NOTES — ORIGINAL AND SELECTED. 85 



tions in the bowels of the earth, and the rod being of a light porous 

 wood gives an easy passage to these particles, which are also very 

 fine and subtle. The effluvia then being driven forward by those 

 that follow them, and oppressed at the same time by the atmosphere 

 incumbent on them, are forced to enter the little interstices at the 

 fibres of the wood, and by that effort they oblige it to incline or dip 

 down perpendicularly, and to become parallel with the little columns 

 which these vapours form in their rise " I ! 



Now to sum up the whole matter. How can we reconcile our 

 disbelief in the powers of the Divining-rod with the testimony of those 

 persons who have either used it themselves or seen it used, and 

 whose writings have been published from time to time ? The task 

 is not so difficult. We are quite willing to admit the good faith of 

 those we have named, and do not for a moment disbelieve the accu- 

 racy of their facts. We have no doubt that the rods turned and that 

 the water was found ; we merely refuse to arrive at the conclusion 

 that the rod turned because there was water below the holder's feet. 

 The truth is, there is generally water under the soil if we only try for 

 it, and the ceremony of walking backwards and forwards with a twig 

 in no way alters the fact. Before we go further, let us hear how 

 often the rod has failed, let us see whether water cannot be found by 

 digging where it has not indicated water, and minerals found in 

 places over which the rod has made no movement. 



NOTES— ORIGINAL AND SELECTED. 



Badgers in Essex. — A remarkable letter from Mr. B. Morris, of Black- 

 heath, appeared in " The Standard" of May 17th, which was the occasion of a 

 " leader " in that paper of the following day. We should be much obliged for 

 any further information. Mr. Morris's letter was as follows: " Being on a visit 

 recently at a country house in a village not far from Braintree, in Essex, I was 

 greatly surprised to learn that quite a large number of badgers had been found 

 in a wood near the village. I was also more surprised to hear that they had all 

 Deen caught, and, if not killed, sent away. One would have thought that such 

 rare and interesting visitors would have been taken the utmost care of and 

 strictly preserved. There were no less than eleven. I had imagined that the 

 badger was nearly extinct — at least, in so thickly populated a part of the country 

 is that I speak of. The small wood in which the earths were situated is close to 

 I much-frequented high road, within a stone throw of the village and church. 

 The squire of the parish is a capital sportsman, and I cannot understand how he 

 :ould have allowed such vandalism. I may add that there was lots of woodland 

 ountry round for them had they been left alone ; at all events, the fact of there 

 oelng such a rare species of wild animal as the badger in Essex ought to have 



