SYSTKMA NATUR.K 205 



it an age dating back to the middle of the fourteenth century of our era; 

 but this is scarcely favourable to the speculative imagining of a religio- 

 romantic friend of mine, who asks, "may not this be the Tree of Life, 

 rescued from the lost Eden?" It is, however, apparently of great age, the 

 trunk being so large that three men with extended arms can hardly embrace 

 it. Its branches are described as resembling those of the plane tree, and 

 the form of the letters on the bark and leaves may be supposed to resemble 

 the annexed : — 



JlffiW?HS<T£ 



Now it will at once occur to many, that the resemblance, or rather 

 the identity of these letters, when compared with the figures on the leaves 

 and bark of the sacred Tree of Thibet, argues simply for the hypothesis 

 that the characters of the Thibetian language were copied from the forms 

 thus presented by nature, and that the tree, without any extravagant 

 offence to probability, may be regarded as the means which, having sur- 

 vived the deluge, has preserved to us the symbols, and confirmed to us 

 the primal originality of the Thibetian tongue, as that spoken by the 

 world before its linquistic confusion at Babel. 



All this, however, is from the strict purpose of "The Naturalist," and 

 my present object is chiefly to start the subject among its readers, in the 

 hope of some intelligent or scientific surmises as to the probable nature 

 of this tree. At the same time, the objects of such a publication may, 

 I conceive, embrace any subjects of collateral interest, which may fairly 

 blossom on the branches of such a curiosity as the Tree of Thibet; and 

 many may find additional importance in the study of Natural History 

 when they see it connected with religious or moral mystery. 



Of course there is a superstitious legend attached to the Tree of the 

 Ten Thousand Images; and, though you have intimated a wish to keep 

 your contributors down to "plain prose," there may be an occasional 

 cause for exceptive allowance. I have therefore put into verse the legend 

 alluded to, and I send it to you, to be printed or not, as you may 

 think advisable. 



Portishead, May 6th. , 1857. 



Felis mitis, Schinz. F. onca, Schreb 

 Fr. Cuv. Temm. 



SYSTEM A NATURJ1. 



BY THE REV. F. 0. MORRIS. 

 (Continued from page 185.) 



Hamiltonii, Reich. F. Griffithii, 

 Reich. 

 Felis catenata, Hamil. Smith, Griff. 



Felis Chibiguazu, Griff. Schinz. F. 



VOL. VII. 



