ACTINIA PARASITICA. 291 



For God's sake who has made them. 



How is this, 

 That men of science, osteologists 

 And surgeons, beat some poets, in respect 

 For nature — count nought common or unclean, 

 Spend raptures upon perfect specimens 

 Of indiu'ated veins, distorted joints, 

 Or beautiful new cases of curved spine ; 

 While we, we are shocked at nature's falling off — 

 We dare to shrink back from her warts and blains — 

 We will not, when she sneezes, look at her. 

 Not even to say, ' God bless her.' That's our wrong." * 



Nay, has not the greatest of German poets, whose cul- 

 ture of the beautiful was so devout that it has been 

 made a reproach, given us a practical example that not 

 only may Comparative Anatomy reveal its marvels to 

 the delighted eye of a poet, but also that the keen 

 glance of the poet may be that of a great discoverer in 

 anatomy? To Goethe, bones and ligaments were no less 

 beautiful and full of interest than flowers and streams ; 

 he saw in them parts of the mystic scaffolding of the 

 temple of life. And laborious and delicate as the ama- 

 teur may find the dissection of animals to be, he will 

 find his labour well rewarded at the close. 



When the spring-tide did arrive, it was unfortunately 

 a very poor one ; and had Jersey been less wealthy, 

 my hot labours on the rocks would have produced but 

 a meagre result. As it was, I managed to secure an 

 ample supply of Sea Hares, Eolids, Dorids, Solitary 

 Ascidians, Glavellinm, Hydractinia', Pycnogonidce, 

 Actmons, Anemones, and Polypes. In the way of 



* Aurora Leigh. 



