2 8o THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



in a church in Prague. 1 ' Linnasus was the first per- 

 son who discovered that this wonder was not a work of 

 nature but of art.' 2 Of course he proclaimed it. The 

 price of the monster at once fell from 750Z. to less than 

 5Z. Carl examined the heads and found in them the jaw- 

 bones of seven weasels. I dare say he crowed and was 

 cock-a-hoop and overbearing like many young scientific 

 men, of whom one prophesies that they will be charm- 

 ing at forty. The youngster never minds where he 

 places his uncomfortable truths, nor whose idol he 

 shatters. The owner of the Hydra, in true mercantile 

 style, had fixed an enormous hypothetical value on the 

 manufactured article. It was pledged to Anders son for 

 the sum of ten thousand marks. The Anderssons were 

 furious, an outcry was raised, and it was insisted on 

 that the calumniator should prove in academical form, 

 in public dispute, that the serpent was not a pheno- 

 menon, or that he should own his error. 3 Dr. Janisch gave 

 Linnaeus the friendly advice to quit Hamburg with all 

 possible speed to avoid litigation. He did so and avoided 

 the discussion, leaving the Hydra master of the field. 

 He often said afterwards, <I had only one friend at 

 Hamburg ; this was Dr. Janisch : he was a true friend 

 to me.' Carl had made the place too hot to hold 

 him during the month he stayed at Hamburg. The 

 poor student could not compete with rich proprietors. 

 The earthen pot would have been smashed to pieces by 

 these heavy brazen pots. His vanity had made him 

 1 Brightwell. 2 Diary. 8 Stoever. 



