NATURAL HISTORY. 183 



one in ; besides the cloth or felt would not be 

 thick enough when it was done." 



" How do they stick together then, 'Uncle 

 Philip ?" 



" Why, boys, their sticking together is 

 owing to something in the hairs themselves. 

 I will show you. Pull a hair out of your 

 head ; now hold it just between the ends of 

 your two fore-fingers, and rub the fingers 

 gently against each other." 



" Why, Uncle Philip ! see, the hair is mov- 

 ing towards my body." 



" Very true ; and if you will turn it with 

 the other end towards you, and rub your 

 fingers as before, you will see it move from 

 your body." 



" This is very strange, Uncle Philip : the 

 hair is smooth ; how can my fingers make it 

 move so ?" 



" No, that is a mistake, boys, the hair is 

 not smooth. If some kinds of coarse hair are 

 seen through the microscope, each one will 

 seem to be, not one hair, but ten or twelve 

 smaller ones, which are joined at the root, and 

 form a hollow tube, like a straw ; and some- 

 times it will have joints just like some kinds 

 of grass or straw. In some sorts of finer hair 



