OR, A TREATISE ON PILE. 123 
or indirectly,” and that, also, “the cranium is often affected, seeming, for example, to be 
unusually thick, dense and heavy.’ ‘Then, what is there incredible in the idea that it 
affects the skin and hatr of the head. 
All that we have to say, in conclusion 1s—do not decide upon the merit of our discovery 
until you have examined the subject. 
‘Finis coronat opus.” 
Or tHe Decay anp Deatn or Pite.—It has been decreed by the Mighty Power which 
confers vitality upon organism, that there shall afvays be a limit to its endurance ; and 
hence we find that even where dissolution is not hastened by violence or disease, tame 
never fails gradually to bring life to a close. Whenever the connection between pile and its 
vessels is in any way severed, the former des, and then, like all effete matter, it inclines 
to separate from the living organism. But the sta/é of the hair may die, and the follicle 
survive; in which case the hair may fall out, and a new one be produced. Whether the 
follicle, after having been separated from its vessels, is ever resuscitated, or a new one pro- 
duced, are (to say the least of them) doubtful questions, notwithstanding all that has been 
asserted in books about the transplanting of hair. 
Hair which falls out of itself is dry, and ordinarily colorless, even when it has been 
previously colored. Henlé seems to think that we know nothing of the causes which 
determine hair. But, admitting our knowledge upon that point to be scanty, still we may 
reason upon the facts in relation to it, which experience has brought to light. We read 
of a boy who was found wild, and his body is said to have been entirely covered with hair, 
like one of the lower animals ;* and among the savage race of Kurlians, there are indi- 
viduals who have hair growing down the back and covering nearly the whole body. From 
A 
* Tur Witp Woman or tae Nayrpap.—About a year since an account was published in the Victoria Advocate respecting 
a strange creature, whose tracks had been discovered on the banks of the Navidad, near Texana. The footmarks of this 
creature resembled those of a woman, and a report was circulated to the effect that a wild woman had made her retreat in the 
forests of the Navidad. Within a few weeks several attempts have been made to capture this singular being. Mr. Glascock 
pursued it for several days with dogs, and at one time approached so near it as to cast a lasso upon its shoulders. It, how- 
ever, with great adroitness, eluded the snare, and fled to a dense thicket where it could not be traced. Mr. Glascock states 
that he was near a small prairie enclosed by the border forests of the river, when the creature emerged from the woods 
and ran across the prairie in full view. It was about five feet high, resembling a human being, but covered with hair of 
reddish-brown color. In its hand it held a stick about six feetlong, which it flourished from side to side, as if to regulate its 
motions, and aid it when running at full speed. Its head and neck are covered with very long hair, which streamed back- 
ward in the wind. It ran with the speed of a deer and was soon out of sight. The dogs pursued it, and came so close upon 
it at a small creek, that it was compelled to drop its stick, which was taken by its pursuers. This stick is about six feet 
long, straight and smooth as if polished with glass. Several other persons have repeatedly seen the creature, and they all 
concur in representing it as a human being, but so covered with shaggy hair as to resemble an ourang outang. It has 
frequently approached the houses of the settlers in that neighborhood during the night and stole various articles ; among 
other things it carried off a quantity of towels, one or two books, and has taken several pigs. One of its nests was found in 
the forest, in which were several napkins, folded up just as they were taken. A bill for washing was also enclosed in the 
Bible. The footmarks of this strange being have often been traced in the bottom of the Navidad, but it has eluded all 
attempts to capture it. The old settlers in that section say that these footmarks have been noticed for ten or twelve years, 
and that several years ago there were other footmarks, indicating that three of these creatures were in company. Within the last 
year"the footmarks of only one have been noticed. Mr. Glasecoek intends to collect a pack of good hounds and resume the 
pursuit, and he is confident that he will succeed in capturing it.—[ From the Houston (Texas) Telegraph.| 
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