6 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Adv 



of shelving many metaphysical problems which are incon- 

 veniently baffling. But the fact is, even that would not account 

 for the anomaly altogether in this case. Because there are 

 people who systematically exhibit this anomaly as a settled 

 principle of their procedure. We refer to the Samoiedes (or 

 Samoyedes). They are scattered to the number of about a 

 thousand families along the coasts of the Frozen Sea in the 

 Government of Archangel, and in Siberia in the Governments 

 of Tobolsk and Tomsk. They are heathens, worshipping the 

 sun and moon, the water and the trees; but above all they 

 adore the bear, to whom they pray. Yet they hunt him to death. 

 Howbeit, before they enter upon any expedition against him, so 

 intense is their adoration of him, that they religiously spend 

 time in offering prayers and sacrifices to him. D. 



Our Professional Adventurers. 



The sea-mews, terns, boobies, and cormorants, live princi- 

 pally on fish which they catch for themselves. But the skuas 

 (Stercoraria) incessantly pursue, harass, and beat these species 

 until they have forced them to disgorge and drop their booty. 

 Before the fish falls into the sea it is caught by the active perse- 

 cutors. But these robbers are held in veneration in the Shetland 

 Islands, and the care and protection of the sheep are almost 

 entirely entrusted to them, owing to their possessing an invete- 

 rate hatred against eagles, for as soon as an eagle appears in 

 view, three or four of them combine together to give him battle. 

 They never attack him. in front, but harass him pitilessly until 

 his strength is so reduced that they can completely conquer him, 

 or at least force him to retreat. Here we have what might have 

 been intended as an allegory illustrative of " Our Professional 

 Adventurers." The sea-mews, terns, boobies, and cormorants 

 represent our bill-discounters, accountants, syndicate-mongers, 

 and brokers. The skuas represent the lawyers who perpetually 

 hunt, harass, and rob them of their earnings. These lawyers 

 are not ostracised, but, on the contrary, are, like the skuas, 

 encouraged ; because they are supposed to protect a lamb- like 

 public from the pillage of even greater rogues. Social skuas 

 are deemed preferable to social eagles. RE. 



