HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



225 



came the Lapps, with their dogs and deer ; often 

 pattering over his dormitory, so that he got no sound 

 sleep night or day, and at length roused himself up 

 and ventured out to investigate the cause of such com- 

 motion. While quietly making his observations he 

 caught sight in the distance of a Lapp dame, in long 

 snow-shoes, rapidly circling round her herd. She 

 also soon became aware of some unusual object within 

 the dusky skirts of the forest, and at length, after 



Bear dragging carcase of horse. (See page 130.) 



keen scrutiny, discovered that the dark mass really 

 moved, and was no bush, but a bear. It evidently 

 also had an eye upon herself; and being far away 

 from the mountains, the bear's proper resort, this was 

 a very unexpected sight ; the woman being moreover 

 in that condition which, according to superstitious 

 belief, renders her sex peculiarly liable to the most 

 furious and voracious attack of the bear, was seized 

 with such sudden terror that she fainted, and fell 

 upon the ground, where she remained insensible long 

 after the reindeer had dispersed on the hills. The 



bear being less alarmed than herself, and quite as 

 inquisitive, came forward and made close inspection 

 of the unconscious housewife ; then loosed the snow- 

 shoes from her feet, and grasping her in his supple 

 arms, bore her in the direction of the tent, which 

 stood remotely, out of sight, in a dense grove of 

 trees. He disburdened himself, however, at a con- 

 siderable distance from it ; and as the woman who 

 had regained consciousness in his warm embrace 

 remained perfectly still on the ground, the bear, after 

 regarding her awhile, wended back to his repose. 

 As soon as she supposed he was out of sight the woman 

 rose, returned home, and related her wonderful ad- 

 venture. Her hearers accredited bruin with great 

 sagacity and forethought in regard to his conduct. 

 He conveyed the woman homewards, they said, 

 because she had approached too near his lair, an 

 intrusion fraught with danger to himself ; and he had 

 sagely refrained from bringing her nearer to the tent 

 lest he should be seen or heard by the men, of whose 

 hostilities he was well aware. His wisdom and for- 

 bearance, however, availed him nothing ; for the 

 ungrateful Lapps, immediately after hearing the story, 

 tracked him to his den, and thrust a spear into his 

 kindly and considerate heart. They sold his hide 

 to the proprietor of neighbouring saw-mills, who 

 preserved it in memory of the singular occurrence. 



ON PAL.EOCORYNE, AND THE DEVELOP- 

 MENT OF FENESTELLA. 



By George Robert Vine. 



THE following paper was written more than 

 twelve months since, but as the points raised 

 in discussing the] merits of Dr. Duncan's papers on 

 Palaeocoryne were so opposite in character to those 

 already propounded in the "Philosophical Transac- 

 tions " and in the "Journal " of the Geological Society 

 I thought that it would be wiser on my part to wait 

 further investigations rather than rush headlong into 

 print, thoughtlessly or ambiguously. In the meantime 

 I have submitted the paper to the calm judgment of 

 the Rev. Thomas Hincks, so that I might obtain his 

 opinion on the appendages of recent polyzoa, and 

 also to the experimental scrutiny of Mr. G. W. 

 Shrubsole. Other authorities have been consulted on 

 certain points, and the amended essay on PaL-eocoryne 

 is my final contribution to this journal on Fenestella. 

 I am glad that these humble contributions have been 

 the means of helping students of the palaeozoic fauna 

 to lay before a wider and more scientific range of 

 readers than I could reach, the carefully collated facts, 

 which will be of real service to future palaeontologists. 

 It is not only the polyzoa of the palaeozoic seas that 

 have been neglected, the other microzoa also deserve 

 the careful consideration of thoughtful students. 



Within the last ten years the attention of Palaeon- 

 tologists has been directed to certain fragments of 



