IN THE SHETLANDS 353 
with snakes we have a special, and very marvellous, 
adaptation to a certain end, which arouses admiration 
in a high degree in one direction, even though it may 
excite disgust in another. On the whole—to me, at 
least, who am a naturalist, with the curiosity proper 
to one strongly developed—there is far more of 
wonder and instruction, than of horror, in the scene, 
unless, indeed, the sufferings of the victim are pro- 
longed, which is by no means always the case. Some 
of the smaller constrictors, for instance, will dart 
upon, and twist one or two of the first neck-coils 
round a rat, or other small mammal, with such light- 
ning-like speed and dexterity, and with such tremen- 
dous strength, that death—as shown by the relaxation 
of the muscles, and hanging down of the limbs—is 
almost instantaneous, and the effect upon the mind 
comparable to that which would be produced by the 
stoop of an eagle, or the spring of a tiger. We are 
impressed by the speed and power, and have to 
admire the amazing ingenuity—one may even say the 
beauty—of the structural adaptation ; for, after all, 
one should have an intellect, as well as a heart. This 
would soon pass into more distressing sensations, 
were the rat long a-killing; but in the cases to which 
I refer it is very soon over. The bowstring in a 
Turkish harem must be a lengthy process in com- 
parison. Thus the balance of our emotions pro- 
duces, or should produce, the exclamation, ‘‘ How 
wonderful!” rather than the one, “ How horrible!” 
but with the gull and kittiwake, only the latter is 
2A 
