10 JANUARY. 



apparently from the mere love of paradox, have affected 

 to doubt the fact that such is their function. If you 

 could dissect out one of these points, and submit it to 

 careful examination with a good microscope, you would 

 find all the parts essential to an organ of vision ; there 

 is a sclerotic coat, a distinct little pupil and iris, a 

 cornea in front, and a dark pigment layer within, with 

 vitreous and aqueous humours, and even a crystalline 

 lens for the condensation of the rays of light. Minute 

 these parts are, to be sure, but not less exquisitely 

 finished for that. Indeed, the more skill they require 

 in the demonstrator, the more they reflect the inimit- 

 able skill of the Creator. Swammerdam, the Dutch 

 physiologist, who so beautifully showed the structure of 

 the snail's eye, seems to have feared the doubts of his 

 conclusions that would ensue from the difficulty of re- 

 peating his investigations. " But who will credit this ?" 

 he says; "for does it not seem impossible that on a 

 point not larger than the nib of the pen with which I 

 write, such exquisite art and so many miracles should 

 be displayed ?" 



Now, leaving the animal, though we might devote a 

 few moments to the admiration of its rich colours, 

 adorned as is its deep yellow hue with lines and clouds 

 of deeper brown, let us look at the shell, the solid house 

 of stone, which our friend Trochus has himself built up 



