Concerning Eyes. 199 



some rare instances shows a changeable greenish 

 hue. 



In the remarks accompanying the Report of the 

 Anthropometric Committee of the British Associa- 

 tion for 1881 and 1883, it is said that green eyes are 

 more common than the tables indicate, and that eyes 

 that should properly be called green, owing to the 

 popular prejudice against that term, have been re- 

 corded as grey or some other colour. 



Does any such prejudice exist ? or is it neces- 

 sary to go about with the open manual in our hands 

 to know a green eye when we see one ? No doubt 

 the " popular prejudice" is supposed to have its 

 origin in Shakespeare's description of jealousy as a 

 green-eyed monster; but if Shakespeare has any 

 great weight with the popular mind, the prejudice 

 ought to be the other way, since he is one of those 

 who sing the splendours of the green eye. 



Thus in Romeo and Juliet : 



The eagle, madam, 



Hath not so green, so quick, so fair an eye 

 As Paris hath. 



The lines are, however, nonsense, as green- 

 eyed eagles have no existence ; and perhaps the 

 question of the popular prejudice is not worth 

 arguing about. 



Once only in my long years' quest after green 

 eyes, during which I have sometimes walked miles 

 along a crowded thoroughfare seeing the orbs of 

 every person that passed me, was T led to think that 

 my reward had come at last. On taking my seat 



