VIII 



THE SHAPES AND SIZES OF 

 ANIMALS 



IT may, I believe, be laid down as a general rule, 

 that when a man deliberately selects a particular 

 subject for conversation or for more serious 

 consideration, his choice is made, consciously or 

 unconsciously, for one of the following reasons. 

 Either it is because he has himself paid attention 

 to the subject, and has something to say about it 

 which he thinks will be novel or at any rate 

 interesting to his hearers ; or it is because he is 

 addressing others better instructed in the subject 

 than himself, whose opinions he is desirous to 

 obtain; or finally, it may be that he introduces 

 the subject with the express though probably 

 unavowed purpose of finding out what his own 

 opinions are about it. 



I confess at once that it is this last motive that 

 has determined my choice of a theme for the 

 Presidential Address, and I make no apology 

 for this. It must have happened many times 



