156 KEEN SIGHTED NATIVES. 



of these children of Nature are as a rule, better and 

 stronger than those of civilized man. 



Without venturing to express a decided opinion one 

 way or the other, upon this question generally, we 

 conceive it to be quite possible that this extraordinary 

 sharpness of sight is merely the result of lifelong 

 practice in studying and making out the details of a 

 landscape, and is not in any way due to any actual 

 superiority in the optical power of the sight itself. The 

 remarkable keenness of vision exhibited among the 

 American Indians, and the Arab desert tribes, has for 

 instance frequently been commented upon by travellers, 

 and some almost incredible, but still nevertheless possibly 

 true stories have been related about it, which time and 

 space forbids us to notice further at present. In our 

 own country however most of us are aware how very 

 much more quickly a sailor will make out a ship upon 

 the distant horizon at sea, or catch sight of a coast 

 amid mist and fog, than a landsman ; yet no one will 

 contend that the sight of naval men generally is better 

 than that of landsmen : the thing is simply a matter of 

 habit and practice. So a novice in the hunter's art 

 will often be within easy sight of, or even close to, 

 game, but by reason of his unpractised senses he fails 

 to see it. 



This leads us to the consideration of several curious 

 questions respecting the habits of wild animals and 

 birds. 



The facility with which forest game hide themselves 

 from an enemy's view is a truly remarkable peculiarity, 

 common to all forest animals and birds, and indeed 

 more or less so to animated nature, especially among 

 insects, everywhere. 



