is defaced. There are others in churches and
chapels, who, boasting that they " will go straight," bore their
petty lines of attack even through the most beautiful of spiritual
designs. There are women in households whose narrow spirit
blemishes the entire glory of home. All of these creatures belong
to the class of beings who in asserting their own rights destroy
that which is valuable without even knowing that they are so
doing. L o.

The Propagation of Posthumous Injuries.

The alligator lays her eggs in some secluded place in the sand,
on the banks of a river ; or else in some places, such as the
neighbourhood of Cayenne and Surinam, she buries them under
a kind of mound raised .by the collection of damp leaves and
herbaceous stems. She departs altogether, and then, without any
further assistance from her, the eggs get hatched ; in the first
case by the solar rays, and in the other by fermentation and the
increase of temperature. It does not matter if the parent dies.
The infant alligator is sure to be hatched. In the archives of
solicitor's offices we have found that the mind of man often
propagates its ideas upon a similar general principle. They
look harmless, are wrapped up in inoffensive form, and put out
of sight for a time. But, as in the case of a will, the day conies

170 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Inn

when the little ideas have to see the light, and they soon come
forth panoplied in all the strength of their base progenitor.
They live and work their mischief for generations, and again
propagate themselves as curses to families whom the parent
alligator mind had never seen. Like the reptile, the mind of
man possesses the capacity for propagating posthumous injuries
upon the world. RE.

Innovation without Destruction.

You say you hate innovation, are afraid of it ; it is destruc-
tive. Ask your gardener to explain how he effects an innova-
tion with which you are always pleased but never are afraid
of. He will show you a trunk of a tree cut through horizontally,
with a vertical cleft made in its centre some inches deep. Into
this cleft the branch of a graft with several buds, and cut to
the shape of the cleft, is inserted, which is closely in contact
with the sides of the cleft. The cleft is then covered with
mortar of some kind, and bound firmly together by means of
cord. He will tell you that cleft-grafting is operated success-
fully both on the trunks and roots of your trees. Horticulture
has instructed him how, by this means, to change with advan-
tage the products of trees of the same species, making the head
bear fruit and flowers other than those belonging to the prin-
cipal stem. In fact he restores the vigour and sweetness of
youth to a tree already aged and exhausted. Is not this opera-
tion innovation without destruction ? !Nray more, is it not in-
novation effecting actual improvement 1 Now in society there
are many old institutions like that trunk of a tree of yours and
those stumpy roots. They have flourished out their day, are
now nearly effete. But they have just enough vitality to sup-
ply to a new principle all that that new principle requires in
order to make it grow in men's esteem and bud and blossom
like the rose. You do not want the old institution removed :
you do not merely desire it to cumber the ground in its present
melancholy barrenness to tell the tale of better days. The
perpetuation in inelegance and uselessness of the worn-out forms
of once beautiful growths cannot be a very sacred duty when
it is obvious that by a little proper management, and a judi-

Ins] AND SYMBOLS. 171

cious grafting of new life upon them, they may be made to
flourish with new glory and produce new blessings for a thou-
sand years to come. Learn a lesson from the garden, and let
the sweet odour of your grafted roses and varied flowers and
blossoms waft to your appreciative soul softened and refined
feelings concerning the ugly word " innovation." v.

Inquisitiveness Punished.

How actively inquisitive are some people ; and into what
strange predicaments does this their strong propensity land
them ! They remind us of the crested anolis (Xiphosurus
velifer), a species of the lizard tribe. It is a timid yet restlessly
inquisitive animal ; for although it hides itself with instinctive
caution on hearing -the approach of a footstep, it is of so curious
a nature that it must needs poke its head out of its hiding-
place, and so betray itself in spite of its timidity. So absorbed,
indeed, is the anolis in gratifying its curiosity, that it will allow
itself to be captured in a noose, and often falls a victim to the
rude and inartificial snares made by children. IL.

Insensibility Mistaken for Safety.

The "oyster-catcher" birds, if pursued, hide their heads in
the first hole they come to, as if thinking, like the ostrich, that
if they cannot see you, you cannot see them. HI.

The Mightiness of the Insignificant.

The debris of the infusoriae, which may be called the world-
makers, are discovered in prodigious quantities among the
remains of the primitive creation. The name " inf usorise " has
been given to them because they were first observed in liquids
holding in dissolution or in infusion putrescible matter. The
accumulated spoil of these infinitely small organisms constitute
a notable part of the solid crust of our globe ; and we ourselves
are eye-witnesses of the phenomena of continual reproduction
and destruction by which they made ready, at the epoch of the
ancient geological formations, the habitation of man. According

172 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Ins

to Ehrenberg, a cubic inch of the Tripoli sand, which is still in
course of formation in the environs of Bilin, in Bohemia,
contains eleven millions of the shells of the infusorias which
produce this friable substance. The same naturalist states that
so great is their power of reproduction, one million of these
animalcules are born in ten days of a solitary individual.
Bearing these facts in mind, it is not difficult to understand
what immense masses of matter must have been deposited by
the innumerable generations which have succeeded one another
during the long periods of the primitive epochs, and which
have covered with accumulated strata, mingled with sedimentary
earths, the rocks of igneous origin that formed the first crust of
the earth. The fossil debris of such shells as ammonites, nautili,
and mummulites, are also found in vast masses, which suffi-
ciently indicate the infinite multiplication of life in the dense
warm waters of the primeval seas. The illustrious geologist,
Dr. Buckland, affirms that the mummulites form a considerable
portion of the entire mass of several mountains ; as, for instance,
the tertiary calcareous deposits of Verona and Monte Bolca, and
the secondary stratified earths in the cretaceous formations of
the Alps, the Carpathians, and the Pyrenees. The famous
colossal Sphinx, and the hugest of the Egyptian pyramids —
that which is generally distinguished by the name of Cheops —
are constructed of a limestone wholly composed of these forami-
nifera, which are everywhere widely distributed, and which, by
their countless legions, seem to have sought a compensation for
their extreme diminutiveness. "The sand of the sea-shore,"
says Dr. Chenu, "is so filled with foraminifera that one may
justly say it is half composed of them. In an ounce of sand in
the West Indies were nearly four millions of individuals. The
banks formed by these beings impede navigation and render it
dangerous, obstruct the gulfs, fill up the harbours, and in con-
junction with the madrepores construct those islands which
from time to time emerge in the warm regions of the great
ocean ; and this role, actually played out to-day by living
species, was formerly filled by those which are now found only
in a fossil condition. At the epoch of the coal-measures (or
carboniferous formation), a single species of Fusulina built up
in Russia enormous beds of limestone. The cretaceous deposits

Ins] AND SYMBOLS. i?3

reveal an immense quanity in the white chalk that extends
from Champagne into England. Finally, in the tertiary forma-
tions of numerous localities, and especially in the environs of
Paris, the limestone-grit encloses an infinite number ; and it has
been calculated that a cupid yard of this stone, excavated from
the quarries of Gentilly, contained more than three millions of
individuals. Paris, as well as many neighbouring towns and
villages, is almost wholly built with these foraminifera. Thus,
then, animals hardly perceptible to the unassisted eye change
to-day the depth of the waters, and have, at various geological
epochs, filled basins of a considerable area. This fact shows us
that each animal has its allotted task, and that with time — time
of which Nature takes no count — the animals which appear to
us so contemptible on accouut of their smallness might change
the aspect of the globe." MY.

Instinct.

The operations of instinct are unvarying. The ant and the
hen act now as they acted in the days of King Solomon, and
are incapable of altering their course of action. " What can
we call the principle," asks Addison, " which directs every kind
of bird to observe a particular plan in the structure of its nest,
and directs all the same species to work after the same model 1
It cannot be imitation ; for though you hatch a crow under a
hen, and never let it see any of the works of its own kind, the
nest it makes shall be the same to the laying of a stick with
all the other nests of the same species. It cannot be reason ; for
were animals endowed with it to as great a degree as man, then
buildings would be as different as ours according to the different
conveniences that they would propose to themselves." The
young crocodile or alligator, on issuing from the egg, is drawn
towards the nearest water. It will even proceed in a direct
line for the stream, just as if it had been there many times
before, and was perfectly acquainted with the ground. So it is
with the young of turtles. The turtle, though a marine animal,
goes on shore to lay her eggs and make a nest for them in the
sand. Yet no sooner do the little turtles come forth from their
shells, and peep over the surface of the sand, than they

174 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Ins

commence a direct line of march towards the sea, making no
stop till they reach the water's edge ; and it is observed, says
Humboldt, that though they may have burst the shell of the egg
during the day, they are never known to come forth from the
nest but at night ; so that they are not assisted by daylight to
find their way to the deep. Experiments have been made on
the young, says the same writer, by putting them into a bag,
carrying them to some distance from the shore, and then letting
them out with the tail turned towards the water, but it is
always found that they turn about, and take without hesitation
the shortest way to the beach, apparently discriminating on
which side the air is most humid. R.

Instinct and Somnambulism.

Working bees, says Cuvier, have since the beginning of
the world constructed the most ingenious edifices, agreeable to
principles of the highest geometry, and destined to lodge and
nourish a posterity which is not even their own. Solitary bees
and wasps also form very complicated nests for their eggs.
From the egg there springs a worm, which has never seen its
mother, which does not know the structure of the prison in
which it is enclosed ; but when once it is changed into a wasp
or bee it constructs a similar nest, equally perfect, for its own
egg. We cannot form a clear idea of instinct but by
admitting that the animals endowed with it have, in the
sensorium, continued innate sensations and images, which
determine them to act like sensations received through the
organs of sense. Instinct is a kind of dream or vision that
perpetually haunts them and prompts them to action ; and in
everything that respects their instinctive notions we may
regard animals as a kind of somnambulists. 8.

The Prognosticating1 Instinct.

Great are the advantages which are possessed by that man
who is blessed with the prognosticating instinct ; for thereby he
is enabled to observe the signs of the times, prepare prudently
for the things which are looming in the future, and to be

Ins] AND SYMBOLS. 175

ready to perform his part discreetly, when the man who is not
similarly endowed is in all the tumult of surprise and confusion.
But this instinct is not confined to man ; it has a far wider
range. And the individual who has not yet seen the
advantages of being ready in season and out of season will do
well to investigate this matter. He will be surprised at the
state of constant preparedness in which even creatures far
inferior to himself are to be found. The Actiniae throw out their
feelers and expand themselves when a continuance of fino
weather is to be expected, but withdraw and contract themselves,
even in a room, when a change is impending. The mussels,
before the approach of a storm, spin several new threads to
secure their hold on the rocks ; and leeches rise to the surface
of the water before rain. Spiders enlarge their webs during
fine weather, but spin only short threads, work seldom, or hide
themselves in corners during rain. Many beetles, by their
active flight and humming sounds, give tokens of the morrow's
brightness. Before rain, bees remain either in their hives or
in the neighbourhood of them ; and ants convey deep into the
hills the pupae which they expose to the sun in fine weather.
If the atmosphere be lowering in the morning, pigeons feed
rapidly, and return to their cots, and the hare hides itself ; but
the mole comes to the surface of the ground, and the squirrel
seeks its nest and shuts its entrance. D.

Instinct Unsubmissive to Argument.

You may make your position logically perfect, and your
hearer may admit it to be so ; but it does not follow that either
of your minds is so influenced thereby that your feeling in
regard to the subject-matter will be changed. Take the case of
our aversion to reptiles. Strange, grotesque, and oftentimes
most repulsive in appearance, though sometimes adorned with
the brightest tints, the reptiles excite an instinctive repugnance
in the human breast ; and whether it be a lizard, a snake, or a
tortoise, contact of one of these beings will cause even the most
habituated to recoil from its cold touch. Now you may argue
that many of these reptiles are quite harmless, and some of them
handsome, and that, therefore, our repugnance cannot be enter-

i;6 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Ins

tained. But the fact remains, that when all argument has
ceased there is an universal disgust and even horror cherished
by men in regard to reptiles. Their intinctive dislike is un-
conquered by reasoning. IL.

Errors of Instinct.

With respect to instinct, it is important to observe that
animals not unfrequently make very curious mistakes. For
instance, flies have the instinct of depositing their ova in places
where they shall have plenty of food when they arrive at the
maggot state, and hence they generally deposit them on flesh,
particularly if it happens to be somewhat tainted. Now there
are certain species of flowers (as, for example, the Rafflesia
Arnoldi, which is a native of Sumatra, and grows to an enormous
size) which have a smell of carrion ; on these the flies, deceived
by their instinct, deposit their eggs, which, when they become
maggots, perish from want of food. The same thing occurs in
the case of the Musca vomitoria with respect to various species
of Phalli and Agaraci, which possess much of the odour of dead
flesh leading to similar mistakes. s.

The Errors of the Maternal Instinct.

Ducks' eggs are often put under a hen to be hatched. "When
seeking her food, the hen sometimes leads her little flock to the
edge of the water, and gives them a glimpse of its dangers.
But the ducklings, impelled by instinct, rush into the element
they are most partial to. The poor mother, anxious for the fate
of the young giddy-pates, which she loves as her own offspring,
utters cries of terror. She would resolutely throw herself into
the stream and perhaps get drowned were she not soothed by
seeing them swimming about happy and active. In the present
age when domestic chivalry often runs mad, we are accustomed
to hear the maternal instinct represented as divinely right.
Here is an instance which points in a contrary direction. The
hen hatches eggs in mistake which do not belong to her own
order ; and when her ducks desire to act as ducks ought to act,
she would fain prevent them. Her foolish solicitude is in fact

Ins] AND SYMBOLS. 177

eager to denaturalise them. She is a good illustration of the
simpering mothers who preside over the destinies of some men's
children. The chief energies of such women are directed to
check the enterprise of the little ones, to conventionalise them,
and to render them chicken-hearted. RE.

The Maternal Instinct at Fault.

The maternal instinct does not always bring forth the fruits
of love, and practise the deeds of self-sacrifice and tender care.
In its perverted form it abandons the helpless one who looks to
it for protection. The instances of such perversion are not rare.
Father Kipa, writing about this subject in China, says that in
that vast empire there is nothing unusual in the spectacle of
children abandoned by their mothers. Indeed it occurs daily.
When mothers are poor and have large families, or observe any
defect upon the body of an infant, or any indication of an illness
likely to become troublesome or expensive, they cast away the
little creature without remorse. This cruel custom is also prac-
tised by unmarried women who have children, and especially
even by the members of a sect called ISTecoo, who pretend to live
in spotless chastity. The poor infants are secretly thrown into
a river, or left near the public road, even though it is well
known that in most cases they will be devoured by wild
beasts. ME.

Opposing Instincts.

Two instincts having different objects sometimes become
opposed to each other, and under these circumstances the
stronger always prevails. This is not uncommon among
swallows, which have been frequently observed to build their
nests at a late period of the season, and near the time when
they make their usual migrations from this country. Here the
young ones are hatched too late, and the instinct to migrate
being stronger than that which prompts them to cherish their
young, the latter are forsaken, and perish for want of food.

s.

M

i;3 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Ins

Social Instincts in Unexpected Forms.

Social instincts, and even noble traits, are not confined to
mankind. We find them in strange places and in unexpected
forms. Look at the walruses, for instance ; the social instincts
with them are most powerful, and they fight for one another
with a courage and an obstinacy that their strength and for-
midable weapons render frequently fatal to the hunters.
Frequently the walruses lie in great numbers along the banks
of the ice, motionless, and piled pell-mell one upon another.
But one of them, during their repose, enacts the part of sentinel.
At the slightest appearance of danger it precipitates itself into
the water. All the others immediately attempt to follow ; but
in this critical moment the slowness of their movements some-
times produces the grotesquest scenes. In the confused state
in which they have been lying, it is with difficulty they disen-
gage themselves from the masses of heavy flesh which enclose
them on every side. Some roll awkwardly into the water;
others crawl painfully along the ice. The weight of their
body and the enormous disproportion of their limbs render all
movements upon the ice extremely difficult for them. But as
soon as these ungainly animals are in the water, they resume
all their vigour, and, if attacked, defend themselves with
astonishing courage. At times they themselves begin the fight ;
they dart upon the fishermen's boats, seizing the gunwales with
their long hook-like teeth, and draw them furiously towards
them. At times they glide under the skiff, and endeavour to
capsize it. Their hardy, scaly skin resists the blows of pike
and spear, and it is neither without difficulty nor danger that
the poor fishermen escape from such formidable adversaries.
In these desperate combats the walruses are generally led by a
chief, who is easily recognised by his great size and impetuous
ardour. If the fishermen succeed in killing him, at that instant
all his comrades abandon the struggle, gather around him, sup-
port him, by means of their teeth, on the surface of the water,
and drag him in all haste far from the attacking boats, and out
of peril. But the most impressive and dramatic scene is when
the walruses fight to secure their young. Generally they at-
tempt to deposit them on a bank of ice, in order that they may

Ins] AND SYMBOLS. 179

light more freely. If they have not sufficient time to place
them in safety, they take them under their paws, clasp them
to their breast, and throw themselves with desperate audacity
against the fishermen and against their boats. The young
walruses exhibit a similar devotion and a similar intrepidity
when their parents are in peril. They have been known, when
placed apart in security, boldly to quit the asylum chosen for
them by anxious affection, and take their share in the struggle
in which the mother was engaged, to sustain her efforts and
participate in her dangers. It is not uncommon for us to boast
that the family solicitude and regard for each other's interests
which we frequently see in English homesteads is the result of
our civilisation. No doubt civilisation refines and elevates
whatever it touches, but it is certainly entitled to very little
credit in this matter. The care which the individuals of certain
species take of one another is a simple instinct of their nature,
for which they are no more entitled to credit than they are for
eating when they are hungry or sleeping when they are sleepy.
A parent walrus cannot be supposed to think of merit when
she protects her young, any more than the young walrus thinks
of merit when defending its parents. But how often, when
services are performed by human parents for their children, or
by children for their parents, it is considered on all sides that
something quite meritorious has been accomplished. Let us
rather say, on such occasions, that instinct has asserted her
beautiful and simple sway. Nor would it be out of place to
remind those parents and children who refuse to render to each
other the services which Nature has imposed upon them, that
the walrus has a lesson for them. Let them in utter abasement
turn from their worldly moralities, logical quibbles, and human
selfishness, and gaze towards the northern seas on those heroic
tragedies of the parents and children of a species stirred and
directed by the impulses of Nature only. MY.

The Insusceptible Character.

Amid the tribes of insects, so particularly influenced by
seasons, there are a few which appear little affected by common
events. The brown meadow butterfly (papilio janira), so well

I So SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Int

known to every one, is never missed in any year ; and in those
damp and cheerless summers, when even the white cabbage
butterfly is scarcely to be found, this creature may be seen in
every transient gleam, drying its wings and tripping from flower
to flower with animation and life, nearly the sole possessor of
the field and its sweets. It is a happy emblem of the insus-
ceptible man, who, whatever may be the sorrows. and agitations
of the period, is never dejected or depressed. Although the
gloom of death and wretchedness may be all around him, and
many of his fellow-creatures may be unable to face the pitiless
circumstances of the day, he is jaunty and jolly, vivacious and
able to enjoy his usual delights and avocations. Nature fortu-
nately gave him the brown butterfly temperament. J.

The Principle of Interchange.

Nature is against exclusiveness. It is part of her plan that
there shall be everywhere mutual giving and taking. You may
observe this even in the tides. The tidal currents are per-
petually shifting and redistributing the deposits along th,e sea-
bottom ; the Gulf Stream is as regularly transporting tropical
products to temperate regions; and the polar currents carry
with them icebergs and ice-floes laden with rocks and gravel,
which are dropped on the sea bottom as the ice melts away in
warmer latitudes. Eeciprocity is everywhere. AD.

Interdicted Political Convictions.

M. Fournet, in his description of the metalliferous gneiss near
Clermont, in Auvergne, states that all the minute fissures of
the rock are quite saturated with free carbonic acid gas, which
gas rises plentifully from the soil there and in many parts of
the surrounding country. The various elements of the gneiss,
with the exception of the quartz, are all softened, and new
combinations of the acid with lime, iron, and . manganese are
continually in progress. Another illustration of the power of
subterranean gases is afforded by the Stufas of St. Calogero,
situated in the largest of the Lipari islands. Here, according
to the description published by Hoffmann, horizontal strata of

Int] AND SYMBOLS. 181

tuff, extending for four miles along the coast, and forming
cliffs more than 200 feet high, have been discoloured in various
places, and strangely altered by the " all-penetrating vapours."
Dark clays have become yellow or often snow white, or have
assumed a chequered or brecciated appearance, being crossed
with ferruginous red stripes. In some places the fumeroles
have been found by analysis to consist partly of sublimations
of oxide of iron ; but it also appears that veins of chalcedony and
opal, and others of fibrous gypsum, have resulted from these
volcanic exhalations. M. Virlet gives an account of the
corrosion of hard, flinty, and jaspideous rocks near Corinth by
the prolonged agency of subterranean gases, and Dr. Daubeny
describes the decomposition of trachytic rocks in the Solfatara
near Naples, by sulphuretted hydrogen and muriatic acid gases.
Although in all these instances we can only study the
phenomena as exhibited at the surface, it is clear that the
gaseous fluids must have made their way through the whole
thickness of porous or fissured rocks which intervene between
the subterranean reservoirs of gas and the external air. The
extent, therefore, of the earth's crust which the vapours have
permeated and are now permeating may be thousands of
fathoms in thickness, and their heating and modifying influence
may be spread throughout the whole of this solid mass. "We
learn from Professor Bischoff that the steam of a hot spring at
Aix-la-Chapelle, although its temperature is only from 133° to
167° F., has converted the surface of some blocks of black
marble into a doughy mass. He conceives, therefore, that
steam in the bowels of the earth, having a temperature equal to
or even greater than the melting point of lava, and having an
elasticity of which even Papin's digester can give but a faint
idea, may convert rocks into liquid matter. These wonderful
facts might suggest useful thoughts to the despots of the world.
Despotism interdicts the expression of political convictions, and
seeks to bury them under the adamantean weight of oppressive
decrees and colossal cruelty. But it is an unerring moral law
that the warm aspirations of a virtuous people shall — like the
subtle subterranean gases — arise to freedom, and despite all
impediments, dissolve in due time even the hard and hoary
foundations of injustice. B.

182 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Inv

The Callousness of Thievish Invaders.

The death's-head moth (Acherontia atropos) is a thievish in-
vader. It makes its way into bee-hives in order to steal the
honey, of which it is excessively fond. Like other thievish
invaders, it is utterly callous. It is to no purpose that the bees
dart their stings at the intruder ; they only blunt them against
its thick skin, and soon, terrified at its presence, disperse on
all sides. We are too apt to applaud military invaders when
they are successful in enriching themselves. We award them,
glory for their brave incursions into other people's territory.
Possibly in many cases it will be discovered that the defensive
army was, like the bees, unequal to a vigorous resistance ; and
that what was called the bravery of the invaders was nothing
more than the exhibition of that natural callousness with which,
like the death's-head moth, many thievish invaders are endowed.
Nature has made creatures which do not feel even a just sting.
The death's-head moth is impervious to the righteous punish-
ment of the bee. Thievish invaders are inaccessible to the
stings of conscience. „ i.

Nothing1 Invariable.

There is no body or part of a body whose existence can be
termed invariable. Wherever in the material world anything
seems to be unchanged, whether it is in reference to its situation
or its internal condition, this inaction is only apparent, as the
hour-hands of a clock appear to be stationary when we take a
cursory glance at them. This is, however, but a feeble simile
when we speak of changes which are hardly perceptible in the
course of many thousand years. so.

The Invisible may yet be Legible.

When, a generation since, the remnant of English troops left
after the then disasters at Cabul were shut up in a fort, sur-
rounded and vigilantly watched by their enemies, they managed
nevertheless to send brief letters to their nearest friends. These
letters to appearance were only blank pieces of paper. But they
uere covered with words traced with rice-water instead of ink,

Irr] AND SYMBOLS. 183

every word becoming visible and bright blue when the paper
was washed over with iodine ! This wonderful substance,
iodine, has the property of rendering starch blue or violet
colour ; and as rice contains a considerable quantity of starch,
an invisible ink prepared from it assumes that hue when
touched with iodine, though previously quite colourless. TH.

The Perils of Irascibility.

Some men are so irascible that they will quarrel at the slightest
thing. They are like the larvae of the Megacephalce (a group
allied to the tiger-beetles), which are described as being so rapa-
cious and irritable that they seize at anything that disturbs them.
In this way they are easily taken by inserting a straw in their
burrows, which they instantly seize with their mandibles and
pertinaciously retain. In this, their easy capture, they remind
us of the ready way in which the irascible men, already referred
to, are ensnared by those who, knowing their propensities, are
able, by the necessary provocation, to obtain facile conquests
over them. Such are the perils of irascibility. MU.

Shocks of Irritable Temper.

Electrical fish are those fish which have the remarkable pro-
perty of giving, when touched, shocks like those of the Leyden
jar. Of these fish there are several species, the best known of
which are the torpedo, the gymnotus, and the silurus. The tor-
pedo, which is very common in the Mediterranean, has been
carefully studied by MM. Becquerel and Breschet, in France,
and by M. Matteucci, in Italy. The gymnotus has been inves-
tigated by Humboldt and Bonpland in South America, and in
England by Faraday, who had the opportunity of examining
live specimens. The shock that they give serves both as a
means of offence and of defence. It is purely voluntary, and
becomes gradually weakened as it is repeated and as these
animals lose their vitality, for the electrical action soon exhausts
them materially. Amongst the " odd fish " of human society
are the constitutionally irritable ones. There are several varieties
of them, but they all resemble each other in that they are perpetu-

184 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Joi

ally giving off shocks of irritable temper, not only as a means
of defence, but, and very especially, as a means of offence. The
force of the shock gets weakened, because those who have to
bear them get used to the sensation. Shocks of temper which
are terrible at first become trivial by repetition. But the irri-
table human being, especially if a female, is unlike the electric
fish in regard to the exhaustion following the shocks. Whilst
the fish certainly suffers in that way, it is obvious that the
human specimen does not. The fish lose their vitality by giving
off shocks, but irritable human beings become exhilarated and
happy when they can exercise their functions in that direction.

EL.

The Follies of Jealousy.

The stag of the red-deer (Cervus elaplius) in the early part of
September becomes exceedingly jealous. If a rival happens to
approach his seraglio a combat ct outrance immediately takes
place. The two adversaries rush impetuously one against the
other ; on their feet and knees they fight ; long and obstinate
are such battles ; wounds are given and received, and blows are
parried with consummate skill. Sometimes their antlers get
entangled to that extent that they are unable to separate.
Fastened together, the two heroes strive in vain to disentangle
themselves, and some of these hostile couples thus closely riveted
together ultimately perish of famine. Such are the follies of
jealousy amongst stags. Amongst men they are far more gro-
tesque, as may be seen by a reference to coroners' inquests, law
reports, or often by even a glance at an ordinary newspaper.

M.

A Joint Stock Company.

The idea of a joint stock company was probably first bor-
rowed from the fox. The ways by which rogues associate them-
selves together to plunder honest folk, the strongest keeping in
the background, and the weakest being put forward, very much
remind one of the account given by Dr. Henderson, in his
" Journal of a Kesidence in Iceland," of the manner in which
the Arctic foxes, which abound in the vicinity of the North
Cape, hunt various species of wild fowl. " They proceed," he

Jud] AND SYMBOLS. 185

says, " on their predatory expeditions in company, and previous
to the commencement of their operations they hold a kind of
mock-fight upon the rocks in order to determine their relative
strength. When this has been fairly ascertained they advance
to the brink of the precipice, and taking each other by the tail,
the weakest descends first, while the strongest, forming the last
in the row, suspends the whole number till the foremost has
reached their prey." Then they determine upon a " voluntary
winding up." A signal is now given, on which the uppermost
fox pulls with all his might, and the rest assist him as well as
they can with their feet against the rocks. In this way they
make off and proceed from rock to rock, until they have pro-
vided themselves with a sufficient supply, like a number of
cunning promoters of companies pouncing down upon the
public from the altitudes of magnificent schemes and vast pro-
fessions. E.

Comparison and Judgment.

The estimation of distance and of size of objects depends on
numerous circumstances ; these are, the visual angle, the optic
angle, the comparison with objects whose size is familiar to us,
the diminution of the precision of the image by the interposi-
tion of a more or less vaporous medium. When the size of an
object is known, as the figure of a man, the height of a tree, or
of a house, the distance is estimated by the aperture of the
visual angle under which it is seen. If its size is unknown, it
is judged relatively to that of objects which surround it. A
colonnade, an avenue of trees, the gas-lights on the sides of a
road, appear to diminish in size in proportion as their distance
increases, because the visual angle increases ; but the habit of
seeing the columns, trees, &c., in their proper height leads our
judgment to rectify the impression produced by vision. Simi-
larly, although very distant mountains are seen under a very
small angle, and occupy but a small space in the field of view,
our familiarity with the effects of aerial perspective enables us
to form a correct idea of their real magnitude. The optic angle
is also an essential element in appreciating distance. This
angle increasing or diminishing according as objects approach
or recede, we move our eyes so as to make their optic axes

1 86 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Kin

converge towards the object which we are looking at, and thus
obtain an idea of its distance. Nevertheless it is only by long
custom that we can establish a relation between our distance
from the objects and the corresponding motions of the eyes.
It is a curious fact that persons born blind, and whose sight has
been restored by the operation for cataract, imagine at first that
all objects are at the same distance. EL.

Kindness Natural and Remunerative.

Kind Heaven has created the universe on the principle of
kindness. Accordingly nothing which violates its law can in
the end be advantageous, whilst conformity to the law is ever
attended with every possible advantage. Take an illustration
from the horticulturist. We well know that buds are placed
upon the stem of the tree at regulated intervals, where they
develop themselves in the form of branches, and extend the
tree, nourishment being carried through them to every leaf and
fibre. It is also one of their peculiarities that without injury
to these organs, they may be separated from the parent plant
and placed upon another, which, so to speak, says Louis Figuier,
becomes its nurse. Horticulturists profit by these circumstances
to produce some of their finest flowers and fruits. This process,
known to gardeners as budding or grafting, is practised in many
different ways, but in all the principle is the same. The bud,
without any of the wood, is carefully removed from the parent
tree, and applied to a corresponding cut in the nursing one,
covering the wound so as to keep out the air. The bud con-
tinues to grow on its new nurse, and in course of time it forms
a branch or head of a tree producing the same flowers and fruit
for which the parent may have been celebrated. The principle
is applied most successfully in horticulture where some delicate
species of fruit or flowers is produced on a stem destitute of the
vigour necessary to nourish and bring it to maturity. Now
this nursing of a life which needs such assistance for its proper
development is only an emblem of what kindness is always
doing in higher spheres. The kindness of the individual is
constantly seen nurturing and promoting the growth of those
of the human family whose future would be a blank without

Kin] AND SYMBOLS. 187

such aid. Human kindness in institutions is conspicuous for
the mode in which it selects and trains those little ones who
need a careful hand to form them for a higher life. And
although of course there must be ingratitude in an imperfect
world, do not the individual and the institution in numberless
cases find that kindness has borne beautiful blossom? How
many an uninteresting old life has become rejuvenescent through
the adoption of the young life ; has rejoiced in its productions,
and been glorified by its purity ! v.

The Transforming Power of Kindness.

There is nothing in the nature of the wildest animals to make
their future gentleness and sociability either impossible or im-
probable. Even the devourers and their prey may by kind and
judicious management be trained to live peaceably and harm-
lessly together. Nothing appears more effectual to produce this
pleasing melioration than patient and persevering, kind and
gentle treatment. They are now wild and savage from the
appointed circumstances amid which they are at present ordained
to live. The jackal, when taken young, acquires the same
affectionate disposition as the dog. The lion has been repeatedly
tamed, and so has the fox. Eubens had a tame lion four weeks
in his room to paint from. The large tiger-cat is easily tamed.
The otter may be taught to catch fish for its master. The
Egyptian ichneumon may be softened so as to be kept in a house
like a cat. The weasel may be trained to follow a person any-
where. We see the bear repeatedly in our streets. The badger
may be also made docile if caught young. The rhinoceros and
hippopotamus may be tamed in some degree. The tiger, if taken
young, may be domesticated. Cuvier describes a young wolf
that was brought up like a young dog, and differed in nothing
from the tamest dog. Father Carli, in his history of Angola,
mentions that he had taught monkeys to attend him, to guard
him whilst sleeping against thieves and rats, and to fetch water.
The little " arab " of the London streets may by taming become
a learned man. p.

i88 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Kno

The Knowing Look.

The placid, half -indifferent, yet keen look which is so observ-
able in some " knowing " men reminds one of the chameleon's
look. These men seem able to stare all ways at one time, to see
nothing, and yet to observe everything. From the peculiar
arrangement of the nerves and muscles, each of the eyes of the
chameleon can move independent of the other. They can move
in different directions, one upwards, the other downwards, the
one forwards, the other backwards, and in all sorts of ways,
without the head undergoing any change of position. " You
cannot tell," says Mr. Gosse, " whether the creature is looking
at you or not ; he seems to be taking a general view of things ;
looking at nothing particular, or rather, to save time, looking at
several things at once. Perhaps both eyes are gazing upwards
at your face. A leaf quivers behind his head, and in a moment
one eye turns round towards the object, while the other retains
its upward gaze ; presently a fly appears, one eye rapidly and
interestedly follows all its movements, while the other leisurely
glances hither and thither, or remains steady. The creature
verily has the " knowing " look. MU.

Knowledge as a Saving Power.

Hurricanes, revolving storms, or " cyclones," differ from mere
local and temporary exaggerations of the regular atmospheric
currents in this, that they are in the nature of vortices or cir-
culating movements participated in by masses of air of from
fifty to five hundred miles in diameter, revolving the more
rapidly the nearer the centre, up to a certain distance or radius
within which there is a calm. The place of this centre of rota-
tion meanwhile advances steadily along a definite line upon the
globe, with a velocity varying from two to thirty or forty miles
per hour, and pursuing a track which in some of the hurricane
regions, as in the West Indies, has a singular fixity of geographi-
cal situation and geometrical form. But the character which it
is of most importance to a seaman to know, and the knowledge
of which may often save his ship from disaster, as ignorance of
it has repeatedly been the cause of catastrophes which might

Lat] AND SYMBOLS. 189

have been avoided, is this, viz., that in the same hemisphere
great cyclones always revolve the same way (so far at least as our
present information extends), but that this direction is opposite
in opposite hemispheres. In the northern hemisphere their
rotation is retrograde, i.e., contrary to the motion of the hands of
a watch laid face upwards, or in conformity with the motion of
the hand in unscrewing a screw. In the southern their rotation
is direct, conformable to the hands of a watch or to the motion
of a hand screwing in a screw into a horizontal board. And
this general fact affords the following simple rule by which to
know at any given moment the bearing of the centre of the .vortex,
which is the point of extreme danger, by reason of the fury of
the wind in its vicinity, its sudden reversal, and the terrible sea
which prevails there. When sure that you are within the limits
of a cyclone, stand erect, and look full in the wind's eye, then,
if in the northern hemisphere, turn yourself 90° or one quarter
of the circle round to your right (if in the southern, as much to
your left), and you will have the centre of the current facing
you. Thus if in the northern hemisphere the wind at the ship
be due north (blow from the north), the centre bears due east
from the ship's place. MA.

Latent Germs.

Germs of life may remain dormant for incalculable periods
where least expected. Certain soils, by exposure to the sun's
rays, or by aid of peculiar manures, will produce plants when
no pre-existent root or germ could rationally be supposed to
exist ; and peculiar and long-intervening seasons will give birth
to insects from causes not to be divined. In like manner germs
of thought hidden in old phrases, old institutions, old books, or
forgotten biographies, spring into vigorous activity, to the
astonishment of mankind, when the conditions of human affairs
happen to be propitious for their development. The germinal
principle of a revolution may slumber for many a century in an
unsuspected proposition, j.

igo SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Law

The "Ordinary Law" and the "Whole Law"
Distinguished.

Many mistakes and many debates arise because men do not
distinguish the difference between that which is an ordinary
law and that which is the whole law. Let us illustrate this
by the following example : Every one knows that " fire burns,"
and if we touch what is red-hot, it will most painfully blister
the skin, arid that if the contact be prolonged only for a few
seconds, the flesh will be destroyed with inexpressible torment.
This is the ordinary law of Nature, and what we naturally con-
ceive to be the whole of the law of Nature regarding the action
of fire and of red-hot substances. But if a quantity of lead be
melted, and made so hot that it seems incapable of any further
increase of temperature, the hand may be dipped into it without
sustaining the slightest injury, without being in the slightest
degree burned. This is well known to chemists ; and men with
nerve enough to make the plunge have many times proved it to
their startled friends and pupils. LI.

The Pitfalls of the Law.

The insect known as the ant-lion, in its larval condition, is
truly a wonderful being. A ruthless destroyer of insects, it
chooses some sandy spot where the soil is as far as possible free
from stones, and begins to form the celebrated pitfalls by which
it is enabled to entrap ants and other insects. Crawling back-
wards in a circular direction, it traces a shallow trench, the
circle varying from one to three inches in diameter. It then
makes another round, starting just within the first circle, and
so it proceeds, continually scooping up the sand with its head
and jerking it outside the limits of its trench. By continuing
this process, and always tracing smaller and smaller circles, the
grub at last completes a conical pit, and then buries itself in
the sand, holding the mandibles widely extended. Should an
insect, an ant, for example, happen to pass near the pitfall, it
will be sure to go and look into the cavity. No sooner has the
ant approached the margin of the pitfall than the treacherous
soil gives way, the poor insect goes tumbling and rolling down

Lea] AND SYMBOLS. 191

the yielding sides of the pit, and falls into the extended jaws
that are waiting for it at the bottom. A smart bite kills the
ant, the juices are extracted, and the empty carcase is jerked
out of the pit, and the ant-lion settles itself in readiness for
another victim. This pit adumbrates English law, the ant-lion
the lawyer, and the victim the litigant. The innocent litigant,
in want of his rights, looks inquiringly at the attractive pitfalls
of the law to see if there is anything therein to his advantage.
Very suddenly he finds himself involved in most mysterious
processes. With great velocity he next discovers that he has
lost his balance and is reduced to a most helpless condition.
Soon afterwards, on missing his happy face from society, his
friends make the melancholy discovery that, in accordance with
the object of the legal pitfalls, he has been pounced upon by the
expectant lawyer, sucked dry, and ejected into the abyss of
bankruptcy. H.

Capacity the Title to Leadership.

Capacity, not adventitious distinction, is the title to leader-
ship. The institution of "ruling families," and privileged
classes, which obtains amongst men, is despised even by horses,
who will have none but those who give evidence of capacity to
rule over them. The wild horses in the Ukraine, and among
the Cossacks, going in troops of four or five hundred, obey,
apparently by compact, the command of one of their own
number. He by signs of voice makes them proceed or stop at
his pleasure. When the troop is attacked by wolves or other-
wise, he gives orders for the necessary arrangements for defence ;
if he finds any horses out of their place or lagging behind, he
obliges them to take their proper station. These animals,
Smellie tells us, of their own natural impulse march in as
good order and steadiness as our trained cavalry; they form
companies, and pasture in files and brigades, without confusion
or separation. The chief holds office for four or five years ;
when he grows weaker and less active, another horse, conscious
of strength and ambitious of command, springs forth from the
troop and attacks the old chief, who probably resists, and if
not vanquished keeps his command, but if conquered retires

192 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Lif

with evident shame and dejection into the common herd. The
conqueror is then recognised as sovereign and oheyed. When
will men learn to profit by this example of the horse ? B.

An Unconquerable Love of Liberty.

" It is remarkable," says Boitard, " that the elephant is not,
and never has been, a domestic animal, but a captive who only
obeys through terror. However tame he may be, he never
fails to escape into the woods to resume his savage life if an
opportunity occurs. The need, therefore, arises that on a long
march he shall have his driver, or mahoud, on his back to
guide him, threaten him, and prevent him from taking to flight.
His love of liberty is as great as that of the wildest animals,
and in the female elephants it even overpowers maternal love ;
therefore, when suckling their young they are never released
from their chains, for experience has proved that they will
abandon them without regret if circumstances should enable
them to effect their escape. D.

One Essential Condition of Life.

No place is incapable of supporting vegetable life of some
kind ; and although there are districts where grass and trees
are never seen, and perpetual desolation gives the idea of their
being worn out and effete, as happens in the great deserts in
the interior of Northern Africa, even there it is not so much
an absolute incapacity to sustain life as the want of springs of
water that causes the absence of it. In those sweet spots which
have become a metaphor for all happy and blessed breaks in the
history of trouble and sorrow — the " oases " of the desert, water
is present, and vegetation is triumphant. Such an "oasis" was
Elim, where " there were twelve wells of water, and threescore
and ten palm trees." LL

The Ubiquity of Life.

Wisely have the fungi been provided, in the rapidity of their
growth, the simplicity of their structure, the variety of their

Lif] AND SYMBOLS. 193

forms and in their amazing numbers, for their appointed task
in the economy of Nature. Not a leaf that falls from the
bough, not a blade that withers on the lea, but is seized by the
tiny fangs of some special fungus organised to prey upon it ;
not a spot of earth can we examine where vegetable life is
capable of growing, but we shall find a vegetable as well as an
insect parasite, keeping its growth in check, hastening its decay,
and preserving its remains from being wasted. Ardently
engaged in studying the laws of those functions by which life
is carried on, begun, or continued from one generation to
another, the physiologist seeks illustrations of his favourite
pursuit in every living object that presents itself to his observa-
tion. He travels nowhere without meeting something worthy
of his attention, for it may be truly said that most parts of this
world are dwelling-places of living creatures, and that we can
scarcely find a spot uninhabited by beings endowed with life.
We find life in the air, in the water, in the eternal snows of
the Arctic regions, and the burning sands of the torrid zone.
"We find it near the summits of the loftiest mountains and in
the deepest caverns ; even mephitic pools, poisonous soils, and
boiling springs, teem with animals and plants adapted to the
peculiar circumstances in which they are placed, and furnished
with an organisation wisely contrived for their existence, a.

Fulness of Life. >C

Some men's natures are characterised by a remarkable fulness
of life. Socially, morally, intellectually, spiritually, they are
characterised by perennial vigour. They remind us of that
wondrous fulness of life which is so striking a peculiarity of
the palm-tree. Beside the blossom grows continually the
fruit, and from the fading circle of its leaves there springs with
restless energy the fresh green. Thus it is that everything
about the palm assumes the expression of inexhaustible vigour.
And when at last the tree lies dead beneath the weight of ages,
even then a thousand labyrinth filaments of parasitical plants
twine round the trunk, and clothe it deceivingly with an odorous
and many-coloured but spectral life. ST.

N

194 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Lif

Lasting-ness of Life under Right Conditions.

Properly ripened seeds, if placed in certain conditions, are
literally immortal. That is to say, they are capable of retain-
ing their growing power indefinitely ; not merely for a few
centuries, but for thousands of years, — how long, indeed, no
man can say. The earthly crust of our planet appears to be
stocked in every part with seeds that have been produced in
years gone by, scattered upon the surface, and subsequently
covered up with soil. Whenever the ground is disturbed,
either by the plough or by the spade of the railway excavator,
or for any purpose which causes its depths to be overturned,
that portion which was many feet below being thrown to the
surface, and exposed to the air, the sunbeams, and the moisture
of dew and rain, immediately their springs up a crop of young
plants, certainly not originating in seeds only just then brought
from neighbouring fields, and as certainly from seeds that have
been lying in the soil for ages. How they came to be covered
up is easy to conceive when we see with our own eyes what is
done by wintry floods, and the sweeping down of great masses
of earth and soil, which accumulate often to a considerable
depth, and are no doubt similarly charged with seeds that, after
waiting their turn, will some day grow. For it is a clearly
established fact that no seed can germinate or begin to sprout
unless it have the threefold influence in direct operation upon
it of warmth, moisture^ and the atmosphere. Let it be shut in
from the access of these and it lies passive, giving no sign of
life or growth, and incapable of doing so. LI.

The Expansiveness of Strong Life.

The banyan or Indian fig-tree (Ficus indica) surpasses in
diameter the finest oaks of Europe, and is of evergreen foliage.
It possesses the power of reproduction and multiplication. It
throws off numerous branches, of which several redescend to-
wards the earth, force their way into it, take root therein, and
in their turn develop into new trunks, whence spring other
boughs that go through the same process of fructification ; so
that a single stem spreads in time into a kind of forest, and

Lif] AND SYMBOLS. 195

the canopy formed by the outgrowth of a solitary tree will
frequently overshadow an area of seventeen hundred square
yards. D.

The Mirage of Life.

The ardent imagination of youth, and the eager desire of
hopeful men, often produce to the eye of faith glorious and
glowing visions of a bright future, which, alas ! are like a mirage.
We know that the mirage for the most part occurs in exten-
sive plains when the weather is calm and heated by the sun.
The plains of Asia and Africa have become celebrated in this
respect ; thus during the expedition in Egypt, the French army
frequently experienced cruel deceptions. The ground of Egypt
forms a plain perfectly horizontal ; the villages are situated on
small eminences. In the morning and evening they appear in
their proper places, and at their real distances ; but when the
ground is highly heated, the country resembles a lake, and the
villages appear to be built on islands, and reflected in the water.
As we approach, the lake disappears, and the traveller, devoured
by thirst, is deceived by his hope. ON.

Independence in Higher Stages of Life.

Many people fancy that a little fly is only little because it is
young, and that it will grow up in process of time to be as big
as a blue-bottle. Now this idea is entirely wrong ; for when
an insect has once attained to its winged state, it grows no
more. All the growing, and most part of the eating, is done in
its previous states of life ; and indeed there are many insects,
such as the silk-worm moth, which do not eat at all from the
time that they assume the chrysalis state to the time when they
die. o. o.

Infinitesimal Life.

The genus vibris is the type of a tribe of animalcules commonly
known as microscopic eels, remarkable for their extraordinary
minuteness. One species is parasitic upon wheat, and when
full grown attains a quarter of an inch in length; but the
young are so microscopically small that 30,000 might be con-
tained in a single grain of wheat. D.

196 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Lif

The Tenacity of Life.

The vitality of the large-bodied moths is quite astonishing.
You may even stamp upon them and yet not crush the life out
of that frail casket. If you drive the life out of one half of the
creature, it only seems to take refuge in the other, and then
retains a more powerful hold. So unless the entire mechanism
of the insect be killed, the poor creature may live for days in
pain. c. o.

Life where Least Expected.

The great Karoo at the base of the Roggeveld and Nieuveld
chain is 300 miles in length, 80 miles in breadth, and 2000 feet
above the sea-level. Its soil presents throughout its whole
extent, for the greater portion of the year, not a trace of
vegetation. During the long dry summer months the smallest
birds would not find wherewithal to sustain their existence
in these sombre deserts, whose solemn silence not even the
murmur of an insect interrupts. Yet these regions, deprived
of springs and running waters, are not always sterile deserts,
are not always desolate plains. In the dry season, the soil,
a yellow ferruginous clay, acquires the hardness of brick, just as
if it had been exposed to the fire of a furnace ; but the roots
and bulbs, protected by a ligneous covering, resist the devouring
heat. The first rains revive them ; they put forth their stems
and branches ; a myriad flowers reveal their sparkling colours ;
and the country which, a day or two before, had shown to the
eye a bare and dreary surface, shines out in a panoply of
splendour, as if a magician's spell had suddenly transformed it
into a terrestrial paradise. But as the days lengthen, and the
sun's power increases, the bloom and the beauty vanish, and the
curse of fire once more descends upon the gloomy scene. D.

Life in Apparent Death.

The grains of wheat found in Egyptian tombs, on being
planted in the soil of France, grew into waving corn. For three
thousand years these grains had been without life, yet we can-

Lif] AND SYMBOLS. 197

not say they were dead ; they were organic seeds, products of
life, and had themselves once lived ; they were developed from
cells into seeds, and at this point in their development their
vital activity was arrested, because the necessary heat, light,
and soil were wanting ; but no sooner were these supplied, than
the arrested activity was once more set free, the seed became a
plant. The microscopic animals known as rotifers become to
all appearance dead when the water of the moss in which they
live is evaporated, and in this state of suspended animation
they may remain for years, recovering their energy on the
addition of a little water; they may be dried and revived
fifteen times in succession ; but they are not dead in these cases,
and they do not decompose. Frogs and toads, especially the
latter, when subjected to the action of intense cold, may be
perfectly frozen, all their fluids becoming congealed, all their
tissues rigid. Yet these animals are not dead. Let heat be
cautiously applied, and the congelation ceases : in eight minutes
life is once more in full activity. PH.

Life Preserved by Struggling1.

You lament that your life is one constant struggle; that,
having obtained what you tried hard to secure, your whole
strength is now required in order to retain it ; and that your
necessities impose on you the further obligation of additional
exertions. It is so ; but do not repine. As a rule, the main-
tenance of life is everywhere conditional on struggling. It is
not only so with men and animals. It is so even in the vege-
table world. You struggle with obstacles ; but the very trees
have to do the same. Observe them; take heart and grow
strong. M. Louis Figuier says that the manner in which roots
succeed in overcoming obstacles has always been a subject of
surprise to the observer. The roots of trees and shrubs, when
cramped or hindered in their progress, have been observed to
exhibit considerable mechanical force, throwing down walls or
splitting rocks, and in other cases clinging together in bunches
or spreading out their fibres over a prodigious space, in order to
follow the course of a rivulet with its friendly moisture. Who
has not seen with admiration how roots will adapt themselves to

198 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Lif

the special circumstances of the soil, dividing their filaments in
a soil fit for them almost to infinity, elsewhere abandoning a
sterile soil to seek one farther off which is favourable to them ;
and as the ground was wide or less hard, wet or dry, heavy or
light, sandy or stony, varying their shapes accordingly ? Here
are wonderful energy, and illustrations of the way in which
existence may be maintained by constant action. v.

Action and Repose a Law of Life. '

There is action and repose even in the life of the tree. The
circulation of the sap in the tree is in its most active state in
the springtime. The plant is then full of liquid, and in new
plants the juices flow at the slightest incision. In spring, accord-
ing to the poetical expression consecrated by use, the vine and
other plants bleed ; but when the leaves are fully developed,
they will no longer bleed when wounded. When the branches
develop themselves and consolidate, the movement of the sap
becomes slower; it is sometimes roused towards the end of
summer, when, the spring having been premature, the materials
which the plant has elaborated for the vegetation of the follow-
ing year have been set to work before their time. After the
fall of the leaf, and when the approach of winter lowers the
temperature, the movement of sap is stopped entirely ; the tree
arrives by little and little at a state of almost absolute repose : this
is not death, but life which awaits its re-awakening. In human
life we have, but still more plainly written, this same law.
From youth to manhood, and from manhood to old age, how
incessant is the activity during all but the few hours allotted
to repose ! As Ovid says,

" Alternate rest and labour long endure."

And at the end of all the activity, and the last long repose, which
seems but is not death, are we not, also, like the tree, to have
our re-awakening in a day to dawn as surely and as brightly as
the spring? v.

Lif] AND SYMBOLS. 199

Involuntary Destruction of Life a Law of Nature.

Few persons, while indulging in the luxury of early green
peas, are aware how many insects they unconsciously swallow
and destroy. When the pods are carefully examined, small
discoloured spots may be seen upon them, each one corresponding
to a similar spot on the opposite pea. If this spot on the pea
be opened, a minute whitish grub destitute of feet will be found
therein. It is the weevil in its larva form, which lives upon
the marrow of the pea, and arrives at its full size by the time
that the pea becomes dry. This larva or grub then bores a
round hole from the hollow of the pea quite to the hull, but
leaves the latter, and generally the germ of the future sprout,
untouched. Hence these peas will frequently sprout and grow
when planted. The grub is changed to a pupa within its hole
in the pea in the autumn, and before the spring casts its skin
again, becomes a beetle and gnaws a hole through the thin hull
in order to make its escape into the air, which frequently
does not happen before the peas are planted for an early crop.
After the peas have flowered, and while the pods are young
and tender, and the peas within them are just beginning to
swell, the beetles gather upon them and deposit their tiny eggs
singly in the punctures or wounds which they make upon the
surface of the pods. This is done mostly during the night or in
cloudy weather. The grubs as soon as they are hatched penetrate
the pod and bury themselves in the opposite peas, and the holes
through which they pass into the seeds are so fine as hardly to
be perceived and are soon closed. Sometimes every pea in a
pod contains a weevil grub, and in consuming our dish of peas
we therefore annihilate myriads of lives and extinguish the
possibilities of myriads of others. But Nature seems to have
ordained that man shall be the involuntary destroyer of life on
a vast scale. Whenever he treads upon the ground, or drinks a
glass of water, or breathes the air, he unintentionally massacres
millions of lives. MU.

The Illusions of Life.

In youth, the view of our future life expands before us, a
splendid region gleaming with a thousand tints of alluring

200 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Lif

magic light; its rosy pathway enticing our willing feet to
ascend towards those lustrous hopes which tower before us,
glowing and glistening under radiant skies, and which seem
to offer an infinitude of abiding ambrosial joy. But oh how
soon that lovely view is changed ! Not through the glistering
magical illusion of fancy's rays may mortals long behold it.
For soon the clearer, stronger, though, alas ! the sadder light
of truth flashes its keen shafts adown the heights of time upon
all that fairy scene, revealing reality ; and amidst the tempest
of our tears we behold all our enchanted forms, celestial vistas,
and gorgeous illusions crumbling, receding, and giving place to
these chilling, hard, and rugged facts which coarsely now
project themselves to disappointment's eye. We need to
adumbrate a transformation scene like this, for words alone will
not describe it. It is the commencement of the summer, and
we gaze on the ocean which washes the Spitzbergen coast. In
this light this Arctic desert is imposing, grand, majestic. The
outlines of the coast and of the icebergs are of the most
fantastic and often of the most beautiful character — old ruined
keeps of Norman castles, long lines of frowning battlements,
minarets and domes of Moorish mosques, and the tapering
spires, arched roofs, and flying buttresses of mediaeval cathedrals.
Lit up by the radiance of an Arctic sun, they wear a most
singular and weird beauty. Over the frozen ocean stand
monuments of fantastic design, where radiant glittering surfaces
reflect in changing lights of amethyst, azure, vermilion, gold,
and emerald, the wondrous fires of the northern Auroras. But
the glory is transient. The summer sun has dawned. He
darts obliquely his rays upon all this scene, and then all this
crust splits up and becomes dislocated ; the gorgeous illusion is
ended, the confusion spreads; the ocean-currents carry off to
sea the blocks and floes of ice which roll and glide, and cross
and chase each other, hurtling together in an indescribable
mele'e and with a fearful tempest of sounds. The illusion
alone remains. D.

The Improvident Life.

The Eskimos inhabit the immense icy plains which extend
into America even beyond the Polar circle. During the winter

Lig] AND SYMBOLS. 201

they often fast several days at a time, and remain immured in
their huts like hybernatiug animals ; but at length, driven by
famine and by want of oil, they go forth upon the ice in search
of the seals which come up to breathe. When they have killed
one they regale themselves upon it until only the bones remain,
after which they endure a new period of privation. Thus they
live from day to day, in continual alternations of gluttony
and abstinence ; all idea of providing for the future is as com-
pletely out of their heads as it is out of many of those in our
own land who have had greater advantages and more oppor-
tunities of knowing right. D.

Instinctive Love of Light.

A strong tendency is exhibited by certain plants to follow
the light from an apparently instinctive consciousness of its
being necessary, if not to their existence, at least for their well-
being. This phenomenon is beautifully shown by many facts,
of which one will serve as an example. One spring a potato
was left behind in a cellar where some tools had been kept during
the winter, and which had only a small aperture at the upper part
of one of its sides. The potato which lay in the opposite corner
shot out a runner which first ran twenty feet along the ground,
and crept up along the wall, and so through the opening by which
light was admitted. The Chrysanthemum Peruvianum turns con-
tinually towards the sun, and is said to cover itself with dewy
clouds which cool and refresh the flower during the most violent
heat of the day. Some men have an instinctive love of higher
light. In order to obtain the truth they perform prodigies of
skill and endurance. Some of our most noble characters have
emerged into positions of conspicuous usefulness by following
their instinctive love of light, which has guided them out of
darkness, privation, and obscurity. I. L.

All Light is Regulated to our Capacity.

We see objects by reflected light ; in other words, the object
must first be illuminated, and then it must reflect a certain
amount of this light into our eyes. But as the entrance of too

202 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Lig

many or too bright rays would dazzle vision, while too few
would leave it obscure and indistinct, an ever-vigilant sentinel
— the iris, on which the colour depends — is posted across the
front of the eye, to regulate by the expansion or contraction of
the pupil the exact number of rays that ought to be admitted.
The full blaze of light from the sun we could not endure.
Our mental eye has also been evidently designed to receive not
full but regulated light. Who could bear the full glare of the
brightness of the spiritual world? We have but reflected
and limited light. With our present faculties and duties we
must suppose that the arrangement is the one most suitable to
us. Let us at all events recognise the existence of fact. We
will neither pretend that we have seen the absolute glories of
the sun, nor of " the Light of the world." Our perceptive
organs have not been constructed for either purpose. BE.

True Light has no Substitute. ,1

Clear and brilliant light often brings out exquisite colours,
as happens among the Alps and also in the north frigid ;zone,
where the humble little plants called lichens and mosses are
in many cases dyed of the most brilliant hues, purple and
gold predominating. Warmth, in like manner, will stimulate
vegetable growth in the most astonishing manner, but it is
growth not necessarily accompanied by the secretion of valu-
able substances, such as give quality and real importance to
the plant. In English hot-houses, for example, we have
plenty of spice- trees, those generous plants that yield cinnamon
and cassia, the nutmeg and the clove; but although healthy
and blossoming freely, they never mature their aromatic secre-
tions. Though they have artificial heat equal to that of their
native islands, which burn beneath the sun of the Indian
Ocean, we cannot supply them with similar and proportionate
solar light. Our cloudy skies shut us in from the full and
direct radiance of the sunshine, and wanting this, heat alone
will not avail. LL

Lil] AND SYMBOLS. 203

Light a Healing Power.

Apart altogether from the cheerfulness and mental serenity
(important auxiliaries in the eradication of disease !) which the
bright rays of the sun invariably engender, light has a thermic
influence upon the mind and body when prostrated by serious
ailments, and certainly acts beneficially by chemically purify-
ing the blood of the patient, as well as the atmosphere of the
apartment he occupies. I. L.

Children of the Light, "-

There are children of light and children of darkness. The
latter shun the bright, the pure azure shining sky of truth
with all its loving beams. Their world is like the world of in-
sects, and is the world of night. Insects are all light-shunners.
Even those which, like the bee, labour during the daytime,
prefer the shades of obscurity. The children of light are like
the birds. The world of birds is the world of light — of song.
Nearly all of them, says Michelet, live in the sun, fill them-
selves with it, or are inspired by it. Those of the south carry its
reflected radiance on their wings ; those of our colder climates
in their songs ; many of them follow it from land to land.

T. B.

"Consider the Lilies."

The water-lilies never grow in foul water, and always
prefer that which is in steady though slow movement, loving
especially the little bays along the edges, where they can
spread their broad leaves upon the surface undisturbed, and
expand their argent cups, brimming with golden stamens, to
the light of the sun. Towards evening they close their petals
in a kind of sleep, and during the period of their highest life,
which is that of the preparation of the seed that is to renew
the plant, they not only close, but sink below the surface of
the stream. LI.

204 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Lit

The Use of a Little Influence Added to a Great
Enterprise.

A little river may be received into a large one without aug-
menting either its width or depth. This, which at first view
seems a paradox, is yet very easily accounted for. The little
river in this case only goes towards increasing the swiftness of
the larger, and putting its dormant waters into motion. A.

The Speculative Liquidator.

Our winding-up courts have revealed a vast multitude of
persons speculating in the liquidation of public companies, who
are called "wreckers." These "wreckers," when once settled
on the corpse of a company, cannot be induced either by decency
or pity to move away. Greedy and cruel, they are like the
tawny vulture (Gyps fulvus), which feeds, like the rest of its
family, upon carrion. When a party of these vultures has once
taken possession of the carcase of a large animal, they are said
never to quit it as long as a morsel of the flesh remains, so that
they may be seen in the same spot for days together. Wnen
fully fed, or rather crammed with food, they are quite incapable
of flight ; and if suddenly disturbed in this happy condition,
they are compelled to disgorge the greater part of their banquet
before they can rise. MU.

The Aggregate Capacity of Little Things.

At the first glance it seems improbable that the animalcules
should possess any influence over the movements of the ocean, —
the symbol to human minds of immensity, — but we might as well
deny the action of the drops, the molecules of salt and water
which compose it. What matters their minuteness when
numbers conpensate ? And the number of animalcules which
work and throb in the bosom of the seas is as incalculable as
that of the drops of water. Their fecundity is inconceivable ;
the waters are literally composed of them ; they are the " living
waters " of Scripture. They preserve the identity of the com-
position of the sea by absorbing the salts mostly with a basis

Lov] AND SYMBOLS. 205

of limestone which proceed from the washings of the land.
They assimilate these solid elements, and transform them into
shells, madrepores, corals, whose cells group together, cross, and
accumulate upon one another until the dense strata which they
gradually form are prepared to serve as the foundation of islands,
archipelagoes, perhaps of continents. MY.

The Spirit and Security of Littleness.

A chapter in the history of the whale affords a good illus-
tration of the spirit and security of littleness. As the whale is
an inoffensive animal, it is not to be wondered that it has many
enemies, willing to take advantage of its disposition and inap-
titude for combat. There is a small animal, of the shell-fish
kind, called the whale-louse, that sticks to its body as we see
shells sticking to the foul bottom of a ship. This insinuates
itself chiefly under the fins ; and whatever efforts the great
animal makes, it still keeps its hold, and lives upon the fat,
which it is provided with instruments to arrive at. Now this
transaction may be taken as a very true revelation of the usual
workings of the spirit of littleness. Littleness is always living
on greatness. The great man has always some little creature at
his side, who is wheedling for himself the favours by which he
lives. Moreover, littleness is often safe because of its littleness.
The great man has no arts or appliances by which to detect and
thwart the tactics of the little knaves and tiny rascals who
compass him about. Again, littleness knows that its seclusion
is its security, so that, like the whale-louse, it gets, as it were,
under the fins of greatness — to those places where it can gratify
itself without being detected. Like this same creature, too,
littleness wherever found — whether in the church, in the
market, or in the home — is furnished with a mechanism admir-
ably adapted for its sustenance ; servility, baseness, and lying
being among the more prominent features thereof. A.

The Courage of Love.

It is said that the great bustard will forsake her nest if
only once driven from it by apprehension of danger ; but when

2o6 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Low

the eggs are laid, and still more when the young are produced,
it is only repeated meddling with them that will induce the
parents to forsake them. HI.

Aspects of Love.

Love is a light upon the sea of life. Upon the tranquil scenes
of domestic and social existence its graces gleam and its virtues
sparkle, so that as we move along we are reminded of a calm
evening on the phosphorescent sea — no gloom, no excitement, no
, harsh noises. Each dip of the boatman's oar is accompanied by
a brilliant flash, a tremulous radiance plays round the sides of his
little vessel, and a long stream of light follows in her wake. In
stormy times, too, love is like that phosphorescent sea, which
then exhibits a spectacle of awful grandeur. Each wave
appears crested with light and, as it crashes against the sides
of a ship, looks like broken masses of liquid fire. And when
life is beset with gloom unutterable, and its ways resemble a sea
dark and tempestuous, the light of love irradiates the surging
scene with its self-sacrificing beams ; its flashes of honest in-
dignation start as the forces of oppression plough their w,ay,
whilst its thousand inexplicable corruscations glance and gleam
over every troublous billow as it breaks. s.

Lowly Teachers of Prudential Virtues.

The exterior of a hive, says M. Victor Rendre, gives the
best idea of this people, essentially laborious. From sunrise to
sunset all is movement, diligence, bustle ; it is an incessant
series of goings and comings, of various operations which begin,
continue, and end, to be recommenced. Hundreds of bees
arrive from the fields, laden with materials and provisions ;
others cross them and go in their turn into the country.
Here, cautious sentinels scrutinise every fresh arrival ; there,
purveyors, in a hurry to be back at work again, stop at the
entrance to the hive, where other bees unload them of their
burdens; elsewhere it is a working-bee which engages in a
hand-to-hand encounter with a rash stranger; farther on the
surveyors of the hive clear it of everything which might

Lux] AND SYMBOLS. 207

interfere with the traffic or be prejudicial to health; at another
point the workers are occupied in drawing out the dead body
of one of their companions ; all the outlets are besieged by a
crowd of bees coming in and going out ; the doors hardly suffice
for this hurrying, busy multitude. If all appears disorder and
confusion at the approaches to the hive, this tumult is only
so in appearance; an admirable order presides over this
emulation in their work, which is the distinctive feature in
bees. These insects preach to us diligence, activity, vigilance,
ingenuity, and order. If their sermon were listened to, and these
five virtues were embodied in the lives of all working people,
the material state of society would become glorious. L

Lurking- Dangers.

Many of the most deadly snakes lie concealed just below the
surface of the sand, ready to strike a death-blow to the in-
cautious traveller; others lurk and hide in the branches of
trees and bushes, from which they dart upon the unwary. The
wonderful resemblance in colour they bear to the places in which
they are found, renders them difficult to be seen by the un-
practised eye. However wary you may be, it is often difficult
to escape with your life. These reptiles resemble the lurking
dangers which encompass us on every side in our progress
through this world. Diseases, treacheries, falsehoods, and
troubles seem to be in wait for us during a large portion of our
journey. We have hard work to elude them ; and if we our-
selves escape, we have the melancholy misfortune to see them
strangling or poisoning our friends. I. o.

Luxuriance a Hindrance to Progress.

We have observed people who have been confused with the
luxuriance which surrounded them. So sumptuous was the
provision of every kind that the taking of any step was only
an exhibition of the difficulty of action. "The embarrassment
of riches " is not a figure of speech, but a fact. The man who
is surrounded by too much luxuriance is like a traveller amidst
the profuse flowering vegetation which characterises some of the

2c8 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS

Asiatic steppes of the temperate zone. On crossing the trackless
portions of these herb-covered steppes in the low carriages of the
Tartars, it is necessary to stand upright in order to ascertain even
the direction to be pursued through the copse-like and closely
crowded plants that bend under the wheels. Some of these
steppes are covered with grass; others with succulent ever-
green, articulated alkaline plants ; while many are radiant with
the effulgence of lichen-like tufts of salt, scattered irregularly
over the clayey soil like newly fallen snow. It is obvious that
the traveller's progress would be much easier across the com-
mons and fields of our own land, where Nature has not been so
prodigal in the luxuriance of her gifts. In like manner, the
movements in social life of persons who have neither poverty
nor riches, are noticeably more easy and less anxious than those
of such individuals as are literally surrounded with luxury,
who on account of the very abundance of their possessions are
puzzled as to the course they are to pursue for even their grati-
fication from day to day. vi.

Majestic Twaddle.

We are too prone to erroneous ascription. Upon mere hear-
say we accept certain persons and institutions as being wonder-
ful, and then ever afterwards persistently ascribe to them
qualities and virtues which they do not possess. Vulgar people
speak of "aristocratic" grace, of the "nobility" of peers, the
" majesty " of royalty, and so on and so on in dismal, snobbish
monotony. This mistaken habit is well illustrated by the error
which people fall into when they assign to the lion qualities
which he does not possess. Dr. Livingstone says, "Nothing
that I ever learned of the lion led me to attribute to it either the
ferocious or noble character ascribed to it elsewhere. It possesses
none of the nobility of the Newfoundland or St. Bernard dogs.
The same feeling which has led the modern painter to caricature
the lion, has led the sentimentalist to consider the lion's roar
the most terrible of all earthly sounds. We hear of the ' ma-
jestic roar of the king of beasts.' It is indeed well calculated
to inspire fear if you hear it in combination with the tremen-
dously loud thunder of Africa on a night so pitchy dark that

Man] AND SYMBOLS. 209

every flash of the intensely vivid lightning leaves you with
the impression of stone blindness, while the rain pours down so
fast that your fire goes out, leaving you without the protection
of even a tree, or the chance of your gun going off. But when
you are in a comfortable house or waggon the case is very dif-
ferent, and you hear the roar of the lion without any awe or
alarm. The silly ostrich makes a noise as loud, yet he never
was feared by man. To talk of the majestic roar of the lion is
mere majestic twaddle. In general the lion's voice seems to
come deeper from his chest than that of the ostrich ; but to this
day I can distinguish with certainty between them only by
knowing that the ostrich roars by day and the lion by night."

Y. M.

Man's Superiority Due to Intellect../

Too much stress has been laid upon the proud upright posi-
tion of man, and a great deal has been said and written con-
cerning the sublime aspect of his countenance, and the god-like
dignity of his carriage. A moment's consideration will be
sufficient to show that though he looks upward with ease and
facility, he cannot, in this respect, claim any superiority. The
eagle which gazes on the sun with undazzled eye, and makes
his pathway among the clouds, yields not in dignity of appear-
ance or power of locomotion to man, who merely walks upon
the ground. Can man measure his beauty with the antelope,
his speed with the horse, or his strength with the elephant 1
It is in virtue of his intellect, of his reason, and not of his
bodily form, that he ranks above his fellows. It was in mind,
not in body, that " God made man in His own image." s.

Man as Revealed by Society.

As a rule man's appearance is not pleasing when he is seen in
his own isolation. His brightest and best colours are revealed
through the medium of relationships. If in isolation, he is like
a metal in its own vapours. For example : Every metal can be
burned, and heat sufficient being employed, the burning mass
can be made to evolve a vapour. Every metal burns with a
certain invariable colour, and the light of these colours can be

o

210 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Man

projected through a prism. If so projected, a line across the
spectral image results, of certain specific size and also colour ;
but if the light of a burning mass of metal be transmitted
through its own vapours, then the band of colour it would have
yielded on the spectrum is quenched as to colour, and the result
is not colour but black. Now we say that this is something
like the difference which there is between man alone and man
in society. Man in isolation appears only in the melancholy
colours of a recluse or an anchorite. But when beheld through
the family circle, the club, the confederation, or the great and
good organisations of society, he appears to a far greater advan-
tage, for then, instead of being gloomy, his character assumes
hues of beauty and splendour of variety which may gladden
and delight all eyes. s. N.

A Strong Man's Deportment.

A really capable man is always considerate of those about
him. He does not with fussy haste push people in all direc-
tions, regardless of injuries, as does the weak ambitious man.
He does not, like a serpent, sting those who oppose him ; nor
does he snarl at them like a dog. He calmly moves them out of
his path. In the exhibition of his power, and in his regard for
others, his march resembles that of a noble elephant. As the
elephant is conscious of its own strength, it takes every precau-
tion so that its heavy mass may not harm creatures that are
weaker than itself. If it passes through a crowd, it opens a
passage for itself with its trunk, and gently pressing forward its
fore-limbs, advances in such a manner as to hurt no one. M.

Man the Enemy of Man.

"While on the steppe, tigers and crocodiles contend with horses
and cattle, so on the forest borders and in the wilds of Guiana
the hand of man is ever raised against his fellow-man. With
revolting eagerness some tribes drink the flowing blood of their
foes, whilst others, seemingly unharmed, yet prepared for murder,
Ideal certain death with a poisoned thumb-nail. The feebler
tribes, when they tread the sandy shores, carefully efface with

Man] AND SYMBOLS. 211

their hands the traces of their trembling steps. Thus, as Hum-
boldt declares, does man, everywhere alike, on the lowest scale
of brutish debasement and in the false glitter of his higher cul-
ture, perpetually create for himself a life of care. And thus, too,
the traveller, wandering over the wide world by sea and land,
and the historian who searches the records of bygone ages, are
everywhere met by the unvarying and melancholy spectacle of
man opposed to man. VI.

The Resemblance between a Man and a Prog1.

The frog must be classed among the comic types of the
animal creation. That it should be so arises chiefly from his
resemblance to man. Who is there that has not seen men
with frog-like countenances? These are for the most part
beardless, short-necked heads, obtusely-shaped faces, with bald
pates, a straight or partly flattened nose, prominent eyes, a wide
mouth, receding chin, and puffed-up cheeks. If to such
physiognomy be joined a fair, round-bellied, abbot-like stature,
no single feature will be wanting to make the resemblance
complete. That the frog's head is always flat does not lessen
the resemblance : it is the eyes as well as the cheeks which
are mainly instrumental in producing the likeness. With un-
mistakable importance do they present themselves : large,
round, sprightly, capable of a fixed, bold look, and in certain
species surrounded by lids. Their colour varies from a deep
black to a flaming yellow. In the frog's head mere indications
of a nose and ear are to be seen, while the wide mouth is all the
more conspicuous. The head, which is not raised upon a freely-
moving neck, is joined immediately to the trunk with slender,
delicate articulations. The hind leg is lengthened to an extra-
ordinary degree; indeed, besides the immense toes, no other
animal can show so human-looking a leg as the frog. The
formation of the bones and muscles is also the same as in man,
the latter forming a perfect calf, while the nakedness of the
animal's body causes the resemblance to show more strikingly.
The frog is indeed an anthropomorphism. Who is there when
bathing, as his comrade skilfully swims past him, has not been
reminded of the green-coated paddler, as he jumps from the

212 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Man

bank, and with, regularly changing stroke divides the waves 1
Owing to this very resemblance, a celebrated natural philosopher
of the last century was betrayed into describing the petrified
skeleton of a frog of a former age as the bones of an ante-
diluvian man ; and on this account, too, does the fable of the
metamorphosis of the Lycian peasants into frogs take such hold
upon our fancy and strike us as so appropriate. ST.

A Domestic Resemblance between Reptiles and Man.

It is not uncommon to hear persons speaking of their
guardianship of their children as though it were a virtue. It
may, or may not be so, according to circumstances. But this is
quite certain, that the love of offspring, and the desire to guard
it, are exemplified by reptiles as well as by men. It may not
be flattering to the officious mother of a little family of children
to tell her that those exertions of hers for which she expects
so much applause, are very analogous to the efforts which a
respectable reptile will put forth on behalf of its progeny ; but
such is the fact. For Mr. Wood tells us that some spe,cies of
reptiles are very jealous about even their eggs. They keep a
strict watch over them ; and several of the larger serpents have
a curious fashion of placing the eggs in a heap, and then coiling
themselves around them in a great hollow cone, in order the
better to protect them from possible harm. If they do not use
a perambulator for them, it is obviously because that is unsuit-
able, and not from want of interest. IL.

The "Climbing" Man.

"We have all met with the man who can never do things as
other men do them ; who, on the ordinary levels of daily life,
never seems capable of standing or advancing. His mind is
ready enough in moving in the masses of complicated specula-
tions, and twisting and turning in labyrinthian schemes whose
tortuous windings he cannot see the end of. But directly the
plain, the straightforward, the firm path of everyday life is
under him, he staggers as if quite out of his element. So he is.

Man] AND SYMBOLS. 213

Though a member of the human family, Nature has created him
with a peculiarity which makes him a " climbing " man, and not
one of those who walk uprightly. He has his representative
among the sloths. The three-toed sloth is the only mammal
which can neither walk nor stand. He is desperately slow in
his motions, but still when he is above, in the winding branches
of the trees, he does climb about with some aptitude. On the
plain he is helpless ; and even in his climbing he is not of much
service. Strange that those who can climb so very high cannot
walk on a plain road for bread and cheese. Strange that
" climbing " men possess every sense but common sense. I.

The Vain Man.

The vain man is like the peacock. But his vanity is offensive,
whilst that of the peacock is amusing. Should a word of praise
reach the peacock's ear or the hen show herself in his neigh-
bourhood, in a moment the flowery wheel is unfolded, he
stretches his glittering neck and utters a displeasing, cat-like
cry ; while, on the other hand, he retires from the sight of the
indifferent observer, and in the moulting season, when he has
no fine feathers to show, he withdraws into solitude. His flight
is a mere fluttering that raises him very little above the ground ;
yet he likes to perch on a neighbouring roof ladder, or some
other lofty spot, in order to show himself to advantage and
be admired. 0 little Tom Grandsnob, see yourself in this
picture ! ST.

Man a Worse Animal than he was intended to be.

Some creatures are unquestionably used as scourges ; but
perhaps the less we mortals say about such animated pests the
better. They act up to their own organisation, but never
beyond ; whilst it is far otherwise with mankind. The serpent
employs its poisoned fangs to procure food or avert peril, real
or fancied ; the jaguar uses its terrible incisors in the destruc-
tion of its prey ; and the shark avails itself of its dental ap-
paratus to assuage its appetite. But man, says Hugh Miller,
must surely have become an immensely worse animal than

214 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Mar

his teeth show him to have been designed for ; his teeth give
no evidence regarding his real character. Of our racks and
thumbscrews, our inquisitions and oubliettes, our noyades at
Nantes and our mitraillades at Lyons and Toulons, there is no
prophetic intimation in our dentology. C. B.

The Supersedure of Mankind.

During the primitive epoch the mineral kingdom existed
alone. The rocks, silent and solitary, were all that was yet
formed of the burning earth. During the transition epoch, the
vegetable kindom, newly created, extended itself over the whole
globe, which it soon covered from one pole to the other with
an uninterrupted mass of verdure. During the secondary and
tertiary epochs, the vegetable and the animal kingdom divided
the earth between them. In the quaternary epoch the human
kingdom appeared. Is it in the future destinies of our planet
to receive yet another lord? And after the four kingdoms
which now occupy it, is there to be a new kingdom created,
the attributes of which will ever be a mystery to us, but which
will differ from man in as great a degree as man differs from
animals and plants from rocks? w.

Plan for Punishing1 a Marauder.

The long-eared owl (Otus vulgaris) is strictly nocturnal and
at night is active in search of its prey, which amongst other
things consists of small birds. These it is said to capture by
snatching them from their roosting-places. However this may
be, the finches, warblers, and other small birds seem to regard the
owl in the light of an enemy, and show the greatest animosity
towards him whenever they have an opportunity for such a
display of their feelings. If he should by chance prolong his
predatory excursions so as to be surprised by the light of day
when still at a distance from his favourite haunts, and thus be
compelled to take refuge in some such imperfect shelter as a
hedge or bush affords, the discovery, almost certain to take
place, of the unfortunate sleeper in his temporary lodging, is

Mas] AND SYMBOLS. 215

the signal for a simultaneous rising amongst all the small birds
in the neighbourhood, who flock to the place and raise such a
commotion as rarely fails to cause the owl to change his quar-
ters ; and should he be at such a distance from the thick woods
and plantations as to render his reaching them very difficult, or
even impossible, while his senses are dimmed by the unwonted
glare, the disturbance will sometimes last until the shades of
evening put a stop to it by dismissing the little persecutors to
their roosting-places. Communities of men who suffer from
the proceedings of human marauders, act upon much the same
principle. They catch their royal rogue at a disadvantage and
then avenge themselves. MU.

A Good Marksman.

The Chcetodan restrains, which frequents the shores and
mouths of rivers in India, feeds principally on flies and other
small winged insects that hover over the waters. When it sees
a fly at a distance on any of the plants in the shallow water, it
approaches very slowly, and with the utmost caution, coming
as much as possible perpendicularly under the object. Then
putting its body in an oblique direction, with the mouth and
eyes near the surface, it remains for a moment immovable.
Having fixed its eyes directly on the insect, it shoots at it a
drop of water from its tubular snout, but without showing its
mouth above the surface, from whence only the drop seems to
rise. This is done with so much dexterity, that though at the
distance of four, five, or six feet it seldom fails to bring the fly
into the water. p.

Master Minds.

The banyan, or sacred fig of India, acquires a prodigious size,
not by the enlargement of its individual trunk, but by the mul-
tiplication of its trunks in a peculiar manner of growth. As its
horizontal limbs spread on all sides, shoots descend from them
to the earth, in which they root, and become so many secondary
stems, extending their own lateral branches, which in turn send
down fresh rooting-shoots, thus ever widening the area of this

216 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Mat

wondrous forest, composed of a single organic life. In the forest
of humanity there are master minds who compare with ordinary
minds as the banyan compares with ordinary trees. They occupy
vast space in the intellectual world, because they create and sus-
tain, upon a grand scale, other kindred minds, who themselves
take new roots and expand and grow in all directions, and yet
continue one with the great parent mind. There is no room
for base fungi where they flourish. Carlyle and Emerson are
specimens of this order of mind. Their influence has extended
far across the plains of human thought, and produced spiritual
fruit for the healing of the nations. HO.

Types of Matrimonial Life.

There are some husbands and wives whose conduct to each
other depends entirely upon surrounding circumstances. When
there is plenty of money at the bank, and prosperity is shining
upon the homestead, their affinity and love for each other is
intense. But in the gloom of adversity, and under sombre
influences, they have no mutual attraction whatsoever, and their
affections are kept in isolation. This type of the matrimonial
life maybe called the .chlorine-hydrogen type. Chlorine and
hydrogen are gases having a powerful affinity for each other —
that is to say, they wrill unite when brought together in the
daylight ; but if we change the conditions, if we bring them to-
gether in the dark, their affinity is never manifested ; and thus,
while in the sunlight they rush together with even explosive
force, they will remain quiescent in the darkness, and there for
all eternity would form no combination whatever. PH.

Matter is Indestructible.

When a candle burns in the air a chemical change is going
on ; and although the candle disappears, the materials of which
it is made up are not destroyed or lost ; they simply pass into a
state in which they are invisible to our eyes, but their presence
may be ascertained by other means. Thus, if we burn a candle
for a few minutes in a clean bottle filled with air, and afterwards
pour in some clear lime-water, we shall notice that the liquid,

Mat] AND SYMBOLS. 217

which remains clear in pure air, becomes at once milky, showing
the presence of an invisible gaseous body produced by the burn-
ing of the candle, which possesses properties different from those
of pure air. Although an apparent loss of matter occurs when
a candle burns, it is easy to show by a simple experiment not
only that this is not the case, but that, on the contrary, an increase
of weight has occurred ; this increase is occasioned by the con-
stituent parts of the tallow or wax having united chemically
with an invisible gas (called oxygen) present in the air. By
the careful examination of all the known cases of chemical action
it has been satisfactorily proved that a loss of matter never takes
place, that matter is indestructible, and that in chemical actions
such as that going on in the burning of the candle a change of
state and not an annihilation of matter occurs. The truth of
this first great principle in chemical science has been gradually
demonstrated by finding that the weight of the substance acting
chemically upon one another always remains the same after as
before the chemical changes have occurred. LES.

The Circulation of Matter.

Few things appear more incomprehensible than the production
and reabsorption of matter. An animal falls to the ground and
dies ; myriads of creatures are now summoned by a call, by an
impulse of which we have no perception, to remove it, and
prepare it for a new combination; chemical agencies, fermen-
tation and solution, immediately commence their actions to
separate the parts ; and in a short time, of all this great body
nothing remains but the framework or bones, perhaps a little
hair or some wool — all the rest is departed we know not
whither ! "Worms and insects have done their parts ; the
earth has received a portion ; and the rest, converted into gases
and exhalable matters, has dispersed all over the region, which,
received into vegetable circulation, is again separated and
changed, becomes modified anew, and nourishes that which is
to continue the future generations of life. The petal of the
rose, the pulp of the peach, the azure and the gold on the
wing of the insect, all the various productions of the animal
and vegetable world, the very salts and compounds of the

218 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Mat

soil, are but the changes some other matters have undergone
which have circulated through innumerable channels since the
first production of all things, and no particle been lost. J.

The Transmigrations of Matter.

The mountain rock, exposed to the disintegrating effects of
the weather, loses that peculiar chemical or cohesive life which
keeps it from changing or decaying, and crumbles into dust,
in which state it is borne down by the storm on the stream to
the plain. The soil thus formed is taken up by the roots of
plants, and eliminated into the various parts of their structure.
These plants die, and form by their decomposing remains a
rich and fertile mould. Down into this stratum of decay and
death the grass strikes its roots, and forms the support of those
animals which man rears exclusively for food. The particles
thus organised become endowed with the highest vitality, and
are associated with the immortal spirit in the closest and most
intimate relationship, so that what is now bone of our bone and
flesh of our flesh may have once formed part of a granita rock
protruding far up among the clouds on some distant mountain
peak. B.

The Extreme Divisibility of Matter.

Divisibility is the property in virtue of which a body may
be divided into distinct parts : and very wonderful are its results.
Numerous examples may be cited of the extreme divisibility of
matter. The tenth part of a grain of musk will continue for
years to fill a room with its odoriferous particles, and at the
end of that time will scarcely be diminished in weight. Blood
is composed of red flattened globules floating in a colourless
liquid called serum. In man the diameter of one of these
globules is less than the 35ooth part of an inch, and the drop
of blood which might be suspended from the point of a needle
would contain about a million of globules. Again, the micro-
scope has disclosed to us the existence of insects smaller even
than these particles of blood ; the struggle for existence reaches
even to these little creatures, for they devour still smaller ones.

Mem] AND SYMBOLS. 219

If blood runs in the veins of these devoured ones, how infinitesi-
mal must be the magnitude of its component globules ! EL.

A Caution to Domestic Meddlers.

Some people do not understand how to co-operate for public
ends without interfering with the privacy of domestic life. The
seals teach a good lesson in this respect. They can work
together at proper times ; but they honour the sanctity of home.
They live sociably, and in great numbers frequent the same
localities. Although, in the sea, these animals co-operate in
numerous herds, and protect and valiantly defend each other,
once emerged from their favourite element they regard them-
selves on their peculiar rock as in a sacred domicile, where no
comrade has a right to intrude upon their domestic tranquillity.
If one of them approach this family centre, the chief —or, shall
we say, the father? — prepares to expel by force what he con-
siders a foreign aggression ; and there invariably takes place a
terrible combat, which only ends in the death of the lord of the
rock, or in the compulsory retreat of the indiscreet stranger.
This proceeding is well worth the attention of every busy-body.
It is full of sense, and shows a discrimination between public co-
operation for the common good, and officious interference in pri-
vate life, which would do credit to even human beings. MY.

A Hint to Meddlers.

If a bee-master is to succeed, he must be very careful not to
meddle much with his bees. Bees, like most other corporate
bodies, have a great horror of interference from outside, and
always like to work their own reforms without the assistance of
commissions from other quarters, and think that their own
sovereign is quite capable of governing them without seeking the
help of other powers. To meddle unnecessarily with them is
to prevent their proper working. B. w.

Memory's Mode of Appropriation.

Understanding is not essential to memory ; the memory of
many things not understood may be vital within us. For the

220 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Men

fact is that memory often grips and appropriates quite mechani-
cally. The magpie appropriates the silver spoon, carries off the
gold pencil, and numbers of other articles, without knowing
what they are or what to do with them, and stores them carefully
away. Like the magpie, the memory is a kleptomaniac. It
cannot restrain itself from snatching at and stealing away all
sorts of things. Hence the importance of keeping away from
thoughts and scenes which it is undesirable for memory to
accumulate. The magpie does not turn his medley of stores to
much account. The memory does. It is constantly meddling
with them, and they are all turned to either a good or evil
purpose. And they endure for ever. G. a

Mental Lights.

Aldebaran was once the grandest star of the firmament, and
Sirius had a companion star once the brightest in heaven, and
now one of the feeblest. Because they are now dim to us, are
we to conclude that they are going out and becoming nought 1
The stars, says Mr. E. S. Dallas, are overhead, though in the
blaze of day they are unseen ; they are not only overhead, but
also all their influences are unchanged. So there is knowledge
active within us of which we see nothing, know nothing, think
nothing. Thus in the sequence of thought, the mind, busied
with the first link in a chain of ideas, may dart to the third or
the fourth, the intermediate links being utterly unknown to it.
But they are there, and there in force. G. s.

The Mental Fertilisers of Society.

Mountains act as loadstones to the clouds, and draw down
from them the fertilising rain. A mountain-range often deter-
mines whether a country is to be a garden or a desert, and points
out the place where the rain-bearing winds are to yield up their
treasures. Mountains drink the waters of the rain of heaven.
They are the great watersheds of the earth. On their tops the
river-systems of the world are born, and the tiny rills thence
first started on their way soon coalesce into streams, and then
into rivers, to be poured back eventually into the sea. They are

Mer] AND SYMBOLS. 221

the dispensers of fertility. In the world of mind there are souls
which rise above the common plains of human thought as those
mountains ascend above the levels of the land. They tower up-
wards into the heavens of genius. They commune with truth.
They send down its refreshing influences to the arid wastes of
commonplace, and make the intellectual desert blossom like the
rose. They are the mental fertilisers of society. BE.

The Mercenary Spirit.

The mercenary spirit among men is like the heron among the
birds. Now look at the heron and you will see the resemblance
at once. Of all other birds he commits the greatest devastation
in fresh waters ; and there is scarcely a fish, though never so
large, that he will not strike at and wound, though unable to
carry it away. But the smaller fry are his chief subsistence ;
these, pursued by their larger fellows of the deep, are obliged to
take refuge in shallow waters, where they find the heron a still
more formidable enemy. His method is to wade as far as he
can into the water, and there patiently wait the approach of his
prey, which when it comes within sight, he darts upon with
inevitable aim. In this manner he is found to destroy more in
a week than an otter in three months. In general he is seen
taking his gloomy stand by the lake side, as if meditating mis-
chief, motionless, and gorged with plunder. But though in
Reasons of fine weather the heron can always find a plentiful
supply, in cold or stormy seasons his prey is no longer within
reach, and the heron is obliged to support himself upon his long
habits of patience, and even to take up the weeds that grow
upon the water. At those times he contracts a consumptive
disposition, which succeeding plenty is not able to remove.
Hence, notwithstanding the care with which he takes his prey
and the amazing quantity he devours, the heron is always lean
and emaciated. And though his crop be usually found full, yet
his flesh is scarcely sufficient to cover the bones. Thus he is
like the man of mercenary spirit. The mercenary man is active,
daring, diligent, patient, cruel, and voracious, and he, also, is
unhappy. He wants more than is good for him, and consumes

222 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Mie

more than he can turn to useful account. If he gains the whole
world, he is lean and hungry still. He works for flesh, obtains
it, and yet is skeletonic and solitary. When a number of these,
in the form of Israelites, craved for flesh, Heaven gave it them,
but even then leanness was sent into their souls. A.

Metamorphosis a Law.

A most curious and most important field of microscopic
inquiry has been opened up in the study of the transformations
which a large proportion of the lower animals undergo during
the early stages of their existence ; and notwithstanding that
it has even yet been very imperfectly cultivated, the unexpected
result has been already attained, that the fact of "metamorphosis,"
previously known only in the cases of insects and tadpoles, and
commonly considered as an altogether exceptional phenomenon,
is almost universal among the inferior tribes ; it being a rare
occurrence for the offspring to come forth from the egg in a con-
dition bearing any resemblance to that which characterises the
adult, and the latter being in general attained only after a long
series of transformations in the course of which many curious
changes are presented. There is no monotony in Nature. " Pass
on," is ever the command. MI.

Mien is Independent of Occupation.

There is a very large tribe of beetles of which the British
type is the common dor beetle. Its colour is wondrously beauti-
ful, and its polished surface gleams as if made of burnished steel,
pure and bright as armour just out of the smith's hands. Yet
this creature has been burrowing deeply into the ground, has
been meddling with the most noxious substances, and still
retains no trace of its past labours. Not a speck of mould
remains upon its surface, not a stain defiles its limbs, neither
does it retain the least odour which would betray its occupation.
It serves to remind us that a man's mien need not be repulsive
merely by reason of the fact that his occupation is offensive.
He has within himself a power to make his individuality supe-

Min] AND SYMBOLS. 223

riorto his surroundings. His demeanour and his character may
botli be beautiful even though he has to do rough work. Indeed
we have known North Wales quarrymen, and English and
Welsh colliers and ironworkers, who in point of manners and
culture would compare most favourably with men in cities who
had never done anything but clean-looking work. Real man-
hood always stands out in attractive forms whatever may be its
honest occupation. The beetle turns unpleasant substances into
a beautiful appearance, and man creates a brilliant character out
of harsh elements. H.

The Supremacy of Mind.

From a general study of four-handed animals, we perceive
what few advantages the brute creation derive from, those organs
that in man are employed to so many great and useful purposes.
The being able to pluck their food from the trees, the capacity
of clinging among the branches, and at most of converting one
of those branches into a weapon of defence, are the highest
stretches of their sagacity, and the only use their hands have
hitherto been employed in ; and yet some superficial men have
asserted that the hands alone are sufficient to vindicate the
dominion of mankind over other animals, and that much of his
boasted reason is nothing more than the result of his happier
conformation. However, were this so, an ape or a monkey would
in some instances be more rational than we ; their fingers are
smaller, and in some of them more finely formed than ours. To
what a variety of purposes might they not be employed if their
powers were properly exerted ? Those works which we, from
the largeness of our fingers, are obliged to go clumsily about,
one of these could very easily perform with the utmost exact-
ness ; and if the fineness of the hand assisted reason, an ape
would be one of the most reasonable beings in the creation.
But these admirably formed machines are almost useless both to
mankind and themselves ; and contribute little more to the
happiness of animal life than the paws of the lowest quadruped.
They are supplied indeed with the organs, but they want the
mind to put them into action : it is that reasoning principle
alone, with which man has been endowed, that can adopt seem-

224 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Min

ingly opposite causes to concur in the same general design, and
even where the organs are deficient, that can supply their place
by the intervention of assisting instruments. Where reason
prevails, we find that it scarcely matters what the organs are
that give it direction ; the being furnished with that principle
still goes forward, steadily and uniformly successful, breaks
through every obstacle, and becomes master • of every enterprise.
We have seen a man without hands or legs, convert by practice
his very stumps to the most convenient purposes, and with
these clumsy instruments perform the most astonishing feats of
dexterity. We may therefore conclude that it is the mind
alone that gives a master to the creation ; and that if a bear or
a horse were endowed with the same intellects that have been
given to a man, the hardness of a hoof, or the awkwardness of
a paw, would be no obstacle to their advancement in the arts of
dominion or of social felicity. A.

Mind the Seat of Sensations.

So indissoluble is the connection of sensation with some dis-
tant spot on the surface, that after an arm or a leg has been
amputated the patient constantly feels sensation in the lost
fingers and toes. In vain, says Mr. G. H. Lewes, experience
contradicts the sensation ; in vain he sees that his fingers and
toes are not there to feel ; he feels them as distinctly as ever
he felt them when they were parts of his living body. Nay,
so urgent is this conviction at times, that men have actually
had the feet cut off because of the pain felt there ; and the
pain still continuing after the feet were removed, they have
had the leg removed from the knee ; this not succeeding, they
have had the hip-joint removed. Here the seat of injury was
not in the foot, but the sensation was referred to the foot.
Long after we have learned to refer all sensations to the surface
we have but an indistinct conception of the exact spot on that
surface where the impression is made ; and throughout life we
are totally unable to refer with any accuracy to the particular
portions of the viscera, back, neck, and legs, which are affected,
whereas the hands, feet, tongue, and face admit of marvellous
nicety in this respect. PH.

Min] AND SYMBOLS. 225

The Function of Mind.

Lakes receive water from various sources, and some of the
rivers which enter them are turbid and muddy. Yet the water
which flows out from a lake is limpid and clear as crystal.
The reason of this is that the lake precipitates all the sand and
mud, and settles it down in depositions of silt. Only water
which is bright and pure is sent forth. Now the human mind
resembles the lake in that the information which it receives
comes to it, like streams, from all sorts of sources, pure and im-
pure. Like the lake, it can arrest the further circulation of
whatever is bad and base. It can filter everything which
passes through it. It can insist that any stream of influence
which issues from it shall be pure and good, and free from all
that is of the earth earthy. AD.

The Vigorous Mind requires a Healthy Atmosphere.

A weak enervated mind may live in a sickly atmosphere of
cant or artificiality, which would be incompatible with the life
of a healthy mind. In this case, weakness and enervation,
paradoxical as it appears, are able to endure more than strength
and vigour. A sparrow left in a bell-glass to breathe over and
over again the same air, will live in it for upwards of three
hours ; but at the close of the second hour, when there is con-
sequently still air of sufficient purity to permit this sparrow's
breathing it for more than an hour longer, if a fresh and vigor-
ous sparrow be introduced, such an one will expire almost
immediately. The air which would suffice for the respiration
of the one sparrow suffocates another. Nay more, if the sparrow
be taken from the glass at the close of the third hour when
very feeble, be restored to activity and to sufficient vigour to fly
about again, and then once more in its now healthy state intro-
duced into the atmosphere from which it was taken, it will
perish immediately. The poisonous action of a vitiated air
is better resisted by the feeble, sickly organism than by the
vigorous, healthy organism. PH.

226 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Min

A Mind in an Atom.

The mind does not demand a vast theatre as the scene of its
operations. Its essential glory is not bound up with vast
mechanical movements, but is revealed by the quality of acts.
What is more interesting than an examination, by means of a
first-rate microscope, of a tiny atom that inhabits almost every
clear ditch — the Melicerta^ The smallest point which you
could make with the finest steel-pen would be too coarse and
large to represent its natural dimensions ; yet it inhabits a snug
little house of its own construction, which it has built up stone
by stone, cementing each with perfect symmetry, and with all
the skill of an accomplished mason, as it proceeded. It collects
the material for its mortar, and mingles it; it collects the
material for its bricks, and moulds them ; and this with pre-
cision only equalled by the skill with which it lays them when
they are made. As might be supposed with such duties to
perform, the little animal is furnished with an apparatus quite
unique, a set of machinery to which, if we searched through
the whole range of beasts, birds, reptiles, and fishes, and then
by way of supplement examined the five hundred thousand
species of insects to boot, we should find no parallel. The
whole apparatus is exquisitely beautiful. The head of the
pellucid and colourless animal unfolds into a broad transparent
disc, the edge of which is moulded into four rounded segments,
not unlike the flower of the heart's-ease, supposing the fifth
petal to be obsolete. The entire margin of this flower-like disc
is set with fine vibratile cilia : the current produced runs uni-
formly in one direction. Thus there is a strong and rapid set
of water round the edge of the disc, following all its irregula-
rities of outline, and carrying with it the floating particles of
matter, which are drawn into the stream. At every circum-
volution of this current, however, as its particles arrive in
succession at one particular point, viz., the great depression
between the two uppermost petals, a portion of these escape
from the revolving direction, and pass off in a line along the
summit of the face towards the front, till they merge in a
curious little cup-shaped cavity seated on what we may call
the chin. This tiny cup is the mould in which the bricks are

Min] AND SYMBOLS. 227

made one by one as they are wanted for use. The hemisphe-
rical interior is ciliated, and hence the contents are maintained
in rapid rotation. These contents are the atoms of sedimentary
and similar matter which have been gradually accumulated in
the progress of the ciliary current ; and these, by the rotation
within the cup becoming consolidated, probably also with the
aid of a viscid secretion elaborated for the purpose, form a
globular pellet, which as soon as made is deposited, by a sudden
inflexion of the animal, on the edge of the tube or case at the
exact spot where it is wanted. The entire process of making
and depositing a pellet occupies about three minutes. We say
nothing about the other systems of organs contained in this
living atom — the arrangements destined to subserve the pur-
poses of digestion, circulation, respiration, reproduction, loco-
motion, sensation, &c., though these are all more or less clearly
distinguishable in the tissues of the animal, which is as tran-
slucent as glass. For the moment, says Mr. Gosse, I ask
attention only to the elaborate conformation of organs which I
have briefly described, for the special purpose of building a
dwelling. No description that I could draw up, however,
could convey any idea approaching to that which would be
evoked by one good sight of the little creature actually at work
— a most charming spectacle, and one which, from the common-
ness of the animal, and the ready performance of its functions
under the microscope, is very easy to be attained. It is
impossible to \vitness the constructive operations of the
melicerta without being convinced that it possesses mental
faculties, at least if we allow these to any animals below man.
If when the chimpanzee weaves together the branches of a tree
to make himself a bed ; when the beaver, in concert with his
fellows, gnaws down the birch saplings, and collects clay to form
a dam ; when the martin brings together pellets of mud, and
arranges them under our eaves into a hollow receptacle for her
eggs and young, — we do not hesitate to recognise mind, — call it
instinct, or reason, or a combination of both, — how can we fail
to see that in the operations of the invisible animalcule there
are the workings of an immaterial principle 1 There must be a
power to judge of the condition of its case, of the height to
which it must be carried, of the time when this must be done ;

228 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Min

a will to commence and to go on, a will to leave off (for the
ciliary current is entirely under control) ; a consciousness of the
readiness of the pellet ; an accurate estimate of the spot where
it needs to be deposited (may I not say also, a memory where
the previous ones had been laid, since the deposition does not
go on in regular succession, but now and then, yet so as to keep
the edge tolerably uniform in height ?), and a will to determine
that there it shall be put. But surely these are mental powers.
Yet mind animating an atom so small that your eyes strained
to the utmost can only just discern the speck in the most
favourable circumstances, as when you hold the glass which
contains it between your eye and the light, so that the ray shall
illuminate the tiny form while the background is dark behind
it 1 no.

The Mighty in the Minute.

The circulation of the ocean, its phosphorescence, and the
coloration of certain seas, make known but imperfectly what
can be accomplished by the incalculable numbers, the prodigious
fecundity, and the devouring activity of the minute animals,
scarcely perceptible individually, and of so elementary an
organisation, with which it teems. Yet geology demonstrates
that it was they which laid the foundation of animal life in that
immense cradle, that inexhaustible nursery (as Maury calls it) ;
it is they which maintain a never- varying identity in the com-
position of its waters, absorbing and elaborating the mineral
and organic properties with which these are incessantly loaded.
There are some which serve as the food of stronger and superior
species, the molluscs and the radiatas ; these in their turn
nourish the fish and crustaceans, which are themselves devoured,
either by far larger fishes or by the cetaceae and amphibians.
There are others — indefatigable architects — which construct the
fantastic edifices that from the depths of ocean mount to its
very surface, and spread afar, ramify, and terminate in coral
reef and islands. Others, finally, by dying, have accumulated
at certain points their silicious or calcareous wrecks, and
formed numerous banks and shallows, and entire beds of
deposit, where the geologist to-day may study these first-born
of creation. MY.

Min] AND SYMBOLS. 229

The Vast in the Minute.

We discourse about the little and the great; but these are
relative terms. A thing which we may call little a philosopher
may declare contains in itself the basis of all life and the germ
of worlds. Take, for instance, such an insignificant thing as
the stinging nettle which you are about to tread beneath your
feet. Professor Huxley will speak with you about that nettle
in a manner which will invest it with astonishing interest for
evermore. He commences by telling you that that common
nettle owes its stinging property to the innumerable stiff and
needle-like though exquisitely delicate hairs which cover its
surface ; that each stinging-needle tapers from a broad base to a
slender summit, which, though rounded at the end, is of such
microscopic fineness that it readily penetrates and breaks off in
the skin. The whole hair, he says, consists of a very delicate
outer case of wood, closely applied to the inner surface of which
is a layer of semi-fluid matter, full of innumerable granules of
extreme minuteness. This semi-fluid is protoplasm (the physical
basis of life), which thus constitutes a kind of bag full of a limpid
liquid, and roughly corresponding in form with the interior of
the hair which it fills. When viewed with a sufficiently high
magnifying power, the protoplasmic layer of the nettle hair is
seen to be in a condition of unceasing activity. Local contrac-
tions of the whole thickness of its substance pass slowly and
gradually from point to point, and give rise to the appearance of
progressive waves, just as the bending of successive stalks of
corn by a breeze produces the apparent billows of a corn-field.
But in addition to these movements, and independently of them,
the granules are driven in relatively rapid streams through
channels in the protoplasm which seem to have a considerable
amount of persistence. Most commonly the currents in adja-
cent parts of the protoplasm take similar directions, and thus
there is a general stream up one side of the hair and down the
other. But this does not prevent the existence of partial
currents which take different routes ; and sometimes trains of
granules may be seen coursing swiftly in opposite directions,
within a twenty-thousandth of an inch of one another ; while,
occasionally, opposite streams come into direct collision, and after

230 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Mor

a longer or shorter struggle one predominates. The spectacle
afforded by the wonderful energies prisoned within the compass
of the microscopic hair of a plant, which we commonly regard
as a merely passive organism, is not easily forgotten by one who
has watched its display, continued hour after hour, without
pause or sign of weakening. Currents similar to those of the
hairs of the nettle have been observed in a great multitude of
very different plants, and weighty authorities have suggested
that they probably occur in more or less perfection in all young
vegetable cells. If such be the case, the wonderful noon-day
silence of a tropical forest is, after all, due only to the dulness
of our hearing ; and could our ears catch the murmur of these
tiny maelstroms as they whirl in the innumerable myriads of
living cells which constitute each tree, we should be stunned as
with the roar of a great city. L. s.

Mistaken Identity.

The yellow gum-tree of Western Australia has been com-
pared to a tall native black man with a spear, and to those who
have seen it the resemblance is complete. The author of
" Gatherings of a Naturalist in Australia," says that he has even
seen a fellow-traveller " cooing " to one of these trees to make
an inquiry. For this reason the trees are often called " Black-
boys." We have seen in England cases of mistaken identity
quite as amusing. For instance, we have sometimes observed
in a court of law a man dressed up in all the habiliments of a
judge, and sitting as a judge would be expected to sit. We
have heard counsel professionally " cooing " to him, yet all the
time the gentleman has been only a jester, or an advocate, and
no more a judge than the yellow gum-tree was a black boy.
The great Tichborne trial was a good illustration of this kind
of thing. The position in which a tree or a man is placed, and
outside appearances, often conspire to produce an hallucination.

G.

Morality affected by Weather.

We are played upon by external influences. Vice may be
developed by the breezes. Atmospheric changes may affect even

Mor]

AND SYMBOLS.

231

the human mind. For example : The police of Buenos Ayres
are well acquainted with the fact that quarrelling and bloodshed
are much more frequent when the wind blows from the north.
Sir Woodbine Parish informs us, in his narrative of a visit to
that place, that a sort of moral derangement prevails while that
wind continues. This wind produces headache and disorder of
faculty to a great extent, and, of course, leads to increase of
crime with all classes of persons who are accustomed readily to
yield to their bodily impulses. No doubt the cause as regards
Buenos Ayres arises from some malaria engendered in the
marshes over which the wind passes. That the cause is chemi-
cal is proved by its effects on meat, which soon becomes putrid
when exposed to it. The milk also is quickly spoiled, and the
bread baked during its continuance is always bad. u.

The Relation of Food to Morality.

The eating by man of bad food, or of good food which is
badly assimilated, will account for much of the misery and
many of the crimes of the world. Some of the barbarous
theology of mankind may be traced to indigestion. The want
of food has often supplied the motive for wars and riots. That
fasting, even when under the supposed authority of religion,
kindles the murderous passions in those who are not habituated
to self-control and the devotedness of holy motives, is largely
exemplified by the information of those who have travelled in
superstitious countries. Thus the author of Eothen, who is evi-
dently well informed, states that the fasts of the Greek Church
produce an ill effect upon the character of the people, for they
are carried to such an extent as to bring on febrile irritation
with depression of spirits, and a fierce desire for the perpetration
of dark crimes. Hence the number of murders is greater during
Lent than at any other time of the year. u.

Moral Relapse.

The pansy only develops its beauty under cultivation, and
when neglected soon relapses into its native condition. There
are men who keep conspicuously moral so long as they are con-

232 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Mor

stantly cultivated by their minister, but who relapse into their
former littleness if his care is withdrawn. Such men, like the
pansies, give a deal of trouble. Eut if you want to exhibit
either them or the flower, you have no option but to give them
constant cultivation. Whether the result, in either case, is
worth the trouble is another matter. B. F.

Moral Sentinels.

The Trigonocephalus or lance-headed viper is a most poison-
ous reptile, common in the West Indian Islands. To warn the
natives in the Antilles of his presence, Nature has supplied us
with numerous watchful sentinels in the small birds, whose
not unreasonable hate against this serpent is a remarkable
proof of their intelligence. No sooner does the bird, which
they have wished to name the nightingale, see from his aerial
station the scales of the reptile gliding into the herbage, or
glittering among the large leaves, than he can no longer control
himself. He flies to and fro : he leaps from branch to branch,
summoning with a lamentable cry all the feathered tribe from
the neighbouring trees. From far and near the cry widens and
is repeated ; from all directions flock nightingales and thrushes,
grosbeaks and humming-birds, and hovering above the assassin
furiously denounce it, and indicate its lurking-place to man.
Irritated by such a concert of maledictions, the serpent elevates
its crest, but lo ! they are far beyond its reach ! And the cries,
the murmurs, the insults are redoubled. It seeks to conceal
itself, but these cries persistently accompany it. Wherever it
drags its slimy, shining bulk, they follow, they harass, and
they denounce it. Either night comes on, or it succeeds in
completely hiding itself from their watchful gaze, before they
reluctantly leave it to its own devices. Great the consternation
if their enemy escape them. But what joy, what triumphal
sounds, if man appears upon the scene, and slays it ! These
birds resemble those moral sentinels in society, the preachers, the
teachers, and the philanthropists, w^o endeavour by their acti-
vities and their voices to warn mankind against the insidious
movements of " that old serpent the devil." How energeti-
cally do these good men perform their noble work ; how wary

Kor] AND SYMBOLS. 233

and indefatigable are they in their labours ; and how exultant
are they if they can save men from being made victims ! D.

The Advent of Moral Ascendancy.

Contemplate our planet as it must have been when in-
habited by the monstrous birds, and reptiles, and quadrupeds
which preceded the advent of man. Those were times when
animated forms attained dimensions which are now wholly
exceptionable. That may be described as the age when phy-
sical and physiological forces were dominant, as the force of
moral agency dominates over the present, and is destined, as
appearances tend to prove, to dominate more fully hereafter.
Can we not recognise an antagonism between the development
of brute force and of the quality of mind ? Would it not even
seem that Nature could not at one and the same time develop
mental and corporeal giants ? The physiological reign has only
declined in order to prepare the advent of moral ascendancy.
Giant bodies seem departing from the earth, and giant spirits
commencing to rule. Humanity is progressive : is not this
progression made manifest by zoological revelations ? The first
bone-traces of human beings range back to an epoch posterior
to the monstrous quadrupeds entombed in the diluvium. Here-
after giants probably will only be seen in the moral world,
grosser corporeal giant forms having become extinct. s. N.

The Inextinguishableness of Moral Truths.

Nothing can be more singular than the manner in which
plants spring up on certain occasions. Thus after the great fire
of London in 1666, a large portion of the devastated city was
in a short time covered with a luxuriant crop of the Sysymbrium
irio, in such profusion that it was calculated that the whole of
the rest of Europe did not contain so many specimens of this
plant. Again, wherever a salt-spring breaks out at a distance
from the sea, its vicinity immediately abounds with salt plants,
although none grew there before. When lakes are drained, a
new vegetation springs up. Thus when some of those of the

234 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Mur

Danish, island of Zealand were drained, Vilny observed Carex
cyperoides springing up, although that species is naturally not a
native of Denmark, but of the north of Germany. M'Kenzie,
in his North American tour, speaking of the country bordering
on the Slave Lake, says, " It is covered with large trees of spruce
pine and white birch ; when these are destroyed poplars succeed,
though none were before to be seen." Evelyn notices a fact
very similar to this, which is observed in England, in Nova
Scotia, and in the United States of America, that where fires
have destroyed the original wood the new saplings which spring
up are generally different species of trees. All these phenomena
indicate the inextinguishableness of vegetable vitality ; and on
this point they may be employed to typify the inextinguishable-
ness of moral truths in our world. No fires of insurrection, no
deluges of persecution, no changes in the forms of human society
by kings, or priests, or mobs, have ever had the effect of obliterat-
ing moral ideas. They are inextinguishable, and spring up un-
accountably in perennial beauty despite all social conflagrations
and convulsions. 8.

Multum in Parvo.

When we look on the tiny harvest-mouse, two of which
scarcely weigh a halfpenny, and which brings up its large little
family of eight hopeful mouselings in a nest no bigger than a
cricket-ball, or the still tinier Etruscan shrew, it greatly enhances
our interest to know that every essential organ is there which is
in the giant rorqual of a hundred feet. The humming-bird is
constructed exactly on the same model as to essentials as the
condor ; the little sphaerodactyle, which we might put in a quill-
barrel and carry home in the waistcoat pocket, as the mighty
crocodile ; the mackerel-midge, which never surpasses an inch
and a quarter in length, as the huge bask ing-shark of six-and-
thirty feet. BO.

Murderous though Beautiful.

Beautiful, innocent-looking creatures are sometimes deadly in
their influence. The Lucilia hominivorax is rather more than
the third of an inch in length ; the head is large, downy, and

Mus] AND SYMBOLS. 235

of a golden yellow. The thorax is dark blue and very brilliant,
with gay reflections of purple. The wings are transparent, yet
prettily tinged ; their margins as well as the feet are black.
This innocent-looking insect is very beautiful, yet it is an
assassin. M. Coquerel has informed us that it sometimes
occasions the death of those wretched convicts who have been
transported to the distant penitentiary of Cayenne. When this
fly gets into the mouth or nostrils it lays its eggs there, and when
they are changed into larvae, the death of the victim generally
follows. The larvae are lodged in the interior of the nasal
orifices and the frontal sinuses, and their mouths are armed
with two very sharp mandibles. They have been known to
reach the ball of the eye, and to gangrene the eyelids. They
enter the mouth, corrode and devour the gums and the entrance
of the throat, so as to transform those parts into a mass of
putrid flesh, a heap of corruption. What an emblem are these
of the pleasures which, in an unsuspicious form, are apt to
fasten themselves upon man — beautiful in appearance, yet
ruinous in result ! L

Music a Natural Inspiration.

The song of the birds must be the expression of some senti-
ment ; they surely sing as much for their own pleasure as to
charm those who listen to them. When they fill the woods
with their melodious accents, they direct their looks on all
sides, as if proud of their talents, and desirous of gathering the
tribute of admiration to which they feel themselves entitled.
Their song varies with the season ; but it is in the early spring
their efforts are the most successful and we are most disposed
to admire the beauty and harmony of their voices. Can any-
thing be more delicious than the warbling of the linnet, the
piping of the goldfinch, slowly swelling from the leafy bower,
or the melodious cadence of the nightingale as it breaks the
silence of the woodland during the serene nights of leafy June ?

RE.

236 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Mut

Influence of Modulated Sound upon the Muscular

System.

Travellers inform us that the Arabs are in the habit of teach-
ing goats to stand with their feet close together on the top
of several little blocks of wood. The manner in which they
accomplish this feat beautifully illustrates the influence of
modulated sound on the muscular system, as it appears that,
however long the goats may have been used to this exhibition,
they succeed only during the playing of a tune. If there be
any alteration in the movement or time the goat begins in-
stantly to totter, and the moment the music closes the goat
falls. A similar effect is felt by dancers on the tight-rope.
This resembles what is felt by vain statesmen when the music
of flattery ceases. U.

Caprices of Musical Taste.

Mouffet relates that in certain regions of Africa the crickets
(gryUw) are objects of commerce. They are brought up in
little cages, as we do canary birds, and sold to the inhabitants,
who like to hear their amorous chant. This song lulls them "to
sleep. It would be quite irritating to the ears of persons
trained to more melodious sounds. But there is no absolute
standard of music in the world. That which some persons
consider melody others would deem discord. There are
caprices of musical taste which enable people to enjoy the
chirping of crickets and the piano and song of the conven-
tional boarding-school young lady. I.

Mutual Co-operation.

The animal inhabitant of the Pinna marina is a blind slug
surrounded with numerous enemies, and particularly obnoxious
to the Sepia, or cuttle-fish, who watches the motion of the
Pinna, and no sooner does the latter open his bivalve shell,
which occasionally exceeds two feet in length, than he rushes
upon him like a lion. It will naturally be asked how such a
blind, defenceless creature can either procure food or protect
himself from the attack of his implacable enemies? A kind

Mys]

AND SYMBOLS.

237

of crab-fish, naked like the hermit, and very quick-sighted, is
the constant companion of the Pinna marina. They live and
lodge together in the shell which belongs to the latter. When
the Pinna has occasion to eat, he opens his valves, and sends
out his faithful purveyor to procure food. If any foe approaches,
the watchful crab returns with the utmost speed and anxiety
to his blind protector, who, being thus warned of danger, shuts
his valves, and escapes the rage of the enemy ; when, on the
contrary, the crab loads himself with booty, he makes a gentle
noise at the opening of the shell, which is closed during his
absence, and when admitted the two friends feast together on
the fruits of his industry. PH.

The Principle of Mutual Attraction.

The self-luminous stars which so thickly stud the heavens
are probably but the centres of numberless other systems, for it
is placed beyond dispute that there is no one mass of matter
positively isolated, but that all are alike influenced by extra-
neous bodies, subject to the same unerring law. This law per-
vades the universe, and is the principle of mutual attraction,
by which these floating worlds, acting and reacting on each other,
are buoyed up for ever in the aerial ocean of space. MAR.

The Veil of Mystery.

The veil of mystery hides from our gaze, not only our own
future, but our very origin. It envelops the whole problem
of life. If we trace animal and physical nature to their be-
ginnings, we come to the borders of a kingdom shrouded in
mystery. We meet in the Protista forms of organic life whose
characteristics are so indefinite as to make it impossible for us
to decide whether they are vegetables or animals ; they are
organisms without organs. If we try to lift the veil of mystery
from, protoplasm, we can discover nothing more than that it is a
naked contractile mass of seemingly homogeneous jelly, the
substratum for all the life movements of the lowest living
things. No one can detect any rigid line which separates what

238 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Nas

we call life from that which we suppose to have no life. The
veil of mystery prevents our finding any absolute barrier be-
tween the living and the not living. We know nothing of an
absolute commencement of life. The veil of mystery hides all
the primordial collocations. However much we may wish it, we
cannot be present at the genesis of life ; the veil is still there.
The gradual transition from the not living to the living is ever
hidden from our view by its mysterious folds. B. L.

Though Undeserved, a Bad Name Adheres.

Give a man a bad name, and no one credits him with the
many good things he does. Give an animal a bad name, and
people omit to notice whether it be appropriate and just. The
ass is always esteemed as the stupidest of animals, yet if one be
shut up in the same enclosure with half-a-dozen horses of the
finest blood, and the party escape, it is infallibly the poor
donkey that has led the way. It is he alone that penetrates
the secret of the bolt and latch, and he may be often seen
snuffing over a piece of work to which all other animals are
incompetent. p.

Nastiness its own Defence.

The skunk, being slow of motion, can be easily overtaken
and captured ; but neither man nor dogs care to go near it. It
is comparatively safe from them by reason of the filthy and
noisome stench which it has the power to discharge at pleasure,
a stench which is supposed to be one of the most powerful in
nature, and so durable that it will remain for days. It is so
horrible as in some cases to produce actual illness. And the
creature has the power to eject the irritant fluid which contains
it to a distance upwards of five feet. We have seen men and
women in society who have deserved punishment for their
offences, but who have nevertheless remained safe because, like
the skunk, they were too nasty to attack. The ordinary rules
for the pursuit and chastisement of wrong-doers did not apply
to their case. Had they been cleaner natures they might have
been castigated according to their deserts. Constituted as they

Nat] AND SYMBOLS. 239

were, even the dogs of the law refused to follow their loath-
some track, and all pure men, stood aloof from the work. Of
such beings we may say that they have been exceptionally safe
because they were exceptionally pestiferous. MU.

The Conquests of the Nasty.

The burrowing owl, which flies by day, derives its name
from the place where it makes its nest in the pampas of South
America, or the prairies of North America. It does not dig
burrows for itself, but simply takes possession of those belong-
ing to other animals after having driven them away by its
disgusting odour. This is its mode of conquering a territory.
There are some men who seem to push their way in life by the
power which they possess of making themselves objectionable.
They do not enjoy sufficient genius to command influential
positions, yet they acquire them ; and their compeers make way
for them. It is because of their insufferable offensiveness.
The persons around them cannot work with them or near
them ; they resign, and the burro wing-owl-man obtains the
place he wants. He is keen enough to know the situation
which he does want, and he makes for it. He does not need
to do any struggling or fighting. There is that in him which
drives others away and leaves him master. RE.

The Completeness of Nature's Plans.

Philosophy teaches us when the little snow-drop, which in our
garden walks we see raising its beautiful head to remind us that
spring is at hand, was created, that the whole mass of the earth,
from pole to pole, and from circumference to centre, musthavebeen
taken into account and weighed in order that the proper degree
of strength might be given to the fibres of even this little plant.
Botanists tell us that the constitution of this plant is such as to
require that, at a certain stage of its growth, the stalk should
bend and the flower should bow its head, that an operation
may take place which is necessary in order that the herb should
produce seed after its kind ; and that after this, its vegetable
health requires that it should lift its head again and stand erect.

240 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Nat

Now if the mass of the earth had been greater or less, the force
of gravity would have been different ; in that case the strength
of fibre in the snow-drop, as it is, would have been too much or
too little ; the plant could not bow or raise its head at the right
time, fecundation could not take place, and its family would
have become extinct with the first individual that was planted,
because its " seed " would not have been " in itself," and there-
fore it could not reproduce itself. T.

The Plan on -which Nature affords Assistance.

There are two ways in which Nature affords aid : one is by
directly doing the particular thing required; the other is by
giving a creature the power to perform it himself. And as a
rule Nature refuses to do for a creature that which she has
endowed him with power to do for himself. In the Arctic
regions, where the cold of winter is intense, Nature has fur-
nished most animals with an efficient protection against its
influence. She has given its warm coat of fur to the bear, and
has provided the whale and walrus with a stratum of blubber,
whose non-conducting powers enable the animals to retain their
vital warmth in a medium which would seem to be inconsistent
with life. All animals, except man, in fact, are provided with
more or less covering to enable them to resist cold, and accord-
ingly we find that where they are naturally the inhabitants of
countries exposed to considerable varieties of temperature, they
appear to suffer very little inconvenience during the winter.
Not so man ; unprovided with any natural covering to shelter
him from the chilling influence of a wintry atmosphere, he
must have become to a certain extent a hybernating animal,
had not his reason and his industry supplied him with clothing
and fire to protect him from cold. Nature for this purpose was
content with bestowing on him the compensating faculty of
reason, leaving the rest to his own ingenuity and diligence.

8.

Nature's Marvellous Prevision.

When a coral reef, says Chamisso, is of such a height as
to be almost wholly uncovered at low water, the zoophytes dis-

Nat] AND SYMBOLS. 241

continue their toils. Below the line which they have traced
you then discover a continuous stony mass, composed of shells,
molluscs, and echinidae, with their bristling spikes and frag-
ments of coral connected by a calcareous sand proceeding from
the pulverisation of the shells. It often happens that the heat
of the sun penetrates this calcareous mass when it is dry, and
causes it to split open in many places ; the waves then possess
sufficient force to divide it into blocks of coral about six feet
long by three or four and a half feet broad, and to hurl them
upon the reef ; this operation terminates in the elevation of such
a crest that the high tides only wash over it at certain periods
of the year. The calcareous sand does not experience any fur-
ther change, and offers to the seeds brought thither by the waves
a soil wherein vegetation flourishes with sufficient rapidity to
speedily overshadow its dazzling white surface. Whole trunks
of trees, transported by the rivers from other countries and other
islands, find there at length, after a protracted voyage, a resting-
place. Some small animals, such as insects or lizards, are con-
veyed among them, and usually become the first inhabitants of
these reefs. Even before the trees are thick and leafy enough to
form a wood, the sea-birds build their nests among them ; stray
terrestrial birds seek refuge in the copses; and finally, long
after the polypes have accomplished their work, man appears
and erects his hut on the fertile soil MY.

Nature is a Book.

Nature is a book, and a most profound and splendid book.
Those who will read it will be completely fascinated and wisely
taught. To one who looks abroad to contemplate the agents of
Nature as he sees them at work upon our planet, no expression
uttered nor act performed by them is without meaning. By
such a one the wind and rain, the vapour and the cloud, the
tide, the current, the saltness and depth, and warmth and
colour of the sea, the shade of the sky, the temperature of the
air, the tint and shape of the clouds, the height of the tree on
the shore, the size of its leaves, the brilliancy of its flowers —
each and all may be regarded as the exponent of certain physical
combinations, and therefore as the expression in which Nature

Q

242 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Nat

chooses to announce her own doings, or, if wo please, as the
language in which she writes down or chooses to make known
her own laws. To understand that language and to interpret
aright those laws is at once delightful and profitable. No fact
gathered in such a field as this can, therefore, come amiss to
those who tread the walks of inductive philosophy, for in the
handbook of Nature every such fact is a syllable ; and it is
15y patiently collecting fact after fact, and by joining syllable
after syllable, that we may finally seek to read aright from the
great volume which the mariner at sea and the philosopher on
the mountain see spread out before them. T.

Purity of Vesture a Principle in Nature.

Purity of vesture seems to be a principal precept of Nature,
and observable throughout creation. Fishes, from the nature
of the element in which they reside, can contract but little
impurity. Birds are unceasingly attentive to neatness and
lustration of their plumage. All the slug race, though covered
with slimy matter calculated to collect extraneous things and
reptiles, are perfectly free from soil. The fur and hair of beasts
in a state of liberty and health are never filthy or sullied with
dirt. Some birds roll themselves in dust and occasionally
cover themselves with mire ; beasts have the same habit ; but
this is not from any liking or inclination for such things, but
to free themselves from annoyances, or to prevent the bites
of insects. The meloe and some of the scarabasi, upon first
emerging from their winter's retreat, are commonly found with
earth clinging to them ; but the removal of this is one of the
first operations of the creature ; and all the beetle race, the chief
occupation of which is crawling about the soil and such dirty
employs, are, notwithstanding, remarkable for the glossiness of
their covering and freedom from defilements of any kind. J.

The Music of Nature.

Birds associate themselves with all sounds and voices, add
their own poesy, their wild and simple rhythms. By analogy,
by contrast, they augment and complete the grand effects of

Nat] AND SYMBOLS. 243

Nature. To the hoarse beating of the waves the sea-bird
opposes his shrill strident notes ; with the monotonous murmur-
ings of the agitated trees the turtle-dove and a hundred birds
blend a soft sad cadence ; to the awakening of the fields, the
gaiety of the country, the lark responds with his song, and
bears aloft to heaven the joys of earth. Thus then everywhere,
above the vast instrumental concert of Nature, above her deep
sighs, above the sonorous waves which escape from the divine
organ, a vocal music springs and detaches itself — that of the
bird almost always in vivid notes, which strike sharply on this
solemn base with the ardent strokes of a bow. T. B.

Man's Power to Elicit Nature's Secrets.

By the aid of American Brooke's invention, the entire
orography of the Atlantic has been mapped out with sufficient
exactness. This most simple instrument has already rendered
unappreciable services to science. The bed of the ocean has
been explored to a depth of 14,000 and 15,000 feet; and speci-
mens, perfectly intact, have been collected of the wreck of
shells and zoophytes with which it is carpeted. MY.

Nature's Method of Developing New Races.

A breeder, says Lyell, finds that a new race of cattle, with
short horns or without horns, may be formed in the course of
several generations by choosing varieties having the most stunted
horns as his stock from which to breed ; so Nature, by altering
in the course of ages the conditions of life, the geographical
features of a country, the climate, the associated plants and
animals, and consequently the food and enemies of a species and
its mode of life, may be said by this means to select certain
varieties best adapted for this new state of things. Such new
races may often supplant the original type from which they may
have diverged, although that type may have been perpetuated
without modification for countless anterior ages in the same
region, so long as it was in harmony with the surrounding con-
ditions then prevailing. s. L.

244 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Nat

The Laboratory of Organic Nature.

It is in plants that the true laboratory of organic nature
resides : carbon, hydrogen, ammonium, and water are the
elements they work upon ; and woody fibre, starch, gums, and
sugars on the one hand, fibrine, albumen, caseum and gluten
on the other, are the products that present themselves as funda-
mental in either organic kingdom of Nature — products, however,
which are formed in plants, and in plants only, and merely
transferred by digestion to the bodies of animals. The vege-
table world is the great originator and source of that pabulum
which is necessary for the existence of animals. Animals use
the materials which are elaborated for them. They alter them
by degrees ; they destroy or decompound them ; they bring
them back towards the state of carbonic acid, water, azote, and
ammonia, a state which admits of their ready restoration to
the air. B. L.

Nature is Upheld by Antagonisms.

The great primary object which Nature intended to serve by
the universal diffusion of the grass seems to be the protection of
the soiL Were the soil freely exposed to heaven without any
organic covering it would speedily pass away from the rocks on
whose surface it was deposited. The floods would lay bare one
district and encumber another with accumulated heaps; the
sun would dry it up and deprive it of all its nourishing con-
stituents ; the winds would scatter it far and near, and fill the
whole atmosphere with its blinding, choking clouds. It is
impossible to imagine all the disastrous effects that would be
produced over the whole earth were the disintegration of the
elements not counteracted by the conservative force of vital
growth, and the destructive powers of Nature not kept in check
by the apparently insignificant but actually irresistible emerald
sceptre of the grass. The earth would soon be deprived of itsi
vegetation and inhabitants, and become one vast desert cata-
comb, a gigantic lifeless cinder, revolving without aim or object
round the sun. B.

Nat] AND SYMBOLS. 245

Some of Nature's Police.

So numerous are the "green-oak moths" that their pro-
geny would shortly devastate a forest were they not subject to
the attacks of another insect. This insect is a little fly, of a
shape something resembling that of a large gnat, and which has,
as far as we know, no English name. Its scientific title is Empis.
There are several species of this useful fly, one attaining some
size ; but the one that claims our notice just at present is the
little empis, scientifically Empis tessellata. He is a terrible
fellow this empis, quiet and insignificant in aspect, with a sober
brown coat, thin and genteel legs, and just a modest little tuft
on the top of his head. But sad is it for the gay and very
green insect that flies within reach of this very estimable indi-
vidual ! The great hornet that comes rushing by is not half so
dangerous for all his sharp teeth and his terrible sting. The
stag-beetle may frighten our green young friend out of his
senses by his truculent aspect and gigantic stature. But better
a thousand stag-beetles than one little empis. For when once
the thin and genteel legs have come on the track of the little
moth, it is all over with him. Claw after claw is hooked on
him, gradually and surely the clasp tightens, and when once he
is hopelessly captured, out comes a horrid long bill and drains
him dry. c. o.

Natural Selection.

Natural selection, or the survival of the fittest, does not
necessarily include progressive development ; it only takes ad-
vantage of such variations as arise and are beneficial to each
creature under its complex relations of life. And it may be
asked, What advantage, so far as we can see, would it be to an
infusorian animalcule, to an intestinal worm, or even to an
earth worm, to be highly organised 1 If it were no advantage,
these forms would be left by natural selection unimproved or
but little improved, and might remain for indefinite ages ia
their present little advanced condition. o.

246 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Non

The Dastard's Nemesis.

The pike is reputed to be afraid of the perch, its strong
prickly spines deterring him from attacking so well armed a
prey. And in proof of this assertion it is said that if an
angler has been unsuccessfully attempting to catch a pike, he
can mostly succeed by taking a rather small perch, cutting off
its prickly fins and using it as bait. The pike, seeing that the
perch is defenceless, will not lose so excellent an opportunity :
he accordingly darts at the bait and is straightway hooked.
Here is a parallel to a transaction constantly seen in commer-
cial circles. A dastard, when he sees it defenceless, will often
attack a creature of which, at any other time, he has been
afraid. But this truculence sometimes leads him to his own
ruin. For Nemesis angles for him with the victim which he
desires, and then captures him in the moment when he is about
to gratify himself by appropriating it. Intriguers, wreckers,
adventurers, and money-lenders, beware ! The waters of human
life have snares even for your rapacity. r.

Nervousness Initiates Bad Policy.

The great enemy of the earth-worm is the mole. The
peewit bird knows this, and in order to make the worms fancy
a mole is near, it taps the ground with one leg. No sooner
do the worms perceive a vibration or shaking motion in the
earth than they make the best of their way to the surface,
and thus constantly fall into greater and more certain peril, as
the peewit feeds on those he catches. How many nervous
persons, through yielding to unnecessary terrors, in like manner
frighten themselves away from situations of comparative safety
into the very presence of needless dangers ! HI.

Nonchalance Assumed as a Stratagem.

The dark and sombre little bee termed Mellinus arvensis is
rather a slow flier, whereas the flies which it chooses for its prey
are all swift of wing, so that it cannot take them by open
assault, but is obliged to trust to craft. In order, therefore, to
obtain its victims, the Mellinus watches some spot. where flies
most love to congregate, and walks to and fro as if it were

Not] AND SYMBOLS. 247

quite unconcerned. It continues to move about in this manner
until it comes close to a fly, when it springs upon the luckless
insect, trounces it in its claws, and carries it off like a falcon
with a partridge. Nonchalance is always a very successful
stratagem when a piece of cunning business is to be performed.
A prejudiced judge who desires to snatch a verdict ; an un-
scrupulous stockbroker who is eager to sell some worthless
scrip ; a horse-coper who means to dispose of a " screw ; " a
pickpocket in a crowd — all understand as well as the Mellinus
arvensis the unspeakable value of nonchalance as a means to
the accomplishment of their designs. H.

Nothing New under the Sun.

When tracts of forest-land are cleared of the timber, as often
happens in North America, and occasionally in our own country,
the following season there springs up in abundance, where the
trees stood previously, some pretty herbaceous plant that was
quite unknown there while the trees existed, and which had
been patiently "biding its time." The explanation of such
curious appearances is perfectly simple. The herbaceous plant,
whatever it may be, had occupied the ground when there
were no trees there, forming some kind of herbage or meadow,
and letting fall its annual progeny of seeds. In course of time
trees have sprung up, their own seeds conveyed thither either
by human agency, or by one or other of the wonderful con-
trivances of Nature which ensure propagation whether man give
his aid or not. These trees have offered too dense a shade for
the herbaceous plant, which retires, as it were, into private life ;
but when they in their turn are cut down, the original plants
return, covering the surface with the old imperishable carpet.
The earthy crust of our planet appears to be stocked in every
part with seeds that have been produced in years gone by,
scattered upon the surface, and subsequently covered up with
soil. Whenever the ground is disturbed, either by the plough
or by the spade of the railway excavator, or for any purpose
which causes its depths to be overturned, that position which
was many feet below being thrown to the surface, and exposed
to the air, the sunbeams, and the moisture of dew and rain,

248 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Obj

immediately there springs up a crop of young plants, certainly
not originating in seeds only just then brought from neighbour-
ing fields, and as certainly from seeds that have been lying in
the soil for ages. How they came to be covered up is easy to
conceive when we see with our own eyes what is done by
wintry floods, and the sweeping down of great masses of earth
and soil, which accumulate often to a considerable depth, and
are no doubt similarly charged with seeds that, after waiting
their turn, will some day grow, for it is an established fact
that no seed can germinate or begin to sprout unless it have
the threefold influence in direct operation upon it of warmth,
moisture, and the atmosphere. Let it be shut in from the
access of these, and it lies passive, giving no sign of life or
growth, and incapable of doing so. In like manner human
ideas remain dormant in the mind of the world until there are
brought to bear upon them the ordained influences which will
cause them to start into life. When those influences come
into operation the ideas soon take shape and grow into vigorous
forces. " There is no new thing," says Solomon, " under the
sun." Perhaps he had an inspired glimpse of the scientific
fact that our world was equipped with everything when it was
first launched into immensity, and that, though its changes
have been marvellous and incessant, they have been changes of
form only. " No new thing " has been added. The old forces
have been ever unfolding and developing. Nature is like
Proteus. Proteus possessed the power of changing into various
shapes, nevertheless he remained always Proteus. LI.

Objectionable Beings may Perform Excellent
Services.

Of all creatures, the two most at enmity are the repulsive-
looking vulture of Brazil and the crocodile. The female of this
terrible amphibious creature lays its eggs, to the number of one
or two hundred, in the sand at the side of the river, where they
are hatched by the heat of the climate. For this purpose she
takes every precaution to hide from all the other animals the place
where she deposits her burden ; in the meantime a number of
vultures or galinassos, as the Spaniards call them, sit silent and

Off] AND SYMBOLS. 249

unseen in the branches of some neighbouring forest, and view
the crocodile's operations with the pleasing expectation of suc-
ceeding plunder. They patiently wait till the crocodile has laid
the whole number of her eggs, till she has covered them care-
fully under the sand, and until she is retired from them to a
convenient distance. Then, all together, encouraging each other
with cries, they pour down upon the nest, hook up the sand in
a moment, lay bare the eggs, and devour the whole brood with-
out remorse, and thus, whilst gratifying themselves, spare the
district from the infliction of whole tribes of crocodiles. Nasty
though the vulture is in its aspect and habits, we here see it
performing most valuable services to the country. Many cen-
turies ago, when his land was overrun by some sort of injurious
birds, the King of Meath issued the order: "Nidus eorum
ubique destruendus." No policy could be better. Of evil
things everywhere, the eggs should be destroyed. Sometimes it
is necessary to employ objectionable beings to do the business.
We must, therefore, tolerate such, for the sake of the work which
they accomplish. It is preferable to endure even an upstart
magistrate and a vulture-like policeman than it is to have nests
of crime left to incubate in the midst of our population. A.

Offensiveness the Aliment of Some.

There are men whose livelihood is obtained by performing
acts which, even were they necessary, are simply offensive to
think of. Their subsistence is derived often from sources which
are morally offensive. The cheating lawyer, the swindling
accountant, the dishonest beggar, are of this tribe. Their food
is obtained by means, and is made up of things which clean
creatures could not touch ; and they do not scruple to rob even
those who are of their own horrible nature. They are in one
respect worse than the caracara of South America, for in grati-
fying its great appetite for snakes it does not injure mankind ;
but they resemble it in the versatility of their depraved tastes,
for it does not confine itself to this diet, but feeds indifferently
upon carrion, insects, and mollusca, and also, like many vultures,
attacks quite new-born lambs. According to some writers, the
caracaras, like mean men, are not above taking their prey at

250 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Off

second-hand ; they are said to watch for one of the vultures
returning from his repast of carrion, when they fly out upon
him and pursue him until he finds it necessary to disgorge his
food, upon which the conspirators immediately descend, like a
number of schemers and rogues, whose disgusting taste for offen-
siveness and capacity to enjoy all sorts of prey has stimulated
them to the successful plunder of some one who is less wary than
themselves. IL.

The Routine of Officious Services.

The honey-guides (Indicators) are little birds inhabiting the
interior of Africa. They feed on insects, and especially delight
in the pupae of bees. They employ very curious manoeuvres in
order to procure them, which denote perfect intelligence. When
one of these birds discovers a hive, it endeavours to attract the
attention of the first person it meets by frequently repeated cries.
When observed, it proceeds to fly till it reaches the place where
the hive is, sometimes a great distance, and it takes care to point
it out by every means in its power, for which service the
Hottentots esteem the indicators so highly that they scruple to
kill them. Whilst the honey is being taken, the bird remains
in the neighbourhood, observing all that passes, and when that
work is accomplished, it approaches to reap the fruit of its
trouble, the pupae of the bees. The bees flutter about trying to
sting it, but its skin is impervious to their efforts. Often, how-
ever, the despoiled bees attack its eyes, and sometimes succeed
in blinding it ; the unfortunate bird, incapable of guiding itself,
then perishes in sight of the place which witnessed its triumph.
Here is an epitome of the officious services of intermeddlers.
Whether among birds and bees, or among men and women, the
routine of this class of officiousness is always the same. The
intermeddler comes forward without any apparent selfishness,
and shows us how to secure a real benefit for ourselves. We
accept his guidance and feel greatly indebted to him for his
kindness. Presently, we find out that he only had his own per-
sonal ends in view all the time, and that, though we may have
been benefited, he was never in the least concerned about that
matter. Then, we have the unpleasantness of beholding him

Opp] AND SYMBOLS. 251

getting into a scrape in connection with the same transaction.
Officious intermeddlers are generally not very thin-skinned, so
that we are able sometimes to see them get out of their scrape
without real injury; "but sometimes they get terribly hurt and,
it may be, ruined. In that case, unlike the honey-guides, they
put all blame for their calamity upon our shoulders, and, with-
out referring to their own selfishness, or to the fact that they
make us their cat's-paw, protest that their ruin has come upon
them by reason of their good-nature in doing us a good turn.
A man who has self-respect, and who is sensitive to the suffer-
ings of others, had better always avoid officious intermeddlers.
If the honey of life cannot be obtained without their aid, it is
best to leave it alone. RE.

The Power of Opportunity.

The opportunity often makes the man. No personal praise is
due to some men for having vigorous and well-developed minds,
and in other cases no personal blame is due to those who are
feeble and inapt. The question is, what is the opportunity
which the individual has had1? Now there are many minds
which have been dwarfed and stunted by circumstances, though
possessing in themselves splendid powers which only needed
proper opportunity to develop. So also there are minds which
have expanded to surprising proportions in consequence almost
entirely of the opportune influences by which they have been
surrounded. The opportunity is to the man what the climate
is to the vegetable. For example : In the forests of Brazil vege-
tation remains in a state of continual activity because excited
by the ceaseless action of the two agents, humidity and heat.
Hence certain vegetable forms, which assume in England very
humble proportions, present themselves with a floral pomp
unknown in temperate climes : some Borraginacese become
shrubs, many Euphorbias assume the proportions of majestic
trees, offering an agreeable shelter under their thick umbrageous
foliage. And whilst we are thus noticing this powerful effect
of opportunity, in formation and development, the observation
naturally occurs that, as regards mankind, we are obviously
unable to form any adequate conception of man's potentialities

252 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Opp

from what we see of him in his present condition ; for it may
well be that under a new state of circumstances, in another
world, he may be able to exhibit powers and virtues which
fail to nourish here, but which amidst congenial influences will
become grand and glorious. v.

The Opportunists.

"Not only some men, but also some of the lower creatures, are
endowed by Nature with a wonderful faculty for triumphing
over unpropitious circumstances and seizing favourable oppor-
tunities. For example, the gordiacea, or hair-worms, live as
parasites in the bodies of various species of insects. When
mature, they quit the bodies of the insects at whose expense
they have been nourished, and seek some piece of water or
moist situation, where they deposit their ova in long chains.
If by any chance, on breaking out of their insect home, they
find that dry weather has produced a state of things incompa-
tible with their notion of comfort, they quietly allow themselves
to be dried up, when they become perfectly hard and brittle ;
but, strange to say, the moment a shower of rain comes to
refresh the earth with its moisture, the dormant hair-worms imme-
diately recover their activity, avail of the new opportunity, and
start off in search of a suitable place in which the great object
of their visit to solid earth may be effected. N. D.

The Selection of Opportunity.

When it is wished to introduce into a hive of bees a stranger
queen bee, after having removed the original queen bee, every
precaution must be used before putting her into the common
home. It is only after some time that the bees become aware
of the disappearance of their queen; but they then manifest
great emotion. They run hither and thither as though mad,
leaving off their work, and making a peculiar buzzing sound.
If you return to them their original sovereign, they recognise
her, and calm is immediately restored ; but the substitution of
a new queen for the original sovereign does not produce the
same effect in every case. If you introduce the new queen half

Opp] AND SYMBOLS. 253

a day only after the removal of the old queen, she is very badly
received, and is at once surrounded, the workers trying to
suffocate her. Generally she sinks under this bad treatment.
But if you allow a longer interval to elapse before you introduce
the substitute, the bees, rendered intractable by the delay, are
better disposed towards her. If you allow an interregnum of
twenty-four hours, the stranger queen is always received with
the honour due to her rank, a general buzzing announcing the
event to the whole population of the hive. They assign to
their adopted queen a train of picked attendants, and draw up
in line on her passing by ; they caress her with the tips of their
antennae ; they offer her honey. A little joyful fluttering of the
escort announces that every one in the little republic is satisfied.
The labours out of doors and indoors then begin anew with more
activity than ever. It is with bees as with mankind : " there
is a season when to take occasion by the hand." For want of
recognising this fact many a good enterprise in human govern-
ment has been utterly wrecked. The premature appearance of
a hero among men has often resulted in his annihilation. Re-
formers should learn that there is an appropriate moment for the
introduction of any change. I.

Opposite Qualities often found in the same Substance.

In contemplating Nature we shall often find the same sub-
stances possessed of contrary qualities, and producing opposite
effects. Air which liquefies one substance dries up another.
Fire, which is seen to burn up the desert, is often found in
other places to assist the luxuriance of vegetation ; and water,
which next to fire is the most fluid substance upon earth, never-
theless gives all other bodies their firmness and durability.

M. Y.

The Combination of Opposites.

Men of opposite tastes and repugnant sympathies are not
unfrequently found in close association and even in actual com-
bination. This apparent anomaly is generally explained by the
existence of some object which exerts a powerful moral influ-

254 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Opp

ence over all within its reach. This object acts upon them
somewhat as the porous platinum acts on gases. We know the
porous platinum absorbs them, and condenses them so power-
fully together into its pores that the atoms of two different gases
often approach each other sufficiently near to combine together
chemically. Hydrogen and oxygen are in this instance com-
pelled to unite, and it can force many other gases, which will
not directly combine with each other, to enter into combination.
So a noble object draws into the bonds of the closest associa-
tion individuals who, but for its influence, would remain for ever
in isolation or perhaps in opposition to each other. Welcome,
then, to the combining forces of society ! PR.

The Resemblance of Opposites.

The crocodile's egg will be about two inches and five lines in
its greatest diameter, and in its least diameter one inch and
eleven lines ; oval and whitish. It is cretaceous in substance,
and like the eggs of birds. Yet with this resemblance, what
a horrid contrast there is ! The egg gets hatched without any
attention of the parent ; and in due time, instead of a beautiful
singing-bird, it produces an infant crocodile about six inches in
length, which very rapidly becomes a monster fourteen feet
long. Its teeth are formidable, and the scales on the back are
proof against even a bullet from a gun. It is amphibious, and
watches even in the night for its prey. Such is the outcome
of an egg resembling that of the world's loveliest songsters.
Here we have a lesson upon the resemblance of opposites. Do
not be guided only by the shell of things. Consider all the
surrounding circumstances. If your egg has not been found in
a place associated with ideas of goodness and beauty, but in a
suspicious locality, beware lest it belongs to a moral crocodile.
Two human faces may look to the uninitiated very much alike,
but as the developing period advances, the one character will
become harmonious and spiritual, and the other hard, rapacious,
and crocodile-like. RE.

Org] AND SYMBOLS. 255

The Transfer-inability of Opposites.

Since the noblest attribute of water is its blandnese, who
would be prepared to find that, chemically speaking, it is re-
markable for its fiery composition ? When its two constituents
are burned in the oxy-hydrogen blowpipe, they produce a flame
of extraordinary ferocity. Such is the violence with whicli
they combine that it is necessary to keep them from mingling,
except in small quantities, unless they are just at the point of
ignition. Dr. Clarke placed a brick screen between himself
and the dangerous gases when he first experimented on their
power, but was nearly killed by an explosion. Perhaps, when
the world and all the works that are therein shall be burned up,
the ocean may really be the magazine from which fuel may be
drawn to support the great conflagration. But let this be as it
may in God's good counsel, is it not a startling thought that
water, the uncompromising adversary of fire, should be com-
pounded of two elements whose conjunction is accompanied by
a passionate burst of flame and a terrible eruption of caloric ?

PO.

Loss of Organ by Disuse of Function.

One of the most interesting discoveries of modern science is
that of a subterranean fauna, all the members of which are
blind. The transition from the illuminated tenants of this
upper world to those darkened subjects of Pluto is indeed facili-
tated by certain intermediate conditions. Such is the guacharo,
or fruit-eating nightjar, found by Humboldt inhabiting, in im-
mense hosts, a deep sepulchral cavern in South America, shut
out far from the remotest ray of light, coming forth under the
cover of night, and invested with superstitious terrors by the
natives. Such, too, is the aspalax or mole of Eastern Europe,
which habitually lives underground ; and such is the proteus,
a strange sort of salamander found in the lakes of immense
caverns in Illyria. They are believed to come from some great
central inaccessible reservoir, where no ray of light has ever
penetrated, and whence occasional floods may have forced the
individuals that have been discovered. Investigations in
various parts of the world have revealed the curious circum-

256 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS |0rs

stance of a somewhat extensive series of animals inhabiting vast
and gloomy caves and deep wells, and perfectly deprived even
of the vestiges of eyes. Enormous caves in North America,
some of which are ten miles in length, and other vast and
ramified grottoes in Central Europe, have yielded the chief of
these ; but even in this country we possess at least four species
of minute shrimps, three of which are absolutely blind, and the
fourth (though it has a yellow speck in the place of an eye)
probably so. All these have been obtained from pumps and
wells in the southern counties of England, at a depth of thirty
or forty feet from the surface of the earth. The Mammoth
Cave in Kentucky consists of innumerable subterranean galleries
in the limestone formation, some of which are of great extent.
The temperature is constantly throughout the year 59 degrees
Eahr. A darkness, unrelieved by the least glimmer of light,
prevails. Animals of various races inhabit these caves, all
completely blind : for though some have rudimentary eyes, they
appear useless for purposes of vision. Among these are two
kinds of bats, two rats (one found at a distance of seven miles
from the entrance), moles, fishes, spiders, beetles, Crustacea, and
several kinds of infusoria. Mr. Charles Darwin has alluded
to these singular facts in confirmation of his theory of the origin
of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of
favoured races in the struggle for life. He takes the view that
in the subterranean animals the organs of sight have become
(more or less completely) absorbed, in successive generations,
by disuse of the function. In some of the crabs the footstalk
remains, though the eye is gone ; the stand for the telescope is
there, though the telescope with its glasses has been lost. As
it is difficult to imagine that eyes, though useless, could be
in any way injurious to animals living in darkness, we attribute
their loss wholly to disuse. On Mr. Gosse's view, we must
suppose that American animals, having ordinary powers of
vision, slowly migrated by successive generations from the outer
world into the deeper and deeper recesses of the Kentucky
caves, as did European animals into the caves of Europe. "We
have some evidence of this gradation of habit ; for as Schioclte
remarks, animals not far remote from ordinary forms, prepare
the transition from light to darkness. By the time that an

Pai] AND SYMBOLS. 257

animal has reached, after numberless generations, the deepest
recesses, disuse will on this view have more or less perfectly
obliterated its eyes. no.

Nature's Provision against Overcrowding.

The natural safeguard against overcrowding is emigration.
We see this beautifully illustrated in the case of the star-fish.
The larva of the star-fish is an active, free-swimming animal,
having a long body with six slender arms on each side, from one
end of which the young star-fish is (so to speak) budded off;
and when this has attained a certain stage of development, the
long twelve-armed body separates from it and dies away, its
chief function having apparently been to carry the young star-
fish to a distance from its fellows, and thus to prevent over-
crowding by the accumulation of individuals in particular spots,
which would be liable to occur if they never had any more active
powers of locomotion than they possess in their adult state.

MI.

The Relation of Pain to Pleasure.

Sensation is modified both by the condition of the body and
by the state of the mind with regard to it. Thus we find that
in the peculiar condition of mind and body attending mesmeric
sleep (according to the testimony of honest witnesses, who
are to be believed), persons may have their limbs removed
without pain, and the exposed extremities of the divided
nerves being roughly handled, causes only a sensation of
titillation, under which the patient laughs like a tickled
child. Pain, indeed, is but the excess of an impression
which, in a milder form, is pleasure; and the same degree
of impression is either one or the other, according to the state
of attention at the time, or according to the association of the
mind. In many respects pain is really an acquired feeling,
like fear, and it arises from the mind being taught to associate
certain sensations with the idea of danger. Thus when the
Esquimaux first had razors given to them, they used to gash
their tongues for the pleasure of the new sensation of being cut
with so keen an instrument ; but after they learned there was

R

258 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Pan

danger in such 'wounds, they never cut themselves without an
expression of pain. u.

Excessive Pain Terminates in its Contrary.

It appears that bodily pain, when excessive, generally termi-
nates in pleasure of a nature and kind just the reverse of that
which causes the nervous exhaustion. Thus we are informed
that Theodosius, a youthful confessor, was put to such exquisite
torture for singing a psalm that he hardly escaped with his life ;
but being asked how he could endure such extreme torment, he
said, " At first I felt some pain, but afterwards there stood by
me a beautiful young man who wiped away my sweat, and so
refreshed me with cold water that I was delighted, and grieved
only at being let down from the engine." These effects of ner-
vous exhaustion may be illustrated by reference to those experi-
ments on the effects of light upon the retina, first mentioned by
Darwin in his Zoonomia. It is remarkable that the contrary
colour is produced when the sight is fatigued ; thus if we look
with a fixed stare at a bright-green figure until a little wearied,
and then look on a white surface, we shall see a red figure. If,
however, we continue to look at the red until the nerve is
thoroughly exhausted, we shall see green. The direct sunshine
quickly exhausts the optic nerve-power, and by looking on it we
become for a time quite blind. It is probable that every part
of the nervous system is subject to the same law or mode of
action, and the brain under mental excitement, as well as physi-
cal, is apt to take a contrary condition, by which ideas are sug-
gested to the mind the very reverse of those which exhausted
the attention. u.

The PerH of Panic.

The bison is found only in the great prairies of the American
continent. When he is hunted he will frequently turn upon
his adversary, and in speed he can outstrip the swiftest horse.
He finds a formidable enemy in the white wolf. Hunting in
packs of one or two hundred, the latter fling themselves upon
two or three solitary bisons, and surrounding them, worry the
huge brutes to death. The bisons, when they catch sight of

Par] AND SYMBOLS. 259

wolves, manifest the greatest alarm, form into battle array, and
are only prevented by excess of terror from taking to flight.
This panic-stricken feeling the Indian often turns to his ad-
vantage. He clothes himself in the skin of a white wolf, and
with bow and arrows in his hands, boldly faces a herd, crawling
towards them on his hands and knees ; the affrighted bisons press
closely together to receive the supposed foe, who, on arriving at
a convenient proximity, suddenly springs to his feet, and utters
an unearthly yell. They fall into a frenzy of terror, which
enables him to select several victims. D.

Paradoxes.

Many persons are accustomed to apply "paradox" as if it
were a. term of reproach, and implied absurdity or falsity. But,
as Whately has shown, all that is properly implied by the term
is that the burden of proof lies with him who maintains the
paradox, since men are not to be expected to abandon the pre-
vailing belief until some reason is shown. And Dr. Thomas
Brown expressly cautions those engaged in philosophical in-
vestigations not to be easily terrified by the appearance of a
paradox, inasmuch as it may truly be regarded as a necessary
consequence that every accurate and original analysis must
afford a result which will appear paradoxical. If we say sorrow
is joy, death is life, weakness is might, loss is profit, we utter
paradoxes, which may appear startling. But in preparing our
minds to be unprejudiced before we enter into a consideration
of their truth, we may as well observe that Nature herself is
full of paradoxes. The water which drowns us as a fluent
stream can be walked upon as ice. The bullet which, when
fired from a musket, carries death, will be harmless if ground to
dust before being fired. The crystallised part of the oil of roses,
so grateful in its fragrance — a solid at ordinary temperatures,
though readily volatile — is a compound substance containing
exactly the same elements, and in exactly the same proportions,
as the gas with which we light our streets. The tea which we
daily drink with benefit and pleasure, produces palpitations,
nervous tremblings, and even paralysis if taken in excess ; yet
the peculiar organic agent called theine, to which tea owes its

260 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Par

qualities, may be taken by itself (as . theine, not as tea) without
any appreciable effect. The water which will allay our burning
thirst augments it when congealed into snow ; so that Captain
Ross declares that the natives of the Arctic regions prefer
enduring the utmost extremity of thirst rather than attempt to
remove it by eating snow. Yet if the snow be melted, it be-
comes drinkable water ; and it is melted in the mouth !
Nevertheless, although, if melted before entering in the mouth
it assuages thirst like other water, when melted in the mouth,
it has the opposite effect. To render this paradox more striking,
we have only to remember that ice, which melts more slowly
in the mouth, is very efficient in allaying thirst. L. P.

The Parallax Movement.

Parallax movement is that apparent shifting of bodies which
arises from changing our own position. We cannot stir a step
without producing examples of it. If we pace up and down
the street opposite to any object on the other side, as a door
or a lamp-post, the angular direction or parallax of the, object
changes at every moment. If we sail down a river, and fix
our eyes on some church spire at a distance from its bank, we
find that the direction in which we see it is always altering.
At first the spire appears in advance of us, then to our side,
and lastly it lies behind. If, instead of limiting our attention
to one object, we look at several that can be easily observed
together, we find that as we move they move, or rather seem to
move, and the angles formed by their lines of direction are
changed relatively to each other and to us. In these instances
of this parallax shifting it must have been remarked that the
effect of a change of our position in altering the direction of
objects is greater when they are near than when they are dis-
tant. A few paces will sensibly alter the angular position or
direction of the door or lamp-post, or the opposite side of the
street. But if we look at a church some miles off, or at ships
anchored in the offing, we find that we require to move much
more than a few paces — in other words, the length of the bases
needs to be considerably increased — before we can make any
sensible change in the angle or direction in which we see them.

Par] AND SYMBOLS. 261

If when surveyed from a short base line objects appear to have
changed much, we may infer that they are near ; but if the
base requires to be long in order to produce an effect, we may
equally infer that they are distant. BE.

Social Parasites.

The family of parasites is large, and includes representatives
both small and great. Some of the least powerful of animals
live as parasites in or upon the bodies of others, and hardly
any are entirely exempt. Such as are too weak to seize and
slaughter their peculiar prey, seek it in a dead state ; and
hardly has an animal perished before the carrion-feeders begin
their attacks. According to Audubon, the Turkey buzzard
gloats harmlessly over recumbent and sleeping animals in a
healthy state, but watches patiently by such as are wounded,
perishing in a morass, are ill and dying, until life is extinct,
and will not leave them. p.

The Uncertain Pleasures of Parasites.

Parasites who expect any consideration at the hands of their
patron are frequently deluded. The patron treats them in the
spirit in which the fox treats fleas. When the fox is troubled
with fleas, he will go into the water, at first to a small depth,
the water rising very little above the bottom of his belly \ the
fleas to avoid the water, will creep up towards the top of his
back. Gradually he will go deeper and deeper, till the fleas
actually gather upon his back, when he will sink his hinder
parts, gently and by degrees, below the surface of the water, till
the fleas are driven forward, and he will at length merge every
part of his body, in the same quiet way, beneath the water,
except his nose, on which the fleas will congregate as on an
island. At last he will suddenly sink his nose also and with-
draw, leaving the parasites to be drowned. B.

The Parasites' Offerings.

Parasitic plants send their roots into the substance of another
plant, and derive their food from its juices ; but though, like

262 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Par

some of the human kind, they live upon their neighbour's
bounty, it must be admitted that they sometimes reward their
benefactor by adorning it with their beautiful flowers. The
Eafflesia Arnoldi, for example, whose flower is three feet across,
and whose cup will contain several pints of fluid, grows attached
to the stem of a climbing cistus in Sumatra. The misletoe
also, whose silvery berries adorn the oak. Whether these
offerings of the parasite bear any reasonable proportion to the
amount of damage done by it must be a question open to doubt.
Certain it is that the offerings of the social parasite to his
benefactor, consisting as they do of subservience, flattery, and
petty traits, are no real benefit to anybody ; whilst, on the
other hand, the injury which the parasite does to honesty and
manliness is most unmistakable. On the whole, we are inclined
to think that all the productions of parasites, whether vegetable
or human, are not sufficient to make us value the producers
very highly. v.

Parliamentary Tactics.

It is stated that the shocks produced by fishes possessed of
electrical organs are sometimes sufficiently intense to kill the
animal at once. Hence it is a common practice with the con-
ductors of convoys in South America, to collect a number of
wild horses and drive them across the rivers in order to exhaust
the gymnotes of their electricity before the convoy passes.
Parliamentary leaders in St. Stephen's understand the wisdom
of adopting an analogous policy. They are aware that the
slippery eels of the Government Opposition possess considerable
power during their early sessional attacks. They therefore "so
arrange their measures as to induce the Oppositionites to dis-
charge their most fatal shafts upon those whose ruin will not
be of much consequence. Then, when the Opposition electricity
is exhausted, and towards the end of the session, the parlia-
mentary leaders carry forward without any dangerous resist-
ance all that they deem of most importance. s.

Par] AND SYMBOLS. 263

Paroxysmal Methods.

Nature has her paroxysms. Sir Roderick Murchison affirms
that by no possible extension of gradual and insensible causes
could huge masses of Tertiary rocks have been so thrown over
as to pass under the older rocks of the Alps, out of which they
were formed. That operation, he says, must have been par-
oxysmal, and no slow process could have accomplished it. The
crust and outline of the earth are, in short, full of evidences
that many of the ruptures and overthrows of the strata, as well
as great denudations, could not even in millions of years have
been produced by agencies like those of our times. si.

Partisan Colours.

The political colour is determined by the political light in
which the elector has been reared. The man who has had to
grub in ignorance must wear a hue very different from that of
his opponent who has lived in the bright light of educated
thought. The narrow cells of ecclesiastical bigotry prevent
their occupant from acquiring the ruddy colour of the un-
imprisoned truth-seeker. But it is not only amongst voters at
election times that we observe the effect of light in settling the
question of colour amongst active workers. We know that
certain animals whose natural hue is white, if bred and brought
up in darkness, become completely altered in texture and colour.
The cockroach in its normal state is intensely black. If this
insect be taken at an early stage of its existence, and carefully
reared in darkness, instead of assuming an inky hue when it
arrives at full growth, it becomes nearly white. The larvae of
most insects that burrow in the cavities of the earth, of plants,
or of animals, are white from the same cause. When confined
under glasses that admit the light, they exchange their white-
ness for a brownish hue. The influence of solar light and of
moral light explains many mysteries amongst men and maggots.

I. L.

264 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Par

The Neutralisation of Party Idiosyncrasies.

In the early life of political parties their colours and pecu-
liarities are most conspicuous. In the early life of religious
sects their particular and denoting specialties are sharp and
clear. As time advances the colours begin to blend with other
colours ; the peculiarities shrivel as the principles expand ; the
specialties are softened down into less harsh outlines. The vital
power in both cases becomes stronger and stronger with time,
though its accidents, badges, and accompaniments are less and
less observable. We see this same fading away of individual
distinction in the presence of healthy growth if we look at
Nature. It is worth notice that several varieties of the haw-
thorn, as well as of the lime and juniper, are very distinct in
their foliage and habit when young, but in the course of thirty
or forty years become extremely like each other, thus reminding
us of the well-known fact that the deodar, the cedar of Lebanon,
and that of the Atlas, are distinguished with the greatest ease
whilst young, but with difficulty when old. VA.

Party Secession.

By a rather curious structure of the muscles and bones of the
spine, the blind- worm is able to stiffen itself to such a degree
that on a slight pressure, or trifling blow, or even by the volun-
tary contraction of the body, the tail is snapped away from the
body, and on account of its proportionate length looks just as
if the creature had been broken in half. The object of this
curious property seems to be to insure the safety of the animal.
The severed tail retains, or rather acquires, an extraordinary
amount of irritability, and for several minutes after its amputa-
tion leaps and twists about with such violence that the atten-
tion of the foe is drawn to its singular vagaries, and the blind-
worm itself creeps quietly away to some place of shelter. Even
after the movements have ceased, they may again be excited by
touching the tail with a stick, or even with the finger, when it
will jump about with a vigour apparently undiminished. On
frequently repeating the process, however, the movements
become perceptibly less active, and after a while the only sign

Pas] AND SYMBOLS. 265

of movement will be a slight convulsive shiver. It sometimes
happens in the life of a political party that there comes to it a
moment of great danger. The enemy presses hard upon the
organisation. " The tail of the party" seems to be selected for
special attack, because it is supposed to have given special pro-
vocation. Thereupon the " central body " manages to dissociate
itself from " the tail." " The tail " naturally shows signs of the
greatest irritability. The public are pleased that the " central
body " has become discredited, and since the "tail of the party"
continues to exhibit signs of great vivacity, they assume that the
vital force of the association has been seriously affected. In
due time they find that " the detached tail " has never had an
independent life, but has performed merely mechanical move-
ments under the influence of unnatural irritability. They
further have to observe that even these soon cease because the
section is dead, and that the political party itself lives on as
well and vigorously as ever. IL.

The Absurdity of Passion.

There is a passion which is the result of adequate causes, and
there is a blind, brute-like passion. We see men under the
nfluence of the latter, furious without a cause, and with great
waste of power scattering injuries around upon perfectly inoffen-
sive objects. These men are like the black rhinoceroses which
W. C. J. Andersson says are subject to sudden paroxysms of
unprovoked fury, rushing and charging with inconceivable
fierceness animals, stones, and bushes — in short, every object
that comes in their way. Gordon Gumming describes them as
often ploughing up the ground for several yards with their
horns, and assaulting large bushes in the most violent manner.
On these bushes they work for hours with their horns, at the
same time snorting and blowing loudly, nor do they leave them
in general until they have broken them to pieces. Passionate
men are invited to look at these animals and set them up as
their models or their monitors, whichever they, in their judg-
ment, may deem more wise. M.

266 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Pas

The Batteries of Passion.

Regular ill-temper is altogether a different thing from passion.
The one corrodes incessantly like an acid or metal ; the other
discharges desperate shocks, like the electric shocks of the
gymnotus, and spends itself. Do not get in the way of
passionate men till their batteries are discharged. The exhaus-
tion of these batteries is only a matter of time and opportunity.
And you may watch the process calmly, and be instructed by
Humboldt's description of the way in which the gymnotes use
their batteries, and see if you discover therein any resemblance
to and lesson for passionate persons. He tells us that the
gymnotes abound in the vicinity of Calaboza in South America,
and the Indians, well aware of the danger of encountering them
when their powers are in vigour, collect from twenty to thirty
horses, drive them into the pools, and when the gymnotes have
exhausted their electric batteries on the poor horses, they can
be taken without risk. Time and repose are needed before the
batteries are ready to act again. The first assault of the
gymnotes, says Humboldt, was chiefly to be dreaded. In fact,
after a time, the eels resembled discharged batteries. Their mus-
cular motion continued active, but they had lost the power of
giving energetic shocks. When the combat had endured for a
quarter of an hour, the horses seemed to be less in fear. They
were no longer seen to fall backwards, and the gymnotes, swim-
ming with their bodies half out of the water, were now flying from
the horses and making for the shore. The Indians then began to
use their harpoons, and by means of long cords attached to them
drew the fish out of the water. When the batteries of his
passion have been discharged, many a passionate man has also
afforded a similarly easy conquest to those who have just
watched and waited. MU.

The Passionate Character.

, The panther rarely attacks man without being provoked ; but
it is irritated at the merest trifle, and its anger is manifested by
the lightning rapidity of its onset, which invariably results in
the speedy death of the imprudent being who has aroused its
fury. Avoid passionate people, for they are like the panther.

Peo] AND SYMBOLS. 267

•

They may appear harmless, but they are easily provoked, and
when rage has taken possession of them they are reckless of
your destruction.

Genuine Patriotism.

We may see genuine patriotism in the bee-hive. While
some bees go off to the fields to perform the labour allotted to
them there, let us see what the others are doing in the hive.
Some are clustering about the top ; and now they fix themselves
to the roof by the fore legs, while the hinder legs hang down.
Upon these other bees suspend themselves, and leave their legs
similarly to the disposal of the new-comer, and thus a ladder is
rapidly formed, reaching at last to the bottom of the hive. To
facilitate operations, and perhaps strengthen as well as elaborate
their scaffolding, they also hang themselves in festoons, each end
attached to the roof ; and before the actual commencement of
labours, there is a series of such festoons formed, so that the bee-
workmen may ascend and descend in every direction. The entire
weight of this living staircase is borne by the individual bees at
the top, and cheerfully borne too. Sydserff (reprinted in Cotton)
says they will suffer their legs to be disjointed before they will
let go their hold. Such is the patriotism of the hive ; and such
is the sort of patriotism which merits emulation. It is a better
sort than that which consists in fighting others. It is more useful.
These patriots, if hurt, get their injuries in an endeavour to be of
service to their community, and in a work whicji they know to
be necessary. This is more nobly patriotic than getting wounds
in endeavours to injure your fellows in a war. B. w.

People who are Pampered.

Probably in no class of society do you find such crass stupidity,
dense ignorance, and ludicrous imbecility as amongst people who
pamper themselves — gluttons who feed their whims, ailments,
and appetites until their mawkishness, obesity, and selfishness
are revolting to the eye of common sense, and their senile prattle
is offensive to all but idiot ears. It is almost too complimentary
to compare these self-indulgent people to the goose ; but the

268 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Peo

resemblance between a natural man, and man after years of pam-
pering, and the goose before and after domestication, is very
startling. The wild goose is a pattern of sagacity : it must be
content with the grasses, snails, fish, grains, berries, etc., which
it finds in the open fields — in short, with whatsoever niggard
winter has left behind, and to travel from stream to stream in
quick flight, through darkness and frost. The domestic goose,
on the contrary, living solely on potatoes and nourishing corn
food, and transformed into a quiet household and pasturage
animal, and having no work to do, has become the archetype of
stupidity. With these animals all depends on their activity \ in
slothful gluttony they lose their natural demeanour and energy ;
the flashing ardour of liberty and nature is extinguished in im-
becility. The goose has become a slave to its appetite, but all
that is tragical in such a situation is here turned into comedy.
The goose is a cavalry soldier on foot, a swimmer upon land.
Not for one single moment does that heavy body, snatched from
its native element, find its original equilibrium ; all centre of
gravity is lost. On broad oar-like feet she trails along her
clumsy body, grown fat in captivity, at every step rocking on
one side or half tumbling forwards ; the neck alone is stretched
out stiffly, and the eyes stare stupidly right before them. If
you drive her, she never knows whither to go ; now turning
hesitatingly to the right, and now to the left, always at a loss,
always cackling. If you drive her more quickly, the noise be-
comes a confused shrill scream ; the bewildered animal spreads
out its wings, beats them violently together, without, however,
rising an inch above the ground, for long disuse has weakened
the strength of its pinions. ST.

Making- use of People.

There are expert persons who are always making use of us.
They constantly delude us into the notion that we are doing
something which will benefit ourselves ; and at the moment
we imagine we are to enjoy some of the best results of our
work, they obtain and appropriate them. They never cease to
offer us some benefit for the large proportion of our time
which they consume, and a long habit of obedience to their

Per] AND SYMBOLS. 269

superior authority constrains us to continue at the work, though
we well know the inducement is a selfish sham, and our labour is
the tax an extortioner is exacting. In the hands of these plausible
fellows, we resemble a certain bird which is used in an interest-
ing mode of fishing much practised in China. The clever
fishermen employ a black bird called the loo-soo, which is as
large as a duck and has a neck as long as a goose. A fisherman
takes them in his boat, and when he sets them at liberty they
swim upon the water, and at the sight of a fish they dive and
secure it in their beaks. A ring is put upon their necks, which
will allow them to swallow the smaller fish but not the larger.
When the fisherman perceives that their throats are filled with
fish, he thrusts into the water a long pole, upon which these
birds have been trained to climb and return into the boat ; he
then squeezes their throats to make them disgorge their prey,
and every time this is done he obtains about two handfuls of
fish. The greater the number of these birds a fisherman pos-
sesses the richer is he considered to be, for like the persons
whom others selfishly use for their purposes, they cost but very
little to keep. ME.

The Law of Periodicity.

Certain plants appear, in an inexplicable manner, to be in-
fluenced by the law of periodicity as well as by light. Dr.
Balfour, when referring to this subject, observes that a plant
accustomed to flower in daylight at a certain time will continue
to expand its flowers at the wonted time even when kept in a
dark room. De Candolle made a series of experiments on the
flowering of plants kept in darkness, and in a cellar lighted by
lamps. He found that the law of periodicity continued to
operate for a considerable time, and that in artificial light, some
flowers opened, while others, such as species of convolvulus, still
followed the clock hours in their opening and closing. I. L.

Perpetual Change a Law of Nature.

In material Nature there is no such thing as rest. It is a
fact of which the very first principles of geology assure us, that

270 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Pil

the solids of the globe cannot for a moment be exposed even to
water or to the atmosphere without becoming liable to change.
They instantly begin to wear down. The adamantine rock is
no accurate symbol of rest, for it is subject to the law of
change. VE.

Pertinacity Rewarded.

The fox, being extremely fond of honey, often attacks nests
of wild bees. When the bees rush out and sting him he rolls
on the ground and crushes them, and returns to the charge so
often that he forces them at length to abandon the hive from
which he extracts both the honey and the wax. R.

Alteration of Physical Agents would be
Catastrophic.

The physical agents which do not vary are the same in all
climates. Their influence, which is so permanent, seems also to
be so necessary that were any one of them to be altered, the
whole living machinery of the earth would stop, from the ani-
malcule to the whale, and from the byssus to the oak. If water
were to become solid at 100° instead of at 32°, no living being
as now constituted could exist. If gravity were diminished on
the earth, a thousand inconveniences would be felt by all, and
though we do not see any reason why life should cease at once,
as in the former instance, still the amount of inconvenience
would be enormous and intolerable. Thus if it were suddenly
reduced to the force which it exerts on some of the ultra-
zodiacal planets, as Ceres and Pallas, a man, says Herschel, could
spring with ease sixty feet high, and sustain no greater shock
on coming to the earth than he does now from leaping a yard.
Giants might exist, and that enormous animal the whale, which
now requires the buoyant power of water to counteract its
weight, might then be a denizen of the land. s.

Pilgrim Natures.

In the arid deserts of Central South America there is a
strange plant, the Selaginella convoluta, a species of club moss,

Plo] AND SYMBOLS. 271

endowed with very remarkable hygrometric properties. In the
dry season, when every particle of moisture is extracted from
the soil, it is detached from its growing place, rolled up into a
ball, and carried away by the violent equinoctial gales which
prevail at the time in these regions, often to very great dis-
tances. It remains coiled up in this form for a considerable
time ; but if carried to a marsh, or the margin of a stream, or
any other moist place, it begins slowly to unfold, and spread
itself out flatly on the soil, assumes its former vigour and fresh-
ness, takes root, develops its fructification, and casts abroad its
seed upon the air. When this new situation is dried up, it
resumes its old unsettled habits, and takes advantage of the
wind to emigrate to a more favourable locality. It is like an
adventurous pilgrim whose very constitution seems to make
him long for perpetual changes, and whose temperament is
adapted admirably for a roving life. B

Unexpected Pioneers.

You write down as absurd, and despise as quixotic, many
men whose movements you cannot follow, and whose cause
you do not understand. But, remember, many such men have
been the pioneers of the race. They have pursued their own
course steadily and honestly. The glories of the discoveries to
which their pathway would lead the coming generations were
too splendid for even their eye of faith to behold, but subse-
quent ages have gazed on them with rapture and gratitude. And
such men are not the only examples of humble pioneers who have
performed services for humanity. Geography is under obliga-
tions to yet more lowly friends, for it is a remarkable fact that
the North American bison or buffalo has exerted an important
influence on geographical discoveries in pathless mountain dis-
tricts. These animals advance in herds of many thousands in
search of a milder climate during winter in the countries south
of the Arkansas river. Their size and cumbrous forms render it
difficult for them to cross high mountains on these migratory
courses, and a well-trodden buffalo-path is therefore followed
wherever it is met with, as it invariably indicates the most
convenient passage across the mountains. Thus, as Humboldt

272 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Pie

assures us, buffalo-paths have indicated the best tracks for
passing over the Cumberland mountains in the south-western
parts of Virginia and Kentucky, and over the Rocky Mountains
between the source of the Yellowstone and Plate Eivers, and
between the southern branch of the Columbia and the Cali-
fornian Rio Colorado. vi.

Where to find Pleasure.

The fact is undeniable that the portions of rock which have
as yet proved to be the richest in gold are those which are at
or nearest the surface. Experience too, dearly bought in
numberless instances, has taught the miner throughout long
ages that as he follows the veinstones downwards by deep
shafts into the body of the rock, the gold diminishes in volume,
so that in many cases the cost of extraction has been greater
than the value of the metal. The Ural Mountains will illus-
trate this fact. The Indians who lived in tracts adjacent to
the Slaty Mountains of Chili, Peru, and Mexico, followed the
simple process of picking the shining material from the gravel,
sand, and shingle derived from the chain; so that when the
Spaniards, the best miners of the sixteenth century, first colo-
nized South America, they naturally inferred that, if ignorant
natives could thus gather sufficient quantities of gold to roof
the palaces of their sovereigns, they, as skilful Europeans
might extract incredible quantities from the bowels of moun-
tains the mere detritus or surfaces of which had contributed
such a vast amount of gold. But as surely as deep mines
frequently enriched the Spanish speculators who sought for
copper and silver, so surely gold-mining in the solid rock proved
abortive, owing to the slender downward dissemination of gold
in a hard and intractable matrix. Experience in every country
proves that the field of gold decreases with the depth where
mining in the solid rock has been attempted. Here is a lesson
to people in search of pleasure. Look out for your pleasure in
the duties which lie nearest to your hand. On the surface of
your everyday life there are more enjoyments to be obtained
than you are disposed to believe. You do not look for them,
therefore you do not see them. You erroneously imagine that

Pie] AND SYMBOLS. 273

by burrowing after fortune year after year you will eventually
discover happiness. Nothing of the kind. The deeper you
sink in your mercenary pursuit, the less will be your reward so
far as real pleasure goes. The purest joys are not hidden away
from light. Si.

Pleasure is Seldom Unalloyed.

We look with great expectancy for the arrival of some
pleasure which we imagine will afford us the most complete
satisfaction, and no sooner does it arrive than we find in its
train a whole host of petty annoyances and unwelcome accom-
paniments. It is not only so in social life, but also in the
material world. Mr. Matthew Lewis, M.P., in his interesting
" Journal " of a residence among the negroes in the West Indies,
relates how eagerly in Jamaica, after three months of drought,
the inhabitants long for rain; and when the blessing at last
descends, it is accompanied by terrific thunder and lightning,
and has the effect of bringing out all sorts of insects and reptiles
in crowds ; the ground being covered \vith lizards, the air filled
with mosquitoes : the rooms of the houses with centipedes and
legions of mosquitoes. And it will, on inquiry, be found that
the enjoyment of nearly every anticipated pleasure is in like
manner more or less alloyed by reason of the unpleasant things
which seem inevitably to attend it. jo.

Varieties and Contrarieties in the Idea of Pleasure.

Every creature is made for happiness, and receives happiness
according to its capacity ; and it is very wrong to suppose that
because we should be miserable if we led the life of a vulture
or sloth, or a bat, therefore these creatures are miserable. In
truth, the vulture is attracted to and feels its greatest gratifica-
tion in those substances which would drive us away with averted
eyes and stopped nostrils. The sloth is, on the authority of
Waterton, quite a jovial beast, and anything but slothful when
in its proper place ; and as for the bat, it sings for very joy.
True, the song is not very melodious, neither is that of the swift
or the peacock, nor perhaps that of the cochin-china fowl, but it
is nevertheless a song from the abundance of the heart. o.

s

274 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Poi

Perils from Pliability.

The dunes form the extreme line of the Brittany coast for
nearly two hundred miles, from the Adour to the Garonne.
They are hills of white sand, as fine and soft as if it had been
sifted through an hour-glass. Their outline, therefore, changes
every hour. When the wind blows from the land, millions of
tons of sand are hourly driven into the sea, to be washed up
again on the beach and blown inland by the first Biscay gale.
A water hurricane from the west will fill up with sand square
miles of shallow lake, driving the displaced waters into the
interior, dispersing them in shining pools among the " mur-
murous pines," flooding and frequently destroying the scattered
hamlets of the people, and inundating their fields of rye and
millet. D.

Poison as a Protection.

One of the greatest trees of Southern Asia, and possibly one
of the greatest in the world, is the teak or Indian oak (Tectona
grandi8\ which covers vast areas in Hindustan, and flourishes
also in Pegu, Ava, Siam, Java, and the Burman Empire. » This
most useful tree is handsome and stately, often attaining a
stature of one hundred and thirty to a hundred and fifty feet,
with a trunk of proportionate diameter, upright, well shaped,
and surmounted by widespread branches. The poisonous pro-
perties of its wood preserve it from the attacks of vermin, but
render it dangerous to work, for men who are but lightly
wounded by its splinters die after a very brief interval. D.

The Poison of One is the Food of Another.

It is a wonderful fact that the food which may suit one per-
son may happen to be actually injurious to another, and the
medicine which will administer relief to one person will be
positively an aggravation of the same disease in another person.
Amongst birds, we find that reptiles which are to other existences
poisonous are used for food. The king vulture (SarcorJiamphus
papa) is an inhabitant of a great part of South America. It is
most abundant within the tropics, but extends its range beyond

Poi] AND SYMBOLS. 273

these lines, being found commonly not only in Guiana, Brazil,
and Peru, but also in Paraguay and Mexico, and occasionally
visiting Florida in search of food. It feeds upon reptiles and
carrion. Its visits to Florida are said to be generally made
after the herbage has been burnt upon the prairies, where it
feeds greedily upon the half-roasted snakes and other reptiles
which have been unable to escape from the flames. MU.

Poisonous Influences.

Poisonous influences are often invisible. Hydrogen gas is
the most subtle and permeating of aeriform bodies; and it
appears by the analysis of Morcati and others, that it favours
the diffusion of morbid poisons, as a menstruum and vehicle
holding in solution both animal and vegetable matters, which,
being brought into contact with the blood, at once alter the
chemical relations of that vital fluid, and produce a kind of
persisting ferment in it. This gas facilitates decay, and its
presence prevents the oxygen from duly acting on the blood,
the carbon of which it causes very quickly to be combined
with oxygen, so as to form carbonic acid, perhaps even in the
blood-vessels. There are moral poisons in the world equally
subtle and deadly in their influence. Insincerity, lust, false-
hood, selfishness, and irreverence are among the social poisons
which abound. The air is rife with them. If either of these
poisons enters into the nature of a man, his moral character
soon gives evidence of decay. Under the influence of any
one of them the passions readily combine to alter the whole of
his spiritual organisation, and virtue becomes poisoned at the
centre. u.

The Poisonous Lurking in the Pleasurable.

Bees sometimes collect their honey from poisonous plants,
and instances are recorded of persons having died from partak-
ing of this honey. Kirby and Spence quote some proofs of this,
such as that given by Dr. Barton, an American physician, who
records that in 1790 many persons died in Philadelphia from
eating honey. Inquiries were instituted, and it was found that

276 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Pol

the honey was derived by the bees chiefly from the flowers of
the Kalmia latifolia. Xenophon, in his "Anabasis," mentions
that some of his soldiers were singularly affected by honey
which they took in Asia Minor. Some of them seemed as if
intoxicated, others were much excited, and others lay on the
ground as if about to die. The poisonous lurks in the pleasur-
able, not only in matter but in morals also. How often when
enjoying apparently harmless pleasures, men unexpectedly be-
come the victims of moral evil ! Wickedness seldom comes to
us in its essential bitterness. If it did, we should shun it. It
generally insinuates itself in some form of attractive sweetness,
and frequently by means of unconscious agents as innocent as
the bees. MU.

Polished People.

Scarcely any gem reveals its true beauties in a natural state.
The diamond in the rough is most unattractive, and would be
thrown away by a casual observer as a worthless pebble ; its
perfections are hidden under a hard crust, which can only be
removed by its own powder. The deep velvet hue of the
sapphire, the glowing brilliant red of the ruby, the soft clear
green of the emerald, and the delicate strata of the onyx, alike
only display themselves in their true character after the lapidary
has used his skill in cutting them into facets and polishing
them ; and on the perfection of this operation depends in a
great measure the beauty of the gem. As it is with these, so it
is also with human gems. A human " diamond in the rough "
is a most unattractive lout. If he is to be ever valued as his
inherent qualities deserve, he must be polished by culture and
good society. Few people have " the seeing eye " to recognise
human "jewels" so long as they remain in a coarse condition;
but when they have become smooth in their manners and
polished in their language, their value is applauded by every-
body. There are, of course, plenty of polished stones which are
not gems, and plenty of polite people who are of no moral
worth. But that does not diminish the necessity that gems
should be polished, and that geniuses should be refined. DI.

Pop] AND SYMBOLS. 277

The Alternity of Political Notions.

There are lagoons at the mouths of many rivers, as the Nile
and Mississippi, which are divided off by bars of sand from the
sea, and which are filled with salt and fresh water by turns.
They often communicate exclusively with the river for months,
years, or even centuries ; and then a breach being made in the
bar of sand, they are for long periods filled with salt water.
The Lym-Fiord in Jutland offers an excellent illustration of
analogous changes ; for in the course of the last thousand years
the western extremity of this long frith, which is 120 miles in
length, including its windings, has been four times fresh and
four times salt, a bar of sand between it and the ocean having
been as often formed and removed. The last irruption of salt
water happened in 1824, when the North Sea entered, killing
all the fresh-water shells, fish, and plants ; and from that time
to the present, the sea-weed Fucus vesiculosus, together with
oysters and other marine mollusca, have succeeded the Cyclas,
Lymnea, Paludina, and Charae. These phenomena find a corre-
spondence in the political world, where the tides of opinion
alternate between the fresh water of Liberalism and the salt sea
of Toryism. The operation of these respective forces, and their
dissimilar products, can be traced not only in the Statute Book,
but all through modern history. The shores of the ecclesiastical
world bear vast evidence of the operation of the alternate
currents of freedom and of bigotry. The Henry Eighth, the
Elizabeth, the Mary, the James, and the Cromwell periods
especially are rich in their illustration of the achievements of
torrents of alternate opinion. E.

Currents of Popular Thought.

When we observe the action of public opinion in this country,
and the way in which various sections of the community become
subject to sudden and sometimes inexplicable opinions, which
afterwards in modified forms are then, perhaps, adopted or
opposed by other sections ; and contemplate the singular cross-
workings and courses of popular thought and sentiment, we are
reminded of the movements and constitution of currents of air.

278 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Pop

And in both cases we find that reflection enables us to account
for a great deal of phenomena which at first appeared inexpli-
cable. The lower stratum of intelligence, like the lower clouds,
always moves slowly, and for the same reason. Any person
looking from a mountain, on a cloudy storm raging in a valley
below, may observe that the lower part of the storm moves with
less velocity than the upper part, producing an irregular rolling
or tumbling motion of the clouds, that evidently arises from
the resistance which that part of the wind encounters that
presses on the surface of the earth. The frictions and obstruc-
tions on each particular part of the surface impede the progress
of the lowest part of the air, and that other portion, which
immediately follows, climbs over the lowest stratum of air, but
in so doing it is itself impeded by the obstacle it has to encounter
in the lower and retarded air. A third portion of air then
climbs over the second, and in so doing is itself retarded, and
in this way successive strata of air follow and climb over the
other strata that present obstacles to their progress, and thus
form overlapping and rising current, moving with increasing
velocities as they proceed at a greater distance from the obstruc-
tions on the surface of the earth. ON.

Growth and Persistency of Popular Ideas.

The way in which popular ideas have been introduced into
English society, have taken root and persistently flourish, re-
minds us of the account Mr. M. G. Lewis, M.P., gives
of the introduction of vassals grass into Jamaica. It appears
that many years ago a new species of grass in a small quantity
was introduced into the island for the purpose of feeding
pigs. Its seeds soon became scattered about by the birds,
and it then took possession of the cane-pieces, whence to eradi-
cate it was often, and is, an utter impossibility, the roots being
as strong as ginger and insinuating themselves (like Liberal
ideas) underground to a great extent. In a very short time it
overran several parishes, obtained a footing in the island, and
increased the cost of cultivation of the cane by at least, one-third.
Where the moral and intellectual soil of a country is favourable
to the growth of particular ideas, and these are distributed by

Pos] AND SYMBOLS. 279

persistent men, it is marvellous to observe with what rapidity
they spread, and with what tenacity they cling to life, despite
all the efforts made to eradicate them by the people who hate
them as being worse than vassals grass. JO.

Posthumous Influence.

Some stars are so distant that their beams may have occupied
thousands of years in journeying to the earth, and yet these
bodies, if suddenly annihilated, would still continue to shine
upon us for thousands of years to come. So, too, there are
great men whose existence has long since terminated, but 'the
influence of whose spirit still irradiates our world. Milton,
Shakespeare, and Christ, though gone from our sphere, still
shine upon it as spiritual stars of the first magnitude. PO.

Posthumous Space.

The space occupied on the surface of our planet by the
different families of animals and their remains is inversely as
the size of the individual. The smaller the animal the greater,
as a general rule, is the space occupied by his remains. Take
the elephant and his remains, or a microscopic animal and his,
and compare them. The contrast as to space occupied is as
striking as that of the coral reef or island with the dimensions
of the whale. The graveyard that would hold the corallines is
much larger than the graveyard that would hold the elephants.
And what about the posthumous space occupied by the con-
ventionally great men and the conventionally small men ?
Why, the big elphantine personages of courts and levees, the
colossal grandees who are able to sustain without being crushed
a gorgeous world of honours and decorations, when they die
occupy scarcely any space on our bookshelves : all their
"remains" are in a very small compass. Whereas the men
who were conventionally considered quite small creatures are
not so easily disposed of. Their remains in poetry, literature,
and art, are the abiding things ; and, long after they them-
selves have departed, that which they have left occupies im-
portant space in the public mind. Look on your book-shelves.

280 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS

What is the space filled by princes and courtiers, who in life were
gigantic personages : and what that occupied by those workers
whom the world called insignificant ? T

A Power without an Explanation.

In most chalky rocks, such as those of which the white cliffs
of old England are composed, many portions run well out to
sea. If these are examined at low water they will be found to
be perforated with numerous holes, running to some depth, and
varying considerably in dimensions. These holes are made by
the Pholas dactylus, one of the most remarkable animals in
creaturedom. Hard rocks and timbers are constantly found
perforated by this curious shell, but how this operation is per-
formed no one knows. It is the more wonderful because the
shell is by no means hard, and cannot act as a file. Indeed, in
some species, the external shell is almost smooth. And, more-
over, if the shell were used as the boring-tool, the hole would
be nearly circular, instead of being accommodated to the shape
of the shell, as is seen to be the case. However they get into
the stone, there they may be everywhere found, and it does not
seem to be of much importance whether their habitation be
limestone, sandstone, chalk, or oak. Even the Plymouth break-
water, solid stone as it is, was very soon attacked by these
creatures. c. o.

The Avarice of Power.

You would not think a man who had held high office in the
state for long years would descend to mean and paltry tricks to
obtain still more power. But he will. You would not believe
that a vast capitalist would go out of his way to grab at the
farthing which the rough hand of toil is endeavouring to hold.
But he does. Power is avaricious alike in birds and men. The
more the man has the more he wants. These men who thus dis-
play the avarice of power are the white-headed eagles of society.
During spring and summer the white-headed eagle follows a
course to procure sustenance which you would judge very little
suited to a bird so well able to supply itself without interfering
with other plunderers. No sooner does the fish-hawk make its

Fre] AND SYMBOLS. 281

appearance along the Atlantic shore, or ascend the numerous
and large rivers, than the eagle follows it, and robs it of the
hard-earned fruits of its labour. Perched on some tall summit
in view of the ocean, or of some water-course, he watches every
motion of the osprey while on the wing. "When the latter rises
from the water with a fish in its grasp, forth rushes the eagle
in pursuit. He mounts above the fish-hawk, and threatens it
by actions well understood, when the latter, fearing, perhaps,
that its life is in danger, drops its prey. In an instant the eagle,
accurately estimating the rapid descent of the fish, closes its
wings, follows it with the swiftness of thought, and the next
moment grasps it. The white-headed eagles of society pursue
their course with equal disgrace to themselves ; and their method
is not more exalted. They take advantage of their strength,
and the great elevation to which fortune has raised them, for
the greedy purpose of discovering the movements of those who
are below them, the better to rob the more humble of even the
little they possess. p.

Precedence.

The Pondicherry vulture is an Indian species greatly resem-
bling the Bengal vulture in its habits, although it belongs to a
different genus. Now although this Pondicherry vulture and
the Bengal vulture are nearly of the same size, the former
appears to have the power of inspiring some kind of awe or
dread in his brother scavenger, for whenever he descends upon
a carcass on which a crowd of Bengal vultures are feeding, they
immediately make way for him, and even retire from their ban-
quet until he is satisfied. This proceeding has obtained for the
Pondicherry vultures the unearned title of king vultures, both
from Europeans and natives. There are Pondicherry vultures
in society — men and women whose title to be considered supe-
rior to those around them is an exceedingly obscure one. But
they have somehow or other got themselves established as the
kings and queens of social circles, and their compeers retire
before their presence with a dread and respect worthy of the
Bengal vulture itself. Sometimes the table of precedence,
which is the bible of the fashionable world, may be settled
upon intelligible principle ; but it will often be found to bear

282 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Pre

witness to anomalies of deference quite as extraordinary as the
peculiar courtesy and awe exhibited by these vultures one to-
wards the other. MU.

The Tenacity of Prejudices.

Prejudices form a large family in the continent of ideas.
Their tenacity of life is marvellous. They resemble the sea-
worm, the white water-worm, and those little worms with
feelers which are found at the bottom of dirty ditches. In all
these the nobler organs are of such little use that if taken away
the animal does not seem to feel the want of them ; it lives in
all its parts, and in every part, and by a strange paradox in
Kature, the most useless and contemptible life is of all others
the most difficult to destroy. A.

Preparatory Intellectual Processes.

It frequently happens that the very insects which we most
admire, which are decorated with the most brilliant colours, and
which soar on the most ethereal wings, have passed the greater
portion of their lives as burrowers beneath the surface of the
earth. The well-known Mayfly or ephemera, so delicate in its
gauzy wings, so marvellous in its muscular power, which enables
the new-born being to disport itself in the air for a period
which, in comparison with our own lives, is equal to at least
forty years, and passing the greater portion of its terrestrial
existence as an inhabitant of the air — has spent a life of some
three years or more hidden from human gaze. Let this fact
remind young people who are impatiently anxious to soar high
in the world's notice, that there are preparatory processes
necessary for aerial spirits. The orator sustains the flight of
his eloquence all the better, and the figures of his rhetoric
are all the brighter, because he spends the first portion of his
life burrowing in the useful obscurity of a library. Away from
all* distractions, in the seclusion of reading and meditation, he
acquires the intellectual powers which enable him to rise to his
proper sphere. H.

Pro] AND SYMBOLS. 283

Constant Preparedness.

Some of the dragon-flies have wings always expanded ever
when the creatures are resting, so that they can on being dis
turbed take flight in an instant, there being no necessity for
them to unfold their wings. These insects can fly in al
directions without turning backwards and forwards, and to the
right or left, so that to those inexperienced in their habits they
are very difficult of capture. "Semper paratus" is a gooc
motto. MU.

Disappointing Pretensions.

When a man causes a fuss and make-believe about doing
something which we well know he cannot do, he reminds us of
the ostrich in its pretensions to fly. That great bird when he
starts spreads his big wings and expands his splendid plumage,
as though, at least, he were about to soar to the clouds. But no :
however swift his movements, his immense pinions never raise
him above the ground to even the height of a mudlark. How
many poets, authors, statesmen, set out on their several per-
formances with a manner which seemed to say that they were
certain to show at last what a flight genius could take ; and in
the result, only taught the world that their course was simply
of the usual prosaic kind, and that their big pretensions were
impotent to raise them at all out of the everyday dust of life !

N. E.

Prodigal Endowment.

We are sometimes amazed at the prodigal way in which
Nature has lavished her gifts upon mean things. Some con-
temptible royalties enjoy a profusion of endowments which-
positively staggers the senses. Burns seems to have reached a
white heat of indignation when he described all the advantages
bestowed upon the " coof " who was " called a lord," who
" struts and stares and all that." It is wise, however, to
realise as a fact that Nature does in some cases appear extrava-
gant in her endowments. But, on the other hand, it should be
remembered that she only is so in the case of organisations of a
low type. As a compensation for the meanness of their intelli-

SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Pro

gence, she gives them other things. For example : there is a
marine worm, the Eunice sanguinea, which is sometimes to be
found on our coast, and attains the length of about two and a
half feet. This creature, says Dr. Hartwig, consists of about
300 rings. A brain and three hundred ganglia, from which
about 3000 nervous branches proceed, regulate the movements,
sensations, and vegetative functions of a eunice; 280 stomachs
digest its food; 550 branchiae refresh its blood; 600 hearts
distribute this vital fluid throughout the whole body; and
30,000 muscles obey the will of the worm, and execute its
snake-like movements. Why, this seems to suggest a super-
fluity of force equal to that found in attendance upon royalty !

BE.

Profitable Panic-Mongering.

Wolves prey upon the moose or red deer, but are unable to
catch them by speed of foot. In consequence, a number of
wolves will combine together to encompass a herd of deer on
large plains bounded by steep cliffs. While the deer are grazing,
the wolves will form a crescent round them, and creep stealthily
forward so as to alarm them as little as possible at first! ; but
when they see that they have fairly hemmed them in, and cut
off their retreat, they begin to move more quickly, and at last
rushing on with loud yells they terrify the deer, and urge them
to flee towards the precipice, as if they knew that when the
herd is once put to its speed, some of them must be driven over
the cliffs, the hindermost forcing on those in front. When
several have thus been precipitated, the wolves go down at their
leisure and feast upon their mangled bodies. B.

Progress Sometimes only Seeming, not Heal.

The currents of the sea are found to run in all directions,
east, west, north, south, being formed by various causes — the
prominence of the shores, the narrowness of the straits, the
variations of the wind, and the inequalities at the bottom.
These currents are of the most material consequence to the
mariner, without a knowledge of which he could never succeed.
It often happens that when a ship gets unknowingly into one

Pro] AND SYMBOLS. 285

of these, everything seems to go forward with success, the
mariners suppose themselves every hour approaching their
wished-for port, the wind fills their sails, and the ship's prow
seems to divide the water, but at last by miserable experience
they find that instead of going forward, they have been all the
time receding. The business of currents therefore makes a con-
siderable article in navigation, and the direction of their stream
and their rapidity has been carefully set down. A.

The Protection of Parents by their Offspring1.

The birds can teach ungrateful children their duty towards
aged parents. It is an old tradition with regard to storks, says
Mr. Morris in his " British Birds," that they take care of and
nourish their parents when they are too old to take care of
themselves, from whence the Greek word " pelargicos," signifying
the duty of children to take care of their parents ; and " pelargicoi
nomoi," signifying the laws relating to that duty, both derived
from the Greek word for a stork : " Pelargos," from pelas, black ;
and " argos," white, alluding to the prevailing colours of the
stork. HI.

Protective Influences.

Protective influences may be apparently insignificant, yet in
reality mighty. There is a grassy-looking weed that grows
among the sand near the seashore. It is so coarse in substance
that even hardy cattle turn from it with disdain. Yet this sea-
reed, Arundo arenaria, as it is called, performs such useful ser-
vice to man that its presence in this particular situation cannot
be deemed less than providential. Many low-lying coast lands
require to be defended not only from the sea, but also from the
sand cast ashore by the waves. This loose sand gradually
accumulates, is driven hither and thither by every gale of wind,
and has a tendency to encroach upon the fertile fields and con-
vert them into desert wastes. The threatened danger is averted
by this humble weed, and the slightest consideration of its
habits demonstrates that it was specially created for the pur-
pose. While most plants instinctively seek out the richest
soils, this one prefers the driest sands. The gritty storms so

286 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Fug

often raging around, which would destroy the tender organisa-
tion of other plants, beat harmlessly against the flinty coverings
of this hardy reed. In striking its roots into the sand, it binds
the loose particles together ; and as its sapless-looking tufts rise
above the surface, they arrest the stony current as it drifts
along, and consolidate it into little mounds. In process of time
these are piled up into the well-known hillocks by the growth
and decay of countless generations of tufts. Such sandhills are
common in various parts of Britain where the coast is low ;
but they are seen on a more extensive scale in the rugged
11 dunes " which stretch in almost unbroken succession along
the shores of Holland. Not only do they intercept the de-
vastating progress of the sand, but they likewise form the
stoutest bulwark against the encroachments of the sea. BE.

Protectiveness that Imperils.

The parents of that sociable bird the turnstone exhibit great
attachment to their young, but as is the case with another species,
their too great fondness is sometimes the ruin of their offspring,
their cries of distress at the approach of an intruder directing
attention to them. HL

Prudence a Natural Instinct.

Even some of the lower creation possess an instinct which
prompts them to provide for their safety when it is threatened
by an impending calamity. When that reptile-looking fish,
the Lepidosiren of the Gambia, perceives that the waters are
falling on the approach of the dry season, and that food is be-
coming scarce, it buries itself in the mud, and there awaits in a
dormant state the return of the rains. BE.

Inherent Pugnacity.

There is no credit due to our citizens who delight in fighting.
Their propensity only shows that they have not worked out of
them those attributes of the lower animals which Tennyson
enjoins them to expel from their bosoms. It should be the
glory of manhood to rise above the animals. Nevertheless,

Pug]

AND SYMBOLS.

287

there is undoubtedly in some low-natured men an inherent
pugnacity. They resemble game-fowls. Game-fowls are noto-
rious for their pugnacity ; and the young cocks crow, clap
their little wings, and obstinately fight with each other even
whilst under their mother's care. Mr. Darwin relates cases of
whole broods, scarcely feathered, stone-blind from fighting ; the
rival couples moping in corners, and renewing their battles
on obtaining the first ray of light. Let us honour them as
heroes ! VA.

The Folly of Pugnacity.

Plus sot qu'un grillon (a greater fool than a cricket) is a
saying which has arisen from the destruction into which the
field-cricket (Gryllus campestris) allows itself to be drawn
through its pugnacity. The cricket lives alone in its hole.
Country children take these insects by presenting a straw to
them in the hole. The pugnacious cricket seizes it directly
with its mandibles, and lets itself be drawn out of the hole and
so taken. How often in negotiations, in debate, and in society
does the pugnacious man, by a similar abandonment of his
prudence, allow himself to be victimised by those who keep
their temper, and laugh at him for losing his ! I.

Political Pugnacity.

To make two male crickets fight, the Chinese place them in
an earthen bowl about six or eight inches in diameter. The
owner of each tickles his cricket with a feather, which makes
them both run round the bowl different ways, frequently meet-
ing and jostling one another as they pass. After several
meetings in this way, they at length become exasperated, and
fight with great fury, until they literally tear each other limb
from limb. The managers of political parties enjoy the spec-
tacle of their faction-mongers fighting with a similar passion.
They irritate them into action, often about matters that are
not worth a feather's weight, and then watch with zest the pug-
nacity which ruins reputations and destroys honour. p.

288 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Pun

Pugnacity of Small Natures.

Small men are generally the most pugnacious, and the same
circumstance is noted of small animals. Even the little weasel,
although sufficiently discreet when discretion will serve its pur-
pose, is ever ready to lay down that part of valour, and take up
the other. c.

The Might of the Puny.

Puny things have sometimes a more mighty power than large
ones. The chalk cliffs of southern England, which form a
stupendous barrier to the wild fury of the German and Atlantic;
Oceans ; the limestone rocks, of which immense tracts of
country are almost entirely composed, were not formed by the
gigantic remains of megatheriums, mastodons, and other extinct
monsters which lived and died amidst the wildest convulsions
of a nascent world, but by the shields and shells of inconceiv-
able myriads of organisms, to each individual of which the
stage-plate of the microscope would be as large a field for its
gambols as a whole country would be to one man. It is not by
the hurricane or the furious storm that our fairest orchards and
most luxuriant fields are laid waste and converted into wilder-
nesses of skeleton leaves and blackened withered stalks, but by
the ravages of the tiniest insects, and the minutest and most
contemptible fungi. FO.

The Destructive Power of Puny Creatures.

We sometimes underestimate the power of those whom we
consider contemptible opponents. Now, as a matter of fact,
the puny things of Nature are the greatest destroyers. And in
society it is the scandal-monger, the hypocritical religionist, the
splenetic obscurity, the man of little cranium and insignificant
name and nature, who ruin reputations and wreck -social
organisations. These apparently contemptible individuals in
their capacity for mischief are like certain beetles. The various
species of Hylobius are, where they abound, very injurious in
forests of the pine tribe, as they often quite destroy the young
trees. The larch, now so extensively planted for its useful
timber, is at times much destroyed by the Hylobius abietis.

Pun] AXD SYMBOLS. 289

This beetle seems to prefer in Germany the Pinus sylvatica and
Pinus abies, though it attacks all the firs indiscriminately. It
gnaws the young shoots, thus causing them to wither. The ex-
tremities of a tree thus attacked (the most vigorous and healthy
trees are invariably selected by the beetle) several years in suc-
cession, sickness and death inevitably ensue, in dry seasons
especially. The mischief this beetle occasions in woods where
it abounds is almost incredible. One would have thought a
beetle's influence on a forest would have been only trifling. And
we think contemptible men have only trifling power. But the
man and the beetle can be desperately mischievous. MU.

The Posthumous Uses of Puny Things.

The fossils of the Tertiaries are in some respects more in-
teresting than those of any other series of strata. It is not in
the humbler classes of animals that this interest chiefly lies ;
and yet even in this department the Tertiaries present us with
a wonder quite unexampled. We refer to beds of greater or
less thickness, composed exclusively of the solid remains of
animalcules — creatures individually so small that only a micro-
scope could enable human eyes to see them. Such a rock
(called tripoli) is found at Bilin in Bohemia, and at Planitz,
near Zwickau in Saxony. It has been used as a powder in
some of the arts for ages, without any suspicion of its being
thus composed. But within the last few years M. Ehrenberg,
a scientific Prussian, has fully ascertained that it consists simply
and wholly of the silicious coverings of certain minute creatures,
some of which belonged to species still to be found in stagnant
waters. To common perception, the powder of which the rock
may be said to consist resembles flour ; and in Norway, where
it is accordingly called berg-mehl (that is mountain-meal), it is
actually used in times of famine as food, for which it is not
entirely unsuitable, seeing that there is always a percentage of
animal matter left in it in addition to the silicious shields.
So extremely small are the creatures of which these rocks form
the sepulchre that, according to M. Ehrenberg's calculation, ten
millions of millions of individuals might be required to fill the
space of a cubic inch. CH.

T

290 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Qua

Purpose a Destroyer of Pain.

When the mind is intently set on using the muscle, it
scarcely perceives anything but what it wishes. Infuriated
madmen in their violence will inflict deadly injuries on them-
selves without feeling ; and the soldier in the warmth of the
fray, when comes "the tug of war," is unconscious of his
wounds ; and the brutal pugilist in the ring bears bruising like
an ass. u.

Quarrel-mongers.

The Dayal (Gopsychus saularis) in India is constantly caged,
both for the sake of its song and for another quality — its
pugnacity. Fighting the tame birds, according to Mr.
Hodgson, is a favourite amusement of the rich ; and he adds,
that no game-cocks can contend with more energy and per-
severance than these little birds. The same author states that
the professional bird-keepers take advantage of this pugnacious
disposition in their pets to make them instrumental in the
capture of their wild brethren. During the spring it appears the
male birds are continually challenging each other, and as soon as
one has uttered his note of defiance it is answered by another,
and these altercations usually end in. a battle. The bird-.keeper
accordingly carries a tame male on his hand to the nearest
garden or grove, when the bird at his bidding utters his challenge,
and if this is answered by a wild, bird, the tame one is imme-
diately slipped, and a desperate combat commences, in the course
of which the man easily secures the wild bird, the tame one
actually assisting in the act by holding his opponent with his
bill and claws. It is worthy ^of notice that these birds, like
many human beings, possess this horrible pugnacity notwith-
standing the fact that they are wonderfully musical. Musical
noises evidently have nothing whatever to do with the existence
or non-existence of harmony in the character. A woman's voice
may, like a bird's, be beautifully melodious, yet her disposition
may be monstrously harsh and unpleasant. It is also to be
observed, in connection with the Dayal, that like all pugnacious
creatures it easily becomes a mere tool in the hands of quarrel-
mongers. Whenever birds, the lower animals, or human beings

Qua] AND SYMBOLS. 291

are of a pugnacious character, there are always found at hand
quarrel-mongers who will facilitate and foment their silly
battles, and turn the results to their own benefit. There are
quarrel-mongers of every order, but they all proceed upon the
same principle — get pugnacious beings to fight and then benefit
yourself by their folly. Even the great stockbrokers, army
contractors, and political adventurers, who urge angry nations
on to war, are quarrel-mongers who, like the bird-keepers, act
precisely on this principle.

Profitless Quarrelling1.

The great owl often has battles with the tawny eagle. The
fight is sometimes so severe that it terminates in the death of
both combatants. Occasionally the warriors are found with
their claws so deep in one another's flesh that they cannot
withdraw them, and they both die on the scene of action. At
other times the great owl having conquered, he has been found
with his talons so entangled in his adversary that they have
fallen to the ground together, and the conqueror unable to dis-
engage himself, has himself been made a captive. RE.

Imperfect Acquaintance Accounts for Quarrels.

The cat is less an enemy of the dog than is generally believed.
When unacquainted with one another, they have little sympathy
in common; but when associated for a length of time they
become good friends. Then they lick each other, sleep on each
other, and understand making mutual concessions, which enable
them to live in peace — in short, the most perfect harmony
frequently reigns between them. Every one who keeps cats
and dogs can testify to the correctness of this assertion. Our
quarrelling neighbours who live "a cat-and-dog life" should
note this interesting fact. Since they dispute with each other
like these animals do in the imperfect stage of their acquaint-
ance, so may they, like them, become good friends by learning
more of each other. M.

292 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Qua

The Quarrelsome Character.

The Mantis oratoria is a singular insect. Nothing equals
the ferocity of these Orthoptera. If two of them are shut up
together, they engage in a desperate combat ; they deal each
other blows with their front legs, and do not leave off fencing
till the stronger of the two has succeeded in eating off the other's
head. From their very birth the larvae attack each other. The
male being smaller than the female, is often its victim. Kirby
tells us that in China the children procure them as in France
they do cockchafers, and shut them up in bamboo cages to
enjoy the exciting spectacle of their combats. There exist men
and women whose disposition for quarrelling resembles that of
the Mantis oratoria. They are born Avith the instinct for
quarrelling. It asserts itself in the earliest stages of childhood,
and grows stronger and stronger with years. It is enough for
any two of them to be together to be sure of a disagreement.
They never require a subject for quarrelling about ; they indulge
in quarrelling because it is their nasty nature. j.

The Blunders of Quarrelsomeness.

Quarrelsome people remind the observer of the sea-crabs.
Sea-crabs are naturally quarrelsome, and have serious con-
tests together by means of their formidable claws, with which
they lay hold of their adversary's legs, and wherever they seize
it is not easy to make them forego their hold. The animal
seized has therefore no alternative but to leave part of the leg
behind in token of victory. Such are the blunders of quarrel-
someness that a crab, when irritated, and made to seize one of
its own small claws with a large one, does not distinguish that
it is itself the aggressor, but exerts all its strength, and cracks
the shell of its own small claw, thereby injuring itself, as quarrel-
some people always do. Feeling itself wounded, it casts off the
piece in the usual place, but continues to retain the hold with
the great claw for a long time afterwards ; the very picture of
quarrelsomeness making itself and its own injuries a matter for
ridicule. The quarrelsome man loses power ; he needlessly in-
jures himself like the crab ; he strikes out to attack other?,

Que] AND SYMBOLS. 293

and in his eagerness to do so he simply wounds himself, and
his senses being obscured by his passion, he then hugs the
grievance he has himself made, and thereby becomes the object
of derision. P.

The Penalties of Quarrelsomeness.

If you will always be ready to go off like a loaded gun even
by an accident, depend on it you will get into difficulty. Your
testy, quarrelsome people, not only injure themselves and others,
but when in danger their deliverance is often rendered totally
impossible because of their inveterate habit of contention, and
they are plunged from injury into absolute ruin. As soon as
they meet they begin a quarrel. They are placed in a position
of common danger, but even in discussing it they quarrel.
They actually are overtaken by the danger and still they quarrel,
being more eager about injuring each other than about any
other consideration. The proceedings in Nature somewhat
resembling theirs are those which we notice amongst the ruffs.
In the beginning of spring when the ruffs arrive among our
marshes, they are observed to engage with desperate fury
amongst each other; it is then that the fowlers, seeing them
intent on mutual destruction, spread their nets over them and
take them in great numbers. Yet even in captivity their
animosity still continues ; the people that fat them up for sale
are obliged to shut them up in close dark rooms, for if they
let ever so little light in among them, the turbulent prisoners
instantly fall to fighting with each other, and never cease till
each has killed his antagonist, especially, says Willoughby, if
anybody stands by. A.

Nature's Method of Answering Man's Questions.

A force cannot be seen or grasped ; we notice it only in the
effects which it produces. If we would know whether a piece
of steel possesses magnetic power, we apply a needle, and try
whether this is attracted by it or not ; we then conclude from
its behaviour as to the absence or presence of magnetism. Pre-
cisely the same course, that of experiment, must be taken in

294 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Qui

order to beeome acquainted with the chemical forces, the affini-
ties of bodies for each other. Every experiment is a question
put to a body, the answer to which we receive through a pheno-
menon, that is, through a change which we observe, sometimes
by the sight or the smell, sometimes by the other senses.

PR.

Objections to Quiescence.

Had the sea been made without motion, and resembling a
pool of stagnant water, the noble races of animated nature would
shortly be at an end. Nothing then would be left alive but
swarms of ill-formed creatures, with scarcely more than vegetable
life, and subsisting by putrefaction. Were this extensive bed
of waters entirely quiescent, millions of the smaller reptile kinds
would there find a proper retreat to breed and multiply in ; they
would find there no agitation, no concussion in the parts of the
fluid to crush their feeble frames, or to force them from the
places where they were bred : J,here they would multiply in
security and ease, enjoy a short life, and putrefying, thus again
give nourishment to numberless others as little worthy of exist-
ence as themselves. But the motion of this great element
effectually destroys the number of these viler creatures ; its
currents and its tides produce continual agitations, the shock of
which they are not able to endure ; the parts of the fluid rub-
bing against each other destroy all viscidities ; and the ocean,
says Oliver Goldsmith, if we may so express it, acquires health
by exercise. A.

The Wisdom of Being Quiet.

The great majority of carnivorous animals, particularly such
as are of an active and powerful nature, reject dead substances ;
and while the vulture, whose beak and claws are comparatively
weak, selects such, the mighty and bold eagle will hardly stoop
to carrion in its fiercest hunger ; and, indeed, so marked is the
preference, and so decided the selection for active living prey,
that in many cases it is perfectly safe while motionless, and is
only seized when it betrays its vitality by a change of position.
Thus the frog sits intently watching an insect as long as it is
quiet; and only seizes it when it moves. The green tree-frog is

Rag]

AND SYMBOLS.

295

thus preserved in confinement during the winter, when no little
insects are to be procured, by gently moving little pieces of meat
or dead flies in front of it. The falcon will only stoop for living
birds, and if they be thrust into its cage, he will not touch them
as long as they remain motionless. Very constantly, too,
amongst men we see that the more self-assertive and rapacious
of the race leave weaker ones alone until those weaker ones
attempt to defend themselves or exhibit fussiness. The exhibi-
tion of their activity is the settling of their fate. Their safe
policy was quietness. Abandoning that, they abandoned all
their chances. p.

Quite at Home.

The stork reveals a connection between his mode of being and
action and that of men. Carelessly and confidingly he walks
about the court and garden of the farmer ; in seaport towns, he
even stalks on amidst all the bustle of the streets, and expects
every one whom he meets to make room for him ; he wanders
from market to market, from fountain to fountain, examines
boldly here a basket and there a dish — in short, he feels him-
self at home. Despite all familiarity, he knows how to make
himself respected ; and he maintains not only his perfect free-
dom, but even a sort of superiority. ST.

The Rage of Fools.

The orang-outang in general, when he feels himself sorely
stricken by his pursuers, hurriedly climbs to the summit of the
loftiest tree within his reach, and if he finds himself still pur-
sued he passes on to another. Meanwhile he utters the most
dolorous cries, and vents his impotent rage upon the tree which
serves him for a refuge. One after another he breaks the
greatest branches ; but they immediately escape from his grasp,
and fall to the ground. Thus he does by this expedient of his
fury only expose himself the more fully to the projectiles
directed at him. The stripped tree is no longer available as a
shelter. The Malay hunters, therefore, take no heed of all this
fracas, but patiently wait until the orang has thoroughly exposed
himself, to aim their arrows or rifle-balls with the greater cer-

296 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Rap

tainty. JSTow the orang-outang has vast muscular strength,
powerful tenacious hands and strong canine teeth, and when he
chooses to defend himself, he can easily tear any antagonist to
pieces, and yet this is how he deports himself. One might
suppose he had taken a lesson from human fools on the subject
of impotent rage. How many men there are who when in a
passion never resort to a reasonable defence of their own in-
terests, but indulge their own fury, and so expose themselves
entirely to the mercy of cunning enemies ! D.

The Rapacious Character.

The mole, says Etienne Geoffroy Saint Hilaire, does not ex-
perience a sense of hunger like other animals ; with it this
want is of the most powerful description, it is an exhaustion
which is felt as a kind of frenzy. Take two moles of the
same sex, place them before each other in a room, and in a
very short time the strongest will have devoured the weakest.
Such is ever the rapacious character, whether found among
men or the lower animals. It is always ravening after some-
thing, and it will even devour that which it ought to s^are
rather than endure any check to its voracity. Among men of
commerce it is not at all unusual to see the stronger of two
speculators appropriate to himself the whole of the weaker
man's pecuniary estate. This man does not resemble the mole
in his greediness alone, but also in his vision. His moral eye-
sight is very small, and made for burrowing amongst things " of
the earth earthy." M.

Rapacious Misfortune-Seekers.

The shark's swiftness of motion is such that he can outstrip
the swiftest vessel, and his strength so great that no unarmed
man can cope with him successfully. With one snap of his
powerful jaws, a shark of average size will cut a man in two.
Frequently in the West Indian seas the negro crew of a boat
will cease rowing, and with a significant air indicate to the
voyager the hideous form of a shark following in the rear, and
apparently waiting for some false movement or sudden accident,

Rea] AND SYMBOLS. 297

which, by capsizing the frail skiff, may provide his ravenous maw
with food. Frequently, too, on tempestuous nights, when the
wind and the sea seem to howl a funeral dirge, the shark appears
in the midst of the heaving billows ; the seamen recognise his
presence by the phosphorescence — the " elfish light " that glints
from his shining scales, and know that he lusts after a victim.
In tropical waters he follows the ships with indefatigable
patience, ready to swallow the unfortunate who may fall over-
board. Like some cruel men he anticipates the suffering and
misfortune of others, in order that he may turn them to a per-
sonal advantage. MY.

The Physiognomy of Rapacious Instincts.

Rapacious instincts show themselves in the physical configu-
ration. Look at a crowd of men. It is not the man with the
calm expansive forehead and the genial eye who is the
soldier. It is that man of brutal brow, keen cold glance, and
whose features are like a hawk. What a contrast his nil
admirari fierceness offers to the bright intelligent movements
of many in the crowd on whom he turns his military scowl !
The physiognomy of rapacious instincts is equally well marked
in birds. Michelet bids us to observe that birds of prey, with
their small brains, offer a striking contrast to the numerous
amiable and plainly intelligent species which we find among
the smaller birds. The head of the former is only a beak ; that
of the latter has a face. What comparison can be made between
these brute giants and the intelligent, all-human bird, the robin
redbreast ! T. B.

The Reasoning Power in Animals.

Man has been justly said to be supreme over the other
creatures as the tool-making and tool-using animal. We
observe, however, some efforts at the use of tools, though but
imperfect, in the elephant, who carries a leafy branch in his
trunk to shade himself from the sun ; in the ape, who puts a
stone into an open oyster to prevent it from closing, or lifts a
stone to break nuts, or beats the elephant's trunk or his fellow-

298 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Rec

apes with a stick, or takes the cat's-paw, if the story be true, to
extract chestnuts from the fire ; in the fox, who spreads cods'
heads as a bait to catch gulls, or immerses himself in the water,
and holds a bough over his head to deceive the hunters ; in the
racoon, who captures deer with pieces of moss; in the bear,
who, as told in the account of Cook's third voyage, rolls down
pieces of rock to crush stags; in the rat when he leads his
blind brother with a stick ; in the bee which uses ]!fropolis to
cover a slug that has died in the hive ; in the spider, which
attaches a piece of wood to its web to steady it ; and in the
nymph® of water-moths, which select straws in which they
may float, putting in a bit of wood if it be too heavy, or a bit
of gravel if it be too light. Indeed it has been said that there
is nothing that man effects with all his tools, and all his skill
in the use of them, of which some indication may not be seen
in the brute or the insect. Thus the beaver and the bee give
examples of construction, the spider of weaving, and the little
nautilus of sailing. "Who taught the raven in a drought"
(asks Bacon in his Advancement of Learning) " to throw pebbles
into a hollow tree where she espieth water, that the water
might rise so as she might come to it ? " It is a fact that the
raven when she sees water that she cannot reach seems to con-
sider and find out means for bringing it within her reach. She
finds herself necessitated to raise it to a certain limit, and she
does so by putting pebbles into it. And her mode of proceed-
ing appears to us as much the result of reason (though of
a lower degree of exercise of it) as man's invention of the
pump. R.

Reciprocity a law of Nature.

When all the arguments of free-traders and of protectionists
are ended, the scientific man is delighted to be able to invite
the student to hear what Nature has to say on the question of
reciprocity. One lesson is enough to pour on it a flood of
light sufficient to settle all further debate. It is that of the
plants and animals in relation to the atmosphere. Let us in-
vestigate the matter attentively. Plants possess two modes of
respiration : one diurnal, in which the leaves absorb the car-
bonic acid of the air, decompose this gas, and extract the oxygen

Eel] AND SYMBOLS. 299

whilst the carbon remains in their tissues ; the other nocturnal,
and the reverse, in \vhich the plant absorbs the oxygen and
extracts the carbonic acid ; that is to say, they breathe in the
same manner as animals do. The carbon which is used by plants
during the day is indispensable to the perfect development of
their organs and the consolidation of their tissues. By res-
piration plants live and grow. Plants purify the air injured by
the respiration of men and animals. If animals transform the
oxygen of the air into carbonic acid, plants take this carbonic
acid back again by their diurnal respiration. They fix the
carbon in the depth of their tissues and return oxygen to the
air in reparation. Such is the admirable equilibrium which the
Creator has established between animals and plants, such the
beneficial communication which assures to the air its constant
soundness, and maintains it in that state of purity which is
indispensable to support the life of the living creatures which
cover the globe. v.

Innate Religious Belief.

It is probable that no human race is destitute of some belief,
more or less explicit or obscure, in the existence of supernatural
powers, good and evil, and likewise of a future and invisible
state ; but there are nations who scarcely recognise in the In-
visible Being anything like will or power to punish the guilty or
reward the good, and who do not suppose the future state to be
a scene of retribution. This is the account which missionaries
and other persons have given of the Polynesian superstitions.
The adoration of rude -nations is generally directed towards
visible objects. From this remark we must except most of the
American nations, who are said to believe in the existence of a
spiritual ruler of the universe. By one class of rude nations
the heavenly bodies are worshipped, and the Polynesians con-
nect this superstition with a mythology which is poetical and
not devoid of ingenuity. Others, like the African nations,
worship fetiches or visible objects, in which they suppose some
magical or supernatural power to be concealed capable of exer-
cising an influence on their destiny, and of ensuring success in
any undertaking — a superstition of which traces ar.3 to be dis-
covered among the vulgar in many countries. MA.

Sbo' SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Rep

The Cumulative Value of Small and Remote
Influences.

It is a startling fact that if the earth were dependent upon
the sun alone for heat, it would not keep existence in animal
and vegetable life upon its surface. It results from the re-
searches of Pouillet that the stars furnish heat enough in the
course of the year to melt a crust of ice seventy feet thick —
almost as much as is supplied by the sun. This may appear
strange when we consider how immeasurably small must be the
amount of heat received from any of these distant bodies. But
the surprise vanishes when we remember that the whole firma-
ment is so thickly sown with stars that in some places thousands
are crowded together within a space no greater than that occu-
pied by the full moon. We learn from this fact that we are
greatly indebted in the physical world to the cumulative opera-
tion of small and remote influences. The same truth holds
good in the intellectual world. We may, according to our
estimate, consider any great mind either before or after Shake-
speare as our intellectual sun, and may attribute to his influence
the glory of our literature. But upon a closer inspection we
shall find that we are deeply indebted to thousands of remote
and modest mental stars whose united influence has done
a work for us far greater than has been adequately recognised.
They have shone over gaols and gibbets, over persecuted altars
and desecrated houses, and have borne names never known to
fame ; but because they were stars, their influence has made
itself felt, and our intellectual world owes to them as much
gratitude as it does to its intellectual sun. c. M.

The Principle of Reprisals.

When we consider the almost invincible power which the
crustaceans derive from their armour, their muscular vigour,
their ferocity, and their numbers, we ask how is it that they
have not depopulated the shores where they meet none but
victims, no enemies capable of contending with them upon
equal terms ? For formidable as they are to all the tribes
ojt molluscs and zoophytes, what have they to fear — except

Rep] AND SYMBOLS. 301

in a few countries certain littoral or amphibious mammals
which, for the most part, only attack them as a last resort, pre-
ferring prey more easily devoured, and assisting them in their
work of extermination rather than fighting them ? Their tyranny
then seems at first sight absolute and without counterbalance.
Such, however, is not the case. The crustaceans undergo at
certain epochs a fatal crisis, which delivering them up defence-
less to external shocks and the blows of their enemies, places
an easy vengeance within the reach of the oppressed. These
epochs are their sloughing-times, when, willy nilly, with great
difficulty, and at the cost of the most painful and sometimes
the deadliest efforts, they are forced to shed their armour of
proof, to expose their living flesh barely covered with a thin
soft pellicle, and to bury themselves piteously under the sand
until the calcareous secretion shall be re-formed and solidified
anew. This is their season of fear and flight. Their hiding-
places are easily discoverable, and once unearthed the disarmed
brigands are lost beyond redemption. Myriads perish in this
manner, devoured by other animals, crushed among the stones,
or dashed in pieces against the rocks by the movement of the
waves. Thus Nature enforces her law of reprisal. The power
of all tyrants and oppressors has its fixed limits. The quarrel-
some crustacean and the despotic king are alike subject to the
hour of retaliation. MY.

The Success of the Republican Principle.

Bees are amongst the best workers in the world, and their
community is a most intelligent community. They illustrate
the successful working of the republican principle. Bees consti-
tute republics, not monarchies. The queen-bee is simply the
mother-bee. All the population is the issue of a common
mother, and each bee of the female sex can become a queen —
that is to say, a mother-bee if it receives an appropriate nourish-
ment. The mother-bee is nothing more than president of the
republic. The vice-presidents are all those female bees which
at any given moment may be called by choice — that is, by
popular election, to fulfil the functions of the sovereign, when
death or accident has put an end to her existence. i.

302 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Rep

Reputation without Reality.

In Java, and some other of the great Indian islands, there
exists a black panther, which has gained, it is difficult to say
how, the reputation of extraordinary ferocity and daring. He
owes his fame solely to the imagination of the natives, and
differs from his congeners in no single respect but the blackish
colour of his skin. A skilful naturalist, who was for some
years a resident in Java, relates that while botanising in the
fields and jungles early in the day, he frequently roused the
black panthers in their lairs. At first he was somewhat startled
by the apparition of an animal of such terrible renown, but
seeing him turn tail very quickly on his approach, he soon grew
reassured, and troubled himself no more at these rencontres
than if he had met a cat or a dog. There are plenty of " black
panther " reputations in society. In literature, the arts, politics,
and philanthropy, it is easy to find fine specimens of men en-
joying a great reputation, which they owe solely to the credulity
or ignorance of those of their fellow-men who have not the
seeing eye to distinguish between the real and the spurious, or
the intellectual capacity to test a vulgar renown by actual facts.

Fictitious Reputation.

According to popular notions the blind-worm is a terribly
poisonous creature, and by many persons is thought to be even
more venomous than the viper, whereas it is perfectly harmless,
having neither the will nor the ability to bite, its temper being
as quiet as its movements, and its teeth as innocuous as its jaws
are weak. Mr. J. G. Wood says that the origin of this opinion
may be found in the habit of constantly thrusting out its broad,
black, flat tongue with its slightly forked tip ; for the popular
mind considers the tongue to be the sting, imagining it to be
both the source of the venom and the weapon by which it is
injected into the body, and so logically classes all creatures with
forked tongues under the common denomination of poisonous
animals. IL.

Res] AND SYMBOLS. 303

An Undeserved Reputation.

Many reputations are undeserved altogether. Let us not in
this connection trouble now about statesmen, poets, or authors,
but take from natural history a familiar illustration, that of the
eagle. The great strength of the eagle enables it to prey upon
creatures whose size would prevent them from being attacked,
or at all events being carried off by any of the smaller Falconidse.
The eagle is in fact the great tyrant of the wild regions which
he inhabits, but as we must bear in mind that nothing that he
can meet with there has any power of defending itself from his
terrible swoop, we must not allow ourselves, as our forefathers
did, to magnify him into a type of magnanimity and courage.
This view is induced by the magnificent aspect of the bird,
and the abundant evidences of terrible energy furnished by his
every movement. But in true courage he is not superior to
most of the smaller hawks, and certainly inferior to the pere-
grine and many other falcons, which will even venture to
attack and drive away this so-called monarch of the waste when
he approaches too near their nests. So that really when we
remember what a fame the eagle has always had for magna-
nimity and for courage, it is obvious, in view of the facts, that
he, like many other birds and men, has obtained a reputation
which is undeserved. IL.

Resemblances may Mislead.

We know that the roar of the lion is considered the most
terrible of cries, which inspires all the animals, and even man,
with unconquerable dread. But a curious fact, remarked by
Livingstone, is the singular resemblance of the lion's roar to the
cry of the ostrich. The great African traveller says that he
carefully inquired the opinion of Europeans who had heard
both. He had asked them if they could discover the least
difference between the roar of the one and the cry of the other.
They all informed him that they could not perceive any, at
whatever distance the animal might be placed. The voice of
the lion, generally, is deeper than the ostrich's ; but Living-
stone was only able to distinguish it with certainty be-

304 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Ret

cause it is heard during the day and the ostrich's during the
night D.

The Instinct of Rest.

All creation seems to possess the instinct of rest. "We well
know how eagerly the human heart sighs for rest. But it is not
so well known that even plants sleep. Their strange sleep, says
Figuier, vaguely recalls to us the sleep of animals. In its sleep
the leaf seems by its disposition to approach the age of infancy.
It folds itself up, nearly as it lay folded in the bud before it
opened, when it slept the lethargic sleep of winter, sheltered
under the robust and hardy scales, or shut up in its warm down.
We may say that the plant seeks every night to resume the
position which it occupied in its early days, just as the animal
rolls itself up, lying as if it lay in its mother's bosom. All the
world seems to express the sentiment contained in the words
uttered by one of old, who desired the wings of a dove in order
to seek and obtain rest. v.

A Limited Retaliation.

Camels have a great share of intelligence, and the Arabs
assert that they are so extremely sensible of injustice and ill-
treatment that, when this is carried too far, the inflictor will
not find it easy to escape their vengeance, and that they will
retain the remembrance of an injury till an opportunity offers
for gratifying their revenge. Eager, however, to express their
resentment, they no longer retain any rancour when once they
are satisfied ; and it is even sufficient for them to believe they
have satisfied their vengeance. Accordingly, when an Arab has
excited the rage of a camel, he throws down his garments in
some place near which the animal is to pass, and disposes them
in such a manner that they appear to cover a man sleeping under
them. The animal recognises the clothes, seizes them in his
teeth, shakes them with violence, and tramples on them in a
rage. When his anger is appeased he leaves them, and then
the owner of the garments may make his appearance, and with-
out any fear may load and guide him as he pleases. P.

Eev] AND SYMBOLS. 305

The Penalty of Being .Revengeful.

Small birds have an intense natural antipathy of nocturnal
birds of prey. If one of these birds happens to be seen out of
its lurking-place during the day, they assail it vigorously, resent
its intrusion, and avenge the oppression exercised over them,
during the night by combined attacks. This antipathy has
been taken advantage of for the purpose of catching birds ever
since the days of Aristotle. The catcher imitates, for instance,
the voice of an owl about an hour before sunset, when the
birds will flock together and perch on the trees or bushes in
the suspected neighbourhood. The twigs, &c., having been
previously covered with bird-lime, the birds pay their liberty
and perhaps life as the penalty of their desire to avenge them-
selves on the owl. RE.

Revivification.

Among the plants of the desert is the rose of Jericho (Anas-
tatica hierochuntica), an annual which contracts itself into a
ball and, blown about by the breeze, seems a dead and withered
mass of twigs. But plunge it into water and it expands, re-
gains the bloom of life, affording a remarkable example of
what is called "revivification." The fable respecting it is that
the first time it ever bloomed was on the eve of the Nativity,
and that its flower remained open until Easter. D.

The Indeterminateness of Revolutionary Forces.

Volcanoes will remain for centuries in a state of repose, and
then, with little or no warning, become fearfully active.
Vesuvius, restless in the early world, was so long quiescent
that it was considered extinct, when about sixty years after the
Christian era it suddenly renewed its eruptions. Ten years
afterwards came that tremendous convulsion which brought
upon Pompeii and Herculaneum, the Italian cities of the plain,
the awful doom of Sodom and Gomorrah. The revolutionary
forces of the world somewhat resemble the volcanic. They are
indeterminate. They slumber sometimes for generations ; and

u

306 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Rev

by despots their quiescence is mistaken for extinction. But,
like the subterranean fire, the principle of justice is never extin-
guished. It may smoulder for a period in darkness, but it is
ever aglow in the central heart of humanity ; and at the very
moment when tyrants and their myrmidons are congratulating
themselves upon the impregnability of the institutions of
despotism, it may suddenly startle them from their audacious
dream by the eruption of a revolution which will engulf them
in a fiery retribution. MAR.

The Advantages of Revolutions.

Insect life in tropical America swarms as luxuriously as the
vegetation ; and there are many insects, which, however useful
in their own place, are apt to get into houses, and there
multiply to such an extent that they become a real plague, and
nearly drive the inhabitants out of their own houses. There
are insects that bite, insects that suck, insects that scratch,
insects that sting, and many that are remarkable for giving out
a most horrible odour. There are great centipedes, and always
plenty of scorpions, whilst lizards, snakes, and other reptiles
are so common as almost to escape attention. For a time these
usurpers reign supreme. But when the foraging ants make
their appearance, the case is altered, for there is nothing that
withstands their assault. The inhabitants throw open every
box and drawer in the house, so as to allow the ants access
into every crevice, and then retire from the premises. (The
presence of these insects may be always known by the numbers
of pittas or ant-thrushes, which feed much upon them, and
which are sure to accompany a column of foraging ants on the
march.) Presently the vanguard of the column approaches, a
few scouts precede the general body, and seem to inspect the
premises, and ascertain whether they are worth a search. The
long column then pours in, and is soon dispersed over the
house. The ants penetrate into the corners, peer into each
crevice, and speedily haul out any unfortunate creature that is
lurking therein. Great cockroaches are dragged unwillingly
away, being pulled in front by four or five ants, and pushed

Ric] AND SYMBOLS. 307

from behind by as many more. Rats and mice speedily suc-
cumb to the onslaught of their myriad foes, and the snakes
and lizards fare no better. In a wonderfully short time the
foraging ants have completed their work, the scene of turmoil
gradually ceases, the scattered parties again form into line, and
the procession moves out of the house, carrying its spoils in
triumph. When the inhabitants return to the house they find
every intruder gone. The foraging ants are by no means
pleasant creatures, but in this case they do very useful work. It
is analogous to that which, when political rascalities have be-
come unbearable, has to be done for mankind by revolutionaries.
Revolutionaries are not the most select people on earth any
more than foraging ants are the most pleasant insects; but
when Nature decides upon a thorough extermination of any-
thing, she selects, not the daintiest, but the most capable
instruments for the case in hand. She takes care to have the
work thoroughly well done. H.

The Cost of Getting Rich.

The condor of the Andes possesses the habits and voracity of
other vultures, has the loftiest flight of all the winged race,
enormous strength, and great audacity. He frequently pounces
upon living animals, but his non-retractile talons, blunted by
their attrition on the rocks, do not permit him to carry off his
prey ; he contents himself with fixing it against the ground with
one of his claws, while he rends it to pieces with his powerful
beak. Gorged with food, he becomes incapable of flight, and
you may then capture him. And does not this resemble the
career of many a vulgar wealthy man? His brilliant daring
and rapid upward rising into the light have excited admiration
and stimulated high hopes. Soon, however, you discover that
he ascended so high only because it made more certain his
intended grasp of the low earthly object on which his greed was
set. Behold, the climax of the brilliant career after all is the
coarse, vulgar, greedy snob, abandoning himself to gluttony and
abominable self-gratification, deprived by his own lust alone of
every power which enabled him once to rise. D.

3o8 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Rul

The Tendency of Things to Right Themselves.

Nature has endowed things with a tendency to right them-
selves. Let us take an example from what happens in the case
of the atmosphere. By respiration, flame, putrefaction, air is
rendered unfit for the support of animal life. By the constant
operation of these corrupting principles the whole atmosphere,
if there were no restoring causes, would come at length to be
deprived of its necessary degree of purity. Some of these causes
seem to have been discovered and their efficacy ascertained by
experiment. And so far as the discovery has proceeded, it
opens to us a beautiful and a wonderful economy. Vegetation
proves to be one of them. A sprig of mint corked up with a
small portion of foul air, placed in the light, renders it again
capable of supporting life or flame. Here, therefore, is a con-
stant circulation of benefits maintained between the two great
provinces of organised Nature. The plant purifies what the
animal has poisoned ; in return, the contaminated is more than
ordinarily nutritious to the plant. Agitation with water proves
to be another of these restoratives. The foulest air shaken in
a bottle with water, for a sufficient length of time, recovers a
great degree of its purity. Here then, again, allowing for the
scale upon which Nature works, we see the salutary effects of
storms and tempests. The yeasty waves, which confound the
heavens and the sea, are doing the very same thing which was
done in the bottle. Nothing can be of greater importance to
the living creation than the salubrity of their atmosphere. The
agitations of the elements tend powerfully to restore to the
air that purity which so many causes are constantly impairing.

N. T.

No Rule without an Exception.

It seems the rule amongst all creatures to desire above all
things to preserve their bodies intact and unhurt. Yet there is
an exception to this rule. The brittle star-fishes have a habit of
breaking themselves to pieces whenever they are alarmed. It
appears almost strange that such a creature should experience a
feeling of alarm, or indeed any mental emotion whatever. Yet
the brittle star-fishes are peculiarly timid, and have some instinc-

See] AND SYMBOLS. 309

tive way of detecting danger. One would think that how-
ever the danger might be dreaded, it could do no worse than
beat the star-fish to pieces, and yet the creature adopts this
singular mode of escaping from its enemies. F.

Seeming Evil Real Good.

Much in life which appears good is really evil. But it is also
true that much which appears real evil is substantial good.
Take as an illustration the snow. The shivering and discom-
forted population are complaining of its presence as a wretched
evil. But let us inquire a little into the matter. What is its
mission 1 What the plumage does for the bird, wool for the
animal, and clothing for the man, snow does in winter for the
soil. The farmer and gardener look with dismay at a hard and
continued frost which is not preceded by a fall of snow. The
snow is nearly a non-conductor, and, when sufficiently deep,
may be considered as absolutely so. The surface may therefore
fall to a temperature greatly below 32 degrees; but the bottom,
in contact with the vegetation of the soil, does not share in this
fall of temperature remaining at 32 degrees, a temperature at
that season not incompatible with the vegetable organisation.
Thus the roots and young shoots are protected from a destructive
cold. So that the snow is no evil, however much it may, under
certain circumstances, have the appearance of being an evil. In
like manner adversity, with all its train of chilling influences,
is often a real blessing. And many a storm which has had a
most threatening aspect has proved a blessing because of the
pure and healthy influences which have accompanied it. Ob-
servation and inquiry will readily afford numberless instances
equally striking, in which seeming evil has proved itself to be
real good. HA.

Seeming Generosity.

There is a thing which passes for generosity which, when
analysed, is found to be nothing but selfish policy. Sometimes
a flint-hearted magistrate makes a great show of a generous con-
sideration for the condition of the prisoner, and pompously dis-

3io SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [See

charges him on that ground, as he says. Whereas it will often
be found that the charge against the man was one of which the
law could take no cognizance, or else which the magistrate felt
himself unable to grapple with. He gets great credit for his
clemency. His manoeuvre, however, reminds those who see
through it of the spider's tricks. We well know that the
moment an ill-starred fly or other insect comes in contact with
the net of the spider, it is sprung upon with the rapidity of
lightning, and if the captured insect be of small size the spider
conveys it at once to the place of slaughter, and having at its
leisure sucked all its juice, throws out the carcass. If the
insect be somewhat larger and struggles to escape, the spider
envelops its prey in a mesh of thread passed round its body in
various directions, and its wings and legs thus effectually secured,
it is conveyed to the den and devoured. But when a bee or
large fly, too powerful to be mastered by the spider, happens to
get entangled in its toils, then the wary animal, conscious of its
incapacity to contend against such fearful odds, makes no at-
tempt either to seize or embarrass the victim. On the contrary,
it assists the entangled captive in its efforts to free itself, and
often goes so far as to break off that part of the web from which
it may be suspended. This act has upon it the colour of seem-
ing generosity, but in reality it is nothing more than the
performance of selfish cunning. The tyrant, feeling himself
incapable of doing an injury, determines to have no molestation.
To obtain this end he performs an act of manumission. In
this policy he is not only like the magistrate, but he is also very
like the man who gets great credit for generosity in giving, but
who gives not out of the fulness of a warm heart, but because
he desires to avoid the inconveniences to himself, which he
knows will attend any other policy than that of seeming gene-
rosity. The applicant is to him just a great awkward intrusion
into the web of circumstance ; if he does not attend to it there
will be some embarrassment. In his position it is prudent to
attend to it. Therefore he does. This is his generosity.
Nothing more. p.

Sel] AND SYMBOLS. 311

Self-Deception.

Sometimes we persistently deceive ourselves. We insist
upon pursuing a policy for our benefit which all but ourselves
clearly see to be absurd and useless. We cling to a pet project
and nurse a worthless conceit long after the folly of both is
recognised by everybody else. But we are not altogether to be
blamed. For instinct itself is sometimes at fault, and its
powers are uselessly applied. A hen will sit with the greatest
tenacity on rounded pieces of chalk ; and the Hamster rat
breaks the wings of dead birds as well as of living ones before
it devours them. Insects also occasionally err on the same
principle, as when the blow-fly lays its eggs on the flower of the
stapelia, deceived by its carrion-like odour. A spider, deprived
of its egg-bag, will cherish with the same fondness a little
pellet of cotton thrown to it. p.

Man's Self-Adapting Power.

Man possesses a grand capacity for adapting himself to the
requirements of circumstances. Much as he needs fresh air and
light he is able to spend his existence in the operations of
mining, where the air is always impure, and light never comes.
Important as exercise is to him, he nevertheless can accustom
himself to avocations which are entirely sedentary, and deprive
him of all muscular activity. He needs his legs for walking,
but if they are amputated we soon find him providing himself
with some other means of locomotion. He requires his hands
for painting and writing : but when he has not hands, we find
him painting and writing by means of his toes. His teeth are
indispensable for mastication : but, when he loses them, he
invents a contrivance of his own in their place. Now, elastic
as this power of adaptation to circumstances is in man, it is
scarcely less marvellous in some of the lower creatures. Take,
for example, the water-spider (Argyroneta aquatica). Her
instinct instructs her to fabricate a kind of diving-bell in the
bosom of the water. She usually selects still waters for this
purpose. Her house is an oval cocoon, filled with air, and

312 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Sel

lined with silk, from which threads issue in every direction,
and are fastened to the surrounding plants. Mr. Thompson
says that in this cocoon, which is open below, she watches for
her prey, and even appears to pass the winter, when she closes
the opening. It is most commonly, yet not always under water,
but its inhabitant has filled it for her respiration, which
enables her to live in it. She conveys the air to it in the
following manner : she usually swims on her back to the
surface, then she turns over and jerks a bubble of air under her
abdomen, and appears like a globe of quicksilver. With this
she enters her cocoon, and displacing an equal mass of water,
ascends again for a second lading, till she has sufficiently filled
her house with it, so as to expel all the water. How these
little animals can envelop their abdomen with an air-bubble
and retain it till they enter their cells, is still one of Nature's
mysteries. It is a wonderful provision which enables an
animal that breathes the atmospheric air to fill her house with
it under water, and by some secret art to clothe her body
with air as with a garment, which she can put off when it
answers her purpose. This is a kind of attraction and repulsion
that mocks all inquiries ; and man's inventions of the diving
bell and the air balloon, to enable him to investigate sea and
sky, and his many other successful achievements over the diffi-
culties of circumstance, are scarcely more astonishing. p.

S elf-Dependence a Condition of Power.

M. Gue"rin-Meneville has called the silkworm " the dog of
insects," for it has been domesticated from the most ancient
times. But in losing its self-dependence it has been deprived
of great part of its strength. The moth of the silkworm can
no longer keep its position in the air, or on the leaves of the
mulberry, when they are agitated by the wind. It can no
longer protect itself under the leaves from the burning heat of
the sun and from its enemies. The female, always motionless,
seems to be ignorant of the fact that she has wings. The male
no longer flies ; he flutters round his companion without quit-
ting the ground. It ought, however, in the wild state to be
possessed of a sufficiently powerful flight. Mr. C. Martins

Sel] AND SYMBOLS. 313

found that after three generations reared in the open air, the
males recovered their lost power. • There can be no doubt that
it is a principle in Nature that self-dependence is a condition
of strength. When men become dependent upon luxuries and
assistance, they lose their physical force. When they cease to
use their brains they lose their mental wings. I.

Selfish Kindness.

Though selfish kindness is a paradox, its existence is a
reality. There are people who are really kind towards us and
others, but are so from no creditable motive. Father Kipa, in
the account of his sojourn near the mouth of the Ganges, tells
us of a set of religionists who are very kind to all sorts of
animals and insects, which they neither kill nor eat, but, on
the contrary, tend them with great care. Indeed to such a
pitch do they carry their kindness, that they have hospitals for
lice and fleas, and pay liberally by the hour those who will
allow the insects to feed on their blood. They are also most
kind to sheep and cows. And why all this 2 Not because
they possess disinterested kindness, but because they believe
in the transmigration of souls, and that after death they will
pass into the body of some animal more or less offensive ac-
cording to the good or evil actions of their past life. And
further, because they believe after death that a great river must
be passed which can only be done by holding on fast to the
tail of the sheep or the cow. So that in this, as in a number
of other instances to be met with in civilised society, there is
really a complete absence of real unselfishness in the act, which,
however, may be kind enough in its way. Here we have the
expectation of some future advantage as the actual basis of the
act. Numbers of deeds which pass for genuine kindness are
the result of a complex mixture of motives, amongst which
pure charity is not found. Where is the kindness which lends,
which does, and which gives, expecting nothing as reward in
return either in this world or the other? ME.

314 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Sel

Prudence in Self-Protection.

Every man should do something to protect himself against
the stress and strain of emergencies. Some men seem to have
no prudence whatever. Others have some idea of self-protection,
but do not protect what is most valuable. They guard their
money, fame, or pride, instead of their brains, virtue, and
character. Now, when animals are providing for coming danger,
they endeavour to protect not their tails, or fur, or nails, or
immaterial parts. When they are not able to conceal them-
selves entirely from the danger, they protect their most sensitive
and vulnerable portions ; thus the hedgehog, in defending itself
with its spines from the attack of another animal, curves itself
downwards in such a way as to defend its head. And some
animals, when struck, roll themselves together and press their
heads on their breasts, at the same time trying to protect them
by covering them with the forelegs. p.

Self-Sacrifice.

Not uncommonly we read in biographies and elsewhere
eloquent panegyrics on the bravery of warriors and others on
occasions when they have risked their lives for their fellows.
It may raise our conceptions of the lower creation to remember
that some other existences manifest a self-sacrificing devotion
equal if not superior to our own. Look at the manatees. The
manatees (Manatus) collect together in large troops. Their
character is mild, affectionate, and sociable. The male, which
is extremely attached to his female, does not desert her in the
hour of danger, but defends her till his death. The young ones
have no less tenderness for their mother. The fishermen know
how to profit by the ties which unite all the members of the
family. They try, above all, to capture first the females, because
the males and the young ones follow them, to defend them, or
to share their fate. On the shallow weedy shores round islands
at the mouths of rivers, which these innocent and mild animals
frequent to feed on the sea-weed, are the places to look for the
manatees. The hunter waits for the moment when they come
to the surface to breathe, or else he surprises them in their sleep,

Sen] AND SYMBOLS. 315

floating with their muzzles above the surface of the water in
the current. When close he throws his harpoon. The wounded
animal loses its blood ; this blood brings up the other manatees
to the assistance of the victim. At this fatal moment, some of
them try to wrench out the murderous weapon, the others to
bite through the cord which the wounded one is dragging along
with it, thus affording the fishermen an opportunity to massacre
the whole troop. The unselfish devotion of these animals leads
them on to their destruction. M.

Blunted Sensibility.

The leaves and branches of a sensitive plant shrink from the
touch; but on being too frequently approached, this delicacy
departs. Even so a sensitive nature may lose its beautiful
characteristic by unsuitable contact with the world. u.

A Conflict between the Senses.

It is not wise to rely absolutely upon the decision of one of
the senses alone, for it may be in conflict with that of another
of the senses whose judgment may happen to be better. Take
an instance. In the Island of Borneo there is a forest-tree as
large as an English elm, which produces a highly-esteemed fruit
called the durian. Though this fruit has a smell like that of
putrid flesh, so that a single specimen is enough to infect a
whole house, its flavour is so delicious that those who venture
to taste it soon become confirmed durian- eaters. Here the
sense of smell would reject that which the taste approves, and
which is a very useful fruit. c. M.

Sensual Pleasures.

The dogsbane (Apocymum androscemifolium), a native of
North America, is most cruelly destructive of animal life, and
generally conducive to the death of every fly that settles upon
it. Allured by the honey on the nectary of the expanded
blossom, the instant the trunk is protruded to feed on it, the

316 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Sev

filaments close, and catching the fly by the extremity of its pro-
boscis, detain the poor prisoner writhing in protracted struggles
till released by death, a death apparently occasioned by exhaus-
tion alone; the filaments then relax, and the body falls to
the ground. Here is an emblem of sensual pleasures : their
attractiveness to the senses, and the punishment of him who is
allured by them. jo.

The Valley of Sensuality.

In Java is a valley which is called the Valley of Poison. It
is an object of veritable terror to the natives. In this renowned
valley the soil is said to be covered with skeletons and carcasses
of tigers, of goats, and of stags, of birds, and even with human
bones : for asphyxia or suffocation, it seems, strikes all living
things which venture into this desolate place. It illustrates the
valley of sensuality, the most horrible creation of social life.
Few men who enter into its depths survive long; for it is
strewn with dead reputations and the mangled remains of
creatures who were once happy. w.

Severe Afflictions require Strong Remedies.

A crowd of facts might be related to show that the more
severe a symptom such as pain, the stronger must be the dose
of the remedy which is to call back the vital .power to its
wonted channels. Thus a delicate woman will take with
impunity 150 drops of laudanum to relieve severe pain, whereas
if she 'were well such a dose would so attract the vital power
to the part it lodged in as to make her ill, if even it did not
prove fatal. The principle that severe affliction requires a
strong remedy is true in politics as well as in therapeutics,
"We sometimes hear legislation objected to on the ground that it
is "exceptional." This is obviously a very silly objection to
urge where the symptoms calling for the legislation are severe.
Severe national suffering demands strong palliative remedies.
The point to consider is simply whether the " exceptional "
legislation is, like the laudanum in the case of pain, adapted to

Shr] AND SYMBOLS. 317

meets its end. Of course such "exceptional" legislation as
would provide a cartload of toothpicks to ameliorate a famine
is altogether outside that definition. s. L.

Sham Humility.

There is an insect which may be easily mistaken for dust, or
the particles of wool and silk which one sees in the corners of
badly swept rooms. It walks slowly in the dust and with
measured tread. Having taken one step forward it stops a while
and then takes another, leaving at each movement the opposite
leg in repose. If you take off the cloak of dust in which it
disguises itself, you will see an entirely different animal. It is
nothing but the pupa of Reduvius personatus, a species of bug.
And it assumes this disguise to enable it to approach little
animals, such as bed-bugs, flies, and spiders, in order to make
them its prey. When fully developed it takes wings, flies by
night, inflicts the most painful of wounds even on men — wounds
which cause such a numbness in the member wounded as to
lead to the belief that venom is secreted in the creature's long
beak. Does not the spirit of this little wretch seem to belong
to The Brotherhood of Sham Humility (\ Who has not noticed
one of the human members of this guild crawling stealthily
along in social dust and ashes, a "Uriah Heep," assuming a
humble attitude in order to prey upon very small victims ?
Who has not observed the same humble brother when he has
become fully developed, and able to fly high ? Does not he,
like this bug, delight to soar through darkness towards his
superiors, and cannot he too inflict a nasty, poisonous sting 1

i.

Shrewd Men.

The shrewd man reminds us of the red-headed woodpecker.
From the statements of Wilson, this bird would appear to be a
great epicure in the matter of fruit, so constantly selecting the
best, sweetest, and ripest apples for his own consumption that
his presence upon an apple-tree may always be taken as a proof
that its fruit is the best in the orchard. When alarmed, says
Wilson, he seizes a capital one by sticking his open bill deep

318 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Sil

into it, and bears it off to the woods. "When we find the shrewd
man dealing in a particular stock, or speculating in a particular
fund, we well know by his very presence and connection with
them, that the stock and the fund are the best of their kind
anywhere to be found. And if any panic or alarm does force
him into other directions, depend upon it that he, like the
red-headed wood-pecker, will be certain to carry off something
substantially good for any trouble he has taken, They are
interesting, these quick, shrewd men, who always know the best
market and the best way of getting on in life ; these commer-
cial woodpeckers also know where to find and how to fly off
with the golden apples of the world. N. H.

Silent Work may be Stupendous.

The mechanical power exerted in silence by the air and the
sun in lifting water from the earth, in transporting it from one
place to another, and in letting it down again, is inconceivably
great. The utilitarian who compares the water-power that the
Falls of Niagara would afford if applied to machinery, is
astonished at the number of figures which are required to
express its equivalent in horse-power. Yet what is the horse-
power of the Niagara, falling a few steps, in comparison with
the horse-power that is required to lift up all the water that is
discharged into the sea, not only by this river, but by all the
other rivers in the world as high as the clouds 1 The calculation
has been made by engineers, and according to it the force for
making and lifting vapour from each area of one acre that is
included on the surface of the earth, is equal to the power of
thirty horses ; and for the whole area of the earth it is 800
times greater than all the water-power in Nature. If we turn
for a moment from considering the stupendous work performed
in silence by mechanical forces, and investigate that which is
accomplished, without noise, by moral and intellectual power, we
shall find still more striking phenomena. The mere influence of
ideas has permeated whole nations, crossed seas, and revolutionised
the institutions of mankind. A single book may contain a silent
force of thought which will move the hearts and rouse the armies
of a continent. T.

Sim] AND SYMBOLS. 319

The Achievements of Silent Aggressive Forces.

The chemical action of the atmosphere (composed of oxygen,
nitrogen, and carbonic acid) is observable less or more on all
exposed surfaces. Its gases, partly by their own nature, and
partly by the moisture diffused through them, exert a wasting or
weathering influence on all rocks — softening, loosening, and
crumbling them down, to be more readily borne away by
currents of winds and water. Carbonic acid acts specially on all
rocks containing lime ; oxygen rusts or oxidises those impreg-
nated with iron ; moisture insinuates itself everywhere, and
thus in a few years the hardest rock exhibits a weathered or
wasted surface. Particle after particle is loosened ; film after
film falls away ; a new surface is exposed to new waste, and in
course of ages the boldest mountain mass yields to this silent
and almost imperceptible agency. In such instances as the above
the atmosphere acts directly as a chemical agent; where it impreg-
nates rain and other water with its gases, and these operate
within the crust as springs, it acts indirectly, though not less
efficiently. Such are some of the many achievements of aggres-
sive forces that are silent in their action. AD.

The Snare of Simulated Unity.

One of the basest tricks played alike by men and brutes is
that of simulated unity. The trickster leads his victims to
suppose that he is one of themselves. An Arctic fox, on dis-
covering a flock of sea gulls sitting about the shore, approaches
them backwards, with his tail so raised as to resemble one of
themselves, and as it is commonly white, and he advances with
slow steps, they seldom discover the intrigue until he has reached
them, when he is sure to seize one of them for his prey. There
are rogues called informers, who have joined political associations
by practising a sort of fox's trick of simulated unity with the
assembly, and who thereby have been enabled to cause the
destruction of their victims. There are self-seekers who have
ingratiated themselves into the society of good people by simu-
lating a resemblance to them, and then have ruined their
innocent dupes. Churches and chapels are often visited by

320 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Sin

hypocritical foxes, who imitate the ways of the unsuspecting
gulls of the congregation, and simulate a unity with them,
simply for the purpose of ruining them. Beware of the fox
everywhere ! R.

Sin's Insidious Attack.

What a suggestive analogy there is in the contest between a
human being grappling with sin, into which he has unexpectedly
drifted, and the struggling swimmer in contact, in our seas, with
that formidable creature, the Cyance capillata. It is a delight-
ful day, and all seems safe to the swimmer. But, with its broad
tawny festooned and scalloped disc, often a full foot or even more
across, the Cyanoe capillata flaps its way through the yielding
waters, and drags after it a long train of riband-like arms and
seemingly interminable tails, marking its course when the body
is far away from us. Once tangled in its trailing " hair," the
unfortunate man who has unintentionally ventured across the
graceful monster's path too soon writhes in prickly torture.
Every struggle but binds the poisonous threads more firmly
round his body, and then there is no escape ; for when the
winder of the fatal net finds his course impeded by the terrified
human being wrestling in its coils, he, seeking no combat with
the mightier biped, casts loose his envenomed arms and swims
away. The amputated weapons, severed from their parent body,
vent vengeance on him who has caused their destruction, and
sting as fiercely as if their original proprietor itself gave the
word of attack. N. H.

The Growth and Action of Besetting Sins.

A secret sin works insidiously, but with wondrous, quiet
power. Its hidden ravages are awful, and the outward revela-
tion of their result and existence may be contemporaneous.
Until that revelation was made, probably no one ever suspected
the presence in the man of anything but a few venial faults
which were as mere excrescences on a robust character — though
these growths were something rude. Oftentimes a large fungus
will start from a tree, and in some mysterious manner will sap

Sla] AND SYMBOLS. 321

the life-power of the spot on which it grows. They were like
that fungus. When the fungus falls in the autumn, it leaves
scarcely a trace of its presence, the tree being apparently as
healthy as before the advent of the parasite. But the whole
character of the wood has been changed by the strange power
of the fungus, being soft and cork-like to the touch. Perhaps
the parasite may fall in the autumn, and the tree may show
no symptoms of decay ; but at the first tempest it may have to
encounter, the trunk snaps off at the spot where the fungus
has been, and the extent of the injury is at once disclosed. As
long as any portion of that tree retains life, it will continue to
throw out these destructive fungi ; and even when a mere stump
is left in the ground, the fungi will push themselves out in
profusion. H.

The Wounds of the Slanderer.

The scorpion extends in Europe to the north coasts of the
Mediterranean, but is more abundant in Africa, both North and
South, where its bite has the singular peculiarity that, although
excessively painful on the first occasion of its infliction, and even
dangerous to life, the constitution becomes hardened to it, the
suffering is less on every subsequent occasion, and at length
comes to be little regarded. The slanderer is found in every part
of the globe. The wounds which he inflicts upon sensitive natures
have been fatal in many instances. But in cases where the
victim has been strong enough to endure several of his attacks,
it is found that, like the scorpion's bites, they produce no effect;
and the slanderer and his venom are even held in derision.

I. L.

The Slanderous Character.

The medusae are so named in consequence of the long fibres
which are trailed after them, and which writhe and twist about
in the water like the serpent tresses of the mythical Medusa.
Some of the tropical species of medusae are so poisonous that if
their floating tresses coil round a human being they affect him
as if he had been stung from head to foot by a swarm of wasps.
In the colder seas of the British shores these formidable beings

322 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Sma

cannot live ; but even on our own coasts a peculiarly venomous
species exists. Its scientific name is Cyanea capillata, and it is
popularly called the stinger or stanger. The poison threads of
this species are apparently interminable, and people are stung
by them when at a distance of many yards from the owner.
Moreover, the threads sting as freely when separated from the
medusa as when attached to it ; so that a single specimen may
inflict an enormous amount of pain if it should happen to float
among a company of bathers. The effect of the poison varies
according to the individual. Some persons care little for it,
and suffer scarcely any pain, except a sharp sort of pricking
sensation which is unpleasant at the time, but leaves no sort
of after effects. Others, who are afflicted with a sensitive
skin, not only suffer severe and prolonged pain, but their health
is seriously affected, and months afterwards the effects are felt,
and the symptoms will recur. This stinger symbolises the
slanderer. She trails herself through human society in all lati-
tudes ; and wherever she is found she causes pain by her poison.
Even when far away her victims suffer through her influence.
Those who are not particularly sensitive cannot escape the dis-
comfort of her stings ; whilst those who are so, often suffer
acutely from them. F.

The Capacity for Mischief Possessed by Small

Beings.

The feeble aphis, with limbs indescribably slender, is so
fragile that it may be overturned by a puff of breath. But
smallness of bulk is no criterion of inferiority of power ; an
apple-tree, several feet, perhaps, in its circumference, spreading
its branches over a rood of land, sickens and dies from the
puncture of the aphis lanata, a creature so small as to be imper-
ceptible on its limbs. Among men we often see a grand and
noble character brought to a premature grave owing to the
capacity which some of the most contemptible of the human
species possess to blast reputations and break hearts. j.

Sma] AND SYMBOLS. 323

The Day of Small Things.

When the day of small things is being smiled at, the ques-
tion may be advantageously asked, Whether the small things
are the germs of the great, or are preparing the way for them 1
In an immense number of instances in the political, the moral,
and the material world, it will be found that the "little" things
have been marvellously potential ; vigorous in themselves,
though in their day appearing weak ; tremendous in their results,
though originally indicating no future force. The thallogens
are, many of them, of minute microscopic dimensions. Never-
theless they fulfil an important part in the economy of Nature.
They constituted the first origin, and were even the source of all
vegetation. Disaggregating rocks, they produced the vegetable
earth which became the means of their own destruction. The
enriched soil nourished plants of more complex organisation,
and these inferior beings were replaced by degrees by vegetable
species of more perfect structure. All soil primitively sterile,
all land recently emerged from the bosom of the waters, served
first as the asylum of crustaceous and foliaceous lichens ; at a
later period lichens and ferns made their appearance there ;
finally a superior vegetation, namely, the phanerogames, or
cotyledons, present themselves. Thus the higher orders of
vegetables have only appeared, and will only continue to make
their appearance, upon the debris of vegetation of a lower order.

v.

Paltry Battles of Small Natures, i

The common stickleback, or tittlebat, as it is sometimes
called, is a most irritable and pugnacious creature. Sometimes
a rival male comes by with all his swords drawn ready for
battle, and his colours of red and green flying. Then there is
a fight that would require the pen of Homer to describe. These
valiant warriors dart at each other, they bite, they manoeuvre,
they strike with their spines, and sometimes a well-aimed cut
will rip up the body of the adversary and send him to the
bottom dead. When one of the combatants prefers ignominious
flight to a glorious death, he is pursued by the victor with re-

324 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Soc

lentless fury, and may think himself fortunate if he escapes.
Then comes a curious result. The conqueror assumes brighter
colours and a more insolent demeanour, his green is tinged with
gold, his scarlet is of a triple dye, and he charges more furi-
ously than ever at intruders or those whom he is pleased to
consider as such. But the vanquished warrior is disgraced ; he
retires humbly to some obscure retreat, he loses his red and
green and gold uniform, and becomes a plain civilian in drab.

c.

Sneakism. v

Unfortunately there is a good deal of sneakism to be found
in society ; but as it is not polite to give any example painted
from life, we may have a very coherent notion of the spirit of
the offence if we notice that embodiment of it which is to
be seen in the lion-worm. The lion-worm is a curious and
voracious little creature, having a tapering form, the head
being more pointed than the tail. Like the ant-lion, that for-
midable insect, it makes a species of cavity in the loose earth,
and there waits in ambuscade for its prey. A portion of its
body lies concealed under the sand, the rest stretches across the
bottom of the den, and appears so stiff and motionless that at
first sight it might be taken for a bit of straw, half an inch in
length. If, however, any insect in search of food should happen
to walk into the cave of the lion-worm, the little morsel of
stubble in an instant becomes all animation, falls like a serpent
on its prey, and winding its body in coils around its victim,
compresses it to death, and sucks out the juices by means of a
couple of hooks fixed to its head. No one can observe these
actions without coming to the conclusion that sneakism in men or
worms is just the same thing, with merely a change of method
and appliances suitable to the place and occasion. p.

Traits of Social Character.

Considerable variety exists in the mental characters not only
of men but of different mollusks. One mollusk, apparently like
the anchorite, loves to dwell alone, another prefers society, a

Soc] AND SYMBOLS. 325

third associates only with his clan. He cannot endure the
neighbourhood of creatures formed like himself, with similar
necessities and inclinations, if they differ in even a few imma-
terial points. p. H.

Social Skunks.

The skunks (Mephitis) inhabit North and South America, and
are remarkable for the horrid stench which they diffuse around
them when provoked. The effluvium no living creature can
endure even at a considerable distance. Even clothing is ren-
dered unwearable. Amongst mankind may be found social
skunks : — individuals who, whenever the least annoyed, make the
moral atmosphere so utterly offensive that even robust honesty
(however desirous of vindicating itself) is compelled to with-
draw. 'So detestable is the effect which these follows produce
that a moral fumigation of all that has been near them does
not absolutely remove all traces of their rascaldom ; and years
after coming into contact with them, a reference to even trivial
circumstances which have been tainted by their association
will produce nausea. M.

Inequalities in Social Life.

The inequalities of society are startling. The social strata is
irregular, full of faults and breaks. We cannot account for the
singular social position of some men any more than, when we are
examining rocks, we can account for the juxtaposition of worthless
stone and valuable ore. We find that ores of the useful metals
have been sometimes thrown down in a fissure at one time and not
at another : the deposit of one ore sometimes repeated, at others
not. Thus there may have been a coating of a zinc ore at one
time, of copper ore at another, and a covering of tin ore upon
these, sometimes separated by other mineral substances, at others
in deposits one above the other. Again we find in the succes-
sive dislocations which are sometimes seen to have effected the
lines of fissures, that while the lines of least resistance to the
applied force have been chiefly through the contents of the original
fissure, occasionally a new fissure has been made through portions

326 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Soc

of the adjoining rock, so that the minerals which may have been
subsequently deposited in the new crack or fissure will be partly
in the old line and partly amid the newly broken and adjacent
rocks. The rocks very fairly represent social life. Kevolutions
and reactions — the conflicting operations of the court and the
populace, the priests and the people, each sometimes gaining and
each sometimes losing the ascendancy — have jostled men into
curious positions. Men utterly different in their nature are in
closest contact ; and those whom you would often look for at
the top are at the bottom, the man of tin being where you
hoped to discover him of gold, and all being strangely mixed
up with the world's dross and rubbish. The processes by which
all this came to pass are no doubt ascertainable ; but, as in the
case of the rocks, exceedingly difficult just at present. So we
must accept the fact, and await in confidence the explaining
day. MA.

^C. Social Elevation Perilous to Some.

It is not every man who can live on the elevated places of
society. The social mountains are incompatible with the
organisations intended to thrive down in the plains of common-
place life. The magisterial mountain, the political mountain, the
religious mountain, furnish many examples of the curious pheno-
mena which have been developed in certain of the vulgar tribes
which have endeavoured to flourish on their inviting heights.
"We have all our own places in creation, and are only safe when
we are keeping them. It is so with men, it is so with animals.
Some animals which -flourish well and happily in the plain become
ailing or die on the mountain. For example : Von Tschudi
makes the singular remark that on the Cordilleras, at elevations
of more than 1 2,000 feet, delicate breeds of dogs and the European
domestic cat are exposed to a particular kind of mortal disease.
Humboldt records that innumerable attempts have been made
to keep cats as domestic animals in the town of Cerro de Pasco,
lying at an elevation of 14,100 feet above the sea's level; but
such endeavours have invariably been frustrated, as both cats and
dogs have died in convulsions at the end of a few days. The
cats, after being attacked by convulsive fits, attempt to climb the

Soc] AND SYMBOLS. 327

walls, but soon fall to the ground exhausted and motionless.
Lord Bacon says of little men in high places, that they resemble
small busts on tall pedestals, and are the more ridiculous on
account of their elevation. So they are. But they are also like
these cats and dogs on the mountain heights, quite out of their
sphere ; and the attempt to elevate them, however well intended,
is often a fatal blunder. Keep the cats and dogs of society
where they can live. vi.

Social Gullibility.

There is in society a gullible class — a people who will snatch
at any absurdity and swallow any nonsense. If only a pro-
posal or an institution assume a phase resembling a thing which
they approve, they mistake the resemblance for the thing, and
are ready to act upon their mistake even at the cost of the
greatest inconvenience. There are many animals in the world
like them. The trout and salmon rise at an artificial fly, and
the pike snaps greedily at the glittering metallic bait. The
deer, deceived by a pair of horns held above a bush which the
Indian hunter carries before him, allows him to approach within
shot of the arrows. The edible frog, which rejects dead food,
seizes a dead mouse if it be moved gently to give it the appear-
ance of life; and the little green tree-frog, so abundant in
Germany, may be fed with dead flies throughout the winter by
a similar deception. Birds are scared away from fruit trees and
fresh-sown land by figures representing a human form, and are
again decoyed by pipes imitating their own peculiar cries. And
in this manner many animals mistake the representation of an
object for the object itself, the drawing for the original. But
they are not like men in the frequency with which they make
the mistake. p.

The Perils of Social Isolation.

The sun is necessary to health. Important changes take
place in the constitution of the blood in consequence of the
cutaneous vessels on the surface of the body not being freely

32S SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Soc

exposed to its oxygenating and life-generating influence. It
is a well-established fact that, as the effect of isolation from
the stimulus of light, the fibrine, albumen, and red blood-cells
become diminished in quantity, and the serum or watery por-
tion of the vital fluid augmented in volume, thus inducing a
disease known to physicians and pathologists by the name of
leukaemia, an affection in which white instead of red blood-cells
are developed. This exclusion from the sun produces the sickly,
flabby, pale anaemic condition of the face, or exsanguined, ghost-
like forms so often seen among those not freely exposed to air
and light. The absence of these essential elements of health dete-
riorates by materially altering the physical composition of the
blood, thus seriously prostrating the vital strength, enfeebling
the nervous energy, and ultimately inducing organic changes in
the structure of the heart, brain, and muscular tissue. Now
that which the sun is to the body, friendship is to the soul.
Wherever you find a nature withdrawn from the genial influ-
ences of friendship you will observe traces of abnormal weakness
and melancholy. In the shadow of solitude man loses the ruddy
glow of joyousness, and a gloomy misanthropy and sometimes
mental decrepitude are apt to derange all his affections. True
friendship is the sun of the soul. It stimulates, strengthens,
and gladdens our whole being. I. L. : VIR.

The Undercurrents of Social Life.

The experiments in deep-sea soundings have thrown much
light upon the subject of under-currents. There is reason to
believe that they exist in all or almost all parts of the deep
sea, for never in any instance yet has the deep-sea line ceased
to run out even after the plummet has reached the bottom. If
the line be held fast in the boat, it invariably parts, showing,
when two or three miles of it are out, that the under-currents
are sweeping against the bight of it with what seamen call a
swigging force that no sounding-twine has yet proved strong
enough to withstand. To understand the sea, you must go
below its surface, just as in social life, if you would understand
the world, you must look below its conventionalities, its court
ceremonies, and its respectable acts of parliament. You must

Sor] AND SYMBOLS. 329

take into account its under-currents. The " sounding line " of
any one of a hundred biographical histories will enable you to
discover that the throne, the parliament, the church, and all
imperial institutions, are vastly influenced by a variety of
under-currents. Logic, courtesy, and religion are on the sur-
face, but underneath them all there are bad under-currents
which sweep along with a " swigging force." T.

The Music of Solitude.

The nightingale is celebrated all over the world for its song,
which without doubt is superior to that of all other birds.
Naturally shy, it retires into the freshest and most sheltered
and secluded places, rarely exposing itself to observation.
Brushwood and thickets, witch-elms and evergreen trees, grow-
ing on the banks of some retired water-course, are its favourite
dwellings. In its seclusion it sings not only during the day
but also in the night ; but let any discordant noise approach
its retreat and it stops instantly. It seems to love solitude
above all things. The soul of the poet resembles the nightin-
gale in this ; for it is in the retirement of lonely hills and
valleys, away from all the clatter of the world, that the poet
becomes, as Landor says, " the serene creator of immortal things,"
of which he discourses in delightful spiritual melody. The
soul's purest music is only heard in solitude, "far from the
maddening crowd." RE.

Sorrow Mitigating Anger.

Dry air is a bad conductor, and favours undue electrical ac-
cumulations ; but moist air is a good conductor, and drains the
electricity harmlessly from the atmosphere. Each drop of rain
as it falls becomes freighted with some of the superabundant
electricity, and carries it off in safety to the earth. The falling
torrent, moreover, soaks house, tower, and tree, and shrub,
and thus adds to the facility with which they conduct the
fluid harmlessly from the air. Anger resembles the light-
ning, and sorrow the rain. So long as anger rages in its own

330 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Sou

burning atmosphere it may be dangerous, but when pathos
blends with the storm and sorrow rains her tears, anger becomes
controllable, and may harmlessly discharge itself in reminis-
cences, or contrition. BE.

Soul Ascension. ^

The frigate-bird (Frigata) spreads its wings to the extent of
three yards, and its power of flight is, therefore, very great.
When a hurricane arises it mounts up far above the storm, and
remains in these empyrean regions until the tempest is over-
past. In consequence of their immense expansion of the wing
they can sustain themselves in the air for days together without
taking or requiring rest. The human soul, like the frigate-bird,
possesses a power to rise above its storms. Upon the pinions
of faith it can ascend above the tempests of time, and calm
itself in the prospects of immortality. No storms can beat it
down, for it possesses a spirituality which, as Dr. Croley says,
enables it to rise higher and higher with every fresh wave of
its wing. ' RE.

Soul Blossoming.

Moments of profound faith, says Rev. F. W. Robertson, do
not come once for all ; they vary with the degree and habit of
obedience. There is a plant which blossoms once in a hundred
years. Like it, the soul blossoms only now and then in a space
of years; but these moments are the glory and the heavenly
glimpses of our purest humanity. F. w. R.

Allured by Mere Sound.

The Cicada plebeia, or Tettigonia fraxini, is an insect very
common in Provence, of grey yellow below, black above : the
head and thorax are marked or stripped with black. M. Solier
says that its song, very loud and very piercing, seems to consist
of one single note, repeated with rapidity which insensibly
grows weaker after a certain time, and terminates in a kind of
whistle, which can be partly imitated by pronouncing the two

Spi] AND SYMBOLS. 331

consonants s, t, and which resembles the noise of the air coming
out of a little opening in a compressed bladder. The cicadas
in general are very timid, and fly away at the least noise.
However, when a cicada is singing, one can approach it, whist-
ling the while in a quavering manner, and imitating as nearly as
possible its cry, but in such a manner as to predominate over it.
The insect then descends a small space down the tree, as if to
approach the whistler, then it stops. But if one presents a stick
to it, continuing to whistle, the cicada settles on it and begins
again to descend backwards. From time to time it stops as if
to listen. At last attracted and, as it were, fascinated by the
harmony of the whistle, it comes to the observer himself. Here
then is another of the many instances in which a creature may
be befooled by a mere sound. We have observed at church
congresses, at revival meetings, tea meetings, electioneering
gatherings, and at sundry times in divers places, that human
beings can be cajoled by the same thing. A man with an
ecclesiastical wand, or an electioneering wand, if he will learn
his tune properly, can always bring down the human cicada
plebeia, and get him in his own power. L

^/ Spiritual Torpor.

We may accept it as an axiom in physiology, that the activity
of respiration is inseparably connected with vital activity, not
simply muscular activity, as some writers maintain, but all pro
cesses whatever, involving chemical change within the body.
The most striking confirmation of this axiom is perhaps to be
seen in the phenomena of hybernation or winter sleep. No
sooner are the vital functions reduced to this extremely feeble
condition, in which we may almost say life is suspended, than
these hybernating animals are so incapable of ordinary respira-
tion that they may be placed in an atmosphere of pure carbonic
acid, and remain there unhurt for four hours, whereas if they
were placed in such an atmosphere when their breathing was
going on they would instantly perish. In the mental world
there is a spiritual hybernation. The intelligence falJs into a
profound slumber. When it does so the mind is independent
of all its ordinary requirements, and can exist in an atmosphere

332 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Spu

which is devoid of even a trace of common sense. In this state
a man may be placed under the influences of even a revolting
popular theology, and may manage to exist for a time, and, if
spiritual death overtake him, he is unconscious both of his own
position and of its approach. He is in a state of suspended men-
tal animation which is terminated without a pang. PH.

Splenetic Force.

The splenetic man does not exert an influence at all com-
mensurate with his activity or his desires. He often would be
injurious if he could, but the fact is that society is not alFected
by all his attacks in an equal degree. Their power is in an
inverse ratio to their number. It has been found by observa-
tion that the effect of the subsequent wounds which he gives,
like those which the snake gives, is greatly decreased. In the
case of the snake they are diminished either by the diminution of
the quantity of venom, or by some deterioration of its strength,
so that if a venomous snake be made repeatedly to inflict wounds,
without allowing sufficiently long intervals for it to recover its
powers, each successive bite becomes less and less effective.
In the case of the splenetic man, however, there is no diminu-
tion either in the quantity of the venom or its quality. The
decrease in the noxious effects produced by his subsequent
wounds is due to another source. It is owing to society's
method of treatment. Society now finds that it is best not to
dress such wounds, or allow them to be plastered over by friends,
but to bathe them at once in oblivion. p.

The Spurious Philanthropist.

The teredo (ship-worm) passes through several changes of
form, and in its earlier stages is wholly unrecognisable by any
one except a practised naturalist. It is very minute and nearly
spherical, and covered with cilia or hair-like projections, by
means of which it swims rapidly through the water. In thirty-
six hours it assumes a new form, and speedily changes it for
another, after which it returns again to its original form, so that

Sta] AND SYMBOLS. 333

in a very few hours the little creature is first spherical, then
oval, then triangular, and then spherical again. In this stage
of existence it possesses a foot which enables it to crawl after
the manner of snails, and also has organs of hearing and sight.
It does not enjoy its locomotive powers for any long time, but
fixes itself to some suitable object, passes through its last change,
becomes a veritable ship-worm, and begins its life-long task of
boring. This creature reminds one of the spurious philanthro-
pist, who passes through a strange variety of changes before he
settles down to his vocation. He is tradesman, bankrupt, can-
vasser, collector, accountant, agent, and lecturer, and then, having
merely crawled through the first part of his life, finally he passes
into his last phase of existence, that of spurious philanthropist.
In this stage of being he begins and ends the great work of his
life, boring poor humanity in all directions in order to support
himself. o. s.

The Obligation of Permitting Starvation.

At the end of the season, after successive bands of the
worker-wasps have passed through the cells, and the single
generation of the males and females has come to maturity, the
nest shows symptoms of dissolution. Towards the remaining
grubs the wasps change their behaviour. Instead of feeding,
tending, and defending them, they pull these helpless white
things out of their cradles, carry them far out of the nest and
abandon them. It seems a cruelty, but it is a cruel mercy, sub-
stituting a quick death by exposure, or perchance being eaten
by birds, for a slow and lingering death by starvation within
the nest. For the instinct of the workers tells 'them that their
labour is over, their course run, and in a short time they will
all die, so that the helpless nurselings in the cells would find
no food and must perish by starvation. This wonderful fact is
pregnant with suggestions worthy the best consideration of
magistrates, coroners, and all officials who are charged with any
punitive duties in relation to men and women in a state of
starvation. Those of them who adopt the Christian faith in
its integrity are entitled to say that human life, being sacred,
men must not under starvation behave like the wasps. But

334 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Sta

those officials who do not believe in the sanctity of human life,
but consider it to be of the same value as that of the brute or
insect, may pause and consider a little before they punish men
and women for committing acts like those of the wasp, and
which are prompted by the same instinct. Moreover, all
magistrates, whatever their creed, should remember that there
are ignorant unsophisticated men in the world whose actions
are prompted only by natural instinct, and who have never
been instructed by conventional opinion. If such men are
brought before a court of justice, they are entitled to be consi-
dered with something of the leniency which we feel towards
the wasp. If in theological ignorance they followed their only
guide, their instinct, that fact should be weighed when punish-
ment is being meted out to them. It requires more than natural
instinct to prompt man to comprehend the moral duty of
watching the starvation of his offspring when there is at hand
a short cut to its extinction. H.

Statesmanlike Insensibility.

It is very remarkable that some fishes can subsist, apparently
in health, in water sufficiently heated to boil them if dead.
Broussonet found, by experiments, that several species of fresh-
water fishes lived many days in water so hot that the human
hand could not be held in it for a single minute. Saussure
found living eels in the hot springs of Aix, in Savoy, in which
the temperature is pretty regularly 113° of Fahrenheit. But
still more extraordinary are the facts recorded by Humboldt
and Boupland, who saw living fishes, apparently in health and
vigour, thrown up from the crater of a volcano in South
America, with water and hot vapour that raised the thermometer
to 210° Fahrenheit, a heat less by only two degrees than that
of boiling water. The equanimity with which these slippery
creatures bear "getting into hot water," reminds us of the
statesman's insensibility to the heated turmoil of public indig-
nation. We have seen many glib specimens, hurled forth from
their places by explosions of righteous opinion, float about quite
comfortably in currents of popular fury which we should have
thought would annihilate them. They disregarded the irony

Sti] AND SYMBOLS. 335

of circumstances, and preserved their slippery egotism under all
conditions. RO.

The Dreariness of Sterility.

The districts of the Pampas stretch northward to the spurs
of the Andes, and consist of a sandy soil, free from salt, but
wholly unproductive. These solitudes, however, are ploughed
by running streams, none of which communicate with the sea.
They descend from the Andes, traverse the Pampas from east to
west, and empty themselves into the saline lakes. Somewhat
further to the north, and nearer the equator, lies an almost un-
known region of salt — a region of indescribable gloom, where
neither tree, nor bush, nor blade of emerald grass delights the
eye. Eighteen months frequently elapse in this land of desola-
tion, worthy of being one of the circles in Dante's "Inferno," with-
out the cheering sound of a shower of rain ; and when at length
it arrives, it splits the rocks of salt, and melts them into wide
pools of brackish mud. As soon as the sun has absorbed the
excessive humidity of the soil, myriads of soft crystals glitter on
the surface, and convert the desert into one immense mirror.

D.

The Philosophy of our Stings.

The prick made by so fine a point as that of the sting of the
gnat (Culex pipiens) ought not to cause any pain. "The point
of the finest needle," says Reaumur, " compared to the sting of
the gnat, is the same as the point of a sword compared to that
of the needle." How is it then that so much suffering is caused
by a sting ? It is because the prick has been imbued with that
which, whilst it appears like a mere drop of very clear water,
is an intensely irritating liquid. It is the insertion of this
which inflames us. We notice some resemblance between this
process and that which is going on when our moral nature is
wounded by an acquaintance. It is not his little word whicli
grieves our soul. It is the essence of malignity which, by its
means, he distils into us. A look, a sneer, a tone, a gesture,
are in themselves quiet, unappreciable factors in rousing a riot
among the emotions, but the venom which they subtly convey
is capable of causing suicide or inducing madness. i.

336 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Sub

Easy Subjection.

The ass, like the horse, was originally imported into America
by the Spaniards, and afterwards by other nations. In its
natural state this animal is swift, fierce, and formidable. When
attacked they defend themselves with their heels and mouth
with such activity, that without slackening their pace they often
maim their pursuers. But the most remarkable property in
these creatures is, that after carrying their first load, their
celerity leaves them, their dangerous ferocity is past, and they
soon contract the stupid look and dulness peculiar to the
assinine species. There are men who, in their constitution and
history, resemble this animal. A man of this calibre in his
married life and public career, or under the pressure of any
troubles, always begins and ends in one never-varying way.
He is first showy, pretentious, vociferous, and affects a vast
amount of resisting force; but as his manhood is only a re-
semblance to a thorough-bred man, he is soon quelled. A wife,
a priest, or a tyrant places the load well on his back, and all
his courage departs for ever, and in dull submission he will con-
tinue to pace in perfect obedience to the bridle of authority.

A.

Subterfuges the Resort of the Overpowered.

Weakness often resorts to dissimulation for artifices of
defence. But unless over-matched, strong men and strong
animals do not defend themselves by tricks. The stag, being
utterly unequal to cope with his powerful enemies, illustrates
the tendency of the weak to resort to subterfuges for defence.
His intelligence is shown chiefly in the arts by which he
endeavours to escape when pursued. In order to deceive the
hounds, he will return twice or thrice upon his former steps.
He seems aware that he is followed by the scent, and will try,
as he flees, to excite hinds or younger stags to come after him,
and draw oft0 the dogs from his track. If he succeed in this
attempt, he will often spring away in a side course, and some-
times lie down on his belly, as well to rest as to conceal himself.
It is not till he has exhausted all his artifices that he goes into
the water to cut off the scent. B.

Sud] AND SYMBOLS. 337

Success a Constitutional Trait.

The fork-tailed date-shell (Lithodomus caudiyera) is able to
bore into the hardest stones and stoutest shells, which are
found pierced by hundreds of these curious beings. They seem
to have one prevailing instinct, namely, to bore their way
through everything. Onwards, ever onwards, seems to be the
law of their existence, and most thoroughly do they carry it
out. There is not any particular credit due to them, for they
merely obey a blind instinct, and their success in their borings
is a constitutional trait. There are men born with the same
instinct which the occupant of this shell possesses. As a result,
they are as successful as those born without it are unsuccessful.
They need not brag about their achievements. The whole ex-
planation of them will be found in the fact that Nature arranges
matters by law and not by luck. Their success is simply owing
to their constitutional trait. It has no more eccentricity, says
Emerson, than the gingham or muslin we weave in our mills.

H.

Sudden Death and Immediate Burial an Old Law

of Nature.

It has been remarked, and truly, that many of the fish and
saurians, found fossil in the lias, must have met with sudden
death and immediate burial, and that the destructive operation,
whatever may have been its nature, was often repeated. Some-
times, says Dr. Buckland, scarcely a single bone or scale has
been removed from the place it occupied during life, which
could not have happened had the uncovered bodies of these
saurians been left, even for a few hours, exposed to putrefaction
and to the attacks of fishes and other smaller animals at the
bottom of the sea. Not only are the skeletons of the ichthy-
osaurs entire, but sometimes the contents of their stomachs
still remain between their ribs, so that we can discover the
particular species of fish on which they lived, and the form of
their excrements. B.

338 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Sup

Physical Forces in the Sunbeam.

The strength of evidence appears to be in favour of consi-
dering light, heat, and actinism as three distinct principles or
powers, active in regulating the great phenomena of Nature.
In the sunbeam these powers are balanced against each other,
and thus are determined those differences of climate which are
not influenced by the physical conformation of the earth's
surface. It has been proved by well-conducted observations
that with variations of latitude there are variations in the
relations of these three principles. In the temperate regions of
the earth the actinic power is active ; as we advance to the
tropics, where heat increases, and

" The sun shines for ever, unchangeably bright,"

the chemical power is weak. The photographic picture which
could be taken in London in a second or two, could not be
obtained within the tropics in less than a quarter of an hour.
It often happens, indeed, that prolonged exposure under a
blazing sun is insufficient to produce any chemical change.
Everything appears to favour the view that the distribution of
plants and animals on the surface of the earth is regulated by the
balance of physical forces in the sunbeam. In the seasons we
detect the same influences at work. Actinism or chemical power
is greatest in the spring ; as the bright light of summer advances,
the power of the solar rays to produce any chemical change is
diminished ; and as we advance to autumn, the peculiar heat-
rays come more evidently into action. I. L.

Superstition the Protector of Monstrosities.

The Natal rock-snake (Natalensis) is described by Sir Andrew
Smith as being gigantic in size, he having seen a skin measuring
twenty-five feet, although part of the tail was absent. It
feeds, he says, on small quadrupeds, and for some days after
swallowing one it remains in a torpid state, when it may be easily
destroyed. Of this opportunity, however, the South Africans
never avail themselves ; they have a horror of the reptile, but
believe that it has an influence over their destinies, and affirm

Sup] AND SYMBOLS. 339

that no one has ever been known to kill one and prosper. Thus
does superstition ever deal tenderly with all monstrosities.
Whether she has to deal with a snake, a creed, a tyrant, a
throne, or a fable, she always exhibits the same silly horrors of
freeing herself from them. It is her firm belief that monstrosities
have power, with heaven, to affect human destiny for good and
eviL EE.

Suppletory Elements.

For an extended idea of the value of suppletory elements we
may look at Nature's metalliferous laboratory. We observe
that when strength is wanted we have the giant iron at our
beck and call. An obdurate unwieldy servant in his rougher
shapes, we tame him through fire, and make his dull force yield
to our skilful weakness. Powerful in our knowledge, we
summon this metal to sustain our houses and bridge our rivers,
and we bend and roll, and twist and fashion it as we please
for a thousand useful purposes. Do we want a medium to help
on commerce by superseding clumsy barter1? There is gold.
Is heaviness required? It is to be found in platinum. Or
lightness 1 There is aluminium. Or softness 1 There is lead.
Or brittleness? There is antimony. Or fluidity? There is
mercury. While for a combination of many qualities useful in
domestic life there are copper and tin. One metal appears to
have been created to supplement the deficiencies of another.
Thus iron, strong though it be, yields to the gnawing attacks
of air and moisture. But by sheathing it in a film of zinc or
tin — metals which,, though comparatively weak, are yet less
sensitive to air and moisture — iron gains the priceless quality
of endurance. By the skilful union of various other metals in
different proportions, the chemist knows how they may be
adapted to almost every purpose. In the various departments
of human activity we may also observe the vast advantages of
supplemental forces. The dreams of the poet are balanced by
the acts of the statesman. The creations of the painter are
strengthened by the sermons of the preacher. The fire of the
orator is tempered by the wisdom of the philosopher. The enthu-
siasm of the mob is controlled by the serenity of law. These

340 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Sus

forces are all intrinsically good ; and that good is fortified by
reason of the fact that, being suppletory, they all strengthen
each other. BE.

The Susceptible Character .v

The wych-elm manifests the approach of winter earlier than
any other tree. It becomes ruined and denuded by a touch of
the frosty air, and contributes no splendour, no beauty to our
autumnal scenery, as its leaves curl up, become brown, and
flutter from their sprays, as early, when growing in exposed
situations, as the middle of September. This character of itself
marks a difference from the common elm, which preserves its
verdure, except from accidental causes, long after this period,
and with a fine mellow yellow hue, contributing a full share with
other trees to the character and splendour of autumn. The
wych-elm is an emblem of the susceptible, tender human cha-
racter. The soul of such a man is highly sensitive to all external
impressions. The first frosty touch of a great sorrow shakes his
life to its centre. Men of a more robust type are chastened by
sad events ; and, mellowed by chequered experiences, live on to
the tranquil maturity of their existence. But he, unfortunately,
cannot face the rough blasts of adversity, and perishes at once
under their cruel, chilling influence. Even the cold breath of
slander sometimes bears for him a sentence of death. j.

Suspense Inimical to Work.

We can bear the worst better than we can bear the appre-
hension of the worst. A state of suspense is inimical to the
performance of work. Bees seem like us in this respect. When
they are foraging in the country, the appearance of a single
cloud before the sun causes them to return home precipitately.
They apprehend rain, which they much dislike. However, if
the sky is uniformly dark and cloudy, and if there are not any
sudden alternations of darkness and light, they are not easily
alarmed, and when gentle rain actually does come, it hardly drives
them away from their hunting-ground. The reality turns out to

be less hostile to their work than the suspense preceding it.

i.

Syc] AND SYMBOLS. 341

Suspicion sometimes the Child of Self-Knowledge.

The habit of laying traps for other animals by the monkey
tribe, makes tham very cautious of being entrapped themselves.
No snare, how nicely bated soever, will take the monkey of the
West India Islands. The monkey, being full of tricks and cheat-
ing himself, supposes every other creature to be so likewise-
Very fraudulent men are always the persons who are most
supicious of others. The greatest rascals are the greatest
suspecters. Like the monkey, they are on the look-out for
"traps;" and like him, they often think they see one when
there is nothing of the kind. A.

The Sweet Disposition.

Most persons are considerably affected by the circumstances
which surround them, and their disposition is either soured or
sweetened by their influence. But there are some few who are
born with a sweet disposition, which seems an indestructible
essence. It is not developed by good fortune, or destroyed by
adversity. They are like the violet, which as a literal fact all
the culture of the world has never been able to improve, and
which is as lovely and sweet-scented in the wild bank and in
the wood as in the most splendid borders of palace gardens.

B. F.

The Sycophant's Ascendancy.

The stem of the ivy is furnished with root-like suckers
which insinuate their spurs into the bark of trees or on the
surface of a wall. Who has not seen with regret some noble
ash tree covered with ivy, in whose embrace it rapidly yields up
its life? Surely the root is draining the tree of its sap and
transferring it to its own veins. Thus does a sycophant
gradually extend his influence over a patron until the manliness
of that patron succumbs to his ascendancy. The hero is ruined,
and the flatterer flourishes in his place. Beware of the insinu-
ating aptitudes of the parasite ! Let him, like ivy on a wall,
keep his proper situation. Protect a noble nature from his
advances. v.

342 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Sym

Sympathy. ^

Sympathy for each other in suffering is not confined to man-
kind. There is one trait, says Mr. Jesse, in the character
of rooks, which is, I believe, peculiar to that sort of birds, and
which does them no little credit. It is the distress which they
exhibit when one of them has been killed or wounded by a
gun while they have been feeding in a field or flying over it.
Instead of being scared away by the report of the gun, leaving
their wounded or dead companion to his fate, they show the
greatest anxiety or sympathy for him, uttering cries of distress,
and plainly proving that they wish to render him assistance, by
hovering over him, or sometimes making a dart from the air
close up to him, apparently to try and find out the reason why
he did not follow them :

" While circling round and round,
They call their lifeless comrade from the ground."

If he is wounded, and can flutter along the ground, the Tooks
appear to animate him to make fresh exertions by incessant
cries, flying a little distance before him, and calling to him to
follow them. n.

The Law of Sympathy.

Sympathy, as Edmund Burke has well said, may be considered
as a sort of substitution, by which we are put into the place of
another man, and affected in many respects as he is affected.
And by the operation of the law of sympathy, Coleridge
declares that all powerful souls have kindred with each other.
But no words of description can convey so good an idea of this
mystic power, and of its workings, as we may obtain by looking
at its emblem, the Mimosa sensitiva — the sensitive plant. As a
friend feels for a friend, so each of its leaves seems to feel for
each other. Who that knows, who that has seen it, has not also
remarked the strange sensibility of its leave's1? The slightest
touch suffices to make its folioles close upon their supports, the
petiolar twigs upon the common petiole, and the common petiole
upon the stem. If we wound the extreme end of one foliole,

Tac] AND SYMBOLS. 343

the others immediately approach in succession, like friends who
come to share in suffering or death. The irritation is not local,
but communicates from circle to circle in the various elements
of a leaf, and propagates itself from one leaf to another, like
sympathy in an association of true friends. The more vigorous
the sensitive plant is in its habit, the more susceptible is it ; for
sympathy everywhere (unlike sentimentality) is always most
powerful in the noblest organisations. v.

The Human Soul Seeks the Face for Sympathy.

The human soul seeks the face for sympathy, as if constituted
for that sociality only through that medium — the living tele-
graph of all that is felt within. So strong is this disposition to
look into the features for fellowship, that even a blind man,
when excited by the voice of a friend, seems to see the accom-
panying expression of his face. Those who have had oppor-
tunity of observing the attitude of an intelligent blind person»
while in lively conversation with him, can testify to the force
with which his features respond to every word. He seems to
watch you with his sightless face, and to look through the
whole of it into your eyes. Holman, the blind traveller, says,
" When any one is conversing with me, I conceive myself to
see the expression of countenance as the words are pronounced,
almost as if I actually saw it, and in ordinary cases receive a
similar kind of satisfaction." u.

Tact is Superior to Force.

When the hawk is soaring above the court, scarce discernible
to human eye, the pigeons have already perceived him ; and if
no hiding-place is to be found, the whole flock arise and career
upwards in close circles. Faster and still faster the entangled
maze goes round, in order to confuse the marauder. He swoops
down and misses his prey, for look and blow have grown un-
certain. He makes another, and a third attempt, but in vain ;
there is nothing left him but to retreat discomfited. Their tact
thus saves the pigeons from being the prey of this stronger bird.
How often have men of tact saved themselves by tact alone
from powerful foes ? ST.

344 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Tern

The Equable Temper.

Do not be elated by prosperity ; do not be chilled by adver-
sity. Let not external circumstances regulate your demeanour.
But let them be governed by your strong will acting under a sense
of what is right. Your temper will then be equable as it should
be. Just look at the plants. One of their most mysterious
properties is that of regulating their temperature. The twigs
of the tree are not frozen through in winter, neither does their
temperature mount up in summer in proportion to the external
heat. Their vitality protects them equally from both extremes.
And when you are yielding too much to mere external influences,
just think of this. BE.

The Equable Temperament.

Some men are blessed with that temper which is equal and
uniform at all times. The violence of wrath never heats »them,
and the disappointments and vexations of life fail to chill the
even geniality of their disposition. The thermometer of their
temper rises and falls only within the most limited range, and
therefore you can always calculate upon the presence of all the
products of calmness, and the absence of the vices which are
incidental to characters which are less benign. As with men,
so with climates. Some countries are fortunate in the enjoyment
of a climate exempt from remarkable vicissitudes of tempera-
ture ; there are no sudden transitions from heat to cold, nor
does the summer differ much from the winter. Here it is natural
to expect that animal and vegetable life will flourish, and that
diseases connected with atmospheric changes will be few in
number and mild in character. Of this New Holland, which
enjoys a very uniform temperature, furnishes an apt illustration.
Vegetables and shrubs are here evergreen, and the groves and
forests are clad in a perpetual verdure. There is no shedding
of leaves in winter, and Nature presents the whole year round all
the luxuriance of summer. Similarly in the faces of some men
of equable temperament she, under all circumstances, presents
evermore the same placid smile. s.

Tern] AND SYMBOLS. 34$

The Restless Temperament.

There are individuals and plants which are in a state of
unceasing restlessness. The individual is best known by the
name of fidget. He or she (for a woman is quite as often a
fidget as a man is) exists in a perpetual fuss, and the work of
life is a meaningless series of uninterrupted movements, whose
end and object no human being can see. The activity is not
strong and progressive, but consists in nervous fuss for the sake
of fuss. The fidget never accomplishes anything as the result
of all this restless motion. Yet this does not deter the creature
from working out its fussy destiny. Alteration of the habit is
utterly impossible. The fidget is a fidget by nature ; as the
Desmodium gyraeus is a jerker by nature. Those who are
acquainted with this very remarkable Bengal plant will have
noticed that the lateral or very small folioles are almost always
in motion, executing little jerks somewhat analogous to the
movements of the seconds of a watch. One of the folioles rises
and the other descends at the same time, and with a corre-
sponding pace. When the first begins to descend the other
begins to rise. The large or terminal folioles move also, in-
clining now to the right, now to the left, but by a continuous
and very slow movement as compared with that of the lateral
folioles. This singular mechanism endures throughout the life
of the plant. It jerks itself day and night, through drought
and humidity. The warmer and more humid the day, the more
lively are its movements, as are also those of the dyspeptic
fidget. The movements of both occur spontaneously and with-
out any apparent cause. In India the plant has been known to
make sixty jerks in the minute. The number of worries the
human fidget can perform in a given time has never yet been
accurately computed, the patience of man being quite unequal
to the task of accurate computation. But general experience
puts the approximate number very high indeed ; particularly
in the case of the female fidget, who, when settled even in the
most comfortable circumstances, has been known, in one single
day, to display her peculiarities to such an extent that the
beholder, in utter dizziness and bewilderment, has been com-
pelled to leave the spot. Happy is the man who is able to do
so without having any necessity ever to return to it ! v.

346 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Tern

The Variable Temperament.

Physiologists classify temperaments in a way which does not
perhaps fully recognise the variable temperament. But the fact
is that there is such a temperament, and its peculiar charac-
teristic is just this, that it has the power of changing from time
to time into the moods of all the other temperaments, from the
lethargic to the sanguine. That broad, oval-shaped beetle, the
Cassida aurichalcea, so named by Fabricius on account of the
brilliant brassy or golden lustre which, notwithstanding its black
body, it assumes, is found during most of the summer months
on the leaves of the bitter-sweet (Solanum dulcamara), on
various kinds of convolvulus, and the sweet potato vine. It
has the power of changing its hues, at one time appearing only
of a dull yellow colour, and at other times shining with the
splendour of polished brass or gold, tinged sometimes also with
the variable tints of pearl. And it seems not an inapt illustra-
tion of the moods of the variable temperament. IN.

Inaccessibility to Temptation.

When the lotus-leaf is placed under water, it reflects light
like a mirror, so that the image of any object, if presented to it
at a proper angle, is seen by the spectator as distinctly as if the
surface were one of polished metal. When water is thrown on
the surface of a floating leaf, it flows off like a pool of quicksilver,
reflecting light from the whole of its lower surface. This holds
good on all occasions. On examining carefully the cause of this
natural phenomenon, it is found that the lotus-leaf is covered by
short microscopic papillae, which entangle the air, and establish
a kind of air-plate over the entire surface of the leaf, with which
in reality the water never comes in contact. This peculiarity is
familiar to the natives of Australia, who have founded on it
a kind of proverb, which may be thus translated : " The good
and virtuous man is not enslaved by passion nor polluted
by vice ; for though he may be immersed in the waters of
temptation, yet, like the lotus-leaf, he will rise uninjured by
them." He is surrounded by an atmosphere of purity which

Ter] AND SYMBOLS. 347

prevents temptation from affecting him, and he reflects light all
around him. GA.

The System of Terrestrial Adaptations.

That the sea has a system of circulation for its waters we
are ready, with all the confidence of knowledge, to assert. We
rest this assertion upon our faith in the physical adaptations
with which the sea is invested. Take, for example, the coral
islands, reefs, beds, and atolls with which the Pacific Ocean is
studded and garnished. They were built up of materials which
a certain kind of insect quarried from the sea-water. The
currents of the sea ministered to this little insect — they were
its hod-carriers ; when fresh supplies of solid matter were
wanted for the coral rock upon which the foundations of the
Polynesian Islands were laid, they brought them ; the obedient
currents stood ready with fresh supplies in unfailing streams of
sea- water, from which the solid ingredients had not been secreted.
Now unless the currents of the sea had been employed to carry
off from this insect the waters that had been emptied by it of
their lime, and to bring it to others charged with more, it is
evident the little creature would have perished for want of food
long before its task was half completed. But for currents, it
would have been impaled in a nook of the very drop of water
in which it was spawned ; for it would have soon secreted the
lime contained in this drop of water, and then, without the
ministering aid of currents to bring it more, it would have
perished for the want of food for itself and materials for its
edifice ; and thus but for the benign currents which took this
exhausted water away, there, we perceive, this emptied drop
would have remained, not only as the grave of the little archi-
tect, but as a monument in attestation of the shocking monstro-
sity that there had been a failure in the sublime system of
terrestrial adaptations — that the sea had not been adapted by
its Creator to the well-being of all its inhabitants. Now -\ve do
know that its adaptations are suited to all the wants of every
one of its inhabitants— to the wants of the coral insect as well
as to those of the whale. Hence we say we know that the sea
has its system of circulation, for it transports materials for tho

348 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Tea

coral rock from one part of the world to another ; its currents
receive them from the rivers and hand them over to the little
mason for the structure of the most stupendous works of solid
masonry that man has ever seen — the coral islands of the sea.

T.

The Fascination of Terror.

Over some natures terror exercises an inexplicable fascination.
Under its influence they are betrayed into the very jaws of
danger. They remind us of the tree-serpents and the birds.
The boom slange (Bucephalus capensis), a species of tree-serpent,
is generally found upon trees, to which it resorts for the purpose
of catching birds, upon which it delights to feed. The presence
of a specimen in a tree is generally soon discovered by the
birds in the neighbourhood, who collect around it, and fly to and
fro, uttering the most piercing cries, until some one, more terror-
struck than the rest, actually scans its lips, and almost without
resistance becomes a meal for its enemy. During such a pro-
ceeding the snake is generally observed with its head raised
about ten or twelve inches above the branch round which its
body and tail are entwined, with its mouth open, and its neck
inflated, as if anxiously endeavouring to increase the terror which
it would almost appear it was aware would sooner or later bring
within its grasp some one of the feathered group. MU.

A Fallacious Test.

Man frequently satisfies himself that he has come to an
accurate conclusion merely because on the application of what
he considers an infallible test he discovers a particular antici-
pated result. Often enough the test is utterly fallacious. Take
an example. The tanghin, or tanguen, is the only plant of its
genus, and is confined to Madagascar. Its poisonous seed is
esteemed by the natives an infallible criterion of guilt or
innocence. After being pounded, a small piece is swallowed by
the supposed criminal. If he be cursed with a strong stomach,
which retains the poison, he speedily dies, and is held guilty ;
if his feeble digestion rejects it, he necessarily escapes, and his
innocence is considered proven. Now it is obvious to any

Thi] AND SYMBOLS. 349

educated mind that innocence and guilt are in no way disclosed
by this process. Yet inasmuch as it has been accepted as a
test, its results are unquestioned. And there are numberless
instances in which English society consents to be governed by the
results of tests, simply because those tests are generally accepted.
Again and again it becomes important to inquire whether,
supposing your test does disclose a given result, that test is
really as infallible as you deem it to be ? Many will be found
to be only " tanghin " tests, and as such utterly fallacious. D.

A Low Order of Thieves.

In the time of Desfontaines, baboons were so common in the
forests of the Atlas in Africa that in the environs of Stora the
trees were frequently covered with them. They feed, says
that author, on pine apples, sweet nuts, Indian figs, melons,
water-melons, and the vegetables which they pilfer from the
gardens of the Arabs, whatever care the latter may exercise to
keep these ill-doing animals at a distance. While engaged in
their thieving operations, two or three mount to the top of their
tallest trees and loftiest rocks to keep watch, and when they
perceive any person approaching, or hear any noise, they give a
cry of alarm, whereupon the whole troop immediately take flight,
carrying with them all they have been able to seize. D.

Thieves Seldom Prosper Long.

It has often been remarked that property acquired by fraud
and cheating seldom permanently benefits the possessor. This
seems to be the rule also among the feathered tribe. Occa-
sionally the sparrows, which take advantage of every cavity
about our houses for their own purposes, finding the nest of a
martin ready for use, take possession of it without ceremony ;
in this case the rightful owners endeavour, generally with success,
to oust the intruder from their domicile. Sometimes, however,
the sparrow in possession obstinately refuses to quit his usurped
abode, and then the martins have been seen to adopt a very
curious mode of revenging themselves. When the owners of
the nest find that all their endeavours are insufficient to turn out

350 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Tho

the robber, they collect their friends and neighbours in great
numbers, and watch the moment when the sparrow is engaged
in the business of incubation ; then the whole body, each bearing
a mass of soft earth in its bill, rushes at once to the nest, and in
a few moments the aperture at the top is closed by a solid mass
of mud, which no efforts on the part of the unhappy prisoner
can possibly break through. So determined are they, indeed,
to effect their object thoroughly, that in a case recorded by the
Vicomte de Tarragon, the mass of clay stuffed into the aperture
was nearly of the form and size of a small hen's egg, the two
ends projecting into and out of the nest. The sparrow was
found dead upon her eggs. MIL

The Vitality of Thoughts.

Many kinds of seeds are gifted with powers not merely of
retaining life under the ordinary circumstances of nature, but
of resisting the most terrible attacks. When wine has been
made from raisins, and the refuse has been scattered, over the
fields as manure, it has been observed that the grape-seeds have
vegetated and produced young vines, and this notwithstanding
the boiling and fermentation they have had to endure. The
seeds of elder-berries have been observed to grow after similar
trials. Many experiments have been made to ascertain exactly
what amount of unnatural heat seeds can bear without being
destroyed. It considerably exceeds that which plants can bear ;
and the same is the case with extreme cold. Thoughts resemble
seeds in many respects — in their unobtrusiveness, their modes
of dissemination, their growth into vast things, and also, and
very notably, in their vital power, whereby they withstand all
the frosts of time and all the fires of persecution. LI.

Thoughts Improve with the Thinker's Age.

As the orange-tree increases in age, so the fruit improves in
quality, the younger trees bearing fruit with a thicker rind and
abundance of seeds. As the tree becomes older the skin be-
comes thinner, the fruit much more juicy, and the seeds diminish
in number. Some of the old neglected trees bear fruit of the

Tim] AND SYMBOLS. 351

thinnest skin and most luscious flavour. Some of the trees at
the Azores bear at a very great age ; some in one garden were
100 years old, still bearing plentifully a highly-prized, thin-
skinned orange, full of juice and free from pips. The thinness
of the rind of a St. Michael's orange and its freedom from pips
depend upon the age of the tree. Here, then, we clearly see
a genuine illustration of improvement with age. It typifies the
mind of the thinker. In the early fruit of the thinker's mind
we have many specimens of thoughts which, though of the right
sort, are, perhaps, not perfectly mellow and refreshing. But as
the years run on, a man's thoughts become more and more per-
fect, and compare most favourably with those which are pro-
duced by younger minds. Landor entitled one of his books
"The Last Fruit of an Old Tree." It was the ripe production
of a splendid mind at its best. QA.

Timidity the Concomitant of Weakness.

The weakest and meanest persons are invariably the most
timid. They have just sufficient wit to know that their wit is
not to be relied on. And it is singular how much this timidity
in men depends upon the mental and moral atmosphere in which
they have been reared. Those whose natures have developed
in the genial smile of warm friendship, and in frank and open
associations, are usually stronger, and possessed of more self-
reliance than men who have been trained amidst surroundings
where those elements have been wanting. Their mental strength
and courage, like the physical strength and courage of the true
lizards (lacertidce), seems to depend a good deal on temperature.
In the glowing regions of the tropics these lizards grow into
large proportions, and are bold and brave, because they are con-
scious of their strength. But in more northern countries they
are timid, because they are weak and of small size. Should a
slight noise strike upon its ear, or an unaccustomed object
suddenly come in view, the little lizard, previously, perhaps,
lying basking in the rays of the sun, may be seen to raise itself
immediately upon its feet, to draw back its head, and in that
attitude carefully watch everything around it. A leaf may have
suddenly fallen to the ground ; it starts, watches the object for

352 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Tol

a time to see whether it will move again, then carefully advanc-
ing nearer and nearer examines it well, and satisfying itself of
its nature, returns to its position and lays itself down again to
enjoy the warmth it loves so much. Should the danger be real,
however, it flies like lightning. And because in all these move-
ments it is so conscious of its feebleness, it is like the feeble-
minded man, who is constantly suspicious of impending danger ;
and its timidity is its protection from the calamities it fears to
face. MU.

An Incitement to Tolerance.

That birds do mischief among ripe corn there can be no doubt,
but the harm they cause in autumn is amply compensated by
the good they do in spring, from the havoc they make among
the insect tribes. The quantity of grubs and caterpillars annually
destroyed by rooks and various small birds must be immense.
Some which feed on the wing, as swallows, &c., devour millions
of mosquitoes and other winged insects. Even the titmouse
and bullfinch have been proved to attack only those buds
which contain a noxious insect. These facts should incite us
to tolerance. Undoubtedly it is provoking to see a bird, or an
evangelist, or a stump-orator, doing mischief. The notion of
some people is to exterminate them at once in flagrante delicto.
But this is rash folly. A fair investigation of the entire pro-
ceedings of the offenders for a whole year will reveal that their
good offices exceed their occasional mischievousness. GA.

Tolerated Offensiveness.

The Bengal vultures (Gyps JBengalensis) feed upon carrion,
and gorge themselves into a state of inactivity whenever an
occasion presents itself. The recognition of the good services
which they render to the public health in consuming putrid
matter protects them from disturbance, so that, like licensed
scavengers, they are allowed to go about their dirty business
without molestation. Though cowardly, they lose all shyness,
because they know they will not be hurt by man. Offensive
as their habits are, he tolerates them as he does other nuisances,

Tra] AND SYMBOLS. 353

because by doing so he escapes a worse penalty. A vulture is
objectionable ; carrion is more so. A despotism is bad ; anarchy
worse. There are plenty of other examples of tolerated offen-
siveness ; but the reason for their existence is always the same,
and is founded upon utility. MU.

Tortuousness the Habit of the Weak.

With its large and light wings, the butterfly can fly for a long
time. But it never flies in a straight line. The line it takes is
composed of an infinity of zig-zags, going up and down, and
from right to left. Thus it is saved from the bird which pur-
sues it, whose flight is far more rapid : for the butterfly is
always higher or lower than the place to which the bird flies,
expecting to catch it. Its tortuousness is not only its defence,
but its habit. So it usually is with weak natures. There are
weak-minded people who never go straight. The butterfly goes
zig-zag, even although no enemy is near; and these human
flutterers persist in crooked paths, even when there is nothing
to. fear from going straight. By the habit of their weak natures
they habitually shuffle and equivocate. You may as reasonably
expect a butterfly to fly in a line like the crow, as expect this
sort of people to abandon their tortuous courses. i.

A Deceptive Tranquillity.

We love tranquillity ; but there are forms of it which are
most deceptive. There are men and women whose appearance
of calm is as allusive as is that of the viperine serpents. These
latter reptiles have a dull, heavy disposition, and a slow mode
of progression, which suggests a nature too sluggish to do any
harm to any one. But like some human beings, though they
are too tranquil to search for prey, they know well enough where
to lie in wait for it. Placing themselves in the situations where
their victims are sure to pass, they enjoy their laziness until
there is a reason for discarding their appearance of tranquil-
lity and using for their own benefit the extraordinary activity
which they can command. Then, when the unsuspicious prey
approaches, they raise erect their head, which was negligently,

354 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Tra

as it were, elevated while in a state of repose; they open their
mouth so wide that the two jaws form an obtuse angle ; they
erect their fangs, the body uncoils like a loosened spring ; and
the serpent, aiding the sudden assault by resting upon its tail,
darts at a single bound upon its victim, to inflict the fatal
wound. The act is the work of an instant; the head, by the
sudden and violent contraction of its flexor muscles, executes
with the rapidity of lightning a movement by which it plunges
its fangs deep into the flesh of its prey. Such are movements
which resemble those of "that old serpent the devil." MU.

A Moral Transformation.

There are marvellous transformations in the material as also
in the moral world, Look in the material world. The full-
fed maggot, that has rioted in filth till its tender skin seems
ready to burst with repletion, when the appointed time arrives
leaves the offensive matters it was ordained to assist in removing,
and gets into some convenient hole or crevice ; then ifys body
contracts or shortens, and becomes egg-shaped, while the skin
hardens, and turns brown and dry, so that, under this form, the
creature appears more like a seed than a living animal ; after
some time passed in this inactive and equivocal form, during
which wonderful changes have taken place within the seed-like
shell, one end of the shell is burst off, and from the inside
comes forth a buzzing fly, that drops its former filthy habits
with its cast-off dress, and now, with a more refined taste, seeks
only to lap the solid viands of our tables, or sip the liquid
contents of our cups. Look again into the moral world. There
you see a transformation as wonderful. The selfish debauchee,
whose horrid taste has grubbed in every sort of immoral filth,
and become habituated to the harsh, the cruel, and the dis-
honourable, has been brought into contact with the necessary
spiritual conditions for a change, and behold from one stage to
another he passes until at last his tastes are entirely altered, his
existence is changed, and even he is able to soar in the light ami
purity of the world. Elsewhere, behold, the miser is transformed
to the philanthropist, the coward into a hero. We watch the
fly's serial circlings in the sunbeam, and remember with wonder

Tra] AND SYMBOLS. 355

its degraded origin. The preacher looks over his congregation,
and as he sees those who have become noble and virtuous, he is
able to take heart for new work ; for. as he remembers in their
presence the debased and the wicked who are yet to be trans-
formed, he says, " And such were some of you ; but you are
regenerated by the higher Power," and those others may be
changed likewise. IN.

Transformative Forces.

Every butterfly begins life as a grub developed from an egg ;
then it becomes a " chrysalis ; " only in its third and last stage
is it a winged creature. Not that the grub is metamorphosed :
it contains within its soft little body the whole of the future
butterfly, and when the chrysalid condition is assumed, the
butterfly often shows as plainly in it as a flower while wrapped
in its calyx. In other words, the transition from the grub to
the butterfly is not a "transmogrification," but a simple casting-
away of outer vestments, and a growth of the immature creature
within to full and royal ripeness. What a marvellous thing it is
that an insignificant dot of an egg should contain wrapped up
within itself all this transformative force ! Does man possess
such a power ? A possible " yes " suggests an explanation of
many grand problems affecting futurity. LI.

A Series of Marvellous Transformations.

The genus CEstrus, the gadflies, are formidable insects, which
attack the horse, the sheep, and the ox. The (Estrus equi is
found in France, in Italy, and also in the East, especially in
Persia. During the months of July and August it frequents
pastures and deposits its eggs chiefly on the shoulders and
knees of horses. In order to do this, the female suspends her-
self in the air for some seconds over the place she has chosen,
falls upon it, and sticks her eggs to the horse's hair by means of
a glutinous liquid with which they are provided, and which
soon dries. This is repeated at very short intervals. It often
happens that from four to five hundred eggs are thus deposited
upon the same horse. Guided by a marvellous instinct the female

356 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Tra

(Estrus generally places her eggs on those parts of the horse's
body which can be most easily touched with the tongue, that is,
at the inner part of the knees, on the shoulders, and rarely on
the outer part of the mane. When licking itself, the horse
carries them, and the larvae which soon emerge from the e<«*s,

* c? OO *

into his stomach with his food. It passes through various
stages in the horse, and on leaving the body of the horse in its
last stage, falls to the ground, after which, in due time, it takes
wing and flies off. i.

The Transient.

What an emblem of all transient things is the beautiful
ephemera ! To acquire its elegant form that lovely winged
insect has been obliged to undergo several wonderful transmuta-
tions; but its glory, like man's pomp, is very short-lived, for the
very hour of its perfection is the hour of its death, and it seems
scarcely introduced to pleasure when it is obliged to part with

life. A.

»

The Law of Transmutation.

Nothing remains fixed. Throughout Nature all substances are
perpetually changing their forms, and passing into each other.
It is so with even the hardest substances. We find that even
anchors, cannons, and other cast-iron implements, which have
been buried for a few hundred years off our English coast, have
decomposed in part or entirely, turning the sand or gravel which
enclosed them into a conglomerate, cemented together by oxide
of iron. We know not what possibilities of transmutation are
included in the nature of a human being ; but we have ascer-
tained with certainty that there is inherent in even some of the
lower creatures a transformative principle, the operation of which
is perfectly extraordinary and fraught with suggestiveness.
Take the following example : — On a hot July day a lover of
Nature discovered numbers of animalculae in a vessel of rain-
water which was exposed to the action of the air. In order to
learn more of their habits, one of them, which scarcely measured
an eighth of an inch in length, was captured, and placed in a
hyacinth glass, wherein a seedling oak was growing. Upon
regaining its liberty the little thing immediately swam to the

Tra] AND SYMBOLS. 357

bottom of the glass and hid itself in the filmy sediment which
had settled there. After a moment or two it was quite at home,
darting hither and thither in search of food too microscopic for
human eye to discover. It needed no tending. It fed, gam-
boled, and rested in safety. In a few days it had grown to
twice its length. There was also a strange enlargement towards
the upper part of its threadlike form. Its tail was furnished
with a fan-shaped fin, while two other fins, more delicate than
gossamer, developed themselves upon its head. Its motions
became more and more rapid, and, surprising to relate, its gravity
lessened as its dimensions increased. When an almost invisible
thread it had to swim to reach the surface of the water ; but
now that it measured a quarter of an inch in length, and had grown
strangely large about ts upper parts, it rose involuntarily to the
surface. The old predilection, however, for the darker regions
in the sediment at the bottom of the glass was still a ruling
principle, and its continual struggle was to dive down to those
filmy haunts. As long as it moved its little fins it succeeded,
but the moment it rested it began to rise towards the surface.
Each hour strengthened this new principle, and often would it
lodge beneath some fibre of the oak's threadlike root in order to
stay its upward course, until at last all power of resistance
was overcome, and it floated motionless upon the surface of the
water. A card cut to fit the glass served at once as a protection
to the seedling oak and as a cover to its companion. Upon the
next investigation the empty skin of the animalcule was seen
floating on the water. Where was its inmate 1 Nothing could
have destroyed it, and no exit from the glass was possible. A
further search was made, when lo, upon the side of the glass,
as high above its former element as it could go, was seen a
beautiful and full-sized insect, perfectly developed in all parts,
and ready, upon the opening of its prison-door, to fly away on
its wings of gossamer and dance in the glorious sunbeam. It
did appear wonderful that this exquisite form, so foreign to the
inhabitants of the water, should have emerged from the animal-
cule ; but though so transfigured, and so dissimilar in all its
modes of life, it was the same creature that once had shunned
the light, and had fondly clung to the fibres of the little oak
amid the darkness of its narrow prison. o. N.

358 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Tri

Bad Treatment and its Effects.

We often remark that such and such bad effects are the results
of bad treatment. If we want a striking illustration of what
bad treatment can do, let us notice the natural history of the
ass. The ass is far from being by nature so stupid as is gene-
rally supposed. Most of the donkeys that we see in England
are no fair specimen of the animal. Many of them, from bad
feeding and treatment, are not well grown ; ill-usage has ren-
dered them obstinate and reckless ; and when once the temper
of an ass is spoilt, there is no possibility of making the creature
tractable. It will bear numberless blows without mending its
pace or exerting itself at all the more. But in its best condi-
tion, when well fed and well managed, it is capable of being
trained and being attached to man with as much facility as the
horse. Buffon even says that the ass is more susceptible of
strong attachment than the horse, and under a good and kind
master may be made to exhibit very great sagacity. In Arabia
and Persia the ass is of a very different character from that in
which he appears among us ; and in Spain he is so highly bred,
and brought up to such a degree of beauty and vigour, as to be
for many purposes equal to the horse. In these countries asses
are smooth and sleek ; they carry their heads erect, and have
finely formed legs, and walk or gallop with extreme grace and
agility. R.

The Tribunal.

When in the height of summer the meadows are parched,
and ponds and morasses are dried up, the stork resorts to the
interior of the woods, with their glades, brooks, and marshes ;
and when also here in the beginning of autumn, the inferior
animals retire into their holes and winter abodes, he prepares
for his migration to the south, and vast numbers collect together
and cruise about in the air. At such times it happens that the
storks hold a tribunal. It is a "right with might," like old
military German custom, if not even according to the Lycurgus
code. On a retired mead the long-shanked personages come
together from all quarters ; they fly round and round in large
circles, making a loud clappering, for the matter in hand is a

Tri] AND SYMBOLS. 359

grave one. There are fifty or a hundred. At first they move
hither and thither, groups are formed, much passionate clapper-
ing is going on, and all betokens the approach, of a stormy
debate. At length the parties close up and form a large im-
posing ring, in the centre of which, resigned to his fate, stands
the victim. Single voices, shrill and loud, make themselves
heard ; it is the advocate for the prosecution who brings for-
ward the impeachment, and those charged with the defence,
who fight the battle of the accused, whose sole crime consists
in his weakness, and who, unable to bear the fatigues of the
journey, it is now proposed to kill for his own and the people's
good. The assembly frequently interrupts by its impetuosity
the pathos of the speakers. At this moment another rises ;
he seems to make a declaration, and then the unfortunate
wretch, pierced by the weapons of the assembly, succumbs to an
early death. The rights of supremacy have been maintained,
the multitude disperses, and there is now nothing more to pre-
vent the departure of the caravan. For ancient attestations of
this fact see Pliny, ^lian, Melancthon, Aldrovandi, Gessner,
and others. In the northern part of Scotland, says Dr.
Edmonson, and in the Faroe Islands, extraordinary meetings
of crows are occasionally known to occur. They collect
in great numbers, as if they had all been summoned for
the occasion ; a few of the flock sit with drooping heads, and
others seem as grave as judges, while others again are exceed-
ingly active and noisy*. In the course of about one hour they
disperse, and it is not uncommon, after they have flown away,
to find one or two left dead upon the spot. These meetings
will sometimes continue for a day or two before the object,
whatever it may be, is completed. Crows continue to arrive
from all quarters during the session. As soon as they have all
arrived, a very general noise ensues ; and shortly after the
whole fall upon one or two individuals and put them to death.
When the execution has been performed they quietly dis-
perse. R.

Profitless Triumphs.

Men frequently purchase their triumphs at the cost of
health or life. History is replete with instances of men who

360 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Tro

died in the hour of victory. The insect world also affords
illustrations of profitless triumphs. Sometimes there are
regular duels between bees. They descend to the ground to
fight, for in the air they would not be able to get purchase
enough to be sure of striking each other. They then engage in
a hand-to-hand fight, as the gladiators used formerly to do in
the circus. They are continually making stabs with their stings,
but almost always the point slips over the scales with which
they are covered. The combat is sometimes prolonged during
an hour before one of them has found the weak point in the
other's natural cuirasse, and has buried its terrible weapon in
the flesh. The victor often leaves his sting in the wound which
it has made, and then dies, in its moment of triumph, through
the loss of this organ. I.

Troubles made Beautiful.

Most of the shells of the oyster are pearly in the interior ; and
as the true pearls are merely morbid growths, they may all pro-
duce pearls of various qualities. The formation of pearls is
caused by the introduction of irritating substances such as
grains of sand between the mantle and the shell. The irrita-
tion causes the animal to cover the obnoxious object with layers
of pearl, which generally attach the foreign body to the interior
of the shell. The Chinese produce pearls artificially by placing
substances in the position just described ; and we have seen
some shells, to the interior of which small metal images were
attached in this manner by the pearly secretion. When we
look at a pearl we look at an annoyance which has been ennobled.
The oyster by itself is of merely nominal value. But the result
of the oyster's own treatment of its irritations in this world — •
the pearl — is something " of great price." Apart from its
pecuniary worth this gem has a moral significance. It sug-
gests that troubles may be made beautiful, and reminds us that
amongst mankind some martyrs are more remembered by the
glory with which they invested their sorrows than by any other
portion of their lives. Biography has its moral pearls, which
are treasured long after the creators of them have perished, just
as material pearls are valued long years after the oysters have
been discarded. N. D.

Tru] AND SYMBOLS. 361

True Tests are Unfailing Discoverers.

Every substance is discoverable by some "test," which usually
neutralises it, or rather, by uniting with it, forms a new com-
pound. The whole fabric of chemistry rests upon this wonderful
principle as one of its corner-stones. Thus if the least frag-
ment of copper be dissolved in acid, and the fluid be then
diluted with water until no trace of colour remains, so potent,
nevertheless, is the affinity of the well-known fluid called
"ammonia" for the copper, that a single drop of the latter
fluid will immediately reveal the presence of the metal by
uniting with it and forming a new substance of the loveliest
violet colour. Similarly, if a morsel of lead be dissolved in
acid, and the acid be then diluted with water, a single drop of
a solution of iodide of potassium will turn the whole to a
brilliant crocus-yellow. The presence of iron, after the same
manner, is discovered by the least drop of tincture of galls,
which blackens it upon contact ; that of silver by a little solu-
tion of common salt, which causes flakes of imitative snow to
make their appearance ; that of mercury again with iodide of
potassium, which turns the fluid containing it to a beautiful
red. LI.

Trustfulness Employed as a Means of Ensnaring.

Few of the attempts to catch men in traps, and subordinate
them to other persons' uses, would be successful, were it not
that, as a preliminary, there is awakened a confidence and trust-
fulness which disarms suspicion. This is, in most cases, an
absolute necessity as a first step. Make a man believe that
you intend him no harm, and then when you — joint-stock-com-
pany promoter, attorney, stockbroker, or whoever you may be —
have, by virtue of that belief, got him well in your power, you
can handle him. with every advantage, and he is an easy prey.
Observe how mullets are caught in the Mediterranean, and you
will see this principle working most beautifully. The fisherman
feeds them with pounded macaroni or other farinaceous pastes ;
and when they have been attracted to a convenient locality, and
acquired confidence by several days' undisturbed feeding, a very

362 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Tra

small hook enveloped with paste, and attached to an exceedingly
fine line, is dropped noiselessly. When the bait is swallowed,
dexterity is required to withdraw the hooked fish without dis-
turbing the others. Their confidence having been obtained,
they will not easily suspect unless some great blunder is made.
Like shareholders in a fraudulent company managed by clever
knaves, they will only remember what they have had, and, in
their trustfulness, imagine no evil of those who are looking on,
and who have given only that they may get. siu.

Moral Truth.

Moral truth is, in its universality, like the pine-tree. Societies
have claimed it as being especially their own, as some naturalists
have claimed the pine-tree as a feature of northern climes. But
both are wrong. As to the pine, it is represented in all zones,
from the cedars of Lebanon to the juniper-tree and fir-bushes
of the Scandinavian mountain-tops. To use Oken's significant
expression, they form "the mountains' roof." They stretch up-
wards from the wide plains and steppes of sand, leaving the
foliage-covered trees below them. Where, says Dr. Masius, the
granite builds its towers to the clouds, and the waters leap
thundering from the rocky hollows, there this array of lances
is planted, and the black banners wave. They climb to the
highest summits, and when all other vegetation is extinct, the
dwarf-pine (Pinus pumilio\ laid level with the ground, still
creeps on. The blast rages amid its hair and shaggy beard of
moss, and makes rough work with its grotesquely outward-
stretched arms, closed pressed to the earth ; but the gnome does
but twine its branches in a yet closer embrace, and fasten with
iron strength on the stones of the moor, in which it has planted
deep a hundred roots which nothing can tear out. Thus it is
with moral truth. It is not merely indigenous. It is universal.
There are particular trees, as there are certain forms of specu-
lative and political truth, which can survive only in a limited
region ; the one being fitted only for a peculiar atmosphere as the
other is adapted only to circumscribed types of mind. But
moral truth flourishes amongst all the mental productions of
man, as the pine amongst the vegetation of the world. You

Tru] ;LVD SYMBOLS. 363

see it in every zone. It must thrive, because it is suited and
intended for the world. ST.

The Extension of Truth.

"We are not instructed all simultaneously by Nature, or by
any direct manifestation from on high. Each one of us has to
receive for himself from some ono else what thnt other knows,
and then has to transmit that knowledge to some other again.
We have no direct communication with absolute truth. It is
transmitted to us through innumerable media. So with sound.
Sound is not propagated in vacuo. The vibrations of elastic
bodies can only produce the sensation of sound in us by the
intervention of a medium interposed between the ear and the
sonorous body, and vibrating with it. This medium is usually
the air, but all gases, vapours, liquids, and solids also transmit
sound; just as everything — objective and subjective — may
convey truth. EL.

Dissemination of Truth.

Truth is like seed in its inherent vitality, and in the many
methods by which it is disseminated. How are seeds diffused ?
Wind, running water, blocks of ice drifting in the Polar seas,
the action of animals and men — that is, by cultivation — ships,
merchandise, and voyages; such, says Figuier, are the causes,
more or less powerful, which effect the conveyance of seeds
from one place to another. If we consider how many seeds
are light, hairy, and provided with a sort of wings in their
downy tufts, we can understand that the wind may be the most
general and ordinary means for disseminating vegetable germs
over a country. Kivers also carry away the seeds of plants to
great distances. If their course runs from east to west, or west
to east, the seeds thus transported would much extend the limits
of the species. And navigators of the Polar seas often meet
with icebergs loaded with an enormous mass of debris mixed
with earth and seeds. Seeds vegetate on these debris, and if
the iceberg runs aground on some distant coast, where it melts,
the seeds are deposited ; they soon produce plants, which are
then spread over the country by various other influences. But

364 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Turn

marvellous as are the ways by which, seeds get dispersed and
preserved, surely the varied methods by which truth is disse-
minated from zone to zone, and tribe to tribe, are still more
wondrous. They baffle all description. The germs never die
tinder any hostile influence ; nor does age impair their vitality.
!No sect or organisation is specially employed as the vehicle for
their dissemination. The song, the book, the life of the noble,
the death of the tyrant, the kind word, the heroic struggle — •
these, and a thousand other noble agencies, seen and unseen,
are among the mystic forces by which the truth is scattered all
the wide world over, taking root wherever it touches. v.

New Truth Bewildering to Some.

Men who have lived in traditional knowledge do not thank
you for a new truth. It dazes and confounds their dim vision,
which is unsuited to its reception. Their bewilderment at the
light is similar to that of the cricket. As the cricket lives chiefly
in the dark, so its eyes seem formed for the gloominess of its
abode ; and you have only to light a candle unexpectedly, and
it becomes so dazzled that it cannot find its way back to its
retreat. A.

The Tumultuous may Occasion the Sublime.

Not only in individual experience and in national history is
it true that tumultuous events may give rise to a sublime sequel,
but in the material world the same sort of result may be seen.
Most of the sublime and the beautiful in the scenery -of a
country depends upon some powerful disturbing agency, by
which the earth's crust has been disturbed, broken, and over-
turned. Mountainous countries exhibit this action most
strikingly. Beautiful as vegetable nature is, how tame is a
landscape where only a dead level is covered with it, and no
swelling hills, or jutting rocks, or murmuring waters, relieve
the monotonous scene ! And how does the interest increase
with the wildness and ruggedness of the surface, and reach its
maximum only where the disturbance and dislocation have been
most violent ! R G.

Und] AND SYMBOLS. 365

Unaccountable Blundering1.

The jackdaw in many things is a wonderfully clever bird, dis-
playing such an amount of ingenuity in its actions that its
rational capacities are evidently very great. But like most
birds, however clever it may be, and however admirably it may
adapt itself to circumstances, it is sure to break down suddenly
in an unexpected manner, and to fail in the easiest part of its
task. A jackdaw goes afield in search of sticks, and will spend
some time in selecting a branch that will serve its purpose.
When it has found a suitable one it flies away to the spot it has
chosen for its nest. When taking up the branch the jackdaw
mostly carries it by the middle, because it can easily be balanced
when so held, forgetting that a branch held crosswise will not
enter a small aperture, and accordingly finding itself checked
when endeavouring to gain admission to its domicile. It flutters
about in great dismay, trying with all its powers to force the
branch into the hole, but it never thinks of the simple expedient
of taking the branch by the end, and pushing it lengthwise
through the entrance, and after wearying itself out in vain
attempts, drops the branch and goes off for another. Con-
sidering the cleverness of the bird, this is a piece of unaccount-
able blundering. Yet, strange to say, it is just that sort of
blundering which, even in the human family, one so often finds
in association with cleverness. Who has not known a really
able university man, skilled in every department of learning,
break down in an important affair in consequence of the com-
mission of a trivial blunder which it would have seemed im-
possible for him to commit. Biography is strewn with the
troubles which clever men in all departments have had to
endure as the penalty of their being fated to commit some one
queer blunder which every one would have supposed them too
sensible to even imagine. In every direction one may see a
human jackdaw quite baffled by a trifle. H.

•

Undeserved Credit.

Much stress has been laid on the self-sacrifice exhibited by
the rabbit when she prepares her cradle for her young with fur

366 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Und

taken from her own breast ; but it is believed that there is no
self-sacrifice in the matter. If handfuls of hair were pulled out
from the human head, exceeding pain would be suffered. But
the case of the rabbit htis no real analogy with such a pro-
ceeding, for the fur of the animal is at that time so loosely
attached to the skin that it falls off as easily as the hairs of a
cat in summer, and its evulsion produces no such disastrous
effects as would follow the forcible plucking out of the human
hair. The eider duck presents similar features, the parent birds
stripping themselves of their down in order to form a warm bed
for their young. The act is purely an instinctive one, involving
no more self-sacrifice than is occasioned by any other instinctive
act, and does not at all entitle the creature to credit for self-
denying conduct. But it is not only among rabbits and ducks
that we are likely to make mistakes of this sort. We frequently
ascribe acts of self-sacrifice to subscription-list members of the
human family, who are in no way entitled to the credit we give
them. A vulgar, vain, rich man, who desires reputation as a
patriot and philanthropist, finds it as natural and easy to give
away wealth as it is to a rabbit to give away fur, or a duck
feathers. He does not miss what he gives even so much as
they do ; and if he wants successfully to " nurse " a parlia-
mentary constituency, it is quite as necessary for him to line the
cradle of his political organisation with gold, as it is for a rabbit
or a duck to prepare the place where their future hopes lie
with fur or feathers. H.

An Undeserved Stigma.

Sometimes politicians, communities, or families, acquire a
reputation which clings to them from year to year without the
slightest justification. An opinion once fairly started often runs
unquestioned through the world, and often an undeserved
stigma enjoys a long life. We may illustrate this by the case
of the wasps. Everybody praises the bees ; nobody has a good
•word for the wasps. Yet the wasps at home are an excellent
body. In spite of their warlike instincts you generally find, in
the interior of the nests, the most perfectly good understanding
existing. It is only on rare occasions that this domestic peace

Und] AND SYMBOLS. 367

is disturbed by the quarrels of male with male or worker with
worker ; but these combats are not deadly. Never, moreover,
lias one nest of wasps been known to declare war against
another for the purpose of robbing it. The government of
wasps, says M. Victor Rendu, explains very well the gentle-
ness of their public conduct Amongst them there are no
despots; no one either reigns or governs, each one lives at
liberty in a free city, on the sole condition of never being a
burden to the state. They all act in concert, without privileges
or monopolies, under the influence of a common law — the great
law of the public good from which no one is exempted. Why
should these creatures have a bad name ? I.

Undesigned Services.

In performing properly our duties in the world, we may often
be the means of effecting good of a character and to an extent
altogether beyond either our calculation or design. Like
the humble bees, we may accomplish unpremeditated service,
and be, like them, quite ignorant of the fact. Mr. Darwin
believes, from observations made over a series of years, that
humble bees are indispensable to the fertilisation of the heart's-
ease (Viola tricolor), as it is the only set of bees which visit that
flower. He has tried experiments which convince him that the
visits of bees are almost indispensable to the fertilisation of our
clovers. He has observed that humble bees alone visit the
common red-clover, as other bees cannot reach the nectar. And
he has very little doubt that, if the whole genus of humble bees
became extinct or very rare in England, the heart's-ease and red
clover would become very rare, or wholly disappear. So that
these bees, in going about their own business, perform unin-
tentionally a most useful service to mankind. It is impossible
to assess the limits of the influence of any act, even the act of
a bee. The creature which is true to its instincts may render
to creation marvellous services unawares. MU.

Undesirable Protectors.

When the policeman whom we have called interferes with
civil liberty which has not been forfeited, or the lawyer, in con-

368 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Und

ducting our defence in an action of debt, runs us up a bill vastly
in excess of the claim, it is obvious we have placed ourselves in
the hands of very undesirable protectors. We are more injured
than protected. Yet as a fact we are constantly setting a thief
to catch a thief, and being ruined by our excessive shrewd-
ness. So the inhabitants of St. Thomas in the East, in Jamaica,
finding themselves greatly inconvenienced by the number of
ants in the district, determined to bring to the rescue one kind
of ant which they discovered could exterminate them. They
accordingly introduced "the rifle ants." They did their work
well : ate up all the other ants ; but then they commenced to
eat up everything else which came in their way ; and as there
was no way by which they themselves could be exterminated,
they continued the practice. And in their practice they teach
us this lesson : that we cannot be too cautious as to what persons
we summon to our aid. For though there are many who may
do their work well, they may also be too much for us after-
wards. JO.

Undeveloped Capacities.

Have you not sometimes come into contact with a strong
mind, and felt regret that beauty and grace of disposition were
not added to that mental strength ? You have felt that they
were by nature intended to be found in association, and though
charmed with what there was, you sighed for what ought to
have been. There are many men whose natures ripen into per-
fect strength, but without ever developing the charms and graces
which you know must be indigenous. They are like those
plants which Humboldt tells us grow with the greatest vigour
in certain localities without ever flowering, though of the
flowering kind. And the accidents of circumstance and place
account for these facts in the man and plant alike. vi.

An Undividable Blessing.

It is scarcely a metaphor to speak of the living ocean ; life is
so intimately blended with its substance, is so inherent in its
chemical composition. The analyses recorded in books do not
furnish a very exact idea of this composition ; they represent

Uni] AND SYMBOLS. 369

the sea- water as a mineral water, containing chloride of sodium
(sea- salt), sulphate of magnesia, chloride of magnesium, carbonic
acid, carbonate of lime and of magnesia, sulphate of lime, besides
some traces of potassa, iodine, bromine, and oxide of iron.
These analyses take no account of the mucus, the gelatinous
matter belonging or having belonged to the innumerable beings
which the sea-water nourishes, and which, in effect, convert the
water into an organic medium. Take some river-water at its
well-head, filter it, and pour it into a vessel ; you can preserve
it for a long time wholesome and drinkable, and only after a
considerable interval does it stagnate. But sea-water, as soon as
it is separated from the great body of the ocean, and enclosed
in a bottle or a cask, dies — grows corrupt and noisome. It
can neither be transported to any place nor preserved. And
yet it is not its salts assuredly which corrupt it ; no, it is the
mucus ; it is the myriads of invisible animalcules which
immediately perish and putrefy. Thus the sea is a strengthen-
ing tonic, and salutary only for the bathers who plunge into its
waves. MY.

Unexpected Utility.

We may find useful qualities where we could hardly have
expected their existence. Few persons would consider mud to be
a cleansing agent. Yet in spite of its adhesiveness, its colour, and
its odour, it has the advantage of being so. It acts as a kind
of marine soap, and does really cleanse the hands thoroughly,
a property which is very useful when one is out for a cruise
and the supply of fresh water on board runs short. No doubt
there are hundreds of other substances as unpromising in appear-
ance as mud, which have unexpected uses to which they could
be put if we could only find them out. c. s.

Unimportant Acts may Acquire Illimitable
Significance.

In the new Red Sandstone of the Valley of the Connecticut
River, the red flags of thin-bedded sandstone are often ripple-
marked, and exhibit on their under-sides casts of cracks formed
in the underlying red and green shales. These last must have

2 A

370 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Uni

shrunk by drying before the sand was spread over them. On
some shales of the finest texture impressions of rain-drops may be
seen, and casts of. them in the incumbent argillaceous sandstones-
Having observed similar markings produced by showers, of
which the precise date was known, on the recent red mud of
the Bay of Fundy, and casts in relief of the same on layers of
dried mud thrown down by subsequent tides, Sir Charles
Lyell has no doubt in regard to the origin of some of the ancient
Connecticut impressions. He has also seen on the mud-flats of
the Bay of Fundy the foot-marks of birds (Tringa minuta) which
daily run along the borders of that estuary at low water. Similar
layers of red mud, now hardened and compressed into shale, are
laid open on the banks of the Connecticut, and retain faithfully the
impressions and casts of the feet of numerous birds and reptiles
which walked over them at the time when they were deposited,
probably in the Triassic period. According to Professor
Hitchcock, the footprints of no less than thirty-two species of
bipeds, and twelve of quadrupeds, have been already detected
in these rocks. Thirty of these are believed to be those of
birds, four of lizards, two of chelonians, and six of batrachians.
The tracks have been found in more than twenty places, scat-
tered throughout an extent of nearly eighty miles from north
to south, and they are repeated through a succession of beds
attaining at some points a thickness of more than a thousand
feet, which may have been thousands of years in forming. If
we were to-day to observe one shower of rain-drops, or the
footstep of an ordinary bird or reptile, we should no doubt con-
sider the matter as very unimportant. Yet what significance
may attach to these trifles ! The mark of a bird's claw may
interpret a page in the grand geological history of the world to
some future explorer. These marks look transient. They may
be indelibly imprinted in the stony records of the earth. In the
moral universe, too, it is also certain that many things are regis-
tered in permanent characters which superficial observers may
now consider to be trivial. History perpetuates many acts
which were supposed to be transient and unimportant, and in
later ages the philosopher explains them. Who can place a
bound to the influence of any act, even the movement of a
bird's claw in the mud ? The voices which speak to us in the

Uni] AND SYMBOLS. 371

universe are many, and they address us through many symbols.
A reptile's accidental footprint, made many thousands of years
ago, becomes to-day a sort of telephone whereby a remote age
tells us part of its strange story. E.

Similarity is no Guarantee of Union.

Why is it that the polar and equatorial waters should appear
now to divide and now to be divided ? The Gulf Stream has
revealed to us a fact in which the answer is involved. We
learn from that stream that cold and warm sea-waters are in a
measure like oil and vinegar ; that is, there is among the particles
of sea-water at a high temperature and among the particles of
sea-water at a low temperature, a peculiar molecular arrange-
ment that is antagonistic to the free mixing up of cold and hot
together. At any rate, that salt-waters of different tempera-
tures do not readily intermingle at sea is obvious. In fact, it
often happens throughout this world that similarity is no
guarantee of union. In matters of human opinion the currents
often run side by side, and seem in all respects similar to each
other ; yet they will not unite. This is very noticeable in the
various Christian denominations, whose professions are often so
similar as to make the difference between them difficult of
detection ; yet they will not unite. There is a religious gulf
stream, and hence similarity without union. T.

Unity of Essence in Variety of Form.

Literally, allotropism or allotropicity, when translated into
plain English, is a very startling thing indeed ; meaning, says
Dr. Scroffern, little else than expression of the fact, or rather
belief that some one thing may be some other thing, and yet
remain the same thing. Here is an illustration. Everybody
knows that the diamond to look at is very different from a lump
of charcoal to look at, and both different from a piece of black-
lead. This is physically evident; yet chemistry, apply it as
we may, only proves that the diamond, charcoal, and black-lead
are one and all carbon. If a diamond be actually burned in
oxygen gas, carbonic acid results ; the very same gas we obtain
by the combustion of charcoal in a stove. More evidence : by

372 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Uni

exposing diamonds to heat in a certain way they can be changed
to coke. Here then we have an agent, an element, that element
carbon, assuming three forms. Chemically the element carbon
is the same ; physically it is not the same. We see the same
truth exemplified in everyday life. The same moral principle
may assume a variety of forms. Self-sacrifice, for example,
may take the form of a humble act done by one obscure peasant
for a neighbour, or may shine in a king's deed of chivalry
which is the admiration of the world. In the former shape
the principle is not recognised as being so valuable ; as also the
coke is not so precious as the kohinoor. But in coke and
kohinoor, as we have seen, the essence is the same ; so in both
the act and deed just referred to, the principle of self-sacrifice
would be the same, and the difference in the form only.

s. x.

The Universe a Progressive System.

It is now generally admitted by all the greatest philosophers
of modern times, that this earth at its origin was an immense
mass of vapours and incandescent gases, forming what astro-
nomers call a "nebula," or "nebulous matter." And its history
to the present day is a history of constant progress from a lower
to a higher state. Illustrations of some of the marvellous methods
by which Nature evolves improvements out of apparently chaotic
conditions are within our knowledge, and afford some clue to
the kind of upward and onward movement which has been going
on throughout the world ever since the dawn of time. Let us
take as an instructive example the present position of the
reptile race, and its apparent use in the plan of Nature. The
chief residence of the reptile race is to be found in hot climates,
and in low, swampy ground, where the morasses are ever filling
with decaying vegetable matter, and exhale a soft thick miasma,
as deadly to the white man as the fumes of arsenic, and injurious
even to the dark-skinned native, who can breathe unharmed a
fetid atmosphere that would smite down his white master as
quickly and surely as if he were struck with a bullet, and who
only attains his fullest development under these conditions. In
these dread regions, their seething putridity, concealed by all the

Uni] AND SYMBOLS. 373

luxuriant vegetation of tropical climes, like a royal mantle flung
over a festering corpse, the reptile race abound, the poisoned air
being to these creatures the very breath of life, and the sur-
rounding decay the sustaining power of their existence. Indeed,
the object of their lives seems to be, by individual transmuta-
tion of poisons into living flesh, to destroy by slow but certain
degrees the mass of decaying vegetation, and so to prepare an
abiding place for beings of a higher order than themselves. On
placing ourselves even in imagination amid such scenes, we seem
to be transported back into the former ages of our earth, when
man could find no resting-place for his foot, and no atmosphere
which he could breathe and live ; when the greater part of the
soil was little more than soft mud, the air thick, dank, heavy,
and overcharged with decomposition, and the multitude of strange
reptiles that bored their slimy way through the deep ooze,
crawled lazily upon the slowly hardening banks, or urged their
devious course through the turbid waters, were the physically
ruling though morally subservient powers of the world. Little
is wanting to complete the illusion, except to give to every
object an increase of dimensions, for the vegetation of those days
was rank and luxuriant to a degree that is now well indicated,
though on a smaller scale, by the foliage of the tropics, and the
huge forms of the ancient and now extinct reptile race are closely
reproduced by the more familiar inhabitants of the swamp before
us. As the expanse of putrefaction was greater in those epochs,
so the miasma destroyers were larger. Frogs and toads as big
as calves, reptilian quadrupeds as large as elephants, and rep-
tilian bats expanding leathery wings as wide as those of the
pelican, were fit inhabitants of the atmosphere which they
breathed, and in which their mission was consummated. Now
that the marshy districts are smaller and less poisonous, the
reptile race that inhabits them is of smaller dimensions. The
earth has now been so far purified by successive generations and
regenerations of life and death, added to human ingenuity and
industry, that its harmful districts occupy but a comparatively
small portion of its surface, the greater part of the world being
suitable for human habitations, the black man settling as a
pioneer, a hewer of wood and drawer of water, where the white
man cannot yet abide. If we turn our attention from the

374 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Uni

physical structure of the universe and its changes, and consider
the history of mankind in the aggregate, we shall see at every
point of our investigation the operation of the progressive law.
Consider the physical history of the race. During the earliest
periods man was a savage, and man's life was little distinguished
from the brute. His whole existence was an incessant struggle
against the elements of nature and the fury of wild beasts. At
first his only food must have been fruits and roots; for he
occupied the world a long while before he was competent to in-
vent any weapon wherewith to destroy animals. His pillow was
a stone, and his roof a tree or a cavern. From the day when he
first made a flint implement, and the time when he discovered
how to kindle fire, to the year when Birmingham and Sheffield
manufactories and forges rose, and railways and telegraphs were
universalised, there is one long record whose every page is
marked by the gradual operation of the law of progress. Con-
sider the course of legislation. The might of the strong was at
first the only law. Before even the semblance of just laws rose
into a system, countless ages, laden with injustice, passed away.
Consider the history of religion. Generation after generation
lived in the practice of gross superstitions before Jesus Christ
came to propound our present religion, and it has taken upwards
of 1800 years for that system to establish itself even theoretically
amongst certainly a small proportion of mankind. IL.

A Hint of Universal Brotherhood.

It is the fact that " languages are many, when people are
savage and rude, or semi-barbarous." In proportion as men
become civilised, and communities more extensive, they become
few in number, the smaller and ruder dialects being gradually
absorbed or violently exterminated by the prevalence of the
more polite, improved, and consequently the most useful forms.
May it not be inferred that there will ultimately reign among
all people one common language1? In that event, the possi-
bilities of misunderstandings between men would be immensely
reduced, and a universal brotherhood would be a realised dream.

s.

Unr] AND SYMBOLS. 375

The Energy of Unobtrusive Life.

Considered with reference to mass, the vegetable far exceeds
the animal world on the face of the globe. The animal kingdom
wants mass, and the motions of individuals withdraw them
frequently from our sight, and we do not think of the energy
which we do not see. Now the vegetable world works upon
our imagination by the mere force of quantity. In the animal
kingdom it is precisely that life that we are wont to designate
as the smallest in point of room, which by its subdivision and
rapid increase presents in reality the most remarkable relations
in respect of mass. The smallest of the infusoria, the monadse
only attain a diameter of i-3oooth of a line, yet do these silicious-
shelled organisms, in moist countries, compose, by their accumu-
lation, subterraneous strata several fathoms in thickness. In the
same way there are tremendous forces at work in society, which
the majority of mankind pass unheeded, because they are so
occupied with gazing at the mere mass of accomplished facts
which lies on the surface of observation. Underneath all this
display and quantity of accomplished things, there are innumer-
able individual influences in a state of energy and multiplication;
and at the very basis of national life, yet unobtrusively, they so
work as to affect the strata of society, altering the position of
primeval landmarks, shaking old foundations, and changing the
position of ancient institutions. K.

Unrestrained Appetite Snares its Possessor.

The man who will not restrain his strongest appetite will find
that it will lead him into a ruinous snare. Observe the eagle.
When gorged with food, the eagle dislikes the exertion of flying,
and generally runs forward a few paces before taking to flight.
The Scotch shepherds have discovered this propensity, and
have invented a very ingenious trap, which is made so as to
take advantage of this habit. A circular enclosure is built of
stone, about four feet in height, without any roof, and with a
small door on one of its sides. A dead sheep is then thrown
into the centre of the enclosure, and a noose adjusted round the
door. The eagle soon discerns the sheep, and after making a

376 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Una

few circles in the air, alights upon the dead animal and feeds
to his heart's content. After eating until he can eat no more,
he thinks of moving, but as he does not chose to take the
trouble of flying perpendicularly in so narrow a space, he prefers
to walk out through the door, and is straightway strangled by
the ready noose. IL.

The Unscrupulous Money-Getter.

The unscrupulous money-getter is not necessarily an able man.
On the contrary, he often appears dull and stupid. But he is
rapacious, cruel, and cunning, and he owes his success to these
qualities. Notwithstanding the applause with which society
greets his performances, they have much the same inspiration as
those of the glutton. The glutton is thought but a dull animal,
but his mode of catching deer shows much the same portion of
intelligence as that which is exhibited by the money-getter, or
by the Arctic fox when he arranges cods' heads as baits to catch
crows. The glutton climbs into a tree in the neighbourhood of
a herd, carrying up with him a quantity of a kind of riioss of
which the deer are fond, and when he sees any one of the herd
approaching, he lets a portion of the moss fall. If the deer
stops to eat, the glutton instantly descends on its back, and
torments it by tearing out its eyes and other violence to such
a degree that, either to get rid of its enemy, or to put an end
to its sufferings, it beats its head against the trees till it falls
down dead ; for when the glutton has once fixed himself by his
claws and teeth, it is impossible to dislodge him. After killing
the deer he divides the flesh into convenient portions, and con-
ceals them in the earth for future provision. In this he shows
himself to be as prudential as the money-getter, who at the end
of a nefarious financial success places his profits in various
securities and the balance in his bank for future use. K.

Unscrupulous Depredators.

The white-headed eagle (Haliaetus le.ucoceplialus) of the
United States of North America is an emblem of those un-
scrupulous politicians, lawyers, brokers and adventurers who live

Una] AND SYMBOLS. 377

by robbing other men of the legitimate results of their labours.
In obtaining for food a supply of fresh fish, this eagle exhibits
all their rapacity and cunning. He does his fishing by proxy.
Perching on the bough of a tree, or on some other elevated
position on the coast, he watches the manoeuvres of one of his
near relations, the smaller and less powerful osprey or fish-
hawk (Pandion haliaetus). As soon as he sees the osprey dash
down into the waters, and emerge again with his prey struggling
in his talons, the white-headed eagle quits his post of observation
and darts off in pursuit of the successful fisher. The latter,
encumbered with his prey, is quite unable to contend in flight
with his pursuer, who endeavours to rise above him ; and the
manoeuvres of the birds in this struggle for the upper hand are
exceedingly energetic and crafty. The conclusion of the affair
is, however, nearly always the same : the eagle, being quite un-
encumbered, generally overcomes the osprey ; the latter lets his
prey drop with a scream of disgust ; and the piratical pursuer
then descends with astonishing rapidity, and usually manages
to secure the booty before it reaches the water. MU.

Great Resources in Unseen Powers.

The Kalihari has its sirocco during the excessive drought
which precedes the rainy season : a burning wind traverses
this desert from north to south, and during its three or four
days' duration it withers and dries up everything in its path,
It is so loaded with electricity that a bundle of ostrich feathers,
which remained exposed to it for a few seconds, was itself
charged, as if it had been in contact with a powerful electrical
machine, and produced a lively disturbance, accompanied by
cracking noises, when taken in the hand. As often as this
wind prevails, the electricity of the atmosphere is so abundant
that every movement of the natives causes sparks to be given
off their karosses, or cloaks made of the skin of beasts. D.

Unsuspected Church-Enemies.

The ravages committed without our immediate observation
by the ship worm (Teredo navalis) arc almost incredible. Wood

378 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Unw

of every description is devoured by it. "When the teredos have
taken entire possession of a piece of timber, they destroy it so
completely that if the shelly lining were removed from the
wood, and each weighed separately, the mineral substance
would equal the vegetable in weight. The shipworm has been
the cause of numerous wrecks, for it silently and unsuspectedly
reduces the plankings and timbers to such a state of fragility
that when struck by the side of a vessel, or even by an ordinary
boat, large fragments will be broken off. A pier has been known
to be so stealthily sapped by these submarine miners that its
unsound state, which might have endangered a hundred lives,
was only discovered by an accident. The insidious, effective,
and dangerous way in which this teredo navalis performs its
work, reminds us of the proceedings of such persons, in congre-
gational and other churches, as are very much addicted to the
habit of calling themselves " poor worms." These " poor
worms " are always the beings who destroy the structures which
good and noble men have made. They fasten themselves upon
a gospel ship and burrow about it for their own benefit in all
directions. Very often their presence is not even suspected, for
they do not alter the external appearance of things. But as
soon as any ecclesiastical tempest blows, or the ship touches any
sunken local rocks, the extent of the operations of the " poor
worms" is awfully apparent, for there is a shipwreck as the
result of them. Many a Christian minister has been horrified
by the discovery, just before a storm, that even his vestry con-
tains " poor worms," who weigh at a church meeting as much
as all the wise men — a fact which he had never for a moment
been led to suspect. H.

The Penalty of Unwariness.

Flamingoes are very shy and timid birds, and shun all
attempts of man to approach them ; the vicinity of animals,
however, they disregard. Any one who is acquainted with this
fact can take advantage of it so as to effect the slaughter of these
beautiful animals by dressing himself up in the skin of a horse
or an ox. Thus disguised, the sportsman may get close to them
and shoot them down at his ease. So long as their enemy is

Use] AND SYMBOLS. 379

invisible they still remain immovable, the noise of the gun only
stupefying them, so that they refuse to leave, although their
companions are dropping down dead around them. They are
taken in by appearances ; and so long as the man is disguised
they accept him as the creature which he pretends to be, even
though his actions clearly indicate that he is something else.
Shy, beautiful, and harmless, the unfortunate bird meets destruc-
tion simply for want of wariness. Many a lovely human being
with the like qualities has met her doom for want of that same
trait. RE.

Use is Second Nature.

In speaking of the cause of "the indescribable, deep, and
quite peculiar impression which the first earthquake which we
experience makes upon us," Humboldt says : — "The impression
here is not, I believe, the consequence of any recollection of
destructive catastrophes presented to our imagination by narra-
tives of historical events ; what seizes upon us so wonderfully
is the disabuse of that innate faith in the fixity of the solid and
surest foundations of the earth. From early childhood we are
habituated to the contrast between the mobile element water
and the immobility of the soil on which we stand. All the
evidences of our senses have confirmed this belief. But when
suddenly the ground begins to rock beneath us, the feeling of
an unknown, mysterious power in Nature coming into action
and shaking the solid globe arises in the mind. The illusion of
the whole of our earlier life is annihilated in an instant. We
are undeceived as to the repose of Nature ; we feel ourselves
transported to the realm, and made subject to the empire of
destructive unknown powers. Every sound — the slightest
rustle in the air — sets attention on the stretch. We no longer
trust the earth upon which we stand. The unusual in the
phenomenon throws the same anxious unrest and alarm over
the lower animals. Swine and dogs are particularly affected
by it; and the very crocodiles of the Orinoco, otherwise a
dumb as our little lizards, leave the shaken bed of the stream
and run bellowing into the woods. To men the earthquake
presents itself as an all-pervading, unlimited something. We
can remove from an active crater ; from the stream of lava which

380 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Use

is pouring down our dwelling we can escape ; with the earth-
quake we feel that whithersoever we fly we are still over the
hearth of destruction. Such a mental condition, though evoked
in our very innermost nature, is not, however, of long duration.
When a series of slighter shocks occur in a district one after
another, every trace of alarm soon vanishes among the inhabitants.
On the rainless coasts of Peru nothing is known of hail, nor of
explosions of lightning and rolling thunder in the bosom of the
atmosphere. The subterraneous noise that accompanies the
earthquake there comes in lieu of the thunder of the clouds.
Use and wont for a series of years, and the very prevalent
opinion that dangerous earthquakes are only to be apprehended
two or three times in the course of a century, led the inhabi-
tants of Lima scarcely to think more of a slight shock of earth-
quake than is thought of a hailstone in the temperate zone.

K.

The Hidden Uses of Unadmired Things.

If we do not at once see the use of a thing which is unbeauti-
ful, we are apt to disdain it altogether. Utility or beauty we
demand as a characteristic of everything. But let it be con-
stantly remembered that our limited vision and knowledge often
prevent our discerning the uses which exist in things. Do not
be deceived by the mere appearance. The sandy deserts which
one might have been inclined to consider as mere encumbrances
on the earth are of high importance in creating winds. They
send off vast streams of hot air into the higher regions of the
atmosphere, and hence the cooler air off the coasts is sucked
away in an opposite direction. The deserts, indeed, may be
regarded as vast suction-pumps providentially placed at certain
stations on the earth, to create useful winds and help the
transport of moisture to lands that are in want of it. But for
the Thibetan deserts there would have been no south-west
monsoon ; and without the monsoon the fertile plains of Hindo-
etan would have been a waste of sand, BE.

Val] AND SYMBOLS. 381

The Most Useful the Most Plentiful.

Such things as diamonds, which are not essential to man, are
not plentiful in the earth ; but water, air, and light are every-
where. Among the metals certainly the most useful is the
most abundant. The author of " Siluria" says, that in reviewing
the facts respecting the origin and age of the various metals
most useful to man, he is led to believe that iron is the oldest
as well as by far the most diffused in Nature. In fact, it occurs
plentifully in the most ancient of all known aqueous deposits,
the Laurentian rocks, and has continued to be abundant
throughout all the strata up to the formation of the bog-ore of
the present day. si.

Using One to Catch Another.

The story of the monkey which used the paw of the cat to
draw the roasting chestnuts from the fire, has enabled the word
cat's-paw to maintain a place in our dictionaries. For we need
some equivalent to designate a proceeding which we often see
in life closely resembling the monkey's trick. The same thing
may be also illustrated in another way. Commerson relates
that in the Mozambique a species of remora is employed to
catch turtles. A ring with a long cord attached to it is fixed
on the tail of the fish, which is carried out to sea in a bucketful
of salt water. As soon as a turtle is perceived asleep on the
surface, the fishermen paddle towards it very gently, until they
come sufficiently near, when they throw out the remora, which
makes for the dormant turtle with speed, and fastens on it so
strongly that both can be drawn to the boat and secured.
Happy is the man who had never seen a friend used by a
designing knave in his fishing for power and money in very
much this kind of way ! MU.

Political Valency.

The power of one atom, to attract to itself and to combine
with a definite number of other atoms, and no more, is called
its valency ; and according to the number which is the limit of
its power, it is called bi-valent or tri-valent, or tetra-valent. In

382 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Val

like manner, the power, in the parliamentary world, of one man
to attract other political units to himself, and to cause them
to combine with him for various purposes, depends upon his
political valency. Without this valency society would have to
depend upon some other cohesive forces. The strongest poli-
tical man is he who has most political valency ; and he is an
agitator, a caucus-monger, or a prime minister according to the
strength of his endowment. The power of some units of society,
as of some atoms, to attract others to them in firm combination
is remarkable in the highest degree, and inexplicable. DTJ.

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Value.

Gold would, by general consent, be considered the most
valuable metal. But then we must distinguish between
substantial utility and adventitious value ; and between intrinsic
and extrinsic value, lest the word mislead us. For example,
whatever may be the utility of gold and its market value,
as a matter of fact iron is by far the more substantially and
intrinsically valuable metal. It is the very ladder on which the
arts and trades have mounted to their present height. It is the
only metal which is not injurious to the health, the only metal
which forms a never-failing constituent of the body, especially
the blood. Now gold is found on the very surface of the earth,
and it is only necessary to free it from earthy admixtures to
obtain it in a pure metallic state. It seems presented to men by
nature as a gift. But iron, like knowledge, and everything in
the world which possesses real intrinsic value, must be struggled
for by the most laborious toil, by exertion both of the bodily
aiid mental powers. The hard pursuit of an intrinsically valuable
thing is often a blessing, whilst the easy obtainment of adventi-
tious value is too often unattended by much benefit to the
receiver. The inhabitants of countries who are arduously occu-
pied in mining and working the iron, have the blessings attendant
on labour, health, contentment, prosperity and intellectual culture,
in a far greater degree than those of countries where gold abounds
and industry is neglected. So the word value has, it is obvious,
a very large meaning : and we often require to discern between
very different things before we simply prefix it to another word,

Yen] AND SYMBOLS. 3?3

lest we convey an erroneous impression. In our loose use of words
we call many things valuable which are altogether valueless, and
which, if a crucial moral test, instead of a conventional one,
were applied, would be pronounced injurious. PR.

Venal Politicians.

The hydra — a genus of polype — possesses some points of
resemblance to the venal politician. The digestion of the
hydra is so peculiar that not only can it absorb creatures of a
far higher organisation than itself, but it may actually be turned
inside out without any derangement of its functions. The old
inner surface in that case acts the part of a skin, whilst that which
was the outer skin adapts itself without difficulty to the perform-
ance of the work of digestion. The venal politician possesses the
power to destroy higher reputations than his own, and to turn
them to his own advantage. He, too, can shift his principles in-
side out. The Whig surface takes the place of the Tory surface
when he so pleases ; and he enjoys the capacity for appropriating
political concerns to his own advantage whatever specious sur-
face he may exhibit for the time being to the outside world.

N. H.

The Venomous Disposition.

There are plants which may be said to distil venom of their
own accord. The manchineel-tree, for example (by no means
uncommon in the West India Islands), affords a milky fluid,
which blisters the skin as if it were burnt with a hot iron ; and
indeed so dangerous has the vegetable been accbunted, that if a
traveller should sleep under its shade it was once popularly
believed he would never wake again. The venomous disposition
of these plants has its representative in the human family.
There are persons to be met with who are so spiteful as to cause
pain the moment you come into contact with them. Their lips
distil malice, and it seems the object of their life to inflict
malignant wounds. If you trust them, your happiness will
sleep the sleep of death. PO.

384 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Vic

Verbiage.

The fecundity of the queen bee is amazing ; yet it is sur-
passed by that of the termite ant. She contains about three
inches by half an inch of eggs, and lays them at the rate of
sixty a minute. Just as these small creatures are prolific of eggs,
so are small minds prolific of words. Eagles' eggs are scarce.
So are thinkers' words. Termite eggs and fools' verbiage are
plentiful enough. B. w.

The Modus Operand! of Vice.

The honey-moth and the honeycomb-moth attack bees, and
more cunningly than the sphinx-moth, as well as more success-
fully. They are so small that they can get into the hive some-
times, notwithstanding the vigilance of the guards, and deposit
their eggs in the combs. These little moths, called galleria
moths, are small and of a light-brown colour, and can run
with great rapidity. When they are at rest, or when running,
their wide wings are folded over the body into a very small
space indeed, and offer no impediment to the movements of
their feet. It is, indeed, necessary that some provision of this
nature should be made, for when one of them has succeeded in
slipping past the sentinels, there is a grand commotion in the
hive, each bee chasing the galleria moth and endeavouring to
secure it with its teeth, when its fate would be instant death
at the jaws of the infuriated multitude. But generally the
active little creature, having once obtained an entrance, fulfils
the object for which it came there ; for after running and
doubling and twisting about among the combs, it evades its
enemies and secretes itself in some crevice, where it deposits
its eggs in safety. The object of its life is now accomplished,
and it cares little what becomes of itself afterwards. As for
the hive, the mischief is done, for the eggs are sure to be hatched,
and successive colonies of these destructive little creatures are
soon found, some of whom rush out of the door to carry destruc-
tion into other hives, while others, finding themselves in the
midst of plenty, lay their eggs in the same hive where they
themselves were born. After all this labour and perseverance,

Vic] AND SYMBOLS. 385

what a strange place this seems for a mother to choose, and what
a chevaiix de /me, as it were, of stings all about her pretty ones !
It matters not, however, to them, as she well knows. The larva,
once successfully hatched, rapidly covers itself with silk, which
the bees cannot destroy nor penetrate with their stings for the
destruction of the noxious intruder. Gradually this silken
covering becomes a tube or covered way, stretching in any
direction that the larva pleases right through the combs.
When this enemy becomes numerous it is all over with the
hive ; the bees have no choice but to desert the place altogether
and construct a new habitation. The movements of these
galleria moths suggest an analogy to the insidious operations
of vice in the moral world. Like these moths, vice is shrewd
of selecting a home, audacious in its method of entering it,
and active in its plans for eluding pursuit. It has a horrible
power of self-propagation, and by a sad irony of fate it constantly
happens that the very people who hate it most intensely are
often the unwilling victims who have to support it and its
progeny. Nor does the resemblance end here, for as the larvae
of the galleria moth sometimes bring absolute ruin upon the
industrious hive which their progenitors shamefully invaded,
so do the children of vice bring down to undeserved destruc-
tion the happy fabric in which they have scandalously reared
themselves at the expense of unconsenting sufferers. In its
relation to society, vice, like this moth, is a shameless invader,
an unscrupulous inhabitant, and a ruthless destroyer. B. w.

The Fecundity of Vice.

The fer de lance of the West Indies, a much-dreaded ser-
pent, is, when adult, about five or six feet long. The number
of young produced by this deadly species of reptile at one birth
is immense, being seldom less than fifty. At the moment of
birth these young ones are completely formed, very nimble,
and ready to bite if irritated. In its poisonousness, and in its
fecundity, this serpent resembles human vice. One immoral
idea will bring forth a horrible progeny of others, all of
which, from the moment of their birth, are ready to do injury.

MU.
2 B

386 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Vic

Vice Giving1 Warning- of its Approach.

There are evils which, give warning of their coming.
Drunkenness does not seize upon a man suddenly. It gives
warnings often and many. Avarice, and a number of other
vices, can be detected long before we are within their reach.
There are infallible indications by which we may be warned.
The approach of vice is like the approach of the rattlesnake.
This horrible reptile, one of the most venomous of serpents,
warns man involuntarily against its formidable presence. At
the end of its tail there is placed a rattle, which consists of a
string of hollow, dry, and semi-transparent bones, which con-
stantly datter against each other as the reptile moves, with a
hoarse, dull, echoing sound. The bony rings increase in number
with the reptile's age, and it gains an additional one, it is said,
at each casting of the skin. The warning which it is thus
compelled to give of its approach enables those who hear to
escape an awful death. Happy are those men whose ears are
open to the warnings which social monsters, far more horrid
than even the rattlesnake, in like manner invariably give of
their presence and movements, and, profiting thereby, manage
to escape ! D.

An Allegory of Virtue Triumphing over Vice.

St. George triumphing over the dragon is not prettier in con-
ception than the secretary-bird vanquishing the snake is in fact.
The latter incident makes a good allegory of virtue triumphing
over vice. The reptile, when attacked by the secretary-bird,
suddenly stops and rears itself up, swelling its neck, and showing
anger by shrill hissing. At this instant, says Levaillant, the
bird of prey, spreading one of his wings, holds it in front of him,
and covers both his legs as well as the lower part of his body
with it as if with a buckler. The reptile makes a spring at his
enemy ; the bird makes a bound, and spurning the serpent with
his wing, retreats again, jumping about in every direction in a
mode which, to a spectator, appears highly grotesque. He soon
returns to the combat, ever presenting to the venomous teeth of
his adversary nothing but the end of his well- protected wing.

05

Vic] AND SYMBOLS. 387

and whilst the other is fruitlessly expending its poison by biting
the callous feathers, the bird is inflicting vigorous blows with
his other wing. At last the reptile, stunned and wavering, rolls
at full length in the dust ; the bird then cleverly catches hold
of it and throws it several times up into the air, until the victim,
becoming exhausted and powerless, the bird crushes its skull
with his sharp-pointed bill. The serpent is then swallowed
whole by its conqueror, unless it is too big, in which case it is
first torn in pieces. RE.

The Insidious Victory of Vicious Ideas.

How surprised sometimes is the naturalist, who, after care-
fully preserving a chrysalis, and awaiting day by day the
appearance of the beautiful butterfly, of which it is the coarse
and mysterious envelope, sees a crowd of flies emerge in place
of it ! This is through the work of the echinomyia, a genus
of insects which derive their nourishment from flowers. They
deposit their eggs on caterpillars, and the young larvae on
hatching penetrate their bodies and feed on their viscera.
How surprised sometimes is the kind father of a family, who,
after carefully watching the growth of a child, and antici-
pating the development of a noble character, sees to his
dismay an exhibition of all the gross and common vices
instead of it. This is the work of various bad associates,
such as servants, tutors, or others who, whilst deriving their
livelihood from tending children, have deposited in their minds
— perhaps unintentionally, but nevertheless effectually — vicious
ideas which have only waited the opportunity for a horrible
unfolding. The victory of these vicious ideas is so insidious
that forethought is disarmed. The embryo is placed where
even ingenuity might search in vain. When those ideas de-
velop they are as certain to destroy a beautiful character as
the echinomyia are to destroy the most lovely butterfly. i.

The Vicissitudes of Human Life.

The Asiatic steppes alternately assume the most discordant
aspects. Periodical transformations are especially remarkable

388 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Vio

in the steppes of the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the
Caspian Sea. In winter the heavy rains inundate them, and
transform them into impracticable marshes ; spring clothes them
with a thick carpet of grasses and other herbaceous plants, so
that they reveal to the eye leagues upon leagues of delightful
sward cropped by numerous flocks. In summer they undergo
a third metamorphosis, and are converted into parched and sun-
scathed deserts like those of Nubia or Arabia. In our own
life we experience vicissitudes analogous to these. "We have,
as Shakespeare says, " the winter of our discontent ; " then we
may have a sort of spring-time experience when hope promises
days of plenty crowned with future joys. It may also be that,
when the time comes which we expected to prove a kind of
summer in our existence, we find our anticipations parched into
desert-like disappointment by the fierce light of Reality. Like
the steppes, we are subject to strange vicissitudes. D.

The Necessity for Vigilance.

Perhaps at the very moment when we deem ourselves most
secure, we are most in danger. A sleeping passion, or a foe in
ambush, may be ready to break out upon us and work our ruin.
The birds do not see the fox at hand when he is going to play
his most dangerous trick, for then he lies, extended as if dead,
and eyes the birds on the hedges and trees, and, if they come
within his reach, pounces upon them and kills them. " Let him
who thinketh he standeth take heed." R

The Violent in the Serene.

The sea, as a rule, is tranquil. Yet what awful power it
possesses when it is aroused to fury ! Blocks of stone weighing
over thirteen tons have been known to be hurled by it a distance
of more than thirty feet, and blocks of three tons to more than
one hundred yards. Jetties and bridges are dashed about like
toys. The entire harbour of Fecamp was destroyed by its rage,
and the mass of earth torn from the north side of Cape la
He"ve was estimated at more than 300,000 square yards. Yet
these are only among the trifling achievements of the sea when

Vir] AND SYMBOLS. 389

it passes from its peaceful to its furious mood Violence often,
slumbers under an appearance of serenity. A crowd of joyous
holiday-makers to-day may become to-morrow a foaming mob of
insurrectionists ! i. o.

The Safe Conduction of Violent Elements.

The electric fluid will not leave its centre to enter a bad
conductor if it can find a good one. On this simple principle
depends the utility of the lightning-rod. In its flight towards
the earth the lightning avoids a bad conductor, and selects a
good one if it is to be had ; hence it will spare the house or the
tower so long as there is sufficient iron-rod attached through
which it may descend to the earth. In this \\ray the electric
discharge, which would have shattered the bad-conducting
tower, glides easily and safely past it into the ground. In
dealing with any violent elements the same principle should
guide us ; we should arrange not to oppose them, for that is
useless, but to conduct them away harmlessly. The spirit of a
starving mob would often strike down valuable institutions, but it
may be diverted into the paths of hopeful industry, in which
it will expend all its fire. The appetites of a people may
threaten to run riot in the temples of drunkenness and
debauchery ; but if they are conducted into the pure atmosphere
of wholesome amusement and recreation, they will spend them-
selves as harmlessly as the lightning spends itself on the green-
sward when the genial showers conduct it thither. "The
quality of mercy," which "droppeth as the gentle dew from
heaven," is the best conductor of all violent social elements.

BE.

A Virtue may Exist where least Expected.

In the most unlikely places we may discover an unexpected
virtue. On the low rocks, on the summits of all the loftiest
Highland hills, there is a curious leafy lichen (Parmelia fahlun-
ensis), found abundantly, scorched by the sun apparently into a
black cinder. Of all lichens, this species, judging from its out-
ward colour and appearance, would seem to be the least capable

390 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Voi

of yielding colouring matter ; and yet, when treated in the ordi-
nary way, it yields a brilliant pink, cherry, or claret colour,
which in France has been applied to so many useful purposes
that the lichen in consequence has obtained the common name
of " Herpette des Tenturiers." FO.

The Virulence of a Venomous Nature.

The natives of South Africa designate the striking echidna,
a singularly formidable viper, the picakolou. These reptiles
possess so abundant and deadly a venom that when one of them
is attacked by a band of dogs, the first dog bitten dies im-
mediately ; the second, five minutes afterwards ; the third, at
the end of an hour; and the fourth, after a more or less
lengthened agony. A great number of beasts is annually de-
stroyed by the picakolous ; the fangs of an individual killed at
Kolobeng distilled poison for several hours after its head had
been severed from its body. D.

Dormant Vitality.

The eggs of birds and seeds of plants do not possess all the
characters of a living being, and yet they live. Once place them
in conditions favourable for the development of their existence,
and they become transformed into animals or plants. Such
bodies are regarded as collections of organic matter possessing
dormant vital properties, which, under certain circumstances,
waken up and become active. There are in our libraries, and
in human minds, ideas in a condition which bears an analogy
to this state. They are full of vitality, but dormant. But
there are conditions under which they will develop into a
tremendous existence. ou.

Silent Voices.

We may say of the stars, that though there is neither speech
nor language, their voices are heard ; " their sound is gone out
into all lands, and their words unto the ends of the earth.'
Though placed at inconceivable distances from our earth, stars

Vol] AND SYMBOLS. 391

are yet near enough to contribute to the happiness and safety
of mankind. During the sun's absence they bestow an illumina-
tion which, though feeble, is highly useful. "When the moon
has forsaken the long polar night, they cast a dim twilight over
the snow. In the deserts of the East, stars have served to
guide the traveller since those ancient days when astronomy
began to be cultivated on the plains of Chaldea. The pilots of
antiquity learned to steer by the stars before the loadstone was
discovered ; and in these days of science, sun, moon, and stars
may be said to cover the firmament with lamps and sign-posts.
Familiarity with the fact has long dulled within us the feeling
of surprise, still it is a wonderful thing to think that in the most
lonely spots of the trackless ocean the position of a ship can be
told with accuracy by questioning the aspects of the heavenly
bodies. Silently, too, they tell us of distances, magnitudes, and
velocities, which transcend our power to conceive. With mute
argument stars prove to us that in those far-off regions gravita-
tion— the power that brings the apple to the ground — still
reigns supreme, and with winning whispers of probability they
persuade us that, like our own bountiful sun, they also bathe
attendant worlds in floods of brightest light, deck them in
colours of beauty, and shower countless blessings on myriads of
beings. BE.

The Destiny of the Voluptuous.

Destiny deals with voluptuaries as the Dionaea muscipula of
South America deals with the flies. The leaves of this plant,
which are spread out on the soil near the roots, are composed of
two parts — the one elongated, which may be considered as a
sort of petiole, the other larger and broader, and nearly circular,
formed like two trap-nets, which are united at the base by a
nervure, fashioned like a hinge, and furnished round the edge
with rough hairy cells. In the upper surface these plates are
furnished with certain small glands, whence exudes a viscous
liquid which attracts the insects. If a fly lights on this singular
apparatus, the trap raises itself quickly by means of its long
hinge. They approach and it closes, rapidly crossing its long
cilia, and the insect is a prisoner. The efforts of the fly to

392 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Vor

escape increase the irritability of the plant, whose fangs only
open when the movements of the animal have ceased with its
life. In every age there are voluptuous people who are attracted
"by that which promises mere pleasure to the senses, and they
pursue it, reckless of all danger. They light upon it as these
flies do on this singular plant, despite the warnings of expe-
rience. But the tree of destiny is inexorable, and it kills them
as a consequence of their actions. To move is useless ; escape
is hopeless. v.

Competitive Voracity.

The voracity for riches, which is one distinguishing trait of
nineteenth-century civilisation, is well illustrated by the hydrse,
a genus of polype. These hydrse are exceedingly voracious, and
feed only on living animals. Sometimes two polypes will
seize upon the same worm, when a dispute, of course, ensues,
which occasionally ends in a very singular manner. If the
weaker of the two does not feel inclined to let slip a booty, for
which he has, perhaps, been waiting with extended tenta'cles for
several days, it sometimes happens that each polype swallows
the end which has fallen to his share, until at length the worm,
being all gone, the mouths of the pair come into actual contact.
They now find themselves in a position of considerable difficulty,
which is sometimes terminated by the breaking of the worm ;
but if this does not take place, the larger or stronger of the two
seizes upon his antagonist, and swallows him worm and all.
Who has not seen an analogous proceeding in commercial circles,
where fortune-hunters, liquidators, joint-stock company pro-
moters, and their class, are always endeavouring, as they de-
scribe it, to " best " one another in reference to spoil for which
they contend ] It is observable, too, that the competitor who,
for the time, may be successful in amalgamating the whole of
his neighbour's riches, does not always succeed in extinguishing
his neighbour. The man disappears from the commercial
circle for a time, but he reappears " after many days " to wage
another war for wealth. Marvellous to relate, the swallowed
polype also survives the results of competitive voracity, and
after a time he emerges uninjured from his living tomb. The

War] AND SYMBOLS. 393

worm, however, like the unsuccessful man's riches, is gone !
The successful polype has appropriated the mere worm, but
cannot the rival. Our greedy enemies may extinguish us for a
time and appropriate our wealth, but our manhood will survive.

N. D.

The Type of Vulgarity.

Of all the Babel confusion of bird-tongues, there are few
more displeasing than the sparrow's. All the boorish vulgarity
of his nature is expressed in that tone. It is true, to the
sparrow himself it sounds like music. He never tires of
repeating again and again his shrill chirrup, although no one
cries Da capo; and, to the despair of all lovers of harmony,
makes himself heard loudest just when one of his race, endued
with the gift of song, is about to rejoice the listener. But so it
is : the only true nobility, that of genius, is what the plebeian
always hates most. Sparrow, and nothing but sparrow, such
is the levelling system of these sans culottes. ST.

The Proprieties of War.

Tne mischief which the European termites silently accomplish
is wonderful. Some records kept in a box at La Rochelle, which
was invaded by these terrible destroyers, were almost totally
destroyed, and that without the slightest external trace of any
damage. The termites had reached the boxes in which these
documents were preserved by mining the wainscoting ; they
had then leisurely devoured the administration records, carefully
respecting the upper sheets and the margin of each leaf, so that
a box which was only a mass of rubbish seemed to contain a
pile of papers in perfect order. This fastidious decorum of
theirs, in leaving the outward appearance of things in good
order, resembles that of our soldiers after one of our wars of
foreign aggression. They invade a locality by some side pre-
tence, commit the most awful destruction in all directions, and
yet leave our treaties, compacts, and even protocols, which
cover all these transactions, in the most perfect order. The
form of these things remains intact, whilst the substance of
them has been rendered mere rubbish. Yet such a procedure

394 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [War

looks delicate, and prettily considerate, and forms part of the
proprieties of the conventional Christian warrior — a despot
exceedingly particular about the semblance of things. H.

War Orators.

We have a class of speakers in this country who are silent
on all great social and cosmopolitan topics, but make themselves
heard and felt the moment any matter of warlike fascination
comes to the surface. All other questions float down the stream
of public opinion without causing them even to indicate their
existence. But let a question involving blood appear, and
with marvellous celerity all these pugilistic men come from the
obscurity of barracks and service clubs, and from no one knows
where, often fuming about no one knows what. They remind
one of those animals noted for their blood-thirstiness in the
warm regions of Africa — the caribitos (Serrasalmo). Their
haunts are at the bottom of rivers, but a few drops of blood
suffice to bring them by thousands to the surface ; and^ Hum-
boldt himself mentions that in some part of the Apure, where
the water was perfectly clear and no fish were visible, he could
in a few minutes bring together a cloud of caribitos by casting
in some bits of flesh. With equal ease we can collect all our
war orators if we only give them one sanguinary pretext.

MU.

Warriors the Followers of Insects.

When the " workers " of the genus eciton (a species of foraging
ants) are abroad upon a foraging expedition, they spread out
their columns, climbing over every leaf, plant, shrub, and tree,
putting the whole animal as well as insect world into commo-
tion and alarm. All apterous insects, particularly blattae and
spiders, are preyed upon. At other times a community of
ecitons engage in a regular attack upon a nest of some peaceful
and industrious species of formica. The ecitons crowd into the
nests of the ants, each seizing upon a helpless victim, and carry
or drag it out of the nest ; if the ant prove too heavy for a
single eciton to carry, it is ruthlessly torn into pieces, two or

Way] AND SYMBOLS. 395

more assisting in the operation. The march is then commenced
back to the nest of the eciton, the living ants and the mangled
remains of others being probably carried there for the purpose
of feeding the young brood of the marauders. In studying
these creatures, and their methods and depredations, the con-
clusion seems forced upon us that they must have been
invaluable as examples to warriors, and to those scientific
gentlemen of bloodthirsty tastes, who carefully elaborate
statistical treatises on methods of attack, in which, with the
greatest nicety, there are given calculations, showing how the
greatest plunder can be taken from the enemy with the least
injury to the invader and with the most ruinous results to the
enemy. And really the question is not easily disposed of if we
ask, Whether men show more genius than insects in their war-
fare ? In what do the foraging expeditions of armies differ from
those of these ants, except in magnitude of suffering 1 MU.

The Wasteful Epicure.

The food of the otter consists entirely of fishes. It furnishes
itself with a supply much greater than it can consume : infect-
ing the edges of the lake with quantities of dead fish, of which,
with the characteristic epicurism of the family, it eats only a
mouthful or two of the best parts. But in winter, when the
lakes are frozen over, and the rivers pour with a rapid torrent,
the otter is often greatly distressed for provisions, and is then
obliged to live upon grass, weeds, and even the bark of trees.
Yet even from starvation it never learns the lessons of thrift or
forethought. It is like those wasteful servants and heedless
spongers who are ever ready to be extravagant and reckless
when they have any opportunity, even though a future of
penury and distress is sure to follow their imprudent conduct.
They are greedy epicures, who pander to their own excesses,
indifferent to all economy or prudence. Carpe diem is their
only motto. A.

Where there is a Will there is a Way.

The materials which the bird uses to build its nest are
generally of the rudest kind. The instruments are very

396 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Wea

imperfect. The bird has neither the squirrel's hand nor the
beaver's tooth. Having only his bill and his foot (which by no
means serves the purpose of a hand), it seems that the nest
should be to him an insoluble problem. The tool really used
is the bird's own body — his breast — with which he presses and
kneads the materials until he has rendered them completely
pliable, has thoroughly mixed them, and subdued them to the
general work. Within, too, the implement which determines
the circular form of the nest is no other than the bird's own
body. By constantly turning about and ramming the walls on
every side, he succeeds in shaping the circle. Thus, then, his
house is his very person, his form, and his immediate effort,
perhaps his suffering. The result is only obtained by a con-
stantly repeated pressure of his breast. There is not one of
these blades of grass but which, to take and retain the form, of
a curve, has been a thousand and a thousand times pressed
against his bosom, his heart, certainly with much disturbance
of the respiration, perhaps with much palpitation. "Where
there is a will there is a way." Only bad workmen, who have
no strong desire to accomplish their task, ever desert it for the
want of tools. T. B.

The Courage of the Weak.

Although the gazelles are generally considered extremely
timid animals, which, moreover, their weakness would fully
justify, they display on emergency a surprising courage. When
they cannot escape from danger through agility, they bravely
confront the enemy which attacks them. Menaced by a panther
or a leopard, they form themselves into a circle, which, bristling
everywhere with keen-pointed horns, compels the antagonist
to retreat. D.

The Low Means of Defence of Weak Natures.

The second English snake is the common harmless ringed
snake, which does not bite, because it has no teeth to speak
of, and does not poison people, because it has no venom at all.
Its only mode of defence is by pouring forth a most unpleasant,

Wor] AND SYMBOLS. 397

pungent odour, which adheres to the hands or clothes so per-
tinaciously that many washings are required before it is ex-
pelled. Yet it is sparing enough even of this solitary weapon,
and may after a while be handled without any inconvenience.

c. o.

The Self-Satisfied Woman.

The dear lady full of maxims, little prim notions, wise saws,
proverbs, and nursery lore, with her consequential, self-satisfied
mien — how often we have seen her ! We have heard her
called in derision "the dear old hen." And really, derision
apart, there is some resemblance between this queen and that
feathered one. The hen reared in the confined, strict notions of
her class, never forgets for a moment the limits nor the duties
of her station. Her sober mind abhors all innovation and ex-
travagance. She will have nothing to do with those doubtful
virtues which we proudly call elegance, refinement, high-
breeding, or which we at once sum up in the term "polite
education." The fantastical rockings, the buoyant soaring in
mid- air, the art of song and nest-building, which the world
admires in other birds, are to her as nought. As her ancestors
were before her will she remain ; and like her dress, so in
thought and deed, is she plain and citizen-like. " Stay at home
and get an honest livelihood ! " is what she exclaims to her
sons and daughters, amidst whom she walks with a high sense
of her importance. She tells them of her own peaceful exist-
ence, of her young and her old days ; and flinging a precept to
one and a caress to another, she nods her well-frizzled top-knot
with discreet gravity. ST.

Great Power in Little Workers.

The strength of invertebrate animals is, relatively speaking,
immense. Many persons have observed how out of proportion
the jump of a flea is to its size. A flea is not more than, an
eighth of an inch in length, and it jumps a yard; in proportion,
a lion ought to jump two- thirds of a mile. Pliny shows in
his Natural History that the weights carried by ants appear
exceedingly great when they are compared with the size of the

398 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Wor

indefatigable labourers. The strength of these insects is still
more striking when one considers the edifices they are able to
construct. Man is proud of his works ; but what are they after
all in comparison with those of the ant, taking the relative
heights into consideration ? The termite or white ant constructs
habitations many yards in height, which are so firmly and
solidly built that the buffaloes are able to mount them and
use them as observatories ; they are made of particles of wood
joined together by a gummy substance, and are able to resist
even the force of a hurricane. The largest pyramid in Egypt
is only 146 yards high, that is, about ninety times the average
height of man ; whereas the nests of the termites are a thousand
times the height of the insect which constructs them. Their
habitations are thus twelve times higher than the largest
specimen of architecture raised by human hands. We men
are, therefore, far beneath these little insects so far as strength
and the spirit of working go. Let us contemplate their work
and renew our labours. I.

The Changes of the World.

" The fashion of the world passeth away." On every hand
we see the law of mutation at work. Governments, systems
of thought, our own bodies, our cities, and even the sea-board
of our coasts, bear testimony to the fact that there is no such,
thing in this world as permanence of form. To the mind that
longs to ground itself upon something that is immutable, it
seems not only paradoxical, but even an appalling fact, that the
only certain law in the physical world is the law of change.
Yet so it is, and so it appears to have ever been. Geological
facts concerning our world convince us that it began its career
as an incandescent mass of molten matter, that it passed through
a period of refrigeration ; that, as a consequence of that process,
and of the attendant and necessary chemical combinations and
changes, a solid crust was slowly evolved ; that the elaboration
of oceans and continents in the forms in which we now behold
them has been the work of periods of time, so vast that it is
impossible for the most powerful imagination to describe or even
to conceive of them ; and that yet, notwithstanding all these

Wor] AND SYMBOLS. 399

stupendous phases, there are at the present moment alterations
still everywhere going on which in their intrinsic importance
are, and in their future consequences will be, as momentous as
the phenomena by which they have been preceded. Not only
does the surface of our globe undergo entire and perpetual
changes, but as a necessary consequence, all the forms of vege-
table and animal life are merely transient phenomena. With
one exception, all the old tenants of this place have left it, and all
their near kindred have gone too. In digging in and exploring
the rocks and shores around Lyme Regis in Dorsetshire, we get
some glimpses of what they were like, and of the life they must
have led when, in the morning of the world, they hungered and
thirsted, and roamed about to maintain their existence as poor
human beings anxiously do to-day. There was the ichthyosaurus,
a huge marine lizard. This carnivorous reptile often measured
from twenty to thirty feet long. It had a head like a crocodile,
the vertebrae of a fish, and for its locomotion the paddles of a
whale. There was the plesiosaurus. This creature somewhat
resembled the ichthyosaurus. It had a lizard's head, though it
was smaller, and its neck, which was like a snake's, was very
long; for propelling power it had a strong tail and its four
paddles were even larger than those of the ichthyosaurus. There
was the pterodactyle. This curiously-constructed creature,
probably the first of the winged creation, very much resembled
an enormous bat, and possessed a bird's head, neck, and tail.
It had five fingers provided with wings, and could fly like a bat.
"With its wings it could either fly or swim, with its feet it
could walk, with its claws it could climb, and thus with hands,
wings, or feet it pursued its way. Then with these creatures
there were the iguanodon, the nautilus, the ammonite, marvellous
rnollusks, gigantic cuttle-fishes, and many more. With the
exception of the nautilus, which appears to be a persistent type,
these forms of existence have vanished from the world. In
examining the strata of other parts of the globe, whether for
vegetable or animal fossils, a like result will be reached. We
shall evermore be confronted with the fact that there is nothing
stationary in Nature ; everything is in a state of perpetual change.
We can trace some few processes, we can discover some few
causes and effects, but what is to be the grand climax of the

4co SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Wor

ever-changing drama is a problem beyond the reach of saint or
sage. The universe is obviously the manifestation of a mighty
will in constant action. If the past history of our world may
be taken as a basis for an argument respecting the future inten-
tions of that will, we may well believe that all present pheno-
mena, including the human race, will pass away as completely
as the sauroids of the lias. Man's egotism has prompted him
to believe that the human being is the great end and object of
creation, but geology suggests that, like other denizens of this
globe, the human race is only here in order to prepare the v/ay
for nobler successors. There is no excuse for the assumption
that, in the construction of such a creature as man, The
Marvellous Creative Will exhausted all its powers of invention,
and came to the end of its resources. GE.

The World the Expression of One Thought.

To one who has never studied the mechanism of a watch, its
main-spring or the balance-wheel is a mere piece of metal. He
may have looked at the face of the watch, and while he admires
the motion of its hands, and the time it keeps, or the tune it
plays, he may have wondered in idle amazement as to the
character of the machinery which is concealed within. Take
it to pieces and show him each part separately ; he will recog-
nise neither design nor adaptation nor relation between them j
but put them together, set them to work, point out the offices
of each spring, wheel, and cog, explain their movements, and
then show him the result ; now he perceives that it is all one
design ; that, notwithstanding the number of parts, their diverse
forms and various offices, and the agents concerned, the whole
piece is of one thought, the expression of one idea. He now
perceives that when the main-spring was fashioned and tempered,
its relation to all the other parts must have been considered,
that the cogs on this wheel are cut and regulated — adapted—
to the rachets on that, &c., and his conclusion will be that
such a piece of mechanism could not have been produced by
chance ; the adaptation of the parts is such as to show it to be
according to design, and obedient to the will of one intelligence.
So, too, when one looks out upon the face of this beautiful world,

Wor] AXD SYMBOLS. 401

he may admire the lovely scene ; but his admiration can never
grow into adoration unless he will take the trouble to look
behind and study, in some of its details at least, the exquisite
system of machinery by which such beautiful results are accom-
plished. To him who does this, the sea, with its physical
geography, becomes as the main-spring of a watch ; its waters,
and its currents, and its salts, and its inhabitants, with their
adaptations, as balance-wheels, cogs, and pinions, and jewels.
Thus he perceives that they too are according to design, that
they are the expression of one thought, a unity with harmonies
which One Intelligence, and One Intelligence alone, could utter.

T.

The World's Gradation.

Interpret the various systems of geology in any way what-
ever, it still is clear that they all do present a long series of
mineral mutations, and of vital gradation and progress. Not
progress from imperfection to perfection, but from humbler to
more highly organised orders, as if the great design of Nature
had been to ascend from the simpler conception of materialism
to the higher aims of mechanical combination ; from mechanism
to the subtler elimination of mind ; and from mentalism to the
still nobler attribute of moralism, as developed alone in the
intellect and soul of man. From the lowly sea-weeds of the
silurian strata and marsh-plants of the old red sandstone, we
rise (speaking in general terms) to the prolific club-mosses, reeds,
ferns, and gigantic endogens of the coal-measures ; from these
to the palms, cycads, and pines of the oolite ; and from these
again to the exogens or true timber-trees of the tertiary and
current eras. So also in the animal kingdom : the graptolites
and trilobites of the silurian seas are succeeded by the higher
Crustacea and bone-clad fishes of the old red sandstone ; these
by the sauroid fishes of the coal measures ; the sauroid fishes by
the gigantic saurians and reptiles of the oolite ; the reptiles- of
the oolite by the huge mammalia of the tertiary epoch ; and these
in time give place to existing species, with man as the crowning
form of created existence — man, whose mental and social history
is one of constant progress. This idea of gradation implies not

2 c

402

SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS

[Wor

only an onward change among the rock-materials of the earth,
but also, as plants and animals are influenced in their forms and
distributions by external causes, — new phases and arrange-
ments of vitality — the creation of new species, and the drop-
ping out of others from the great scheme of animated nature.
"Through the shadow of the globe we sweep into this younger
day." AD.

An Enigma Concerning Worldly Wisdom.

Birds possess worldly wisdom. Not only does the swallow
in Europe know that the insect which fails him there awaits
him elsewhere, and goes in quest of it, travelling upon the
meridian ; but in the same latitude, and under the same climates,
the lorist of the United States understands that the cherry is
ripe in France, and departs without hesitation to gather his
harvest of fruit. In the midst of the ocean, the weary bird,
which reposes for a night on the vessel's mast, beguiled afar
from his route by this moving asylum, recovers it, nevertheless,
without difficulty. So complete is his sympathy with the globe,
so exactly does he know the true realm of light, that on the
following morning he commits himself to the breeze without
hesitation. He chooses without other path than the vessel's
track the exact course which will lead him whither he wishes
to go. There, not as upon land, exists no landmark, no guide ;
the currents of the atmosphere alone, in sympathy with those
of water — perhaps, also, some invisible magnetic currents — pilot
this hardy voyager. But it is not only in respect of their
shrewd journeyings that birds indicate their possession of
worldly wisdom ; they also manifest it in all matters relating
to their residences. A close observation reveals the fact that the
nests of birds differ according to climate and the weather. At
New York the baltimore makes a closely fitted nest to shelter him
from the cold. At New Orleans his nest is left with a free
passage for the air to diminish the heat. The Canadian part-
ridges, which in winter cover themselves with a kind of small
pent-roof at Compie'gne, under a milder sky, do away with this
protection, because they judge it to be useless. The same dis-
cernment prevails in relation to the seasons. The American

Wou] AND SYMBOLS. 403

spring in the opening years of the present century, occurring
very late, the woodpecker (of Wilson) wisely made his nest two
weeks later. We might multiply instances to show the wisdom
which they display, but it would be quite unnecessary, because
the foregoing facts are sufficient to illustrate it. In reflecting
upon the whole question, one is surprised at the disparity which
there is between innate worldly wisdom in birds and men. The
bird knows where to go, and what to do, in order to make its
existence pleasant. Man does not seem to manage nearly so
well ; and his efforts are constantly attended with defeat and
misery. If, after protracted experience, he does succeed in
obtaining the material comforts which the bird gets without any
purchased experience, he is congratulated on being a clever man.
It would seem that, in those exceptional cases where men have
acquired worldly advantage very easily, they have been endowed
by Nature with worldly wisdom in the way in which the birds
have been endowed with it. There is no more credit due to
them than there is to the birds. Both equally are indebted to
Nature for guiding them to prosperous journeys and suitable
habitations. But why have all the birds been so well endowed
with the gift of worldly wisdom, and why have so few men ?
There is an enigma. The answer may be that the development
of men's faculties is the object intended to be attained by the
arrangement. Who can say ? T. B. : ST.

Attacking the Wounded.

Caprice, habit, or inclination, permits some men to attack
even the depressed, dejected, and wounded in spirit. What more
abominable spectacle is there than that of a man attacking his
less fortunate fellow 1 Such a person is like the chimachima
(Milvago chimachima) , a species of falconidae which attacks beasts
of burden upon which it perceives wounds or sores ; these it tears
with its bill until the unfortunate victim is forced to roll him-
self upon the ground to get rid of his tormentor. We judge
this to be cruel ; but the other sight is still worse. MU.

404 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [You

Effects of the Best Thing in the Wrong Place.

The best thing if put into the wrong place may often have
most dangerous effects. We all know the deadly results of a
serpent's sting. But Oliver Goldsmith, in a very interesting
way, suggests that the injury resulting from the serpent's wound
is not merely owing to the poison, but also to the mode and
place. And he puts it that even milk, which is the most mild
and nourishing of all fluids, and the most friendly to the human
constitution, would, if injected into a vein, quickly become
fatal, and act with even more certain destruction than the
venom of the viper. If this be so, we cannot well contemplate
this pestilent action of the milk without being impressed with the
fact that we ought not to be satisfied merely with the possession
of a good thing. If we desire to derive good results, we must
also be careful that it is properly used ; and further, in order to
prevent positively pernicious effects, we must not even allow it
to be applied otherwise than in the right method. We do not
always attend to this. For instance, religion in any country is
its greatest blessing ; but when " the sincere milk of the word "
is not taken by the population in a proper and natural manner,
but is projected into the national system by state force, the
body politic resents such an intrusion, and the very thing which
would have been a boon under other circumstances, then
becomes a source of acute irritation to many of the members,
and of actual injury to all. A.

Artlessness of Young Life.

When the young of the ostrich are hatched, they are
familiar, and follow the first person they meet. At first they
are extremely harmless and simple ; but as they grow older they
become more cunning and distrustful, and run so swiftly that a
greyhound can scarcely overtake them. A.

The Need for Young Life.

The need the world has of young life is very obvious. The
nation of the future rests upon the cradles of to-day. The

You] AND SYMBOLS. 405

young life in any institution is that which repairs its defects,
enlarges its usefulness, and stimulates its charities. The young
life, in any family, is the influence which suns the path of age,
invigorates exertion, and quickens the growth of the virtues.
Where would the valour and vigour of the country be if deprived
of the support of young life 1 Disraeli says that almost every-
thing that is great has been done by youth ; and the history of
heroes is the history of youth. In the vegetable world the mission
and influence of the young life is not less plain than powerful.
According to Louis Figuier, the bud must be considered as a
fundamental element in the plant, which, without it, would
soon perish. It is the bud which year by year repairs the
losses, supplies the flowers, the leaves, the branches which
have disappeared. Through its means the plant increases in
growth. Through it its existence is prolonged. The bud is the
true renovator of the vegetable world. Therefore these buds are
everywhere — on the roots, the leaves, and sometimes even on
the flowers, for Nature never leaves sight of the phenomena
essential to organic life — namely, the production of new beings.

v.

INDEX OF GENEBAL TOPICS.

[For Index of Natural Objects, Technical Terms, Places, Things, Crcaturest

&c., see page 416.]

ABJECTNESS caused by dependency, i
Aborigines, extermination of, i
Absolute rest and motion, 2
Accidents, Nature's governance of, 2
Adaptation a law of Nature, 3
Adaptation inherent in the human

mind, n

Adapting oneself, incapability of, 4
Admiration, love of, 5
Adolescence should be tolerated, 130
Adoration premeditating the destruc-

tion of its object, 5

our professional, 6
, the uniting power of, 7
Aggressive glory, 7 ,
Aggressors, an example for human, 8
Aggressors, fortune is fickle to, 8
Analogues, 9
Ancestry, reliance on, 9

the uses of, 10
Anger manages everything badly, 10
Animated nature, common bond of, n
Annihilated, nothing is, 12
Q, — Annoyance a law of life, 12
_. — -Annoyances made beautiful, 360
-.__^Annoyances, mortal effects of, 12
Annoyances, our allotted, 13
Antidote, a needed, supplied by Na-

ture, 14
Appearance at variance with char-

acter, 14
- Appearance, a fine, with a nasty char-

acter, 15

"Appearances fallacious tests, 15
— Appreciation intensified by occasional

deprivation, 17
Assimilation, 17

Associated labour, triumph of, 17
Astonishment, 18
Athletic glory, 18
Atom, the world mirrored in an, 19

*^-

Attraction, reciprocal, 19
Attractive, the, may be perilous, 20
Audacity and ingratitude as natural ^

characteristics, 20
Audacity a means of success, 22
Authors, posthumous, mischief of im-
moral, 22

Autocrats, the jealousy of, 22 •

Avarice, a retribution on, 23

Avidity, the utilisation of, 23 A

BEAUTIFUL, production of the, 24 -*""*
Beauty in combination with utility, 53
Beauty, subtleness and fragility of, 25
Beauty, unostentatious, 25
Being, how to test the worth of any,
26

Benignant soul, the, 27

Bigots, ignorant, 156 -— *
Biter, the, bitten, 27
Blessings are relative, 28
Blessings in unexpected places, 28
Blessings neutralised, 29
Blundering, unaccountable, 365
Blusterer's, the, demeanour and col-

jlapse, 30

Braggadocio, the destiny of the, 31
Bright tints in unexpected places, 32
Brightness in combination with im-
purity, 32

Brilliant, but nasty, 33
Bully, characteristics of a, 33
Bumbledom, the philosophy of, 33
Business aptitude, 34

CALMNESS under attack, 35
Cantankerous character, the, 35 -"^
Capacity determined by sphere, 36
Capricious disposition, the, 36
Carcase-seekers, 37
Cast down, but not destroyed, 37

408

INDEX OF GENERAL TOPICS.

__ ,^
/2

Casuist's defence, a, 38
Cemetery, the greatest, 38
Change, the instinctive love of, 38
Change the sine qua non of life, 39
^ --- Change, superficial, without radical

alteration, 40
Character, tests of, 41
Character defacement, 41
Character and circumstance, 42
Character consolidated by time, 43
Character, a test for, 44
Character and reputation, the distinc-

tion between, 44
^•^^ Cheering trifles, 45

Children, guardianship of, 212
Christianity perverted, 138
Church enemies, unsuspected, 377
^-"-"Circumstances, accommodation to, 46
Circumstances, independent of, 46
Circumstances, influence of, 86
Circumstances, power of utilising, 47
Circumstantial evidence, a hint re-

specting, 48
Circumstantial men, 45
Civilisation a river, 49
Climate and character, 50
Climate, effects of, on intellect and

morals, 50
Colony, how to inaugurate a, wisely,

Si
Colossal works unconsciously achieved,

52

Coloured by our associations, 53
Combination, a, of utility and beauty,

S3

Combination is strength, 54
Combination and re-combination, prin-

ciples of Nature, 55
Combination, results of right, 56
Commerce, the great uniter, 56

&' — •'Commotion, the advantages of a, 56
^—Compensation in modes of power, 58
Compensation, the law of, 57
Compressibility, the limits of, 58
Congregational Union, a, 59
Conscience, the, 59
Conscious strength despises tricks, 60
Constitution, conduct shaped by, 58

O-""~Consumption without proportion, 60
Contrariety in character, 61

xy--~Contrast, things appreciated by, 61
Conventional opinion, 62
Convulsive action, evils attendant on,

63

Counterfeiting, the power of, 63
Cowardice, the tactics of, 64
Cowards, the insolence of, 64
Crafty rogue, the, 65
Crafty, the tricks of the, 65
Credit wrongly ascribed, 66

— - -

- >

Crises, the, and the crisis, 66
Cultivation, the effects of, 67
Curiosity seized as a snare, 68
Compensating faculty, a, 240
Contemptible life is difficult to de-
stroy, 282

DANGER, the philosophic way of meet --- -0

ing, 68
Danger, the unphilosophic way of

meeting, 69
Danger is slight when evil is offensive,

69

Danger, escaping, and findingdeath, 70
Dead, the ministry of the, to the living,

70

Death better than starvation, 71
Death, anticipating another's, 72
Death, our, daily, and resurrection, 72
Death, an example and an emblem of,

73

Deceit lucrative, 73 ~.

Deceivers, ingratitude of, 74 -" """*-'
Deep thought, the language of, 74
Defenceless, the, a natural defence for,

75

Degree makes all the difference, 75
Delude, self and circumstance con-

spire to, 76

Delusive daintiness, 77
Demagogues, uses of, 141
Democratic principle, the, 77
Depravity, specious appearance of —

moral, 78
Desolation, 79

Desolation, a type of, 80 ^^
Despicable conquerors, 81 -"
Despicable, the, the destructive, 8r
Despotism, a weak point in, 82
Destroyer, a, without sense of shame,

82

Destroyer's, a, art and force, 83
Destroyers, destruction of, 84
Destroyers, detection of, 84
Destruction and renovation principles

of Nature, 85

Destruction, elements that wait for, 85
Development, proper, dependent ou

proper conditions, 86
Directness of course, 87
Disappointment excusable, 88
Disappointment, the influence of, 87
Discontented character, the, 88
Discretion the better part of valour, 89
Disseminators, unconscious, 89
Dissimiliar causes may produce like

effects, 90

Dissimiliar effects of the same cause ,90
Distance, delusive effects of, 91
Distance, the illusions of, 91 — — yt\

INDEX OF GENERAL TOPICS.

409

•

JDistinctiveness, 91

Diversity concealed by resemblance, 93

.Diversity of form, but unity of benefit,

92
Drawbacks, every condition has its,

94

Dreams, boybood's, 95
Doldrums of life, the, 96
^ — —Drones, Nature's sentence upon, 96
Dull natures splendid pain-bearers, 97
i

EARTH, the transitional nature of, 98
~" — .Economy that is loathsome, 98

Education, virtues and limits of, 98
Effort, the smallest, is not lost, 100
Eloquence, a condition of, 100
Emigration, 125
Enemies, power of small, 101
Enemies, power and method of small,

101

Enemies, our own peculiar, 102
Enemy, no one is too contemptible to

have an,. 103

Enemy, the unexpected, 103
Enjoyment, the perils of, 104
Enthusiasm, thedeobstruent power of,

104

Epicure, the wasteful, 395
Error, instinct and operations of, 105
£t*' Error, the annihilation of, 106

Error, the recuperative power of, 105
Errors, old, reappearance of, 105
Eternal cycle, the, 107, 299
Eventide favourable to meditation, 107
Evil, the good of, 107
Evil, destroyers of, 108
Evil, the power to reject, 108
Evil, the limitation of, no
JT~~~ Evil in unexpected places, no

Evil detected though in new modes of

existence, in

Evil, the breaking forth of hidden, in
Evil thing, terrific force of an, 112
<5~Exaction, the unwisdom of, 112
Existence by instalments, 112
Existence, the dissimilar effects of an

anxious and easy, 99
- — JSxteriority secondary to utility ^ 113
External change without radical altera-
tion, 113

Expansion, room for, 114
Explosive acquaintances, 77
Extremes, the love for, 115
Eye, the, not infallible, 115
Eyes, creatures without, 116

FALLEN, the tempting instinct of the,

116

Falling, obstacles to, 117
Family, unlike the, 118

Fascination, a weapon of destruction,
118

Fear, the stupefying effects of, 118

Feeble, the might of the, 119

Feminine masculinity, 120

Fictitious prestige, 121

Fits and starts, 132-

Flagging energies, refreshing influ-
ences for, 123

Food of one may be the poison of an-
other, 156

Fools as a species, 123

Footprints on the sands of time, 124,

370

Foreknowledge and prophecy, 125
Foresight, 126 ^

Forethought, 126 ..
Forewarned is forearmed, 127 *"
Form, unimportance of, to substance,

93
Formalists, the, 127

Fortune-fishing, running risks in, 128
Friends, even the vile have, 129
Friendship, emblems of true, 129
Frothy period, the, 130
Fuss, great effects without, 130

GENIUS, the irresistible current of, 131

Genius, the perpetuating power of, 132

Gluttons and geese, 132

Gluttony, the fate of, 133

God, human opinions concerning, 133

God, the pretence of knowing the

whole truth of, 143
Good feedifig, the political value of,

I3S

Good found where least expected, 135
Graveyards, relative sizes of, 279
Great, the loneliness of the, 136
Great Britain, healthiness of, 136
Great, everything, is composed of the

small, 137
Greatest good, the, occasioning the

greatest evil, 138 — -— 0

Greediness insatiable, 140 "
Greedy disposition, the, 140 -- — •
Gregariousness, 89
Gross natures in useful employ ment,_

140

HABIT, age altering, 142

Habit, the force of, 141

Half truths and hemiopia, 142

Hand-to-mouth people, 126 . — ~~~~O

Hangers-on-, 143

Happiness is relative, 144 - S

Happy, through the hateful to the, 145

Harmless yet armed, 144

Harmony where least expected, 145 ^

Heads, some, worth little, 146

--— *T^

4io

INDEX OF GENERAL TOPICS.

Health, the sun a source of, 146

Healthy atmosphere, the vigorous
mind requires a, 225

Heavenly bodies, the ministration of
the, 147

Hereditary peculiarities, the transmis-
sion of, 141, 147

Hereditary results, 147

Hidden enemies, 148

Hideous, the, implies the dangerous,
148

Higher life, the, requires the higher
aliment, 149

Hissing, 150

Home associations, power of early, 150

Home instinct, the, 151

Home-leaving, 150

Horrible, the emblems of the, very

arbitrarily chosen, 152
_ — , Hospitality, a test for, 152

Human race, physical history of the,

374

Human society, an archetype of, 154
Human sympathy, 153
Humility, the fecund force of, 155
, Hypocrite, the, 155

IDEAS resemble seeds, 248
Identical yet different, 371
Idiosyncrasy defies coercion, 156
Illusions, 76
Images, accidental, 157
-Imitation as a deceiver's art, 159
Imitation, ludicrous effects of, 159
Imitation, the habit of, 158
Impertinence, the model of, 160
7 Impostor, the, 160

Impressions, distinct and faint, 161
Impudence balked by stupidity, 161
Incongruous advantages, 161
Incongruous combinations, 162
Incongruous situations, 163
Inconsiderable creatures, strength of,

163 .

Indigestion and theology, 231
Industry, the triumph of, over adver-
sity, 164

Inexplicable beauty, 164
"--Inexplicable services, 165

Infernal, earth's hints of the, 165
Influence lost in form but not in force,

166
ngratitude, 74

with audacity, 20
Inherited acquirements, 141
Injured but not destroyed, 167
Injured, persecution of the, 167
Injured, the recuperative powers of

the, 168
Injurers, unconscious, 169

Innovation without destruction, 170
Inquisitiveness punished, 171
Insensibility mistaken for safety, 171
Insignificant, the mightiness of the,

171

Instinct, 173

Instinct, errors of, 176, 311
Instinct and somnambulism, 174
Instinct, the prognosticating, 174
Instinct unsubmissive to argument,

175

Instincts, opposing, 177
Instincts, social, in unexpected forms,

178

Insusceptible character, the, 179 -""^
Intellect, man's superiority due to, 209
Interchange, the principle of, 180
Interdicted political convictions, 180
Invaders, thievish, the callousness of,

182

Invariable, nothing, 182
Invisible, the, may yet be legible, 182
Irascibility, the perils of, 183
Irritable temper, shocks of, 183

JEALOUSY, the follies of, 184 ^
Job, accuracy of his reference to gold

and silver, 134
Joint-stock company, a, 184
Judgment and comparison, 185 '

KINDNESS natural and remunerative,

186
Kindness, the transforming power of,

187

Knowing look, the, 188
Knowledge as a saving power, 188

LATENT germs, 189
Law, pitfalls of the, 190
Law, the ordinary and the whole, dis-
tinguished, 190
Lawyers, 24

Leadership capacity, the title to, 191
Liberty, an unconquerable love of, 192
Life, action and repose a law of, 198
Life, expansiveness of strong, 194
Life, fulness of, 193
Life in apparent death, 196
Life, independence in the higher stages

of, 195

Life infinitesimal, 195
Life, involuntary destruction of, a law

of Nature, 199

Life, lastingness of, under right condi-
tions, 194 p^
Life preserved by struggling, 197 *
Life, one essential condition of, 192 >\

Life, the illusions of, 199

Life, the improvident, 200 — -• Q

INDEX OF GENERAL TOPICS.

411

Life, the mirage of, 195
Life, the tenacity of, 196
Life, the ubiquity of, 192
Life where least expected, 196
Life's forms, the impermanence of, 160
Am Light a healing power, 203

Light, all is regulated to our capacity,

201

* _^ Light, children of the, 203
Light, influence of, 86
Light, instinctive love of, 200
' , Light, true, has no substitute, 202

, consider the, 203
Limitation, law of, for animals and

man, 4

Liquidator, the speculative, 204
Little influence added to a great enter-
prise, use of a, 204

things, the aggregate capacity

of, 204
Littleness, the spirit and security of,

205

Love, aspects of, 206
Love, the courage of, 205
Lowly teachers of prudential virtues,

206

Lurking dangers, 207
Luxuriance a hindrance to progress,

207

MAJESTIC twaddle, 208

Making use of people, 268

Han, a domestic resemblance between

reptiles and, 212
Man as revealed by society, 209
Man a worse animal than he was in-
tended to be, 213
Man may be superseded by a nobler

creature, 400
Man, resemblance between a, and a

frog, 211

Man, the climbing, 212
Man the enemy of man, 210
Man, the vain, 213
Mankind, the supersedure of, 214
Man's deportment, a strong, 210
Man's love of ornament, 5
Marauder, plan for punishing a, 214
Marksman, a good, 215
Master minds, 215
Maternal instinct, the errors of the,

176

Maternal instinct, the, at fault, 177
Matrimonial life-types, 216
Matter is indestructible, 216
Matter, the circulation of, 217
Matter, the extreme divisibility of, 218
Matter, the transmigrations of, 218
Meddlers, a caution to domestic, 219
Meddlers, a hint to, 219

Memory's mode of appropriation, 219
Mental fertilisers of society, the, 220
Mental lights, 220

Mercenary spirit, the, 221 _— — @

Metamorphosis a law, 222

Mien is independent of occupation, 222

Mighty, the, in the minute, 228

Military brag, 81

Mind in an atom, a, 226

Mind, influence of, on the body, 290

Mind, the function of, 225

Mind the seat of sensations, 224

Mind, the supremacy of, 223

Minute, the, the vast in, 229

Mischief done in ignorance, 169

Mistaken identity, 230

Modulated sound, influence of, upon

the muscular system, 236
Moral ascendancy, the advent of, 233
Moral relapse, 231
Moral sentinels, 232
Moral truth, 362
Moral truths, inextinguishableness of,

233

Morality affected by weather, 230
Morality, the relation of food to, 231
Mortality in European States, rate of,

136

Multum in parvo, 234
Murderous though beautiful, 234
Music a natural inspiration, 235
Musical principles, human body con-
structed on, 154
Musical taste, caprices of, 236
Mutual advantage a bond of union, 129
Mutual attraction, the principle of, 237
Mutual co-operation, 236
Mystery, the veil of, 237

NAME, a bad, though undeserved,

adheres, 238

Nastiness its own defence, 238
Nasty, the conquests of the, 239
Natural selection, 245
Nature is a book, 241
Nature is held up by antagonisms, 244
Nature, organic, the laboratory of, 244
Nature, purity of vesture a principle

in, 242

Nature, the music of, 242
Nature, the plan on which, affords

assistance, 240

Nature's marvellous prevision, 240
Nature's method of developing new

races, 243
Nature's plans, the completeness of,

239

Nature's police, some of, 245 — —
Nature's secrets, man's power to elicit,

243

s

412

INDEX OF GENERAL TOPICS.

Nemesis, the dastard's, 246
Nervousness initiates bad policy, 246
Neutral line, the, 115
Nonchalance assumed as a stratagem,

246
Nothing new under the sun, 247

OBJECTIONABLE beings may perform

excellent services, 248
Obscure workers, 155
Offensiveness the aliment of some, 249
Officious services, the routine of, 250
Opportunists, the, 252
-"'Opportunity, the power of, 251
*-+ .^Opportunity, the selection of, 252

Opposite qualities often found in the

same substance, 253
Opposites, the combinations of, 253
Opposites, the resemblance of, 254
Opposites, thetransformability of, 255
Oratory, 101
Organ, loss of, by disuse of function,

255

Over-crowding, Nature's provision
against, 257

PAIN, excessive, terminates in its con-
trary, 258

Pain, the relation of, to pleasure, 257

Pampered, people who are, 267

Panic, the peril of, 258

Paradoxes, 259

Parallax movement, the, 260

Parasites' offerings, 261

Parasites, social, 261

Parasites, the uncertain pleasures of,
261 ^

Parents and their children, 179

Parents, protection of the, by their
offspring, 285

Parliamentary tactics, 262

Paroxysmal methods, 263

Partisan colours, 263

Party idiosyncrasies, the neutralisa-
tion of, 264

Party secession, 264

Passion, the absurdity of, 265

Passion, the batteries of, 266

Passionate character, the, 266

Patriotism, genuine, 267

Periodicity, the law of, 269

Perpetual change a law of Nature, 269

Pertinacity rewarded, 270

Physical agents, alteration of, would
be catastrophic, 270

Physical cultivation, injurious effects
of excessive, 19

Pilgrim natures, 270

Pioneers, unexpected, 271

Pleasure is seldom unalloyed, 273

Pleasurable, the poisonous lurking in JL

the, 275
Pleasure, varieties and contrarieties in

the idea of, 273
Pleasure, where to find, 272
Pliability, perils from, 274
Poison as a protection, 274
Poison, the, of one is the food of an-
other, 274

Poisonous influences, 275, 279 /
Polished people, 276 • /_

Political notions, the alternity of, 277
"Poor worms," 378
Popular ideas, growth and persistency

of, 278

Popular thought, currents of, 277
Posthumous injuries, the propagation

of, 169

Posthumous space, 279
Power, a, without an explanation,

280

Power, the avarice of,
Precedence, 281
Prejudices, the tenacity of, 282
Preparatory intellectual processes, 282
Preparedness, constant, 283 --
Pretensions, disappointing, 283
Priests and fictitious credit, 66
Prodigal endowment, 283
Profitable panic-mongering, 284
Progress sometimes only sesrning, not ^

real, 284

Protective influences, 285
Protectiveness in perils, 286
Protectors, undesirable, 367
Prudence, 314 — -
Prudence a natural instinct, 286
Pugnacity, inherent, 286
Pugnacity of small natures, 288
Pugnacity, political, 287
Pugnacity, the folly of, 287
Puny creatures, the destructive power

of, 288

Puny, the might of the, 288
Puny things, the posthumous uses of,

289
Purpose, a destroyer of pain, 290

QUARREL-MONGERS, 290

Quarrelling profitless, 291
Quarrels imperfect, acquaintance ac-
counts for, 291

Quarrelsome character, the, 292
Quarrelsomeness, the blunders of, 292
Quarrelsomeness, the penalties of, 293
Questions, Nature's method of answer-
ing man's, 293

Quiescence, objections to, 294
Quiet, the wisdom of being, 294
Quite at home, 295

INDEX OF GENERAL TOPICS.

413

RACES, new development of, 243

Rage, the, of fools, 295

Rapacious character, the, 296

Rapacious instincts, the physiognomy
of, 297

Rapacious misfortune-seekers, 296

Reasoning power in animals, the, 297

Reciprocity, 180

Reciprocity a law of Nature, 298

Religious belief, innate, 299

Remote influences, cumulative value
of small and, 300

Reprisals, the principle of, 300

Republican principle, the success of
the, 301

Reputation, an undeserved, 303, 310

Reputation, fictitious, 302
-deputation without reality, 302

Resemblances may mislead, 303

Rest and motion, 2

Rest, the instinct of, 304

Retaliation, a limited, 304

Revengeful, the penalty of being, 305

Revivification, 305

Revolutionary forces, indeterminate-
ness of, 305

Revolutions, the advantages of, 306

Rich, the cost of getting, 307

Righting themselves, 308

Real good, seeming evil, 309

Robbery, living by, 95

Rule, no, without an exception, 308

SCAVENGERS appointed by Nature, 108
Seasons appreciated by contrast, 17
Seeming generosity, 309
Self-adapting power, man's, 311
^..-Self-deception, 311

Self-dependence a condition of power,

312

Selfish kindness, 313
Self -protect] on, prudence in, 314
Self-sacrifice, 314
Senses, a conflict between the, 315
-- Sensibility blunted, 315
Sensual pleasures, 315
Sensuality, the valley of, 316
Severe afflictions require strong reme-
dies, 316

Sham humility, 317
<Y ^Shrewd men, 3x7

Silent aggressive forces, the achieve-
ments of, 319

Silent forces, the mightiness of, 124

Silent work may be stupendous, 318

""* Similarity is no guarantee of union,

S/i

Sin's insidious attack, 320

Sins, the growth and action of beset-
ting, 320

Slanderer, the wounds of the, 321
Slanderous character, the, 321
Small beings, the capacity for mis-
chief possessed by, 322
Small natures, paltry battles of, 323
Small things, the day of, 323
Snare of simulated unity, the, 319
Sneakism, 324

Social character, traits of, 324
Social elevation perilous to some, 326
Social gullibility, 327
Social isolation, the perils of, 327
Social life, inequalities in, 325
Social life, the undercurrents of, 328
Social skunks, 325
Solitude, the music of, 329
Sorrow mitigating anger, 329
Soul ascension, 330
Soul blossoming, 330
Sound, allured by mere, 330
Spiritual torpor, 331*
Splenetic force, 332
Standard of life-value, the, 26
Starvation, 71

Starvation, the obligation of permit-
ting, 333

Stomach, influence of the, 135
Subjection, easy, 336
Subterfuges the resort of the over-
powered, 336

Success a constitutional trait, 337
Sudden death and immediate burial

an old law of Nature, 337
Sunbeam, physical forces in the, 338
Superstition the protector of monstro-
sities, 338

Suppletory elements, 339
Susceptible character, the, 340
Suspense inimical to work, 340
Suspicion sometimes the child of self-
knowledge, 341
Suspiciousness of despots, 82
Sweet disposition, the, 341
Sycophant's ascendancy, the, 341
Sympathy, 153, 342
Sympathy, the human soul seeks the

face for, 343
Sympathy, the law of, 342

TACT is superior to force, 343
Taming of animals, 187
Temper, the equable, 344
Temperament, the restless, 345
Temperament, the variable, 346
Temperature, accommodation of ani-
mals to different varieties of, 4
Temptation, inaccessibility to, 346
Terrestrial adaptations, the system of,

347
Terror, the fascination of, 348 ,.

INDEX OF GENERAL TOPICS.

Test, a fallacious, 348
Thieves, a low order of, 349
Thieves seldom prosper long, 349

gs, the tendency of, to right them-

selves, 308
Thoughts improve with the thinker's

age, 350

Thoughts, the vitality of, 350
Timidity the concomitant of weakness,

3Si

» Tolerance, an incitement to, 352
Tolerated offensiveness, 352
Tortuousness the habit of the weak,

353

Tranquillity, a deceptive, 353
Transformation, a moral, 354
Transformative forces, 355
Transformations, a series of marvel-

lous, 355

I Transient, the, 356
Transmigration of souls, 313
Transmutation, 47, 99
Transmutation, the law of, 356
^- -Treatment, bad, and its effects, 358
Tribunal, the, 358
Tricks despised by strength, 60
Tricks inherited, 142
Tricks of the crafty, 65
Triumphs, profitless, 359
C^ - Troubles made beautiful, 360

True tests are unfailing discoverers,

361
Trustfulness employed as a means of

ensnaring, 361

£"=""~Truth, dissemination of, 363
^^-^Tmih, extension of the, 363
Truth, moral, 362

Truth, new, bewildering to some, 364
^y-^Tumultuous, the, may occasion the

sublime, 364

Tyrants, great, sometimes succumb
to small heroes, 138

^

UNACCOUNTABLE blundering, 365
"nadmired things, the hidden uses

of, 380
Understanding not essential to mem-

ory, 219

Undeserved credit, 365
Undeserved stigma, an, 366
Undesigned services, 367
Undesirable protectors, 367
Undeveloped capacities, 368
Undividable blessing, an, 368
-Unexpected utility, 369
Unimportant acts may acquire illimit-

able significance, 369
Unity of essence in variety of form,

37i
Unity simulated, 319

Universal brotherhood, a hint of, 374
Universe, the, a progressive system,

372, 399, 4°i

Unobtrusive life, the energy of, 375
Unrestrained appetite snares its pos-
sessor, 375

Unscrupulous depredators, 376
Unscrupulous money-getter, the, 376
Unseen powers, great resources in,

• 377

Unsuspected church enemies, 377
Un wariness, the penalty of, 378
Use is second nature, 379
Useful, the most, the most plentiful,

Using one to catch another, 377, 381

VAIN man, the, 213

Valency, political, 381

Value, intrinsic and extrinsic, 382

Vanishing species, 160, 399

Venal politicians, 383

Venomous disposition, the, 383

Venomous nature, the virulence of a,

390

Verbiage, 384
Vice allied to ugliness, 148
Vice, an allegory of virtue triumphing

over, 386
Vice giving warning of its approach, 0

386

Vice, the fecundity of, 385
Vice, the modus operandi of, 384
Vices, inherited tendency to, 147
Vicious ideas, the insidious victory

. .<*» 387

Vicissitudes of human life, the, 387

Vigilance, the necessity for, 388

Violent elements, the safe conduction
of, 389

Violent, the, in the serene, 388

Virtue, a, may exist where least ex-
pected, 389

Vitality, dormant, 390

Voices, silent, 390

Voluptuous, the destiny of the, 391

Voracity, competitive, 392

Vulgarity, the type of, 393

Vulture natures, 72

WAR, the proprieties of, 393

War-orators, 394

"Warriors the followers of insects, 394

"Wasteful epicure, the, 395

Way, where there is a will there is a,

395

Weak natures, the low means of de-
fence of, 396

Weak, the courage of the, 396
Weakness resorts to dissimulation, 336

INDEX OF GENERAL TOPICS.

415

Weather prognosticated by animals,

A^_ 175

*~* Woman, the self-satisfied, 397

Workers, great power in little, 397

<3 Workmen, bad, complain of their tools,

396

World, the changes of the, 398
World, the, the expression of one
thought, 400

Worldly wisdom, an enigma concern-
ing, 402

World's gradation, the, 401 **

Wounded, attacking the, 403 ^
Wrong place, effects of the best thing
in the, 404

YOUNG life, artlessness of, 404
Young life, the need for, 404

INDEX OF NATURAL OBJECTS, TECHNICAL TERMS,
PLACES, THINGS, CREATURES, &o.

[For Index of General Topics, see page 407.]

ACCIDENTAL colours, 157

Achyla prolifera, 89

Acronycta ligustri, caterpillar of the,

A

Actiniae, the, 175

Adventitious buds, 167

Africa, animals of, 50

Air, the currents of, 277

Air, the, when most wholesome, 77

Albatross, 51

Albinos of Darien, the, 58

Alligator and her eggs, 169

Allotropism, 371

Amazon, the, and contiguous forests,
no

Amblyopsis Speloeus, 29

Ammonites, 172

Animalculae in rain-water, 356

Animalcules, 204

Animals in relation to the cycle of life,
107

Ant, aptitude of, 34 •

Ant-lion, 65, 190

Ants and moisture, 123

Ants, ardour of, 164

Ants killed by curiosity, 68

Apes, the, destitute of foresight,
126

Aphis, destructiveness of the, 322

Aphrodite or sea-mouse, 25

Aphrophora, the, 130

Arctic fox and the gulls, 319

Arctic foxes, 184

Arundo arenaria, the, 285

Asiatic steppes, the, 208, 387

Ass equal to horse, 358

Ass, the easy subjection of the, 336

Ass, the, not stupid, 238, 358

Astrus ovis, 13

Atmosphere, plants and animals in re-
lation to the, 298, 308

Atmosphere, the, as a chemical agent,

3J9

Atoms, valency of, 381
Azalea pontica, in

BABOONS, mode of thieving operations
of the, 349

Balanus balanoides (acorn shells), 142

Banyan tree, 194

Banyan tree, peculiar growth of, 215

Bats, 151, 152 ,

Bear, the, 298

Bee, ingenious edifices of, 174

Bee, jealousy of the queen, 23

Bee kingdom, 154, 267

Bee massacres the drone, 96

Bee, necessity for the sting of, 10

Bee only fights to satisfy hunger, 8

Bee, small amount of houey made by
one, 17

Bee, the Australian, 2

Bees at the hive, 206

Bees constitute republics, not mon-
archies, 301

Bees' dislike of interference, 219

Bees, duels between, 360

Beetle, the, and the forest, 289

Bengal vultures, the, 352

Berg-mehl, 289

Bird and robbed nest, 87

Bird, importance of the, 405

Birds and emigration, 125

Birds and their constancy, 150

Birds balked by caterpillars, 75

Birds, migrations of, 402

Birds of prey, physiognomy of, 297

Birds useful destroyers, 352

Bison, the, 258

Bison, the North American, as a
pioneer, 271

Biting tortoise, 166

INDEX OF NATURAL OBJECTS, ETC.

417

Black ants, 163

Black panther, the, 302

Black rain, 88

Black rhinoceroses, 265

Blind animals, 255

Blind insects and fishes, 28

Blind worm, peculiarity of tail of the,

264
Blind worm, popular error respecting,

302

Blood, the, 39, 203, 218
Blood, the, and the sun, 327
Boa-constrictor, the, 83, in
Boom slange, the, 348
Boring-wood beetle, 169
Brazilian vegetation, 251
Brooke's deep-sea sounding apparatus,

119, 243

Brown meadow butterfly, the, 179
Bud, importance of the, 405
Budding, 186
Buffalo and cow, 93
Bullfinch, the, 352
Bunt, 78

Burrowing owl, the, 239
Butterfly, zig-zags of the, 353

CAMELS, 304

Capuchin Saki, 122

Caracara, the, of South America, 249

Caracaras, the, 72

Carbonate of lime, a test for, 41

Caribitos, the, 394

Cassida aurichalcea, the, 346

Cat and dog as friends, 291

Caterpillars extraordinary eaters, 60

Caterpillar's life, 66

Caterpillars, the leaf rolling, 75

Cats, 64

Cats and dogs incapable of living at

great altitudes, 326
Cave of Kentucky, 28, 256
Caverns of Illyria, 255
Cedar of Lebanon, 264
Cephalopoda, 38
Choetodan rostratus, 215
Chalk cliffs, 288
Chameleon, the, 188
Chemical tests, 361
Cheops and the Sphinx, 172
Chimachima, 403
Chimpanzees regarded as a nation by

negroes, 121
Chlorine gas, affinity for hydrogen, 216
Christatella mucedo, 33
Chrysanthemum Peruvianum, 201
Cicada plebeia, the, 330
Cleft-grafting, 170
Cloud, influence of a, on bees, 340
Clove trees, 23

Coal-tar, colours from, 24

Cockroach, the, 263

Colibris, 47

Condor of the Andes, the, 307

Contrary colours, 263

Coral islands, 348

Coral reef, formation of the, 52, 240

Coralline mistakable for an animal, 16

Cordilleras, the, 326

Cormorant, 23

Corrallina officinalis, 155

Cow, the, easily astonished, 18

Crested anolis, 171

Cricket, pugnacity of the, 287

Cricket, the, and the light, 364

Crickets, the African, 236

Crimson topaz (bird), 164

Crocodile and its friend, 129

Crocodile and the vulture of Brazil,

248

Crocodile, the, in, 112, 148
Crocodile's egg and bird's egg, 254
Crows, 107

Crows, judicial meetings of the, 359
Crustaceans, the, 300
Crystals of gypsum, 162
Cuckoo, audacious ingratitude of the,

21

Cyance capillata, 320, 322
Cyclones, law, of, 188
Cydippe pileus, 25

DAYAL, the, 290

Dead Sea, the, 73

Dead substances usually rejected by

carnivorous animals, 294
Death's-head moth, the, 182
Desert, horrors of the, 82
Deserts as suction pumps, 380
Desrnodium gyrseus, the, 345
Desolate Sea, the, 79
Diamond, charcoal, and black-lead,

unity of, 371
Diamond, the, 276
Diatomaceae, 119
Dionaea muscipula, the, 391
Dodo, the, 160
Dog, the, astonished at external

change, 18
Dogsbane, the, 315
Dormant seeds, 113
Dorr beetle, 30, 222
Dragon-flies, the 283
Dripping well of Knaresborough, the,

132

Driver ant, 7

Drought, after the, in Jamaica, 273,
Dunes, the, 274, 286
Durian fruit, the, 315

2 D

4i8

INDEX OF NATURAL OBJECTS, ETC.

EAGLE, the, 303

Eagle, the, trapped, 375

Earth, crust of the, n, 12, 85, 98, 181,

194, 247, 263, 364, 398
Earth, the, origin of, 372
Earthquake, getting used to the, 379
Earthworm, nervousness of the, 69
Earthworm, vitality of, 106
Echinomyia and the chrysalis, 387
Echo, 150

Eciton, workers of the, 394
Eggs, individual peculiarity of, 91
Eider duck and her young, 366
Electric fish, 183, 262, 266
Electrical accumulations, 329
Electricity, excess of, 377
Elephant, considerateness of, 210
Elephant, love of liberty of the,

192
Elephant, tame, used to catch the

wild, 116

Em pis tessellata, 245
Ephemera, the, 356
Eskimos, the, 200
Etiolation of plants, 86
Eunice sanguinea, 284
European termites, 393
Extinct animals, 370, 373, 399

FACE, the, of the blind, 343

Falcon, 118

Fer de lance, fecundity of the, 385

Fireflies, 45

Fish, the gold, an unconscious plant

disseminator, 89
Fish-hawk, 281

Fishes, ruling impulse of the, 140
Fishing frog, the enormous appetite of

the, 73

Fiume Salso, the, 106
Flamingoes, unwariness of the, 378
Flatheads, Indian tribes called, 127
Flea, the, 397
Flies and their ova, 176
Flowering plants which do not flower,

368

Foraging ants, 306, 394
Foraminiferae, 119, 172
Fork-tailed date-shell, 337
Fossils of the Tertiaries, the, 289
Fox and the gulls, the, 298
Fox, the, and the fleas, 261
Fox, the, and the honey, 270
Fox, the, in ambush for birds, 388
Fox, the, simulates death, 64
Frigate-bird, the, 94
Frigate-bird, the, and the storm,

330
Frog, the, 211

Frogs, deceit practised on, 327
Fungus, influence of, on tree, 320

GADFLY, 13

Galleria moths, 384

Game fowls, pugnacity of, 287

Gas a spoiler of the air, 69

Gazelles, timidity yet bravery of, 396

Giants, 233

Glass-snake, mode of escape of the, 65

Glaucas birthwort, the, 104

Glutton catching deer, 376

Goat-suckers, 151

Goats, performing, 236

Gold, 134, 272, 382

Golubacser fly, 12

Goose, the, 123, 267

Gordiacea, the, 252

Gorilla, pi'owess of the, 18

Grass, object of universal diffusion of

the, 244

Gravitation, 391
Great bustard, the, 205
Great-leaved horse-shoe bat, 157
Great owl, the, and tawny eagle, 291
Great water-beetle, the, 161
Green-oak moths, 245
Grey heron, defensive tactics of, 35
Greyhounds and atmospheric pressure,

36

Grotto of the Madalena, 116
Grouse, American, 31
Grub, effect of injury to a, 42
Grub, transformations of the, 354, 355
Gudarigby caverns, 156
Guenon, the, 36
Gulf Stream, the, 153, 371
Gymnotus, the, 183, 262, 266

HAMSTEK RAT, pugnacity of, 35
Hands, the, 223
Harvest-mouse, 234
Hawk, the, defeated by pigeons, 343
Hawks, the, 303

Hawksbill turtle, flesh and eggs of, 135
Hawksbill turtle, tortoise- shell of, 37
Heart's-ease and the bees, 367
Heat, effects of, on amphibious ani-
mals, 90

Heat, evolution of, 75
Heat, sensation of, is relative, 152
Hedgehog, 144

Hedgehog and his defence, 68, 314
Hen and ducklings, 176
Hen, characteristics of the domestic,

397
Herbivores and carnivores contrasted,

99

Hermit crabs, the, 88
Heron, the, 221

INDEX OF NATURAL OBJECTS, ETC.

419

Hogs impervious to rattlesnakes' fangs,
118

Honey, 276

Honey -guides, the, 250

Honey may be poisonous, in, 275

Honey-moth and the bees, 384

Horse and the (Estrus, 356

Hot spring at Aix la Chapelle, 181

House martin, intelligence of, 54

Human body, disintegration and reno-
vation of the, 72

Humble bees, services of the, 367

Humming birds, 47

Hybernation, 90, 331

Hydra, the, 383

Hydrae, voracity of the, 392

Hydrogen gas, 275

Hylobius, destructive power of the,
288

IBISES, 107

Icebergs as transporters of seeds, 363

Icebergs, method of movement of, 131

Ichneumon fly, the, and the cater-
pillars, 84, 103

Ichneumon tribe, the, 105

Ichthyosaurs, the, 337

Ichthyosaurus, 399

Infusoriae or world-makers, 171

Insect, relative muscular strength of
the, 58

Insect venerators of the Ganges, 313

Insects, cessation of eating of, 195

Insects, some, live longer decapitated,
146

Insects, theirpowers of destruction, 81

Invertebrate animals, strength of, 397

Iodine, 183

Iris, the, 202

Iron and gold, 382

Iron, general diffusion of, 381

Ivy, the, 341

JACKAL, the, 161, 187
Jackdaw, 35

Jackdaw, the, and the sticks, 365
Juniper, foliage of the, 264

KARROO, 196

King-rat, composite nature of the, 59

King-vulture, 140, 274

Kite, the, 103

LAKE-WATER, 225

Lance-headed viper, deaths caused by

the, 112

Lance-headed viper, retreat of, 127
Lance-headed viper and the birds,

232
Languages, when many, 374

Laplanders, torpor of the, 51

Lapwings, 69

Larch, the, and its destroyers, 288

Laudanum, 316

Leaves, purposes of dead, 70

Leguminosse, 46

Lemmings, the, 37

Leopard, the, 126

Lepidosiren of the Gambia, 286

Lichen esculentus, 28

Light, influence of, on plants, 46

Lightning rod, the, 389

Limestone rocks, 288

Lion, how to detect the intentions of,

10

Lion, the, self-distrustful ness of, 82
Lion, the roar of, 303, 208
Lion-worm, the, 324
Lizards and temperature, 351
Llama, the, refuses a too heavy burden

112

Loo-soo, the, 269
Long-eared owl, the, 214
Lotus leaf, the, 346
Lucilia homini vorax, the, 234
Luminous shark, the, 33
Lym-Fiord in Jutland, the, 277
Lyme Regis, fossils of, 399

MADREPORES, 205

Magnet, the, 155

Magnetic needle, the, 59

Magnetism, 293

Magpie, the, 220

Man, organic strength of, 56

Man, primeval, 372

Manatees, the 314

Manchineel, blistering fluid of, 383

Manchineel, perilous effects of the, 20

Manna, the, of the Bible, 28

Mantis oratoria, 292

Mantis, the, 155

Marl, the, of Lake Superior, 43

Mayfly, the, 282

Medusae, beauty and subtle venom of

the, 14

Medusae, stings of the, 321
Melicerta, the, 226
Mellinus arvensis, the, 246
Melted lead, 190
Mesmeric sleep, 257
Metalliferous gneiss, 180
Metalliferous laboratory of Nature, 339
Metals, colours of burning, 209
Metals, expansion of, 114
Microscope revealing myriads in an

atom, 19

Microscopic eels, 195
Milk, when fatal in effects, 404
Mirage, the, 76, 115, 195

420

INDEX OF NATURAL OBJECTS, ETC.

Mole, rapacity of the, 296
Mollusks, different traits of the, 324
Monadse, subterraneous strata made by

the, 375
Monkey tribe, habit of laying traps of

the, 341

Monkeys, 36, 159
Moon, the, 147

Moss, universal diffusion of, 27
Moths, the vitality of some, 196
Mountains as loadstones to clouds, 220
Mountains formed by living atoms, 119
Mud as a marine soap, 369
Mullets, 361
Mummulites, 172

NATAL rock-snake, the, 338

Nautili, 172

Nautilus, the, 399

Necoo, the, 177

Nervous fibres, law relating to, 141

Nests of birds, construction of the,

395

Nightingale, the, 329

Nile bird, 129

Nile, the, 49

Noctuaalgse, the caterpillar of the, 46

Nocturnal birds, 148, 305

Nut-hatch, an accidental beech plan-
ter, 3

OAK stands alone, 136

Oaks accidentally planted, 2

Oases, 192

Ocean, equilibrium of the, 137

Ocean, internal operations of the, 100

Ocean, mechanism of, 145, 228

Ocean, spasmodic throes of, 122

Ocean, system of circulation of, 347

Ocean, the living, 368

Ocean, transparency of depths of, 74

Ocean undercurrents, 328

CEstrus equi, 355

Opossum, the, 160

Optic angle, 185

Optic nerve, 107, 258

Orang-outang, the, 295

Orange tree improves with age, 350

Organic life, cycle of, 107

Orinoco, the, and contiguous swamps

and forests, no, in
Ostrich, the, 171, 283
Ostrich, the young, 404
Ostrich, voice of the, 303
Otter, the, 395
Oxide of carbon, 39
Oxide of iron, 356
Oxygen and nitrogen, 55
Oxygen, 100
Oyster-catcher birds, 171

PALM tree, the, 193

Pansy, the, 231

Panther, the, easily irritated, 266

Parasitic plants, 261

Parmelia fahlunensis, the, 389

Particles never lost, 217

Partridge, the, 118

Peach-tree, the, may produce nectarine,

118

Peacock, 213

Peacock, characteristics of, 15
Pearls and their cause, 360
Peas, extraordinary insect life in, 199
Peccaries, 118
Pelonsea corrugata, 144
Penguins, the deliberations of the, 51
Perpetual verdure, 344
Petrifactions, 132

Phasmina resemble \valkingleaves, 15
Pholas dactylus, 280
Pholas, the, 44, 53
Phosphorescent sea, the, 206
Phosphorus, 32
Photographic pictures, 338
Picakolou, the, 390
Pig, the, arid the rattlesnakes, 140
Pike, the, and the perch, 246
Pilot fish, 129

Pine tree, universality of the, 362
Pinna marina, the, 236 •>

Pinna pectinata, the, 27
Pistol plant, the, 77
Plant, a, with trap, 391
Plants, effect of culture on, 67
Plants regulate their own temperature,

344

Plants, remains of, 218
Plants the laboratory of organic

nature, 244

Plants the sleep, of, 304
Plesiosaurus, the, 399
Poison of snakes swallowable, 109
Polar regions, summer of the, 61
Pole-cat gamefowls, 120
Polynesian Islands, foundations of, 347
Pondicherry eagle, 128
Pondicherry vulture, 281
Porous platinum, action of,on gases, 254
Potato, 10, 201
Prairie dogs, 64
Prairies, 85
Precious stones, 276
Procession caterpillars, the, 158
Protei, 116
Protista, the, 237
Protoplasm, 229
Pterodactyle, the, 399
Puff-adder, 159

Purple martin, courage of the, 138
Photyn, greediness of the, 133

INDEX OF NATURAL OBJECTS, ETC.

421

QUAIL, instinctive love of change of, 38

Queen bee, 252

Quinquinas plants, medical virtues of,

i4

BABBIT, the, and her cradle, 365

Kaindrops, influence of, 137

Raptores, the, and their eggs, no

Raptores, the, and their enemies. 138

Rattlesnake secretes poison posthu-
mously, 22

Rattlesnake, tail of the, 386

Rattlesnake, the 118

Raven, the, 298

Red ants, 164

Red-deer, the, 184, 284

Red-headed woodpecker, 317

Reduvius personatus, 317

Remora, the, 143

Remora, the, and the turtles, 381

Reptile race, use of the, 372

Reptiles, 175, 274

Retina, the, 157

Rice-water used as ink, 182

Rifle ants, the, 368

Ringed snake, the, 396

River, effect of a little, 204

River Plata, 166

Rivers, law respecting the courses of,
62

Rocks, the, and their story, 370, 399

Rooks, sympathy of, 342

Rooks, the, 150

Roots, struggles of, 197

Roots, varying shapes of, 42, 47

Rose, composition of the, 56

Rose of Jericho, the, 305

Rotifer, the, 112, 197

Ruffs, the, 293

Runn of Cutch, 98

SALT, a field of snow-white, 162

Samoiedes, the, worship the bear, 6

Saurians, the, 337, 399, 401

Sauroid animals, footprints of, 124

Scolytus, ruin of trees by the, 101

Scorpion, the, 321

Sea-crabs, quarrelsomeness of, 292

Sea, currents of the, 284

Sea, destructive power of the, 388

Sea-eagles punished by seals, 8

Sea-mouse, 164

Sea, springs of fresh water rising in

the, 29

Sea-water unpresentable, 369
Sea-waters of diiferent temperature

will not commingle, 371
Seals and the tempest, 90
Seals, intelligence of, 8
Seals,thedomesticarraugementsof,2i9

Secretary bird, the, and the snake, 386

Secretary bird, the, and the snakes, 108

Seeds, extraordinary vitality of, 350

Seeds, methods by which, are dissemi-
nated, 363

Seeds, ubiquity of, 194

Seeds, universality of, 247

Selaginella convoluta, the, 270

Self-luminous stars, 237

Sensitive plant, the, 315, 342

Seolytus, ruin of trees by the, 101

Sepia, the, 236

Serpents safe when gorged, 135

Serum, 218

Shark, the, 129, 148, 296

Sheep, i, 158

Shell-collectors, a hint to, 49

Ship-worm, ravages of the, 377

Ship- worm, the, 332

Silk-worm moth, the, 312

Silurian seas, the, 401

Silurus, the, 183

Silver, 134

Silver-thaw, the, 95

Sirocco, the, 377

Skuas, hatred of, for eagles, 6

Skull, artificial alteration of shape of,
127

Skunk, the, 238, 325

Skye sandstone, 43

Slave Lake, vegetation around the, 234

Sloths, the, 163

Snake bites, 332

Snake, manner of changing skin of, 113

Snakes, lurking places of, 139, 207

Snakes, venomous and non-venomous,
good friends in confinement, 7

Snow, 152

Snow cannot quench thirst, 260

Snow, the uses of, 309

Snowdrop, the, 239

Solar rays, 134

Solids, philosophy of floating, 44

Sound, propagation of, 363

Sparrow, the, 393

Sparrows robbing martin s nest, 349

Sparrows, the, 160

Spice-trees, 202

Spider, tricks of the, 310

Spiders and fine weather, 175

Spitzbergen coast, summer on the, 200

Squirrel an unconscious oak-planter, 2

Stag, the, and his pursuers, 336

Star-fish, 168, 257

Star-fishes break themselves when
alarmed, 308

Stars, 147, 279, 390 ^

Stars, ceaseless motion of, 91

Stars, heat of the, 300

Stars, the, as guides, 391

422

INDEX OF NATURAL OBJECTS, ETC.

Staubbach -waterfall, 117

Stem in vegetables, and trees, variable

character of, 3
Stickleback, the, 323
Stinging-nettle, 229
Storks, 107, 295

Storks, the, and their parents, 285
Storks, tribunal of the, 358
Strasburg goose, 132
Strata, singular juxtaposition of, 325
Subterranean fauna, 255
Subterranean rivers, 105
Sugar cane, 92
Sugar-producing plants, 92
Sun, the, 146
Sunbeam, 338

Swallow, the, a psychological riddle, 61
Swallow, the, 113, 177
Swallows, migrations of, 151
Swans, confidence of the, 60
Sysymbrium irio, 233

TANGHIN, poisonous seed of the, 348

Tawny vulture, 204

Tea, 259

Teak, the, or Indian oak, 274

Teredo, the, 332

Termite ant, fecundity of, 384

Termites, 150

Thallogens, the, 323

Three-toed sloth , the, 213

Tidal currents, 180

Tiger, audacity of, 22

Tiger-beetles, 183

Toad, the, eats its old skin, 98

Torpedo, the, 183

Tortoise can live without brain, 97

Tree, outline of any, is represented by

its leaf, 9

Tree-serpents and birds, 348
Tree, the life of the, 198
Trees, the enemies of, 101
Tripoli sand, 172, 289
Tropical insect life, 306
Tropical rivulet, 138
Tropics, the, 47
Tsetse fly, the, 102
Turkey buzzard, the, 261
Turkey-cock, swagger of the, 33
Turnstone, the, 286
Turtle, 173
Turtle-catching, 381
Turtle, eggs of, 135

VALLEY OF POISON, the, 316
Vapour dissolving silica, 104

Vegetable world, silent forces of, 125
Vegetable world, the, in relation to the

animal, 375
Vegetables in relation to the cycle of

life, 107

Vegetation, source of, 323
Vibrio, the, 112
Vinegar Kiver, the, 106
Violet, the, unimprovable by culture,

34i

Viperine serpents, the, 353
Vitiated air, 149
Volcanic exhalations, 181
Volcanoes, 305 ,
Volucellse, the, 74
Vulture, the sociable, 37

NASSOUB, 146
Walruses, the, 178
Wasp, the, as a destroyer of its off-

spring, 71

Wasps an excellent body, 366
Wasps' nest, 174
Wasps', the, reason for killing their

offspring, 333

Watch, the mechanism of a, 400
Water, attribute and constituents of,

255

Water-lilies, 203 ,

Water-power of Nature, the, 318
Water-snake, the, 112
Water-spider, 311
Weasel, the, 288

Whale, the, and its enemies, 102, 205
Wheat found in Egyptian tombs, 196
White cabbage butterfly, 180
White ants, 165
White-headed eagle, the, 280
White-headed eagle fishing by proxy,

377

White-snake, 165
White water-worm, 282
Wild fowl, 158
Wild horse, the, 89
Wild horses in the Ukraine, 191
Wind drift, the, 130
Wind, effects of, 56, 57
Wolves, the, 284
Woodpecker, the, 403
Wych-elm, 340

YELLOW gum tree of Western Australia,
230

ZIMB, the, of Abyssinia, 31

LIST OF WORKS

KEFERRED TO IN THE VOLUME, AND EXPLANATION OF THE
ABBREVIATIONS USED TO INDICATE THEM.

A.

A. Animated Nature. By Oliver Goldsmith.

AG. Agassiz's Siluria.

AD. Advanced Textbook of Geology. By David Page, LL.D.

A. P. Animals and Plants under Domestication. By Charles

Darwin, F.R.S.

B.

B. Bible Teachings in Nature.

BE. Benedict. By Chaplin Child, M.D.

B. W. Bees. By Rev. J. G. Wood.

B. F. Beauty of Flowers in Field and Wood. By John Theodore

Barker.
B. L. Beginnings of Life. By H. Charlton Bastiau, M.D., F.R.S.

B. T. Bruce's Travels.

C.
CH. Chambers's Miscellany.

C. O. Common Objects of the Country.
C. S. Common Shells of the Seashore.

C. Common Objects of the Seashore. By J. G. Wood, M. A.

C. B. Cruise of the Betsy. By Hugh Miller.

CU. Curiosities of Natural History. By Frank Buckland. 3rd
series.

D.

D. Desert World. By Arthur Mangin.

DE Q. De Quincey's Sketches (Paper on Wordsworth's Poetry).

DX. Dixon's Ornamental and Domestic Poultry.

DI. Diamonds and Precious Stones.

DU. Unity of Nature. By the Duke of Argyll.

E.

E. Elements of Geology. By Sir Charles Lyell, Bart.
EL. Elementary Treatise on Physics. By Professor Ganot.
E. C. Elementary Chemistry. By Henry E. Roscoe.

EX. Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. By
Charles Darwin, F.R.S.

424 LIST OF AUTHORITIES.

F.

FO. Footnotes from the Page of Nature. By Rev. Hugh Mac-
millan.

F. Fresh and Salt-water Aquarium.

G.

GA. Gatherings of a Naturalist in Australia. By George Bennett,
M.D.

G. Gatherings of a Naturalist

G. S. Gay Science. By E. S. Dallas.

G. E. Geology of Lyme Regis. By G. Casley.

H.

HA. Handbook of Natural Philosophy. By. Dr. Lardner.
HI. History of British Birds. By Rev. F. O. Morris.
H. R. Historical Review (1859). Pro. Soc. 164.
H. Homes without Hands. By Rev. J. G. Wood, M.A.

I.

IL. Illustrated Natural History. By Rev. J. G. Wood.
I. L. Influence of Light.
IN. Insects Injurious to Vegetation. By William Thaddeus

Harris, M.D. (Boston.)
I. O. Intellectual Observer, vol. ii. vol. iii.
I. Insect World.

j.

JE. Jesse's Gleanings in Natural History.

J. Journal of a Naturalist.

JO. Journal of a Residence among the Negroes in the West

Indies. By Matthew Gregory Lewis, M. P.
JOU. Journal of a Residence in Iceland. By Dr. Henderson.

K.
K. Kosmos, a General Survey of the Physical Phenomena of the

Universe. By Alexander Von Humboldt.

L. S. Lay Sermons, Addresses, and Reviews. By Professor

Huxley, F.R.S.

LA. Land and the Book. By Dr. Thomson.
L. Lectures on Food. By Dr. Letheby.

L. P. Lectures on the Philosophy of the Human Mind. By Dr.

Thomas Brown.

LES. Lessons in Chemistry. Henry E. Roscoe, F.R.S.
LI. Little Things of Nature. By Leo Hartley Grindon.

LO. Locke on the Understanding.

M.

M. Mammalia. By Louis Figuier.

MAR. Marvels of Science. By S. W. Fullom.

L7ST OF AUTHORITIES. 425

MA. Manual of Scientific Enquiry. Edited by Sir J. F. W.

Herschell, Bart.
ME. Memoirs of Father Ripa during Thirteen Years' Residence

at the Court of Pekin.

MI. Microscope and its Revelations. By Dr. Win. B. Carpenter.
MU. Museum of Natural History.
MY. Mysteries of the Ocean.

N.
NA. Natural History, the Illustrated. By Rev. J. G. Wood,

M.A., F.L.S.

N. E. National Encyclopedia.
NAT. Nature, No. 47. Charles Kingsley.
N. V. Naturalist's Voyage.
N. R. Natural History Review.
N. H. Natural History of the Animal Kingdom. By Professor

Forbes.

N. D. Natural History of the Animal Kingdom. Dallas.
N. T. Natural Theology. By Paley.
N. News for Young and Old.

O.

ON. On the Atmospheric Changes which Produce Rain and Wind.

By Thomas Hopkins, M.B.
O. Origin of Species. By Charles Darwin.

OIL Outlines of Physiology. By John Hughes Bennett, M.D.,

F.R.S.

P.

PA. Pallas's Travels.

P. Passions of Animals. By Edward P. Thompson.

P. H. Popular History of the Mollusca. By Mary Roberts.
PO. Possibilities of Creation.

PR. Principles of Chemistry. By Dr. Julius Adolphus Stockhardfc.
PROF. Professor Owen on the Gorilla, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1859.
PH. Physiology of Common Life. By George Henry Lewes.

Q-

Q. Quarterly Review Article on Higher and Lower Animals,

Oct. 1869.

R.

R. Reasoning Power in Animals. By Rev. John Selby Watson,

M.A.

R. G. Religion of Geology. By Dr. Edward Hitchcock.
RE. Reptiles and Birds. By Louis Figuier.
RO. Romance of Natural History. By Philip Henry Gosse, F.RS.

2 E

426 LIST OF AUTHORITIES.

S.

SA. Salmonia. By Sir H. Davy.
SE. Sea and its Living Wonders. By Dr. Hartwig.
SI. Siluria, a History of the Oldest Rocks in the British Isles

and other Countries. By Sir Roderick Impey Murchi-

son, Bart.

SM. Smellie's Philosophy of Natural History.
SO. Soul in Nature. By Hans Christian Oersted.
SP. Spence's Travels in Circassia.

S. N. Stray Notes of Science and Folk-lore. By J. Scroffern, M.B.
S. L. Stream of Life on our Globe : its Archives, Traditions, and

Laws as Revealed by Modern Discoveries in Geology

and Palaeontology. By J. L. Milton, M.R.C.S.
ST. Studies from Nature. By Dr. Herman Masius. Translated

by jCharles Boner.
S. Studies in Physiology and Medicine. By Robert James

Graves, F.R.S.

T.

TA. Table Talk, vol. ii. By Wm. Hazlitt.
T. B. The Bird.

TH. The Little Things of Nature.
T. The Physical Geography of the Sea. By M. F. Maury, LL.D.,

Lieut. U.S. Navy.

T. M. The Morning-ton Lecture. By Rev. T. T. Lynch.
TR. Travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro. By M. Wallace.
TRA. Trans. Roy. Society, Edinburgh.

U.

U. Use of the Body in Relation to the Mind. By George

Moore, M.D.

V.

VA. Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication. By
Charles Darwin.

V. Vegetable World. By Louis Figuier.

VE. Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation.

VI. Views of Nature. By Alexander Voii Humboldt.
VIR. Virchow's Cellular Pathology.

V. T. Von Tschud's (Dr.) Travels in Peru.

W.

W. World before the Deluge. By Louis Figuier.

Z.

Z. Zoologist.

fKINTBL) HY BALLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO.
KU1NBUKGH AND LONDON.

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