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No. XC.—NATURAL FORMS. By Col. LANE FOX. 
In the infancy of the arts mankind must have availed them¬ 
selves of the natural forms of the objects met with; and as the 
process of adapting and modifying them to their wants has been 
slow and continuous, traces of the forms of nature have been 
preserved in those arts which are indigenous and have remained 
isolated. When, on the other hand, they have been derived 
from civilized races, or have degenerated from a more advanced 
state, the more complex forms of the higher civilization become 
conventionalized, and are frequently retained in an altered con¬ 
dition after the knowledge of their original uses has been lost. 
It is desirable, therefore, to pay attention to the forms of the 
objects constructed by savages, with the view of ascertaining 
to what extent they approximate to the natural forms of the 
materials employed, and to note those objects in which the 
natural forms have been little or not at all changed. 
1. Do the clubs and other weapons approximate to the na¬ 
tural forms of the stems, roots, or branches of trees ? 2. Are the 
curves the natural curves of the branches ? and do they follow the 
grain of the wood ? 3. Are the natural forms of stones em¬ 
ployed as hammers, mace-heads, or for other purposes P 4. Are 
gourds, shell-fruit, sea-shells, human or other skulls employed 
as drinking-vessels ? 5. Are the forms of these closely imitated 
in pottery? 6. Are gourds, reeds, bones, skulls, sinews, and 
root-fibres employed in musical instruments ? 7. Are the skins 
of animals or bark of trees much altered in clothing ? 8. Are 
the skins of animals flayed off the body with only one incision 
employed as water-vessels, bagpipes, pouches, or bellows ? 
9. Are the head-skins of animals, with the ears and mane, em¬ 
ployed as head-dresses, or the skins of horned or prickled 
fish ? 10. Are any of them copied in artificial head-dresses ? 
11. For what purposes is the bamboo used—tubes, drinking- 
vessels, baskets, rings, &c. ? 12. Are shells, teeth, claws, seeds, 
bones, beetles’ wings, vertebrae of snakes, and other natural 
objects employed as personal ornaments ? 13. Are any of these 
copied in metal for the same purpose ? if so, give drawings of 
them. 14. Are the defences of animals employed in artificial 
defences—tusks or horns as spears ? sawfish-blades as swords P 
teeth, claws, split reeds, or blade of the sting-ray as arrow- 
points ? crocodiles’ backs as breast-plates or shields ? scales of 
the pangolin as scale-armour ? 15. Are any of these copied in 
metal ? if so, give drawings. 16. Are the thorns or spines of 
trees employed as barbs, awls, pins, needles, or for other 
