"THIS IS THE NOSE" 53 



an evil spirit, an imp of malice and mischief, not 

 Milton's Satan, but the Deil of Burns : 



Whyles ranging, like a roaring lion, 



For prey, a' holes an' corners tryin ; 

 Whyles on the strong-winged tempest flyin, 

 Tirlin the kirks ; 

 Whyles in the human bosom pryin, 



and supposing him to crave possession of a body 

 through which he might get into touch with this 

 material world and express himself in outward 

 forms and motions ; then oh ! how fitly were this 

 bat explained. 



But let us go back to firm ground. If you com- 

 pare a dog's profile with that of a horse you will 

 note at once that the nostrils are in advance of the 

 lips, and have a kind of portal to themselves. This 

 is a distinct advance. The sense of smell has come 

 to the front and pushed aside the lower sense of 

 touch. You will observe, too, that with the growth 

 of the brain the brain-pan has elevated itself above 

 the level of the nose. Through the cat to the 

 monkeys the process proceeds, the forehead advanc- 

 ing, the jaws retreating, and the nostrils leaving the 

 lips, until they finally settle in a detached villa midway 

 between the eyes and the mouth. This is the nose. 

 I do not know the use of it. I cannot fathom the 

 meaning of it. It is a solemn mystery. See the 

 face of an orang-outang. It is a countenance, a sign- 

 board with three distinct lines of writing on it, the 

 eyes, the nose and the mouth. You may not think 



