JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. 43 



original condition. In the northeastern part of Siberia there grows 

 a somewhat rare mushroom, an average specimen of which, by 

 means of an exceedingly peculiar and disgusting process, is capable 

 of producing intoxication in all the members of a large family. 

 Still, even in this case, it may be that the fungus is in a decayed 

 state before it is eaten, so that it may be wrong to speak of it as 

 being in its original or fresh condition. 



Closely related to intoxicants are narcotics, and it would be 

 hard to say which has claim to priority in use. Neither is it easy to 

 divine why savages or any one else ever thought of such a ridiculous 

 and apparently wholly unnatural process as that of smoking. 



Perhaps they first chewed or snuffed the material, and the use 

 of pipes may have been an after-thought for religious purposes, 

 enabling the smoke to be whiffed as an offering to the cardinal 

 points and to the sky. On any supposition the habit of smoking is 

 purely a savage one ; and although, so far as we are aware, our for- 

 bears knew of no such practice, it is amazing how kindly many of 

 them took to the use of tobacco, quite as much so, indeed, as the 

 Indian took to rum. In both cases it may have been that long 

 dormant instincts were awakened. Who can say? 



We all understand what is meant by savage finery, but do not 

 we ourselves show some atavism in this respect? Do we not 

 really enjoy a display of " fuss and feathers " ? We do not pierce 

 our noses and lips for rings, nor tattoo our faces, because it would 

 be inconvenient so to do ; but whenever a ring can be worn to 

 advantage, whenever a chain of the precious metal can be displayed, 

 wherever we can attach feathers, ribbons, tinsel or gew-gaws of any 

 kind, we make the best possible use of our opportunities. 



Members of the sterner sex may deny that there is any ten- 

 dency on their part to go very far in this direction, but it would 

 seem pretty plain that we are all, to a great extent, what are known 

 as the " slaves of fashion ;" that in this, as in so many other respects, 

 we are " A' John Tamson's bairns," for if we but give the male 

 portion of the community a chance to figure in the procession of 

 some secret society, or in the ranks of a military display, at some 

 high-class ball or levee, or in a grand civic demonstration, we find 

 the '' lords of creation " adorned in " full fig " with aprons, sashes, 

 belts, gold lace, medals, badges and other regalia, in which they 



