seemed that awful no-speed of dreams, stronger than all terror, strongest of all when one is agonized with an imaginary human feelings. What would you, my. need for haste or flight, and is yet ridden reader, say if you were knocked up at by the inexorable nightmare at a snail's midnight by a gentleman with a scared pace. I was very warm in front, but look and an incoherent story of a speccold chills shivered down my spine. tre? Would you not take the strongest The distance still to be traversed seemed horsewhip, unchain Pincher, and (while interminable and hopeless. What with your spouse's eloquence flowed "sweeter the darkness, and what with the dire than honey" from her chamber-window, necessity of turning my head every mo- and all your children screamed in their ment to look backwards, I walked a cots) go forth to drive the intruder from dreadfully zigzag course. The footsteps your curtilage? Of course you would. I never ceased to hear; regular when Would you not tell the distressed supplimine were regular, irregular when mine ant to go to him from whom and from were irregular. Again and again I called, whose emissaries and shadowy liegemen but no response ever came. Once, in a he was seeking deliverance? Of course fit of desperation, I stopped, flung my you would. If you happened to know the arms about, stamped violently, and shoo'd disturber of your peace, would you not with all my might, like one attempting reproach him the next morning, hint at to frighten away intruding cats or birds. soda-water, and generally wonder at him? When I had made this silly demonstra- Of course you would. And if you betion, there was first a pause, and then the footsteps disdainfully and slowly danced round me in a half-circle, from right to left and back again. When I proceeded, they followed, as they had done, directly behind.

lieved his story-what then? Hospitality has its limits. Could you be expected to open your door to a friend who might be arm-in-arm with "the Black Man," as Matthew Hopkins would have called him? Human sympathy does not Walking in this way I came to a part extend to helping one's fellow-creatures of the road where it became a little wider, against the supernatural. I question if and also, there being fewer trees to over- the most tender-hearted, stanch, and shadow it, a little lighter. Now for the chivalrous man that ever lived would not first time I saw something. In one of have left St. Dunstan and his opponent my terrified backward glances I saw that to "have it out." And the house, at the the footsteps were accompanied by a portal of which you implored aid, might globular apparition. It seemed about a be tenanted by none but lonely women. foot in diameter, and of a dusky grey col- When the female body is wrapt in night our. This dim, undefined ball of misty attire, and the female head is coroneted hue moved with the footsteps, but not, with curl-papers, the female mind is apt as far as I could distinguish, having any to dwell on water-jugs and kitchenother connection with them. On the pokers. A Niobe in a night-cap, at any contrary, it moved through the air at the moment between midnight and sunrise, distance of about a yard from the ground, has a concentrated power of squealing as if self-supported. I say "moved," which one durst not even think of. Nor because I could just discern a sort of un- could the most frightful apparition exdulatory rise and fall, and because I cuse an Englishman for seeking the procould not but notice that the interval tection of a woman. Forbid it, memories between me and it was never diminished of Cressy and Poictiers! And yet I by my greatest efforts. The airy phan- would confine my valour to proper limits. tom neither approached nor receded. I would not for the world imply that Soon after I saw this apparition, I also heard something I had not heard before. It was a rustling noise, repeated once or twice, and most like a quick shudder passing through stiff drapery. If any doubt remained, if any accession of terror was possible, that doubt now fled, that accession of terror now came.

It occurs to me that some reader may ask why in the name of fortune or misfortune, there being houses on both sides of the street, I did not seek shelter and protection. Pride, my dear reader, pride,

memories of Cressy and Poictiers should rob any Englishman of his prerogative of being frightened at a ghost; especially in these modern days, when it has become most necessary to insist on that prerogative. Our "fathers of war-proof" were frightened, and they believed in ghosts; much more ought we, on every principle of common sense, to be frightened we, who do not believe in them. I cherish (as a pleasant inward protest against the Positivism of the age) the conviction that, if a ghost of the com

monest turnip-headed, saucer-eyed de- [upon a party of devotees seated round a

scription could be turned loose in the meeting-room of the Royal Society, we should see the extremest extremity of terror which human countenances are capable of expressing. I ought, how-hear and see, I felt with a thrill of conever, in honesty to add that memories of Cressy and Poictiers did not occur to me much on this occasion; but I did not seek shelter.

fire, and even at that late hour in full tide of song. How it was that I had not heard them before, nor seen the reflection of their fire, I cannot say ; but when I did viction that the Zulu is indeed "a man and a brother." They were a party of six or seven. One or two were Hottentot waggon-drivers, and the rest Kafirs. Every man was busy unburdening his

I had walked perhaps two-thirds of the distance when I became aware of the ap-soul without "remorse or mitigation of parition, and how I got over the remaining ground I can hardly tell. I did not dare to run. I felt that, if I ran, all selfcontrol, all resisting power of will would be gone. I had a sort of suspicion that, if I even appeared to hurry, I should be overpowered by some force which could only be kept in check by the exercise of a defiant volition.

voice; "and the joint effect was something like what might be produced by the butcher, the sweep, the milkman, and the watercress-seller, all shouting the cries of their respective trades down one area in one breath. But I was in no humour for musical criticism. As soon as I saw the absorbed group I jumped across the sluyt and rushed towards those dusky brethren. As I got within the light of their fire I turned round.

I was now within a very short distance of my hotel - not more than three or four hundred yards away. But I had a Out of the darkness there stalked solforeboding that I should never reach itemnly, with a grave and self-possessed before another phase of the horror was disclosed. The thing was growing on me. Some dénouement must come. It did come.

air, a large crane; not one of the ordinary species, such as is seen in Europe, but the great gaunt "Kafir crane," as he is called in Africa I know not his scienI had by this time arrived at a large tific name which is at least twice as building, used as a Kafir chapel by those large. He did not seem in the smallest natives who had been brought by various degree abashed, nor was he disconcerted. civilizing agencies to wear trousers and If anything was discernible in his bearsing hymns. What other goal of learning, it was, perhaps, a little conceit, as ing was before them I cannot say; but I am in a position to state that, at this particular period, a respectable number of Zulus had renounced the error of bare legs, and had taken to sing hymns with much fervour and perseverance. I do not think they were particular about words any words which were not downright swearing did for them-and I am sure they were not particular about tune. In his unenlightened state, the Kafir will sit for hours chanting a kind of plain-song, and accompanying himself with a barbarous tum-tiddy-tum produced from a stringed instrument like a bow. When his mind is enlarged by instruction, he puts on trousers, and sings his plainsong to a form of words in which references to the assegai, the knob-kerry (or Kafir club), and the blood of his foes, are only introduced when the singer is carried away by the violence of his emotions. His "doxy" may be described as that of the Indians of South America, mentioned by Humboldt, who are said to be baxa la campana · as paganism vibrating with the tinkle of a church-bell. Turning the corner of the chapel I came

though he felt that he had done a clever thing in keeping pace with me so long; but I cannot say that he displayed much emotion of any kind. As I came to the fire he walked up to my side, holding his head absurdly far back, though he gave one or two drives or ducks forward with his long neck, as if saluting the company. He then stood still, rubbed his beak a few times against his legs, and regarded the Kafirs with great contempt, evidently not thinking much of their hymnology. Meanwhile the Kafirs looked at me and also at the crane, which they knew quite well. I tried to mutter that I wanted a light for my pipe, but something in the nervous haste of my manner gave them an inkling of the truth, for they all with one accord rolled over on their backs in agonies of laughter, and I was derided by sets of black toes in ecstasies; and therefore I withdrew with that dignity one of the higher Aryan race can always assume, and sought my hotel, still accompanied by the mimetic crane. When I reached the door of the hotel, I grieve to say that in sudden wrath I shied a stone at the crane, who went off again into the

darkness with a hop and a skip of offended pertness and a flourish of his feathers, much as an ancient dame of quality might trot over a muddy street holding up and shaking out her flounces.

From The Geographical Magazine. ON HUMAN AGENCY IN THE DISPERSION

OF PLANTS.

North and South America, have presented themselves, including some new species, the native land of which is yet unknown. Near Louviers M. Bocquillon gathered out of Australian wool a great quantity of the fruits of leguminosa, which produced under his care numerous plants. In every woollen factory, in the wool-cleaning rooms, heaps of the fruits some cases these are sold to the farmers of plants may be seen lying, and as in as manure, numerous foreign weeds may MAN has, perhaps more than any other spring up in their fields. Planchon has, agency, helped to carry the plants of one however, shown that though those seeds region to another, and to confound the brought in wool to Montpellier gave a original distribution of species. Wher- varying character to the flora of the ever he goes he carries the seeds of neighbourhood, yet only six species plants with him-the merchant in the seem fairly naturalized and common. packing of his goods, the colonist with Mr. Gilbert Stuart has more recently his household gods, and, more directly, observed similar facts regarding the viamong his cultivated grains, and the cinity of Galashiels, where there are exmarch of his armies over the world might tensive wool washing and drying works. be traced by the plants which have Among others, he found naturalized on sprung up in their tracks. The most the banks of the Tweed and the Gala the carefully cleaned grain will contain the following species, some of which are rare seeds of the weeds which have grown even in England, some new to Scotland, along with it, and which, like "ill weeds while others are entire strangers to Britwhich spring apace," propagate rapidly ain: - Camelina sativa, Lepidium rudeuntil they gain a footing, and either main- rale, Saponaria officinalis, Silene angeltain it, or, in many cases, maintain it to ica, Medicago masculata, M. denticulata, the prejudice of the indigenous flora: Lathyrum hypssopifolium, Polycarpon The seaman brings plants in his ballast tetraphyllum, Daucus gummifer, Cacaulis from every distant land- the climate of ducoides, Erigeron acris, Centaurea solwhich is often similar to that of the land stitialis, Xanthium spinosum, Amaranon which he shoots it to make room for thus Blitum, Chenopodium murale, Setahis merchandise, and accordingly every ria viridis, Apera Spicaventa, Polypogon botanist knows that there are numerous monspeliensis, &c. Altogether more than foreign plants to be looked for in any forty species were found. Plants will locality where ships are in the habit of escape from botanic gardens and get discharging their ballast. Since the ex- scattered all over Europe. In Linnæus's tensive introduction of foreign wools, in day the fleabane or Canada thistle the vicinity of localities where this wool (Erigeron Canadensis) had been scarcely is washed and bleached many plants of a century in the Jardin des Plantes at the wool-growing countries have sprung Paris before it was carried by the winds up. De Candolle noticed this long ago over France, the British Islands, Italy, in the vicinity of Montpellier, and men- Sicily, Holland, and Germany. The tioned that in his time there was scarcely same observation might be made regarda year in which foreign plants were not ing various species of Mimulus espeto be found naturalized in a wool-drying cially M. luteus, which was introduced ground (Porte Juvenal) in the vicinity of from North-west America, by David that city. Among these naturalized Douglas, not forty years ago, and is now plants are Centaurea parviflora, Psora- scattered over the British Islands from lea palæstina, and Hypericum crispum. Cornwall to the Orkneys, where I have Since De Candolle's day various bota- picked it to all appearance (had the Dists have successively kept note of what contrary not been known) wild. Similar plants sprung up, until now the list instances could be multiplied to almost reaches the surprising number of 438-any extent, but the bearing of the forethe species mostly belonging to the Eu-going is self-evident. When we consider ropean coasts of the Mediterranean, whence most of the wool comes. However, representatives from Algiers, Morocco, Syria, Egypt, Asia Minor,

La Vie des Plantes, p. 269.

t Trans. Bot. Soc., Edin., vol. x., p. 170.
Amanitates Academica, vol. ii., p. 409.

how recently the flora of Europe has over sixty species of plants. Its flora been carefully studied, we may imagine now comprises 750 species, though allowhow many plants crept in from other ance must be made for the more minute countries without being remarked, and search of later times. These plants were are now ranked as indigenous species. introduced with seeds, &c. A collection The same intermixture is going on in of the weeds of Upper Egypt, and the countries the flora of which is imperfect- gardens of the Bosphorus, were found to ly known. In hot and ill-cultivated be identical with those growing under countries such naturalizations take place the same conditions in New England. more easily. For instance, Wildenow The change from one locality to another mentions that Chenopodium ambrosioides, is affected by a thousand circumstances. sown by Mr. Burchell on a point of St. The herbs, which form so important a Helena, multiplied in four years to such part of the materia medica of the Eastern an extent as to become one of the com-States of America, spring up along the monest weeds in the island. The feather-prairie-path just opened by the caravan like seeds of Asclepias carasavica, intro- of the settler. The herbarium of the duced from Otaheite into New Caledonia botanist may accidentally sow seeds at as the stuffing of a lobster, have now the foot of the Himalayas, or on the multiplied that plant to such an extent as plains that skirt the Alps. The straw to cause serious uneasiness to agricultu- and grass employed in packing the sculprists. In the same island the common tures of Thorwaldsen were scattered in couch-grass, introduced a few years ago the courtyard of the Museum at Copenfrom Sydney, whence it came from Eu-hagen, where they were deposited, and rope in the packing of some goods, has next year there sprang up no less than now sprung up in such abundance as to twenty-five species of plants belonging be rapidly killing the native grasses. to the Roman campagna. The thorn-apple (Datura Stramonium), a How armies help to scatter plants is plant of the East Indies and Abyssinia, shown by the fact that in the campaign more than a century ago had spread as a of 1814, the Russian troops brought, in naturalized plant through every country the stuffing of their saddles, seeds from in Europe, except Sweden, Lapland, and the banks of the Dnieper and the Don to Norway, through the aid of gipsy quacks, the valley of the Rhone, and even introwho used the seed as antispasmodics or duced the plants of the steppes into the frequently applied them to more ques- environs of Paris. The Turkish army in tionable uses. The same plant is widely their incursions into Europe brought spread over the United States. To such eastern vegetables in their train, and left an extent has this gone on in certain the seeds of Oriental plants to bloom on countries, that in the Cape of Good the ramparts of Buda and Vienna. LeHope, for example, there are more nat-pidium Draba -a plant of Central and uralized introduced species than all the Southern Europe, and temperate Russian native ones put together. Finally, I am Asia was introduced into England in informed by Professor Archer, of Ed- 1809 by the returned troops from the disinburgh, if further proof of the agency astrous Walcheren expedition. Many of of man was necessary, that Enothera the troops disembarked at Ramsgate, and biennis, originally introduced from Amer- the straw of their mattresses was thrown ica in ballast, is spreading all over Eu- into an old chalk-pit belonging to a Mr. rope, forming a beautiful addition to the Thompson, from whom the weed, now European flora. troublesome and spread over many parts In the United States it is a finable of the Isle of Thanet, was long known to offence to permit the Canada thistle to the country people as Thompson's perfect its seeds. In Denmark the same weed." In 1872 the attention of the law prevails in reference to the corn French Academy of Sciences was called marigold and the common thistle. In by M. de Vibraye to the fact that numerthe early history of Scotland whoever ous plants, chiefly from Algeria, and other "poisoned the king's landes with weeds, parts of the Mediterranean coast, which introducing thereby a host of enemies, " had been used for forage by cavalry and was denounced as a traitor. In Ireland, artillery horses, from beyond the sea, Canada (including British Columbia), and employed in the Franco-Germanic war, Australia, similar laws are in force in had sprung up on the fields of camp and reference to the eradication of thistles. other ground occupied by the armies. In St. Helena-at the time of its dis- These plants, though from warmer councovery in 1501-there were not found tries, were getting rapidly naturalized,

- This

the range and development of species.

and flourished vigorously even in the the introduction of species which retard most barren spots, transforming them- the growth of either the indigenous or selves into natural meadows. In the other colonial species introduced by vicinity of Strasbourg, M. Buchinger him.* found, on examining bundles of hay The Struggle for Existence. served out to some cavalry horses, in phrase of Mr. Darwin's has got. familiarAugust 1870, eighty-four species of plants ized to an extent that few scientific terms belonging to Algeria. On examining the have reached. We have long known that meadows in the following spring two in the thickly populated human commuexotic centaureas were discovered, and nities there is really a struggle for existsubsequent investigation showed that ence, but there is another struggle more many more were continually springing ancient, dating from the first appearance up. Most imported species were found of created beings on earth, and which in the department of the Loire and Cher, has been raging ever since with a furor and along the right bank of the Loiret, more or less keen than that with which the old racecourse of Blois, and other unhappily (?) we of the newer creation places frequently occupied by troops. have been too long acquainted. An apIn March, 1872, young plants had sprung preciation of the nature and extent of this up near Blois and Orleans, on barren struggle lies at the bottom of a right sands, where from time immemorial noth- understanding of the laws which regulate ing had grown but a few stunted weeds. Altogether, up to the date of M. de Vibraye's communication, no less than 157 introduced species have sprung up, these including fifty-two leguminosa, twentyeight graminacea, twenty-eight composite, eight crucifera, eight malvacea, and a smaller number of representatives from various other orders. On the coast of Mekran the date-palm is common, but in the interior it is confined to certain lines of country, and the local tradition is that the palms along the lines in the interior of the country sprang up trom the stones dropped by Alexander the Great's soldiers on their return from India. In like manner the rib-grass (Plantago) used to be known among the New England Indians as the "Englishman's foot," and in Oregon, Oxalis Acetosella (the wood sorrel), which has now spread over all the cultivated districts, used to be known as the "Hudson's Bay weed," the commercial company of that name being credited (?) with its introduction in seed wheat. The nettle is also a constant accompaniment of man in his migrations from Europe over the world.

Duchartre an eminent French botanist-has very piquantly remarked that the vegetable world presents the spectacle of a struggle going on at every place, and everywhere at the same time. No sooner does a plant take possession of a vacant spot than it is opposed by another invader; and in the case of social plants, the new arrivals take hold of the district to the ousting of all others a flora poor in species thus occupying the place which might otherwise have been occupied by a rich one. In the struggle the most vigorous wins. Not only herbaceous, but woody plants, shrubs, and trees, are subjected to the competition for growingroom and existence. We are, however, more familiar with it in the case of herbaceous plants. Linnæus calculated that if an annual plant produced two seeds, which shall arrive at perfection (and no plant produces so few), and these in turn perfect each two, and so on in geometrical ratio, at the end of twenty years the descendants from the original plant would be a million of individuals. It is reckoned that a single plant of groundsel A mere accident will determine the in- (Senecio) may produce 6500 seeds, one of troduction of a species. The Canada chickweed (Stellaria) 5000, and one of thistle is said to have sprung up in shepherd's-purse (Capsella) 4500. DarEurope from a seed dropped two hundred win † calculates that a single plant of an years ago from the stuffed skin of a bird. orchid-Cephalanthera grandifloraIt is now one of the most common weeds. It must, however, be remembered that man, if he assists in spreading species, also most materially assists in circumscribing the area of others by changes in the physical geography of a country, or

produces 24,000 seeds, and the common Orchis maculata the prodigious amount of 186,300; so that, in ordinary geomet-. rical increase (did not the " struggle for existence" intervene) the great grand

In the Appendix to Pickering's Races of Man, a list of the plants introduced into several countries is Fertilization of Orchids, pp. 344-45

* Bartle Frere, Proc. Roy. Geog. Soc., vol. xvi. given. (1872), p. 22.