HABITATIONS OF MEN AND MOLLUSCS, 31 



nestling in the skin of this planetary organism, which rolls 

 through space like a ciliated ovum rolling through a drop of 

 water. In flat districts a town looks imposing ; even a single 

 house raises its head with haughtiness. There is nothing 

 around to rival it in height, and from it we may fondly imagine 

 earth our pedestal. But our thoughts are otherwise when we 

 see the house lost on the broad side of a noble hill ; and still 

 more when, from a little distance, we see a number of houses 

 clustered on the side, clinging to it like so many Barnacles 

 clinging to a rock ; we then begin to think of our family 

 resemblance to all other building, burrowing, house-appropri- 

 ating animals. In vain does our pride rebel at the thought 

 of consanguinity with a mollusc ; the difference between 

 Brown, with the house he built, and Buccinum, with the 

 shell he secreted, lies in the number of steps or phenomena 

 interposed between the fact of individual existence, and the 

 completion of the building. Brown is aghast at the sugges- 

 tion, and says he hates metaphysics. This much he will 

 perhaps admit, namely, that whatever other advantages our 

 habitations may have over those of insects and molluscs, it is 

 clear they have not the advantage in architectural beauty 

 subservient to utility. Consider man from a distance — look 

 at him as a shell-fish — and it must be confessed that his 

 habitation is surprisingly ugly. Only after a great many 

 intermediate " steps or phenomena " does he contrive to 

 secrete here and there a Palace or a Parthenon which en- 

 chants the eye. 



While thus moralising we have reached our lodgings, and 

 another work begins. Our treasures must be displayed, 



