THE WONDEES OF THE SHORE. 11 



facts, like cockatrices, basilisks, and krakens, tlie 

 breeding of bees out of a dead ox, and of geese 

 from barnacles ; — or theories, like those of the four 

 elements, the vis plastrix in Nature, animal spirits, 

 and the other musty heirlooms of Aristotleism and 

 Neo-platonism), to try to make a science popular, 

 which as yet was not even a science at all. Honour 

 to them, nevertheless. Honour to Eay and his 

 illustrious contemporaries in Holland and France. 

 Honour to Seba and Aldrovandus ; to Pomet, with 

 his " Historic of Drugges ;" even to the ingenious 

 Don Saltero, and his tavern-museum in Cheyne 

 Walk. Wliere all was chaos, every man was useful 

 who could contribute a single spot of organized 

 standing ground in the shape of a fact or a speci- 

 men. But it is a question whether I^atural History 

 would have ever attained its present honours, had 

 not Geology arisen, to connect every other branch 

 of Natural History with problems as vast and awful 

 as they are captivating to the imagination. Nay, 

 the very opposition with which Geology met was 

 of as great benefit to the sister sciences as to itself 



