THE BATTLE OF THE REPTILES 



I VIVIDLY remember the well-meaning lady who, 

 after listening for two months to a course of 

 lectures on Natural History at one of our 

 summer resorts, exclaimed, by way of showing 

 her interest and appreciation of the lecturer: 

 "How I would like to go out an hour with you 

 some time and see all these things you have told 

 us about!" 



All in an hour! As if the world of out-of-doors 

 was a great cinema film, and all one had to do 

 was to take a walk with a naturalist and see 

 the whole interesting performance reeled off the 

 screen in an hour! 



Nature is in no hurry to make show of her- 

 self. She works slowly, often infinitely slowly, 

 and the poor misguided souls who are of that 

 same mind as Kipling's monkeys, who wanted 

 to know and do all things " complete in a 

 minute or two," must ever remain disappointed 

 with Nature's deliberation and seeming pro- 

 crastination. 



