74 LITERATURE. 



of their growth; the colossal reptiles dividing their time between the ocean and the land, 

 till one day some of their family desert the original stock and establish themselves exclusively 

 on land, then some of them grow wings and try to fly. like the bat, a quadruped who, having 

 grown tired of crawling on the ground, took at last to soar in the air and has done so ever since. 

 Why has the flying lizard disappeared ? Probably because the jump from the reptile to the 

 bird was too great; the lizard fell to the ground and was killed in its fall. The flying fish 

 also falls a bit, its fall on the supple and undulating couch of the transparent waves, and is 

 able to rise again and again to salute the sun and reflect his rays on its silver scales and on the 

 glittering ribs of its delicately woven fins. 



The duck leaves the land and takes to the water ; in his lirst abotle there are too many 

 dangers attendant on his efforts to live, so he takes to the ocean ; some of the tribe remain 

 close to the shore, the limitless horizon strikes them with awe. so they keep to the rocks enjoy- 

 ing the quiet life of fishers, floating leisurely, staying in shallow water, diving perchance, 

 but never flying, thus losing their wings which are very soon reduced to the size and uses 

 of fins. Others having remained behind in tlie fresh water of the river have also taken to 

 diving, hiding in the moving mud of the bottom, waiting there for the little fishes to come 

 into their gaping bills, whilst the pioneers of the movement have grown tremendous wings 

 of colossal strength, by living in eternal flight over the vast and limitless regions of the 

 formidable oceans. 



Analogous migrations, alterations, transformations, assuredly have taken place in 

 each of what we call to-day the three natural kingdoms of the earth ; the tortoise of the sea 

 and that of the land are easy to differentiate now, so are the corals, the algae of all descriptions, 

 and the ferns, grasses, varech, and fungi, which we find at the bottom of the valleys of the 

 ocean, as well as on the highest and most inaccessible peaks of the mountains of the earth, 

 where we also discover fossfls of fishes, whilst from the depths of the sea are brought to our 

 astonished eyes the remains of gigantic trees and terrestrial animals. 



Who shall say what has been? From whence shall spring the generation of knowers, 

 who will give us a true picture of that unknown period? 



What is the seal? From what original father has he inherited his beautiful, velvety, 

 black eye, his fleshy mouth, his awfully human voice which has in it something rending and 

 troubling to the highest degree. Who wfll tell us of the magnificent vegetation we admire 

 every day? Did it come from the sea, and taking advantage of each inlet, of the mouth of 

 everjr river, did it invade the land, or had it its birth on the land, and, following the gentle 

 brook, has it floated on in crystalline streams and ran to the conquest of the virgin and till 

 then barren .slopes of the mountains of the sea, fertilising the whole of them, spreading its 

 carpet of j)earls, corals, fantastic flowers, jind fruits on the and ])lains. which are now covered 

 with all the colours of the rainbow? \\'hen tlu' storm is to.^smg about the emerald waves 

 of the liquid mass it is given to our amazed glance to admire the treasures with which the 

 bosom of the ocean is covered. W'e sliall never be able to ap{5reciate the whole of creation, 

 the whole of life, which is equally wondirful in ;i droji of water, a range of rocks, a bit of stone, 

 in flowers, insects, animals, man, stars, and in .dl tliat we can see with the I'ye ot tlu' body or 

 the eye of the mind 



The legend says that at this time our now poor lantl was divided into two mighty stretches 

 of country by a big lake, which was lying across the path of the sun. This lake was of the 

 purest and most transparent water, and in it were big and small fishes of every kind and colour 

 golden, silvery, red, blue, yellow, dark, light, long, short, round, egg-like, with stripes and 

 spots, of all forms :\nt\ l)rilliancv; and to look at them was a common delight of the people 

 who used to glide alxait in their canoes in all directions on the glossy surface of the lake, 

 people altogether unconcerned about their destination, knowing that they had only to open 

 their sail and let the sweet odorant breeze jnish them to any part of the .shore, and that they 

 would be sure cjI finding all that is neeijful or iileasant, 



