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science；　moreover；　has　been　more　humbling　to　the　boasted　rapidity　

and　omnipotence　of　the　human　reason；　or　has　more　taught　those　who　

have　eyes　to　see；　and　hearts　to　understand；　how　weak　and　wayward；　

staggering　and　slow；　are　the　steps　of　our　fallen　race　（rapid　and　

triumphant　enough　in　that　broad　road　of　theories　which　leads　to　

intellectual　destruction）　whensoever　they　tread　the　narrow　path　of　

true　science；　which　leads　（if　I　may　be　allowed　to　transfer　our　

Lord's　great　parable　from　moral　to　intellectual　matters）　to　Life；　

to　the　living　and　permanent　knowledge　of　living　things　and　of　the　

laws　of　their　existence。　　Humbling；　truly；　to　one　who　looks　back　to　

the　summer　of　1754；　when　good　Mr。　Ellis；　the　wise　and　benevolent　

West　Indian　merchant；　read　before　the　Royal　Society　his　paper　

proving　the　animal　nature　of　corals；　and　followed　it　up　the　year　

after　by　that　〃Essay　toward　a　Natural　History　of　the　Corallines；　

and　other　like　Marine　Productions　of　the　British　Coasts；〃　which　

forms　the　groundwork　of　all　our　knowledge　on　the　subject　to　this　

day。　　The　chapter　in　Dr。　G。　Johnston's　〃British　Zoophytes；〃　p。　407；　

or　the　excellent　little　RESUME　thereof　in　Dr。　Landsborough's　book　

on　the　same　subject；　is　really　a　saddening　one；　as　one　sees　how　

loth　were；　not　merely　dreamers　like；　Marsigli　or　Bonnet；　but　sound…

headed　men　like　Pallas　and　Linne；　to　give　up　the　old　sense…bound　

fancy；　that　these　corals　were　vegetables；　and　their　polypes　some　

sort　of　living　flowers。　　Yet；　after　all；　there　are　excuses　for　

them。　　Without　our　improved　microscopes；　and　while　the　sciences　of　

comparative　anatomy　and　chemistry　were　yet　infantile；　it　was　

difficult　to　believe　what　was　the　truth；　and　for　this　simple　

reason：　　that；　as　usual；　the　truth；　when　discovered；　turned　out　far　

more　startling　and　prodigious　than　the　dreams　which　men　had　hastily　

substituted　for　it；　more　strange　than　Ovid's　old　story　that　the　

coral　was　soft　under　the　sea；　and　hardened　by　exposure　to　air；　than　

Marsigli's　notion；　that　the　coral…polypes　were　its　flowers；　than　

Dr。　Parsons'　contemptuous　denial；　that　these　complicated　forms　

could　be　〃the　operations　of　little；　poor；　helpless；　jelly…like　

animals；　and　not　the　work　of　more　sure　vegetation；〃　than　Baker　the　

microscopist's　detailed　theory　of　their　being　produced　by　the　

crystallization　of　the　mineral　salts　in　the　sea…water；　just　as　he　

had　seen　〃the　particles　of　mercury　and　copper　in　aquafortis　assume　

tree…like　forms；　or　curious　delineations　of　mosses　and　minute　

shrubs　on　slates　and　stones；　owing　to　the　shooting　of　salts　

intermixed　with　mineral　particles：〃　…　one　smiles　at　it　now：　　yet　

these　men　were　no　less　sensible　than　we；　and　if　we　know　better；　it　

is　only　because　other　men；　and　those　few　and　far　between；　have　

laboured　amid　disbelief；　ridicule；　and　error；　needing　again　and　

again　to　retrace　their　steps；　and　to　unlearn　more　than　they　learnt；　

seeming　to　go　backwards　when　they　were　really　progressing　most：　　

and　now　we　have　entered　into　their　labours；　and　find　them；　as　I　

have　just　said；　more　wondrous　than　all　the　poetic　dreams　of　a　

Bonnet　or　a　Darwin。　　For　who；　after　all；　to　take　a　few　broad　

instances　（not　to　enlarge　on　the　great　root…wonder　of　a　number　of　

distinct　individuals　connected　by　a　common　life；　and　forming　a　

seeming　plant　invariable　in　each　species）；　would　have　dreamed　of　

the　〃bizarreries〃　which　these　very　zoophytes　present　in　their　

classification？



You　go　down　to　any　shore　after　a　gale　of　wind；　and　pick　up　a　few　

delicate　little　sea…ferns。　　You　have　two　in　your　hand；　which　

probably　look　to　you；　even　under　a　good　pocket　magnifier；　identical　

or　nearly　so。　（1）　　But　you　are　told　to　your　surprise；　that　however　

like　the　dead　horny　polypidoms　which　you　hold　may　be；　the　two　

species　of　animal　which　have　formed　them　are　at　least　as　far　apart　

in　the　scale　of　creation　as　a　quadruped　is　from　a　fish。　　You　see　in　

some　Musselburgh　dredger's　boat　the　phosphorescent　sea…pen　（unknown　

in　England）；　a　living　feather；　of　the　look　and　consistency　of　a　

cock's　comb；　or　the　still　stranger　sea…rush　（VIRGULARIA　MIRABILIS）；　

a　spine　a　foot　long；　with　hundreds　of　rosy　flowerets　arranged　in　

half…rings　round　it　from　end　to　end；　and　you　are　told　that　these　

are　the　congeners　of　the　great　stony　Venus's　fan　which　hangs　in　

seamen's　cottages；　brought　home　from　the　West　Indies。　　And　ere　you　

have　done　wondering；　you　hear　that　all　three　are　congeners　of　the　

ugly；　shapeless；　white　〃dead　man's　hand；〃　which　you　may　pick　up　

after　a　storm　on　any　shore。　　You　have　a　beautiful　madrepore　or　

brain…stone　on　your　mantel…piece；　brought　home　from　some　Pacific　

coral…reef。　　You　are　to　believe　that　its　first　cousins　are　the　

soft；　slimy　sea…anemones　which　you　see　expanding　their　living　

flowers　in　every　rock…pool　…　bags　of　sea…water；　without　a　trace　of　

bone　or　stone。　　You　must　believe　it；　for　in　science；　as　in　higher　

matters；　he　who　will　walk　surely；　must　〃walk　by　faith　and　not　by　

sight。〃



These　are　but　a　few　of　the　wonders　which　the　classification　of　

marine　animals　affords；　and　only　drawn　from　one　class　of　them；　

though　almost　as　common　among　every　other　family　of　that　submarine　

world　whereof　Spenser　sang　…





〃Oh；　what　an　endless　work　have　I　in　hand；

To　count　the　sea's　abundant　progeny！

Whose　fruitful　seed　far　passeth　those　in　land；

And　also　those　which　won　in　th'　azure　sky；

For　much　more　earth　to　tell　the　stars　on　high；

Albe　they　endless　seem　in　estimation；

Than　to　recount　the　sea's　posterity；

So　fertile　be　the　flouds　in　generation；

So　huge　their　numbers；　and　so　numberless　their　nation。〃





But　these　few　examples　will　be　sufficient　to　account　both　for　the　

slow　pace　at　which　the　knowledge　of　sea…animals　has　progressed；　and　

for　the　allurement　which　men　of　the　highest　attainments　have　found；　

and　still　find；　in　it。　　And　when　to　this　we　add　the　marvels　which　

meet　us　at　every　step　in　the　anatomy　and　the　reproduction　of　these　

creatures；　and　in　the　chemical　and　mechanical　functions　which　they　

fulfil　in　the　great　economy　of　our　planet；　we　cannot　wonder　at　

finding　that　books　which　treat　of　them　carry　with　them　a　certain　

charm　of　romance；　and　feed　the　play　of　fancy；　and　that　love　of　the　

marvellous　which　is　inherent　in　man；　at　the　same　time　that　they　

lead　the　reader　to　more　solemn　and　lofty　trains　of　thought；　which　

can　find　their　full　satisfaction　only　in　self…forgetful　worship；　

and　that　hymn　of　praise　which　goes　up　ever　from　land　and　sea；　as　

well　as　from　saints　and　martyrs　and　the　heavenly　host；　〃O　all　ye　

works　of　the　Lord；　and　ye；　too；　spirits　and　souls　of　the　righteous；　

praise　Him；　and　magnify　Him　for　ever！〃



I　have　said；　that　there　were　excuses　for　the　old　contempt　of　the　

study　of　Natural　History。　　I　have　said；　too；　it　may　be　hoped；　

enough　to　show　that　contempt　to　be　now　ill…founded。　　But　still；　

there　are　those　who　regard　it　as　a　mere　amusement；　and　that　as　a　

somewhat　effeminate　one；　and　think　that　it　can　at　best　help　to　

while　away　a　leisure　hour　harmlessly；　and　perhaps　usefully；　as　a　

substitute　for　coarser　sports；　or　for　the　reading　of　novels。　　

Those；　however；　who　have　followed　it　out；　especially　on　the　sea…

shore；　know　better。　　They　can　tell　from　experience；　that　over　and　

above　its　accessory　charms　of　pure　sea…breezes；　and　wild　rambles　by　

cliff　and　loch；　the　study　itself　has　had　a　weighty　moral　effect　

upon　their　hearts　and　spirits。　　There　are　those　who　can　well　

understand　how　the　good　and　wise　John　Ellis；　amid　all　his　

philanthropic　labours　for　the　good　of　the　West　Indies；　while　he　was　

spending　his　intellect　and　fortune　in　introducing　into　our　tropic　

settlements　the　bread…fruit；　the　mangosteen；　and　every　plant　and　

seed　which　he　hoped　might　be　useful　for　medicine；　agriculture；　and　

commerce；　could　yet　feel　himself　justified　in　devoting　large　

portions　of　his　ever　well…spent　time　to　the　fighting　the　battle　of　

the　corallines　against　Parsons　and　the　rest；　and　even　in　measuring　

pens　with　Linne；　the　prince　of　naturalists。



There　are　those　who　can　sympathise　with　the　gallant　old　Scotch　

officer　mentioned　by　some　writer　on　sea…weeds；　who；　desperately　

wounded　in　the　breach　at　Badajos；　and　a　sharer　in　all　the　toils　and　

triumphs　of　the　Peninsular　war；　could　in　his　old　age　show　a　rare　

sea…weed　with　as　much　triumph　as　his　well…earned　medals；　and　talk　

over　a　tiny　spore…capsule　with　as　much　zest　as　the　records　of　

sieges　and　battles。　　Why　not？　　That　temper　which　made　him　a　good　

soldier　may　very　well　have　made　him　a　good　naturalist　also。　　The　

late　illustrious　geologist；　Sir　Roderick　Murchison；　was　also　an　old　

Peninsular　officer。　　I　doubt　not　that　with　him；　too；　the　

experiences　of　war　may　have　helped　to　fit　him　for　the　studies　of　

peace。　　Certainly；　the　best　naturalist；　as　far　as　logical　acumen；　

as　well　as　earnest　research；　is　concerned；　whom　England　has　ever　

seen；　was　the　Devonshire　squire；　Co