The Clythrae 



its plumage, the furry beast of its coat, the 

 reptile of its scales, the Snail of his shell, 

 the Ground-beetle of his jerkin. They dis- 

 play no ingenuity with the object of securing 

 protection from the inclemencies of the at- 

 mosphere. Hair, down, scales, mother-of- 

 pearl and other items of the animal's appa- 

 rel: these are all produced of their own 

 accord, on an automatic loom. 



Man, for his part, is naked; and the se- 

 verities of the climate oblige him to wear an 

 artificial skin to protect his own. This pover- 

 ty has given rise to one of our most attrac- 

 tive industries. 



He invented clothing who, shivering with 

 cold, first thought of flaying the Bear and 

 covering his shoulders with the brute's hide. 

 In a distant future this primitive cloak was 

 gradually to be replaced by cloth, the pro- 

 duct of our industry. But under a mild sky 

 the traditional fig-leaf, the screen of modesty, 

 was for a long while sufficient. Among peo- 

 ples remote from civilization, it still suffices 

 in our day, together with its ornamental com- 

 plement, the fish-bone through the cartilage 

 of the nose, the red feather in the hair, the 

 string round the loins. We must not forget 

 the smear of rancid butter, which serves to 

 keep off the Mosquito and reminds us of the 



447 



