264 THE QUERIST. 



of Great Britain and Ireland." If indeed Her Majesty were only Duchess 

 of Guernsey, it might be a different thing, but as it is, the case is against 

 him. "Dead men tell no tales" must in future then be altered into ''Dead 

 men tell tales." King John steps into the witness box, but then turns 

 round on the counsel for the prosecution, and gives his testimony in favour 

 of the defence. 



VI. — I may here mention that in writing the article on this subject in 

 the September "Naturalist," I had at first inserted an additional question, 

 as a corollary, "Which has belonged for the longest period of time to 

 the British crown?" but having no book to refer to for the dates, drew 

 my pen through what I had written. Here again Mr. Gray steps in to 

 my assistance. If the sum paid in the fifteenth century were to be re- 

 funded, and Orkney and Zetland were again to be attached to old Scan- 

 dinavia, to which country would I attach their productions? This is not 

 a case in point. To be a parallel, Orkney and Shetland ought to have 

 belonged at the present day to Scandinavia as long as the Channel Islands 

 to Britain, for part of the argument, and to be as near its shores; but 

 in any case what I should say would depend on what others, my superiors 

 in science, had decided on the subject. If they saw fit to admit the shells 

 and plants of those islands into the Scandinavian or the British Fauna, 

 as the case might be, I would admit the insects of the islands also. 



VI r. — This question supposes an extreme case, and also fails altogether 

 in suggesting a parallel. So far as it is to be answered at all, I give 

 the same answer to it that I have to No. VI. 



IV. — "To which country would I conscientiously assign the Channel 

 Islands, if the Channel itself were to become "terra firniaV" Conscience, 

 I fancy, had very little to do with the appropriation of the islands, but 

 being appropriated, I would follow the leading naturalists in the appropriation 

 of their natural productions. 



In conclusion, to shew Mr. Gray that his argument will not hold water, 

 I will suppose another extreme case for him, and put it, as he seems to 

 prefer, in the form of a question. If there was an island in the exact 

 centre of the Atlantic ocean, how would he be guided as to the assignment 

 of its natural productions? Would he assign the whole to America, or to 

 England, or those of one side of it to one continent, and of the other to 

 the other, and if so, how would he keep the birds, beasts, and insects 

 from passing the line of demarcation? Item — Does not Portugal belong 

 geographically to Spain, far more than Guernsey to France? 



In a word, Mr. Gray sets up his own opinion above those of Hooker, 

 Babington, Forbes, and all modern conchologists and botanists. I am con- 

 tent to follow in their wake. — That is the only difference between us. 



F. O. MORRIS. 



