162 Timehri. 



stave off hunger. I have lately been informed that Macushis carry a few 

 leaves in their wallets when on journeys or when out hunting, chewing 

 a piece when hungry if a meal is not forthcoming. Every smoker 

 knows that a pipe or a cigarette will have the same effect without the 

 possible nausea of chewing the leaves. The line of development of the use 

 of tobacco was probably through chewing green leaves, then using tobacco 

 water as at puberty, and Peaiman ordeals, to the final stages of smoking 

 as cigars, or in pipes. We may safely state that all habits and instincts 

 that have lasted a long time were once useful, but at the same time such 

 habits may become effete under changed conditions. Other intoxicants 

 probably rose to allay hunger or the consequent faintness. — J.R. 



No Inferior Animals or Men — No Real Pests. — A great deal 

 has been said of man as a superior animal and of some men as inferior to 

 others, but it seems plain that everyone succeeds because it excels in some 

 way. It may be out of place and therefore fail, but under natural condi- 

 tions it could not succeed unless it possessed some quality necessary to 

 success. It is obvious that no real failure could exist for any length of 

 time ; it follows therefore that every living thing survives because it is 

 fitted to do so. A species is made up of individuals, some of which are more 

 advanced than others — the whole is a success when part may fail, but the 

 failures drop out. It follows therefore that nothing is an unmitigated 

 pest in its right place, but may become so under other circumstances. A 

 race of mankind may appear lower than another from a few standpoints, 

 but we can always find something in which it excels. Every species and 

 even every individual that exists to-day remains because of its excellence 

 — it is the head of a line and must be better in some way than its ances- 

 tors. Nothing is stagnant, for antecedents and consequents (really one) 

 accumulate to produce a progressive continuity of every line. By careful 

 study we can find where a species or individual excels and plainly 

 see that nothing is really evil or bad. In studying pests we 

 should try to get right views. Possibly one of the best examples 

 is the wood-ant or termite, a most valuable economic agent in the 

 forests to prepare the dead trees into suitable food for the living. Its 

 work is admirable and yet most people look upon it as an unmitigated 

 pest. It is simply out of place in our houses and like dirt, which has 

 been defined as matter in the wrong place, it has to be excluded. To 

 balance the good against supposed evil is the ideal, but we must always 

 keep in view the fact that nothing realty bad ever could be retained 

 because of the natural checks. Man has already made several uufortu- 

 nate attempts to bring animals and plants out from their natural condi- 

 tions until they become pests, and some of our sanitary officers advocate 

 measures, not always best, which remove nature's agents before some- 

 thing better has been obtained. Suppose we have rotting organic matter 

 and carrion about our houses some of the so-called pests will remove it. 

 Some time ago a careful investigation of the means of destroying rats 

 and mice was made and the conclusion was that so long as food was 

 provided for them in the rubbish bins, eo long we shall have them. The 



