ARTICULA TIOX. I 39 



grandmother, who often came to see them, could only 

 distinguish them by some coloured string or ribbon tied 

 around the arm. As often happens in such cases, an intense 

 affection existed between them, and they were constantly 

 together. The remainder of their interesting story will be 

 best told in the words of the writer, to whose enlightened zeal 

 for science we are indebted for our knowledge of the facts. 



" At the usual age these twins began to talk, but, strange 

 to say, not their 'mother-tongue.' They had a language of 

 their own, and no pains could induce them to speak anything 

 else. It was in vain that a little sister, five years older than 

 they, tried to make them speak their native language — as it 

 would have been. They persistently refused to utter a 

 syllable of English. Not even the usual first words, 'papa,' 

 ' mamma,' ' father,' ' mother,' it is said, did they ever speak ; 

 and, said the lady who gave this information to the writer, — 

 who was an aunt of the children, and whose home was with 

 them, — they were never known during this interval to call 

 their mother by that name. They had their own name for 

 her, but never the English. In fact, though they had the 

 usual affections, were rejoiced to see their father at his re- 

 turning home each night, playing with him, &c., they would 

 seem to have been otherwise completely taken up, absorbed 

 with each other, . . , The children had not yet been to school ; 

 for, not being able to speak their 'own English,' it seemed 

 impossible to send them from home. They thus passed the 

 days, playing and talking together in their own speech, with 

 all the liveliness and volubility of common children. Their 

 accent was German — as it seemed to the family. They had 

 regular words, a few of which the family learned sometimes to 

 distinguish ; as that, for example, for carriage, which, on hear- 

 ing one pass in the street, they would exclaim out, and run to 

 the window. This word for carriage, we are told in another 

 place, was ' ni-si-boo-a,' of which, it is added, the syllables 

 were sometimes so repeated that they made a much longer 

 word." 



The next case is quoted by Mr. Ilalc from iJr. E. R. 



