328 COLI.OQUIA ENTOMOLOGICA. 



to join the cavalcade, which I was not backward in accepting, 

 as you may suppose. 



Ent. Tell us all about it. 



Rus. The first thing is the finding of the bears, and this 

 is managed by fellows that go out two or three days before- 

 hand, or else the Emperor and all his cavalcade might be frozen 

 to blocks of ice before they would see the shaggy hide of a 

 single bruin. These finders, six or eight in number, are 

 mounted and armed ; and no sooner had I heard about their 

 oflice than I fixed to be one of the company. The Emperor 

 heard of my valiant resolution, and most courteously sent his 

 messenger to examine my equipments and garniture. The 

 messenger made his observations, took notes, bowed, and de- 

 parted, as I thought, quite satisfied that my appointments 

 were perfect. I was mistaken: in about two hours he re- 

 turned with a peasant leading a horse, and carrying a whole 

 tout of paraphernalia. The horse was a perfect picture, 

 bigger than our Shelties and rather less than our stocky Welsh 

 breed, and much stiffer than either ; the hair all over his body 

 was at least six inches long, rough, and slightly curly, in fact 

 he was as much like a bear as a horse, and I have no doubt 

 the natural orders Ursites and Eqidtes, meet each other in 

 the natural system ; the animal in question, Ursokles Cossa- 

 cus, Lin., being osculant between them. 



Erro. Moffy, you keep on fidgetting the poker and tongs 

 with your toe, — don't make that noise, the Doctor's very 

 interesting. 



Rus. I am fond of philosophizing a little. 



Ent, It's nothing to me: it's MacLeay that talks about 

 osculants. 



Erro. To be sure, and natural orders, Ursites. 



Ent. Well, Doctor, what was there besides the horse? 



Rus. Ursites, Equites, Porcites, Vaccites, Ovites, 

 Canites, with Simiites central, among which in the heart's 

 core. Homo. 



Erro. Is not the Doctor pleasant, Moffy? 



Ent. The Doctor is not the only one to deride and criti- 

 cise a system which — 



Rus. Don't stop, man, don't stop, — which they have not 

 brains enough to understand, — out with it. Well, to proceed, 

 there was a light rifle slung on a leathern thong to go over the 



