cotton wadding, so as to avoid friction, and not interfered with; whilst if the appetite is indifferent and the tongue foul, a little senna tea, followed by a dose or two of Gregory's powder, will be all the treatment that will be required. If the scabs are inclined to cause any breach of surface, they may be dressed with zinc ointment night and morning until they are entirely separated, and the surface of the skin has healed. Herpes cicinatus,' or Iris, is a form improperly named Herpes, and in which the disease is caused by a parasite. It is infectious. The Bulla or Blebs are serious forms of disease, which are not likely to be met with in children at school. They are connected with a blood disease, and always require skilful medical treatment to effect a cure. In Pemphigus there are large blebs filled with an albuminous alkaline fluid, with an ulcerated under surface. In Rupia the bleb dries up and forms a crust, which becomes thicker as it rises above the level of the skin, and when it drops off leaves a deep ulcer in the skin, which heals after a time, leaving a distinct and specific mark behind it. The Pustules. The last class to be considered are the Pustules, excluding Farcy and Small Pox. They are limited to two forms, Ecthyma' and 'Impetigo.' They are not common diseases. The former are round isolated pustules, with hard inflamed bases, which form brown adherent scabs, and when they drop off they leave a violet stain in the skin, but this fades away in time. Tartar Emetic ointment is sometimes used to bring out an eruption of this kind for purposes of counter irritation. The disease may be either acute or chronic. The latter assimilates very much to a crop of boils, but runs a slower course, is more painful, and has a core which does not form in a case of Ecthyma. 'Impetigo' is more common; it may be caused by local irritation, such as Pediculi in the heads of children, or by improper food or a poor kind of diet. The pustules occur in groups, which come to maturity in forty-eight hours, and rapidly discharge a thick purulent matter, giving rise to a brownish-yellow irregular-shaped crust. These crusts are slow in separating, and are sometimes mistaken for a more infectious form. The character of the pustule in Impetigo Capitis should at once distinguish it from Tinea or Favus. When it attacks the face of children it is called 'Crusta lactea.' Impetigo is sometimes contagious, and seems to spread from child to child, so that care is required to distinguish it. It seems as if the secretion in the heads of some children render them excessively prone to grow crops of pediculi. The ova of these parasites, popularly known as 'nits,' will be seen attached to the hair. They may be detached by washing the hair with vinegar and water, and then dressing the roots with white precipitate ointment or decoction of staves acre. This latter is the basis of the Persian insect powder, which is used for the same purpose. The presence of nits either favours the production of Impetigo, or the latter encourages the breed of the former, as they are very often in company. Cleanliness and the use of sulphur ointment occasionally if the presence of the nit is suspected will be the best plan to adopt. From preceding observations it will be understood that diseases of the skin arise from several causes they may be constitutional and inherited; they may arise from infection or local irritation. Each cause requires a different kind of treatment, but all require the most scrupulous cleanliness and attention to diet. It is requisite to distinguish the constitutional tendency, because it is of more consequence than the name of the skin disease. First determine the point as to its contagious or non-contagious character, then the constitutional tendency, and thirdly, attend to the diet of the child. This should be vegetable, fruits, fish, and milk foods, whilst stimulants, meats, and indigestible things should be studiously avoided. (To be continued.) Anecdotal Natural History. BY REV. J. G. WOOD, M.A., F. L.S., Author of Homes without Hands,' 'Nature's Teachings, etc. Joint Author of The Field Naturalist's Handbook.' THE As a representative of the genus, several species of which are known to exist, we will take the Malayan Sun-bear, or Bruang (Helarctos Malayanus), a native, as its name implies, of certain parts of the Malay Archipelago. This is by no means a large animal, seldom measuring more than four feet six inches in length when fully adult. The muscular powers, however, are very great, far more so than might be imagined when the small size of the bear is taken into consideration. The lip and tongue are very flexible, and the latter organ is capable of considerable elongation. It is thought that this structure is intended to assist the animal in robbing the nests of the wild bee, by inserting its long and lithe tongue into the apertures, and licking out the contained treasures. The colour of the fur is a deep, glossy black, with the exception of a crescent-shaped white mark upon the breast and a yellowish-white patch upon the snout and upper jaw. The hair is rather short, but is of a very fine and delicate quality, which renders the skin of some little value as an article of commerce. The bruang seems to be almost exclusively a vegetable feeder, giving the preference to fruit of various kinds, and more especially to the young shoots of the cocoa-nut palm. So fond is the animal of this latter diet that in some parts of Sumatra, where the villages have been deserted hy their human inhabitants, the cocoanut plantations have been completely destroyed by his constant degradations. Being a singularly even-tempered animal, the bruang is easily tamed, and speedily adapts himself to the conditions of his new mode of life. One of these bears, which was in the possession of Sir Stamford Raffles. was of so quiet and peaceable a disposition that he was even allowed to remain unchained in the nursery tenanted by his master's children, and was also allowed to sit at table together with the family. Here he became so fastidious in his diet that he would refuse any fruit except mangosteens, and any wine except champagne, for which beverage he developed a great fondness. His master used to say that he never knew his pet to lose his temper except when his favourite liquid was withheld. Included in the same group of the ursine family, although not belonging to the same genus as the bruang, the Aswail, or Sloth Bear (Melursus Lybius), next claims our attention. This strange-looking creature is a native of the mountainous parts of India, where it is an object of great admiration, mingled with considerable dread, to the native population. It is by no means a fierce animal, however, and even if attacked and slightly wounded will, as a rule, seek safety in flight rather than attempt to revenge itself upon its pursuer. But if driven to bay, or enraged by a severe wound, it becomes a very dangerous enemy, and will fight with furious energy until it either destroys its foe, or is itself slain. The peculiar aspect of the aswail is chiefly owing to the length of the hair, which falls in thick clusters over almost the entire body. The colour is a jetty black, with the exception of a forked patch of whitish hairs upon the breast. The aswail is not in the habit of basking in the sunshine, like the animal about which we have just been reading, but retires to its den during the greater part of the day. This habit is probably owing to the structure of the feet, the soles of which are remarkably tender. So much is this the case, indeed, that in several instances, when the bear has been driven from its hiding-place, and pursued by hunters during the heat of the day, the soles of the feet have been found to be terribly scorched and blistered with the heated stones and rocks over which the animal has passed. Owing partly to the nocturnal habits of the aswail, and partly to the dread with which it is regarded by the natives of the country it inhabits, we know comparatively little of its mode of life when in a state of freedom. It seems to exist upon an almost purely vegetable diet, varied only, except upon very rare occasions, by such small creatures as slugs, ants, bees and their honey, and so on. THE last of the true bears which can be described in these pages is the well-known Polar Bear (Thalarctos maritimus), the Nennook of the Esquimaux. All the bears are good swimmers, and are able to cross rivers, etc., with perfect ease, should occasion arise for so doing. The nennook, however, far surpasses its congeners in the matter of aquatic locomotion, being able to pursue and capture the very fish themselves in their native element, and almost to rival the seals in the ease and agility of their movements. Being intended by nature to lead in great measure an aquatic existence, we may expect to find that in the polar bear some points of structure are modified to suit the requirements of its mode of life. And such is indeed the case, for the form of the body is such as to enable the animal to cleave through the water without any great exertion, while the huge and hair-clad paws afford excellent paddles for the supply of the necessary propelling power. Then, the senses, more especially that of scent, are exceptionally keen, as is proved by the fact that the animal will discover, by the exercise of its olfactory powers alone, the tiny breathing-holes which the seals have made through the ice, even though those breathing-holes are covered with a thick layer of snow. In the capture of its prey, which chiefly consists of seals and fish, the polar bear is remarkably adroit, having been repeatedly seen to dive into the water after a salmon, and re-appear almost immediately with the captured fish in its mouth. With regard to the seals, however, which are fully its equals in the natatory art, and possess, moreover, the power of remaining below the surface of the water for a considerable period of time, the bear adopts very different tactics. Let us suppose that it has caught sight of a seal resting near the edge of a floating piece of ice at some little distance. Plunging noiselessly into the water, the bear at once dives, and proceeds as far as possible in the required direction before seeking a fresh supply of air. When this becomes necessary, the animal merely pokes its nostrils above the water for a few seconds, without exposing to view any other part of its body. As soon as the act of respiration is completed, it again dives, and so on until it has passed over the distance which separated it from the object of its attack. The last dive is always timed so that the bear makes its appearance within a few feet of its anticipated victim, which has now no chance of escape. If it attempts to take to the water it is immediately seized by its expectant enemy, while if it should take to flight across the ice it is quickly overtaken by the more active bear. The nennook owes its peculiar activity upon the frozen surface to the thick hair with which the soles of the feet are covered, and which enable it to pass along almost as readily as upon dry land. It also serves a second and equally important purpose, protecting the foot from the extreme cold of the substance with which it is so constantly in contact. The size of the paws is wonderfully large, their length being fully one-sixth of the entire length of the body. The claws with which they are armed are not as long as in some of the preceding animals of the group, and are but slightly curved. Nevertheless, they form very terrible weapons, by the aid of which the bear can slay the huge walrus itself, beating in its skull by repeated blows of its mighty paw, as was mentioned in a prior article of this series. The head is rather small when compared with the size of the body, and this circumstance, together with the length of the neck, gives a very snake-like appearance to the fore-parts of the animal's person. The fur is of a silvery-white hue, tinged with cream-colour, which varies in intensity in different individuals. The claws are black, forming a great contrast to the whiteness of the fur. For many years great uncertainty prevailed as to whether the polar bear passed the winter months, or any part of them, in a state of hibernation, some observers telling us that the animal invariably retired to some sheltered retreat during the winter, while others asserted that nennooks might be seen at large throughout the whole of the year. Neither of these reports was altogether correct, nor yet entirely wrong, for it has lately been ascertained that the female bear alone hibernates, while the male continues to roam about in search of prey just as at any other season. Neither does the female hibernate unless she is about to become a mother, in which case she selects some sheltered spot for her habitation, generally choosing the cleft of a rock, or some such situation, where she may be, at all events, partially protected from the inclemencies of the weather. Before she has been a tenant of her new home for very long she is completely covered by the snow-drifts, being thus effectually screened from the observation of enemies. The young of the polar bear are generally two in number, and are born about two months before their mother makes her reappearance in the world. By the time that this event takes place they attain to a considerable size, being then about as large as an ordinary shepherd's dog. Although to a great extent aquatic in its habits, the polar bear is often found at a considerable distance from the sea-coast, specimens having sometimes been are met with more than thirty miles inland. These excursions generally brought about by hunger, either from the failure of the food-supply, or, as frequently happens, from the fact that the bear has been carried to a considerable distance from its usual haunts by the separation from the main body of the piece of ice upon which it is resting. Sometimes quite a small colony of bears are carried off in this manner, causing terrible havoc amongst the herds of the country in which they may happen to land. Besides being endowed with great strength, the nennook is also possessed of considerable powers of endurance, as may be imagined from the fact that upon one occasion one of these bears was seen steadily swimming across a channel more than forty miles in width. Indeed, as far as the natatory art is concerned, it is but little inferior to the seal, and its proficiency in this respect, together with its great muscular power, and the terrible weapons with which it is provided by nature, renders it the acknowledged monarch of the polar seas. Even the enormous and powerful walrus falls a victim to the polar bear, and the strength of the bear can be best appreciated by comparing it with the animal which it kills. A fine male walrus measures some fifteen feet in length, so that if it had legs fit for walking, it would surpass in size the generality of elephants. În order to understand the real size of the walrus, let the reader measure a line of fifteen feet in length upon the wall of a room, then let him sketch in imagination the form of the animal as shown in any illustration, and he will see what an enormous creature it is. We will here briefly recapitulate the method by which the bear can destroy a prey so much larger and stronger than itself. Like the rest of the seal tribe, the walrus is in the habit of leaving the water and sleeping on shore or on the ice. When the polar bear attacks a walrus, it always chooses the one that is farthest from the sea. Creeping silently behind the sleeping animal, the bear leaps on its back, holds on with its hind feet and one of the fore-paws, while with the other it delivers a series of rapid blows on the head. The startled animal at once makes for the sea, but unless it be an old one, it generally succumbs before reaching the water, the skull being battered in as if with blows of a sledgehammer. In the old walrus, however, the skull is so thick and strong that it can resist even the white bear's paw. The bear bangs away as long as they are ashore, but if the walrus can once reach the water, it is safe. The water prevents the bear from delivering its terrible blows, and as the bear knows instinctively that the walrus can remain under water for a very long time, it relinquishes its prey. Many an old walrus is killed which has its head, neck, and shoulders all seamed and scarred by the talons of the bear. The thick fur of this bear, like that of the seal and the feathers of the duck, repels the water, so that the skin remains perfectly dry. The fur, however, must be in good condition, or it loses this protective power. Some years ago a young polar bear was forwarded to the Zoological Gardens. It naturally made for the water, and soon was noticed to be floundering about in a very awkward manner, until at last it sank. The water was at once drawn off, and the animal rescued. Then it was found that, during the long journey, the fur had become clogged with dust, so that the hairs could not 'set' properly, and admitted the water between them. Consequently, the poor creature was actually being drowned by the weight of its own fur. WE must now bid farewell to the Bears, properly so called, and turn our attention to some of the other members of the ursine group. The most familiar of these is the well-known Racoon, or Mapach (Procyon Lotor), which presents in its general appearance a well-marked resemblance to some of the preceding animals. The gait of this animal is rather peculiar. A plantigrade, like all the members of the ursine group, it is so only when standing, sitting, or slowly moving, proceeding after the fashion of the digitigrades when hurried or otherwise excited. The fur of the racoon is of two qualities, a coat of soft, warm hair lying next the skin, while a number of long bristle-like hairs form a kind of thatch to the whole. The markings of the body are of a rather complicated nature, and are by no means easy to describe with any degree of exactness. The woolly fur lying next the skin is of an uniform grey colour, while the longer hairs which project through it are marked alternately with black and greyish-white. Upon the knee-joints, the top of the head, and across the eyes, the fur is very much darker than upon the rest of the body, approaching, indeed, very closely to black in its depth of hue. The tail is of a dark-grey colour, marked with several bands of brownish-black. Like all the preceding animals of the group, the racoon subsists upon a diet consisting of both animal and vegetable substances, seeming, as a general rule, to prefer the latter. It is very partial, however, to crabs, oysters, and other animals of a similar character, contriving to secure and despatch the former without affording them an opportunity of retaliation. As regards the latter creatures, however, it is not always equally successful, and many stories are told of racoons which have been so firmly held by the oysters which they were endeavouring to open that they have been unable to release themselves from their painful bondage, and have accordingly perished by the advancing tide. The racoon is a very thirsty animal, and, besides drinking great quantities of water, has a peculiar habit of moistening its food, wherever practicable, before proceeding to devour it. This it does by grasping the food in the fore-paws, and shaking it rapidly backwards and forwards in the water until it has absorbed a sufficient quantity of liquid. Owing to this curious practice, the animal has received the specific title of lotor, i.e., a washer.' The racoon is nocturnal in its habits, and, being a very active and agile animal, is held in great favour by the colonists as an object of pursuit. It is usually hunted by means of dogs, which chase it until it seeks safety in the branches of some tree. A fire is then lighted beneath its refuge, in order to afford sufficient light for one of the hunters to ascend the tree and dislodge the animal from its perch. In spite of the comparatively small dimensions of their quality, a full-grown racoon only equalling a small fox in size, the dogs do not always meet with an easy task when despatching their victim. Once fairly driven to bay, the hunted animal flies at its pursuers with the greatest fury, and seldom succumbs without having severely wounded one at least of its foes. RESEMBLING the racoons in many respects, the curious animals known as Coaitis may be at once known by the prolongation of the muzzle, which forms a mobile snout of great service to the animal when rooting in the ground in search of the worms, etc., which form a great proportion of its diet. When drinking, the snout is turned upwards, in order to keep it as much as possible out of the water. All the coaitis are natives of South America, being generally found in small clusters amongst the branches of trees. One of them, the Coaiti-mondi, or Red Coaiti Nasua rufa), is so named from the colour of its fur, which is of a bright chestnut hue upon the greater part of the body, with the exception of the ears and legs, which are black, and the tail, which is marked with maroon-coloured bands. A patch of whitish hairs is found upon the jaws. This animal is wonderfully active amongst the tree branches, galloping from bough to bough with an agility little, if at all, inferior to that of the squirrel itself. It invariably descends the trunks with its head towards the ground, trusting for its foothold chiefly to the claws of the hinder feet, which can be inserted into the smallest crevices of the bark. Like almost all the ursine animals, it is nocturnal in its habits, passing the hours of daylight in some sequestered nook where it is tolerably secure from the attacks of its foes. Want of space precludes us from describing the other species of coaiti known to science, and we must therefore pass to the remarkable animal known as the Kinkajou, or Potto (Cercoleptes candivolvulus). This is one of those anomalous creatures of which one at least is to be found in almost every family of animals, and considerable uncertainty still prevails as to whether it is rightly placed in its present position. In its general appearance, and in its habits, it bears a very strong resemblance to the lemurs, with which animals it was at one time ranked. The structure of the teeth, however, caused it to be separated from that group, and assigned a position amongst the carnivora, under the title of the Mexican Weasel. Again, however, the structure of the teeth was taken into consideration, the surface of those in the lower jaw being adapted for grinding vegetable substances, and the fact, together with the prehensile nature of the tail, caused it to be situated, at any rate for the present, at the end of the ursine group. The kinkajou is an inhabitant of Southern America, where it is spread over a very large extent of country. Its existence is chiefly arboreal, its long claws and prehensile tail being of great assistance in its evolutions amongst the branches. The tongue is endowed with singular flexibility, and can be lengthened to a wonderful extent. By its aid the animal is enabled to rob the nests of the wild bee, inserting the tongue into the orifices, and licking the honey from the waxen cells. Insects, small birds, eggs, fruits, etc., constitute the remainder of its diet. The kinkajou is not a very large animal, about equalling in size an ordinary cat. It is easily tamed, and is a very pretty, affectionate pet. Some years ago I made acquaintance with a kinkajou in the Zoological Gardens. The animal was always delighted to see me, and when the keeper opened the cage the kinkajou would clamber to my shoulder, and sit there quite happy, with its long, soft tail coiled round my neck. (To be continued.) Eminent Practical Teachers. DAVID STOW, Founder of the Training System of Education.* BY JOHN R. LANGLER, B.A., F.R.G.S., Of the Westminster Training College, Ex-President of the National Union of Elementary Teachers. HE personal history of an eminent philanthropist cially if the incidents of his life have determined the character of any great scheme with which his name has become inseparably associated. It is, unfortunately, beyond our power fully to determine the effects of circumstances on the life-work of David Stow; but, though the desired details are not at our command, it may still be possible to explain to some extent, and in connection with a brief biography, the historical development of the Moral Training System of Education of which he is the distinguished author. David Stow was born on 17th May, 1793, at Paisley, to which town his father, Mr. William Stow, had removed from Durham to engage in business as a merchant. His mother's maiden name was Agnes Smith, a Christian lady, remarkable for the 'devotedness with which she trained her children in the fear of the Lord.' Alexander Wilson, the ornithologist, John Wilson, the author of the celebrated Noctes Ambrosianæ,' etc., James Wilson, the entomologist, Robert Tannahill, the poet, John Henning, the sculptor, and other men of note, were fellow-townsmen, and near contemporaries of David Stow; and in the early part of the present century Paisley had a renown for the pursuit of natural science, literature, and art, which it still retains, though the transformed town is no longer, as Rowland Hill described it, 'the Paradise of Scotland.' Mr. William Stow for many years held the office of magistrate. His son David received at the Paisley Grammar School the ordinary English and classical education given to pupils of his rank, and it is said that in all his classes he gained an honourable place.' The character of the instruction given at that time was, however, little calculated to develope the intelligence. School work chiefly consisted in taxing the memory, in many cases most unprofitably, as the acquired words and phrases were never explained, and The writer of this article is largely indebted to the work of his friend the late Dr. William Fraser, of Paisley, entitled 'Memoir of the Life of David Stow,' which was published in 1868, by Mr. James Nisbet, Berners Street. the principles embodied in oft-repeated rules were rarely illustrated or applied. "The religious instruction was little more than the reading of the Bible, which teachers managed to make the most distasteful of text-books.' Any true pleasure obtainable under such a system of instruction was necessarily reserved for those few pupils who were far enough advanced to master and appreciate the higher classics. Such mechanical methods,-mere memory work,-almost universally prevalent at the beginning of this century, may perhaps still linger in a few schools, but the presence of an intelligent teacher, to give life to the 'letter' and cultivate simultaneously all the mental powers, is now, happily, a generally admitted necessity. Young David gained all the advantages which the Paisley Grammar School was able to afford. His mild disposition usually led him to avoid the more boisterous sports of the playground, though he was physically equal to the roughest games of his companions. The 'fair-haired youth' was remarkable for vivacity and buoyancy, but preferred, nevertheless, to associate with the gentler few' of his playfellows. His delight was 'to observe the amusements of his companions and witness their happiness;' and he tion and almost intuitional inference by which he was in after life distinguished. The influence of school life on the formation of character no parent can afford to disregard. Still, the chief formative forces should be found in the family circle. A parent possesses a power which it is impossible to delegate to another. That power involves privilege as well as responsibility. 'Train up a child in the way he should go' was a command to which is attached a promise which was implicitly believed by David's parents-' when he is old he shall not depart from it.' The habits of their household were regulated by Christian principles. The duties of the magistrate's office, the pressure of business, and the claims of social life, were rarely permitted to interfere with regular religious exercises, and the special study of the Scriptures in a weekly meeting of earnest men, held in the father's house, impressed the observant children's minds;' whilst the fervent prayers and patriarchal gravity persuaded them of the reality of religion, and the memory of these hallowed assemblies lingered long amid the vicissitudes of after years.' Mrs. Stow's piety, though unobtrusive, was impressive and controlling. The mother's influence was with young David, as it has been in countless instances, a privilege of unspeakable value.' The whole family felt those subtle and silent forces which most tell on the opening history of childhood and youth. Among the most welcome of the visitors was the Rev. Dr. Love, whose life a living epistle'—the young observer studied with profit, gaining thence strength and the doctrinal discourses on the Sabbath-day. courage, whilst as yet he was unable to understand hallowing influences of home constituted the most valuable part of David Stow's training, and prepared him for his future work. The At the age of eighteen Mr. Stow entered the service of a Glasgow firm, and the circumstances of his new position were such as to test the strength of the principles which he had learnt beneath the parental roof. By an early and wise choice of congenial companions his moral courage was strengthened, and he not only |