LIKES AND DISLIKES. 



365 



into which plastic clay and silica have been moulded, are replete with 

 instruction. For the resemblances which at first seemed to assimilate 

 classes and genera do, in fact, strengthen divisional lines and iiicrease 

 the value of species." 



Perhaps the future attempts which our enthusias^tic contributor 

 may make to solve the mystery of the Origin of Species, may be ma- 

 terially aided through the means of a handful of London mud. Per- 

 haps even oyster-grottos or card-houses may have their deep mystic 

 significations on the problem, and give the " stamp of verity and 

 truth " to the " tracings made for the amusement of young natu- 

 ralists." In the meanwhile, to the tender mercies of those zoologists 

 who have worked out the 'Polijzoa we commend the following descrip- 

 tion : — 



"Among the oddest, though at the same time the most graceful, of 

 natm-al patterns, may he reckoned the aggregated cells which make up the 

 homes of those low-class molluscan animals, the Polyzoa-Bryozoa, or moss- 

 corals, as they are commonly called. A liviug mass of this moss-coral, 

 viewed through a microscope, looks like a screen of carven stone-work, 

 with openings where light is needed. Keeping watch at one of these holes, 

 presently we see a tiny beak of transparent jelly peeping through ; and, if 

 the coast is clear, rosy-tipped fingers of the same exquisite material are 

 pushed out, to catch and entangle the floating atoms in the water. Some 

 openings or cell-doors are hooded in rather a comical way, and each one 

 has a living tenant, who at times ' stands at his door in a diamond frill,' 

 and fishes for his dinner. One of these cellules is seen to be hooded like 

 a calceolaria flower ; another uplifts little childlike arms ; a third has per- 

 forated ears and a very mousy look." 



Woy^tlie. cars ofaBryozoon can be perforated — even, if it had any, 

 how it could be mousy — we fail to perceive. To pick a last ex- 

 ample of the many absurdities which still remain, we are told that "the 

 head of a small Clupean fish from the Caribbean Sea presents a re- 

 markable resemblance in facial contour to the present Emperor of the 

 French." Falstafi" compares himself to a " shotten herring ;" but we 

 have too much respect for the Anglo-French alliance to endorse such 

 an " unsavoury simile " in respect to Louis Napoleon. 



AVe like real fun and enjoy real wit as much as anybody, but we 

 dislike to see science " made funny " for the sake of the so-many 

 shillings a column which the proprietor of a magazine pays, in confi- 

 dence of the ability of his contributor to send him good matter. AVe 

 dislike to see science deliberately degraded. 



AVe are sorry to thiidv that 'Likes and Similitudes' emanates 

 from the pen of an author who sometimes dates his lucubrations from 

 the Geological Society. 



