4 GLAUCUS ; OK, 



Perhaps you smile in answer, at the notion 

 of becoming a " Naturalist " : and yet you can- 

 not deny that there must be a fascination in 

 the study of natural history, though what it is 

 is as yet unknown to you. Your daughters, 

 perhaps, have been seized with the prevailing 

 " Ptei'idomania," and are collecting and buying 

 ferns, with Ward's cases wherein to keep them, 

 (for which you have to pay,) and wrangling over 

 unpronounceable names of species, (which seem 

 to be diflercnt in each ncAv Fern-book that they 

 buy,) till the Pteridomania seems to you some- 

 what of a bore : and yet you cannot deny that 

 they find an enjoyment in it, and are more active, 

 more cheerful, more self-forgetful pver it, than 

 they would have been over novels and gossip, 

 crochet and Berlin-wool. At least you will 

 confess that the abomination ef " Fancy work," 

 that standing cloak for dreamy idleness, (not 

 to mention the injury which it does to poor 

 starving needlewomen,) has all but vanished 

 from your drawing-room since the " Lady-ferns " 

 and " Venus's hair " appeared ; and that you 

 could not help yourself looking now and then 

 at the said " Venus's hair," and agreeing that 

 nature's real beauties were somewhat suj)erior 



