ORDER BIMANA, 91 



rarely under five. The female is generally a few- 

 inches lower. 



Puberty is usually manifested by external signs 

 in girls at the age of ten or twelve, and in boys 

 from twelve to sixteen. In warmer climates it 

 commences earlier. Both sexes are usually un- 

 productive previously to the period of this mani- 

 festation. 



Scarcely has the body attained the limit of its 

 height, before it begins to increase in bulk. The 

 fat accumulates in the cellular membrane. Obstruc- 

 tion gradually takes place in the different vessels, 

 the solids grow stiff, and after a life of more or less 

 duration, more or less agitated, more or less painful, 

 old age arrives, and brings in its train infirmity, 

 decay, decrepitude, and death. Few, very few 

 indeed of the human race, pass the limit of a hun- 

 dred years, and myriads perish long before that 

 period, by diseases, by accidents, or even by old 

 age itself. 



The assistance of the mother, in a variety of ways, 

 is indispensible to the infant long after it has ceased 

 to require the nourishment of the breast. An intel- 

 lectual as well as a physical education is necessary, 

 which also originates a durable bond of attachment 

 between the parent and child. The equality of the 

 sexes in number, and the general difficulty of sup- 

 porting more than one wife, point to monogamy as 

 the kind of union most proper and natural for the 

 human species. The father takes a part in the 

 education of his offspring. The length of this edu- 



