286 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Fug 



often raging around, which would destroy the tender organisa- 

 tion of other plants, beat harmlessly against the flinty coverings 

 of this hardy reed. In striking its roots into the sand, it binds 

 the loose particles together ; and as its sapless-looking tufts rise 

 above the surface, they arrest the stony current as it drifts 

 along, and consolidate it into little mounds. In process of time 

 these are piled up into the well-known hillocks by the growth 

 and decay of countless generations of tufts. Such sandhills are 

 common in various parts of Britain where the coast is low ; 

 but they are seen on a more extensive scale in the rugged 

 11 dunes " which stretch in almost unbroken succession along 

 the shores of Holland. Not only do they intercept the de- 

 vastating progress of the sand, but they likewise form the 

 stoutest bulwark against the encroachments of the sea. BE. 



Protectiveness that Imperils. 



The parents of that sociable bird the turnstone exhibit great 

 attachment to their young, but as is the case with another species, 

 their too great fondness is sometimes the ruin of their offspring, 

 their cries of distress at the approach of an intruder directing 

 attention to them. HL 



Prudence a Natural Instinct. 



Even some of the lower creation possess an instinct which 

 prompts them to provide for their safety when it is threatened 

 by an impending calamity. When that reptile-looking fish, 

 the Lepidosiren of the Gambia, perceives that the waters are 

 falling on the approach of the dry season, and that food is be- 

 coming scarce, it buries itself in the mud, and there awaits in a 

 dormant state the return of the rains. BE. 



Inherent Pugnacity. 



There is no credit due to our citizens who delight in fighting. 

 Their propensity only shows that they have not worked out of 

 them those attributes of the lower animals which Tennyson 

 enjoins them to expel from their bosoms. It should be the 

 glory of manhood to rise above the animals. Nevertheless, 



