252 



♦ KNOAVLEDGE ♦ 



[Oct. 26, li 



indeed, and a disagreeable husky covering of smarting 

 hairs. ^^fe^ 



Our own English nuts are only exposed to the attacks 

 of extremely small and comparatively harmless mammals, 

 or of inconsiderable native birds ; and, therefore, their 

 defensive tactics liave never been carried any further than 

 in the case of the hedgerow filbert. But in southern 

 climates, and especially in the tropics, nuts are exposed to 

 far larger and more dangerous forestine foes, like the 

 monkeys and parrots, against whose teeth or bills, as we 

 all know, even the .solid shell of a Barcelona cob is abso- 

 lutely no protection. Hence, under these circumstances, 

 only the very hardest or most disagreeable nuts have been 

 able to survive and to grow up in due time into flourishing 

 nut-trees. Sometimes, as in the walnut, the chief pro- 

 tection is afforded by a nauseous outer rind — a 

 system which reaches its climax in the South 

 American cashews, whose pungent juice blisters the skin 

 like a cantharides plaster : sometimes, as in the cocoanut, 

 it is afforded by great thickness and hardness of shell, 

 ■which sets at nought the most persistent endeavours of the 

 hungry aggressor. In the Brazil nut, a number of sharp, 

 angular nuts are crowded together inside a large and hard 

 outside shell, so that even after the monkey has managed 

 to crack the big outer nut, he has still to open all the inside 

 nuts one by one in detail. It is worth while to notice, too, 

 that an exactly similar modification is undergone in the 

 tropics by the stones of stone-fruits, which are really nuts 

 in disguise, covered only by a soft, sweet pulp that entices 

 animals to aid in dispersing them, by dropping the hard 

 seed on to the ground in favourable spots for its growth. 

 In temperate climates the stones are only hard enough to 

 defy squirrels and birds : in tropical countries they are 

 hard enough to defy monkeys and parrots. Compare, for 

 example, tlie English sloe or birdcherry with the peach- 

 stone, and the English haw with the mango or the vege- 

 table ivory. This last nut is one of the oddest in the whole 

 range of nature, for it is here the actual kernel itself tliat 

 grows so hard and horny. Yet even the vegetable ivory, 

 which consists really of very solid starchy cells, softens and 

 yields up its material to the growing plant as soon as the 

 embryo it encloses begins to sprout under the influence of 

 warmth and moisture. 



Erratum. — For the papers on "How to Get Strong," 

 by 2Ii: Thomas Foster," in the note on p. 2.38, read " The 

 papers on ' How to Get Strong,' ' The Morality of Happi- 

 ness,' by Mr. Thomas Foster," etc. 



A Cyprus Snake. — My servant, Anastasi, sat down on 

 the bank to roll a cigarette, and, as he did so, very nearly 

 sat upon a large asp, or kouphia, as the natives call them. 

 It was sluggishly moving away, when Anastasi jumped up 

 and seizing a thick stick, pursued it. An exciting liattle 

 ensued, the kouphia making rapid darts at its assailant, 

 and each dart being parried by a dexterous clip from the 

 stick. At last it turned tail, and then got the finishing 

 touch in a heavy blow, which sorely bruised the serpent's 

 head. It was not measured, no accurate measure being at 

 hand : but it must have been at least three feet long, and 

 six or seven inches round the thickest part of the body, 

 which is situated about a third of the length from the head. 

 The shape of this third, including the head, is not round in 

 section, but oval on the back and flat underneath. The 

 colour of this asp — if it be an asp — was silvery grey with 

 large black spots. During its fight the whole skin, in- 

 cluding the spots, turned to an ashy grey, but death imme- 

 diately brought back the original colours. As the struggle 

 lasted fully five minutes, there was ample time carefully to 

 observe this change. — Cyprus Herald, Sept. 22, 1883. 



HOW TO GET STRONG.* 



{Continued from page 118.) 



LIKE other subjects, "How to Get Strong," has had 

 to make way for the various items, scraps, and so 

 forth, which it has been thought necessary to reproduce 

 from the records of the British Association meeting. We 

 now return to our subject where it was left at p. 118. "We 

 were there entering on the inquiry how far those in ad- 

 vanced and middle life can desirably practise exercises 

 intended to maintain or increase strength and (what is apt 

 to be more markedly deficient in middle life) suppleness. 

 In passing we would note that this section of our subject 

 will for the most part be found interesting, and we hope 

 useful for those who though neither old nor middle-aged 

 require exercises of the same class. Many young men 

 and men who have not as yet reached or passed the prime 

 of life are yet not able to take very energetic exercise, to 

 run long distances, box, fence, ride far, row many hours 

 at a stretch, or the like, but require such moderate and 

 easy exercises as sviit men in advanced and middle life. 



Just here the question presents itself (it has been re- 

 peatedly asked of us since these papers began) Is it weU 

 for the weak to take active exercise ? Ought not (many 

 ask) weak arms and legs to be left untaxed by systematic 

 exercise 1 Is it wise or even safe for men of weak lungs 

 to attempt running or other exercises which call the lungs 

 into active play ? And many similar questions are asked, 

 in tones implying that those who ask them think the best 

 way to deal with all the weaker muscles and organs of the 

 body, is to employ them as little as possible. 



Nature answers for us such questions as these in a very 

 decided and emphatic manner. Persons who exercise those 

 powers which they possess in large degree and avoid exer- 

 cising those in which they are in greater or less degree 

 deficient, find her rule to be that to the kind of strength 

 they have is added and from that which they want is taken 

 even so much of it as they had possessed. The muscles 

 and organs used grow stronger and more active, those 

 disused grow weaker and less efficient. When therefore a 

 man says, I will not row because my arms and loins are too 

 weak, or I will not run because my lungs are weak and 

 my legs soon tire, he is running directly counter to the 

 teachings of Nature though he may be responding to . 

 her promptings. Nature has an ugly way — sometimes — 

 of eliminating inferior things altogether ; and what is held 

 to be natural, as the disuse of weak muscles, the resting 

 of weak organs, and so forth, is sometimes only a yielding 

 to this way of Nature's, — leading to the deterioration of 

 what is already inferior the weakening of what is already 

 wanting in strength. Her real teaching is clear enough. 

 It simply is, Be specially careful to exercise, but with due 

 watchfulness and moderation, those muscles and organs 

 which are weak : those which are strong will take care of 

 themselves ; you cannot help exercising them. Nor is it an 

 idle assertion that Nature punishes by elimination, when 

 her teachings are overlooked. There are organic diseases, 

 specially liable of course to aflect the weaker, which are 

 best resisted and may be cured by proper exercise of the 

 feel)le organ attacked, but make rapid progress and finally 

 destroy the organism (along with the being to whom it 

 belongs) when it is left simply to rest. 



It is quite true that for weak organs and for weak 

 muscles (which more particularly concern us here), violent 

 exercise may be more directly and quickly mischievous 

 than disuse. For a man with weak lungs, or perhaps in an 

 early stage of some lung-disease, to run at his hardest as 



* 2Voi by Mr. Thomas Fostek. 



