134 THE MICROSCOPE AND ITS LESSONS. 



respect to the diseases to which we ourselves are sub- 

 jected. 



Now, let me show you another of my curiosities, 

 which, had it a tongue, as Shakespeare fancies others of 

 its family have, this is something like the story it would 

 tell us: 



"'What am I,' did you say? Both vegetable and 

 animal. I am a very small portion of a gift from New 

 Zealand, made to my present owner, who is exhibiting 

 my poor remains to you this evening, many years ago. 

 Two of us came over in one ship : this is all that remains 

 of myself. My brother shared a worse fate ; for he suffered 

 death twice, but I only once. Listen ! In the land in 

 which my family live there grows a wild fruit called by 

 the natives Jcumerea, or sweet potato. We feed upon it, 

 and we like it because of its sweetness. One day, while 

 I was busily employed over one of these potatoes, the 

 spore of a fungoid plant, which rejoices in the name of 

 Spliseria Eobertsii, having as great a fancy for my body 

 as I had for the potato, found its way into my stomach 

 with the food I was devouring. That one simple plant 

 made not the slightest difference to me ; I took no notice 

 of it. But from what small beginnings do some fatal end- 

 ings come ! That one invisible thing very quickly gave 

 birth to millions of others, and in a very short time the 

 fleshy matter which came from the potato, and which had 

 accumulated under the integument of my body, ceased to 

 be. This formed a capital nidus for the growth of my 

 enemy, and after that was consumed, all the softer parts 

 were progressively consumed also, or assimilated, all which 

 once formed the vital portions of my body ; and these 

 united and microscopic vegetables, after completely de- 

 stroying my life, and so entirely filling up every nook 

 and cranny under my skin, burst through it at the 



