270 THE REV. THEODORE WOOD, F.E.S., ON 
death of the sufferer; physical deterioration is prevented ; 
and the standard of the race is maintained. As the natural 
world is constituted, in fact, the so-called cruelty of Nature 
is cruelty only in appearance ; in reality, it is a blessmg and 
a boon. 
The CuHairman (Sir JosepH Farrer, K.C.S.1., F.R.S.).—I am 
sure you will agree with me that we are much indebted to the 
Rev. Mr. Wood for his thoughtful and interesting Paper. The 
subjects of which he has spoken so well have always interested 
me. I have no hesitation in pronouncing the physiology of the 
Paper to be good, and the deductions drawn from his observations 
and researches fair, but I do not quite agree with him when he 
excludes the possibility of pain from the lowest animals. That 
invertebrates do not suffer pain as vertebrates do, I believe. They 
respond to stimuli, but they do not feel as higher animals do. We 
should not feel so intensely if we were not so highly organised, and 
subject to many artificial conditions which are apart from our 
original constitution. As the Author has told us, savage races 
suffer less than others. We ourselves frequently do not feel pain 
when we meet with injuries that are sudden and unexpected. A 
man so injured may scarcely know what has happened to him and 
not feel the effect till afterwards. J have known men wounded by 
a sword thrust who have not been aware of it, and of men 
being shot through the limbs, who felt no pain at the time. 
Speaking of wild animals, not long since I saw an officer who, 
when in India, was anxious to shoot a tiger, and having made his 
arrangements, had a machaun or native bed put up in a tree on 
which to sit at night with his attendants, with a young buffalo 
tied up to attract the tiger. He sat there waiting some time and 
did what is so often done on such occasions—fell asleep. He was 
aroused by one of his men, and saw two tigers coming up to the 
buffalo. He was much excited, and took up his rifle to fire, when 
his man prevented, him, saying ‘‘ Don’t fire yet.’”” Presently he 
fired, and one tiger rolled over. The other disappeared,—the 
wounded tiger rolled down on to lower ground. He was most 
anxious to follow, but his man prevented him. He waited till 
