THE BIOLOGY OF DAILY LIFE. 121 



tribe of baking-powders and self-raisers (which raise 

 themselves and their inventors or vendors, at the 

 expense of a foolish and suffering public), the nauseous 

 alkali betrays itself at once, in a flavour suggestive of 

 Dead-sea water, or the more familiar savour of a 

 badly washed pocket-handkerchief. 



Again the taste for flavours of disease and corruption, 

 such as for the long-killed pheasant, the high venison, 

 and even the idyllized pate de foie gras, simply vanishes 

 of its own accord. 



It is curious how Nature takes up this matter quite 

 independently of reason. Of course no man of sense 

 would care to pay too dear for the enjoyments of his 

 palate ; yet the writer knows of one poor man who 

 would, and he fears does, pay any price for the truffle, 

 and yet utterly despises the u goose's enlarged liver," 

 and, unlike Virro in Juvenal's Satire,* would not care 

 to have one set before him were it as large as the 

 goose, and that as big a goose as himself. 



Nay, he is a very Alledius in this matter, and I 



* The lines referred to are as follows, Juv. Sat. v. 113. : 

 " Anseris aBte ipsum magni jecur, anseribus par 

 Altilis, et flavi dignus ferro Meleagri 

 Fumat arper : post hunc raduntur tubera si ver 

 Tune erit, et facient optata tonitrua ccenas 

 Majores : tibi habe frumentum, Alledius inquit 

 O Libya, disjunge boves, dum tubera mittas. 



Madan translates literally if not very intelligibly ; " Before 

 himself [Virro] is placed the liver of a great goose, equal 

 to geese, a crammed fowl, and worthy the spear of a yellow 

 (haired) Meleager, smokes a boar ; after him truffles are scraped 

 if then it be spring, and wished-for thunders make suppers 

 greater : ' Have thy corn to thyself,' says Alledius, ' O Libya, 

 unyoke your oxen, while you will send truffles.' 



