good time. Lady Gordon was here yester- to examine the process. She evidently day, and everybody is very, very good to me. Mrs. Bald sends me beautifully chosen game, Mrs. Houldsworth grapes and figs such grapes !—and the goodness—and the goodness. My maidens, East and Polly, are as you know them. I hope their mother is coming up to spend Christmas, and I intend and plan that they should have a happy time, please God. had no fear and repeatedly spoke of the In the autumn of 1883, after a visit to her much-valued friend Mrs. Hamilton, of Brent Lodge, Mrs. Stewart had insisted, in spite of her infirmities, upon going to Scotland. Hitherto, she had always travelled third-class, saying it was the one economy she could indulge in without hurting any one else. But this time her loving daughter Christina, and Miss Hamilton, insisted upon going beforehand to engage a Pullman car and have everything ready. When she arrived, she was as much enchanted as a girl of sixteen, shook hands with the caretaker, and completely captivated him; washed her hands at once to try the tap; was enraptured with the fur-"Oh, dear friend," answered Mrs. niture, saying her only trouble was whether to lie on the sofa or sit in the armchair; and then, suddenly, she burst into tears, and flung her arms round her daughter Chrissy, saying, "My dear, you should not make me wish so much to live; surely the angels in Heaven can never take the care of me you do!" Stewart in the sweetest and most touching manner, "could it be possible that I, a poor weak woman, could will anything but what God wills? I love you and I love much in your religion, and I love God; but how can I accept technically what I cannot believe absoluely?" and to this she remained firm against all entreaties, oft-repeated the In January, 1884, the death of her last three days of her life, though, kind son-in-law, James Rogerson of when the same friend offered to pray Wamphray, was a great shock to Mrs. with her, she accepted it gladly with, Stewart in her enfeebled state. Soon" Yes, surely we may pray together, to her weakness increased so much that our common Father." her Hanoverian daughter was sum- On the 16th February, 1884, Mrs. moned from Gmunden and came at Stewart passed peacefully and painonce with her husband and children. lessly into the other life. Her sons The mother was able to have pleasure and daughters were with her and her in this last reunion, and the daughter two faithful servants. Her last words has the unspeakable comfort of having had the power of sharing with her sister in loving ministrations to the last weeks of their mother's life here. Before this, Mrs. Stewart had always seemed to avoid all thought of death, but now, when she saw and accepted that death must be the termination of her illness, she set herself, so to speak, were "Higher, higher," and we may believe that she has reached that higher existence where her thirst for life, not repose, meets its first fruition. Her mortal remains were laid in a grave of flowers at Kensal Green, many faithful hearts mourning, many sad eyes weeping, beside her coffin. East, her maid, to whom she had ever been caressing in thoughts and acts and words, only | The Ornithorhynchus anatinus is only a echoed the unspoken feeling of many few inches long. As to the size of the as to the common round of outer events, when she said simply, “It is so terrible that the omnibuses should still be running, and Mrs. Stewart be gone." But a couplet written by a brother of Mrs. Barbauld might be applied to her, who- From the banquet of Life rose a satisfied guest, Thank'd the Lord of the Feast, and in hope went to rest. From The Saturday Review. A BLIND MARSUPIAL. THE animal kingdom in Australia is a study of perennial interest. The fish are wonderful enough, especially those which seem able to live without water. As for latest discovery among the marsupials we have so far no information. He may be as big as the Diprotodont, or no larger than the duckbill; but on this head Dr. Stirling, who alone has described him, preserves strict silence— why no one can tell. It was reported a little time ago in some of our newspapers that during Lord Kintore's journey across the island - Australians say the continent - from the northern territory, which belongs to South Australia, to Adelaide, a very singular marsupial was discovered. There was very little more about it, and a fully detailed account has been looked for with interest. That account is to be found in the "Transactions" of the Royal Society of South Australia. Dr. Stirling, who accompanied the governor in his long ride, is no doubt an excellent naturalist, and has spared no The strange bright birds on their starry pains in dissecting the strange animal wings, their number is inexhaustible. The parrakeets alone in the Melbourne market on a fine Saturday are worth going all the way to see. So are the birds in the Zoological Gardens at Adelaide, where species never likely to be brought to this country will be found. An excellent and extensive collection of skins is in the Museum. Here, too, the astonished traveller sees the Ornithorhynchus, with its pouch and an egg in the pouch. In the Museum or in the Gardens the visitor could spend many days, comparing one by one all the extraordinary forms of pouched animals with the similar examples of his native land. There is no pouched cow, but it cannot, geologically speaking, be long since a graminivorous marsupial of about the same size ranged the bush. They call it now Nototherium; but, big as it was, another was still bigger, and must have been like an elephant in many ways. This was the magnified wombat, to the skeleton of which in the Cromwell Road we see appended the comparatively brief name of Diprotodont. It really seems sometimes as if the smaller the animal the longer its name. and counting all its teeth and bones; but Dr. Stirling tells his story somehow as if it did not interest him, and was not likely to interest anybody else. His style, moreover, "leaves to desire,' and his meaning is sometimes not very clear. For this and other reasons it must be that the discovery has excited so little notice here. As was remarked above, we are not informed whether the creature is larger or smaller than the Diprotodont; but from the length of its name we are forced to think it is very small. Dr. Stirling calls it Notoryctes typhlops, and proposed at first to call it something nearly as long again, but found he was forestalled, as some presumably still smaller animal already bore that appellation. Dr. Stirling, having named his beast, proceeds to tell us how he encountered him. It seems that he was first observed by a Mr. Bishop at a place almost in the centre of Australia called Idracowra. Subsequently another gentleman, Mr. Benham, forwarded a specimen to Adelaide, where it was received by the learned with much curiosity. Finally, Dr. Stirling, in company with Lord Kintore, passed near Idracowra - how awe. near we do not know; but five or six | blind. "Nature, when she made the hundred miles is near in Australia - face, forgot to dot the eyes." Rudiand Mr. Benham brought a specimen mentary eyeballs may be found, as in or two to meet him, and, what is almost the Adelsberg Proteus, by dissection, as important, brought also a description but they are unconnected with the optic of one which lived a measurable time nerve, which also exists in a rudimenin captivity, but appears to have died tary stage. No other quadruped is of fright in a thunderstorm. Further- known to possess this peculiarity. Othmore, there was an account of one erwise Notoryctes somewhat resembles which burrowed its way underground a mole; but his hair is longer, and with such rapidity as to elude the most sandy in color- a fact which Mr. Bedinstant and careful search. Lastly, the dard may work into the next edition of native name was acquired, Oor-quámata, his book on the colors of animals. and the fact that the creature is re- There is one thing more to be noted garded by the blacks with superstitious about the sand-mole. We have spoken of it as a marsupial. If any one looks at a kangaroo, he can see that the pouch is in front, and, especially when it is occupied, hangs well, and rather loosely, open. Now, if we could imagine that it was the habit of the kangaroo to discard the use of legs, to go about upon that part of its person where the pouch is found, and to use its nose for burrowing into loose sandheaps, it does not require much imagination to show that the pouch must always be scraping up sand, to the great inconvenience of the occupant; but the pouch of the Notoryctes is turned the other way up. The parent mole may scrape along as it pleases, with its horny nose and its digging claws, through all its sandy burrows, and not a grain need enter the pouch. We must hope, before long, to have better accounts, and possibly a specimen or two, of this singular animal. It is well known, of course, that, besides the marsupials with which we are best acquainted, such as the kangaroos and wallabies, Australia boasts of animals which resemble squirrels-some of them very closely; of others which are, both in appearance and morals, very like wolves, but striped like tigers; of bears, which have acquired such a character that they are locally known as d-ls. Other queer forms there be, but the Notoryctes surpasses them all, for he is a marsupial mole. One reason he has not been discovered sooner is that during the greater part of his life he is underground. And this fact also accounts for the most extraordinary feature described by Dr. Stirling, who mentions it quite incidentally, and as if it is not the most wonderful feature among all the wonderful features of the Australian marsupials. It is absolutely THE RATE AT WHICH A LIMPET WALKS. | out, waved to and fro, and felt if the next - Did you ever see a limpet walk? This twenty-third of an inch was suitable for question is asked by a contributor to the progression. Satisfaction being obtained Fishing Gazette, who says: "I do not think the question has ever been asked, though a somewhat similar query has been propounded in respect of the more pleasing and digestible oyster. It may be doubted if limpets can walk, but I can honestly affirm that I saw one of these creatures march over a rock the other day for the space of three inches, doing the distance in about four minutes. The shell was raised about one-eighth of an inch; a tiny feeler peeped on this point, the edges of the limpet's body began to work slowly all round the edge of the shell, and a step forward was made. It was an interesting performance, and one rarely exhibited in public. I love to make the boys happy-let them work out this as a little seaside holiday task: If a limpet can cross three inches of rock in four minutes, how long will it take him to cross the bottom of the Atlantic ?" For EIGHT DOLLARS remitted directly to the Publishers, the LIVING AGE will be punctually forwarded for a year, free of postage. Remittances should be made by bank draft or check, or by post-office money-order, if possible. If neither of these can be procured, the money should be sent in a registered letter. All postmasters are obliged to register letters when requested to do so. Drafts, checks, and money-orders should be made payable to the order of LITTELL & Co. Single copies of the LIVING AGE, 18 cents. |