THE naturalists' CLUB. 61 



E. You at this trifling too ! I really expected something better from 

 you. Encyclopedianus must have infected you with his detestable 

 Philadelphia habit of punning. 



P. (A habit which would not become me.) I beg your pardon my 

 dear Entomophilus, but I am really not aware that I ever made a pun in 

 my life. 



E. There is no use in denying it. You have been frying all day, 

 but I pretended not to notice it. I have a perfect recollection of your 

 first effort in this downward career. It was during our row across the 

 Susquehanna, when Ornixhophilus told us of his shooting exploit, 

 which you termed fowl shooting. 



P. (Can it be possible that that was a pun.) 



E. I intended to state that Urbanus couldn't be the author, because 

 the boat was rowed by him, and considering his trouble, he could hardly 

 have called those stiff clumsy things "the yielding oars," as the article 

 in question has it. 



P. I remember no allusion to rocks or ores. 



E. Worse and worse ! If 1 had my horse here I would go home. 



P. Speaking of horses, can you tell me what the French mean by 

 hors de comhat ? Probably a war horse. So you really think but little 

 of the entomological article in the Pvecord and Journal ? 



E. Since you have commenced punning, I don't wonder that you 

 admire it; but permit a friend to tell you, that those who give way to 

 such tastes need not expect to make a figure in the scientific world. A 

 man migiit almost as well take to punsh as to puns. There is little dif- 

 ference between them. And then, to have one's conversation copied out 

 verbatim, what will the readers of the Journal say, lliose readers before 

 whom we have passed for philosophers. What will they think when 

 they find that when alone, we laugh and talk like other people ! Sorry 

 as 1 am to find so little dignity among our companions, I have still 

 stronger regrets, when I see such foibles exposed in print. If these 

 things continue, we will be as bad as the English, who wish the world 

 to know all about them, whether good or bad. 



P. The jokes of Urbanus appear to have prejudiced you against his 

 essay upon the ravages of .flpalc hasillaris, which you have just been 

 reading. 



E. Where ? I know nothing about it. 



P. A few minutes ago 1 asked your opinion on 'it, and you have 

 been attacking it on all sides till now. 



E. We have misunderstood each other: /was alluding to the arti- 

 cle dctailiu!;- an adventure of the Naturalists' Club! IIkspekus. 



