strongly　for　Pro…　fessor　Rutherford；　but　I　am　bound　to　confess　that　the　weight　of　my　sympathy　rests　with　the　frogs。
  Observe　this　frog　＇said　the　professor＇；　it　is　regard…　ing　our　manoeuvres　with　a　somewhat　lively　air。　　Now　and　then　it　gives　a　jump。　　What　the　precise　object　of　its　leaps　may　be　I　dare　not　pretend　to　say；　but　prob…　ably　it　regards　us　with　some　apprehension；　and　desires　to　escape。
  To　be　perfectly　impartial；　it　must　be　admitted　that　the　frog　had　some　slight　reason　for　appre…　hension。　　The　lecturer　proceeded：
  I　touch　one　of　its　toes；　and　you　see　it　resents　the　molestation　in　a　very　decided　manner。　　Why　does　it　so　struggle　to　get　away　when　I　pinch　its　toes？　　Doubt…　less；　you　will　say；　because　it　feels　the　pinch　and　would　rather　not　have　it　repeated。　　I　now　behead　the　animal　with　the　aid　of　a　sharp　chisel。　。　。　。　　The　headless　trunk　lies　as　though　it　were　dead。　　The　spinal　cord　seems　to　be　suffering　from　shock。　　Probably；　however；　it　will　soon　recover　from　this。　。　。　。　　Observe　that　the　animal　has　now　spontaneously　drawn　up　its　legs　and　arms；　and　it　is　sitting　with　its　neck　erect　just　as　if　it　had　not　lost　its　head　at　all。　　I　pinch　its　toes；　and　you　see　the　leg　is　at　once　thrust　out　as　if　to　spurn　away　the　offending　instrument。　　Does　it　still　feel？　and　is　the　motion　still　the　result　of　the　volition？
  That　the　frog　did　feel；　and　delicately　hinted　at　the　circumstance；　there　seems　to　be　no　room　to　doubt；　for　Professor　Rutherford　related　that　having　once　decapitated　a　frog；　the　animal　sud…　denly　bounded　from　the　table；　a　movement　that　presumably　indicated　a　kind　of　consciousness。　He　then　returned　to　the　subject　immediately　under　observation；　pinched　its　foot　again；　the　frog　again　〃resenting　the　stimulation。〃　　He　then　thrust　a　needle　down　the　spinal　cord。　　〃The　limbs　are　now　flaccid；〃　observed　the　experi…　menter；　〃we　may　wait　as　long　as　we　please；　but　a　pinch　of　the　toes　will　never　again　cause　the　limbs　of　this　animal　to　move。〃　　Here　is　where　congratulations　can　come　in　for　la　gre…　nouille。　　That　frog　being　concluded；　the　lec…　turer　continued：
  I　take　another　frog。　　In　this　case　I　open　the　cranium　and　remove　the　brain　and　medulla　oblongata。　。　。　。　I　thrust　a　pin　through　the　nose　and　hang　the　animal
  thereby　to　a　support；　so　that　it　can　move　its　pendent　legs　without　any　difficulty。　。　。　。　　I　gently　pinch　the　toes。　。　。　。　　The　leg　of　the　same　side　is　pulled　up。　。　。　。　I　pinch　the　same　more　severely。　。　。　。　　Both　legs　are　thrown　into　motion。
  Having　thus　satisfactorily　proved　that　the　wretched　creature　could　still　suffer　acutely；　the　professor　resumed：
  The　cutaneous　nerves　of　the　frog　are　extremely　sen…　sitive　to　acids；　so　I　put　a　drop　of　acetic　acid　on　the　outside　of　one　knee。　　This；　you　see；　gives　rise　to　most　violent　movements　both　of　arms　and　legs；　and　notice　particularly　that　the　animal　is　using　the　toes　of　the　leg　on　the　same　side　for　the　purpose　of　rubbing　the　irritated　spot。　　I　dip　the　whole　animal　into　water　in　order　to　wash　away　the　acid；　and　now　it　is　all　at　rest　again。　。　。　。　　I　put　a　drop　of　acid　on　the　skin　over　the　lumbar　region　of　the　spine。　。　。　。　　Both　feet　are　instantly　raised　to　the　irritated　spot。　　The　animal　is　able　to　localize　the　seat　of　irritation。　。　。　。　　I　wash　the　acid　from　the　back；　and　I　amputate　one　of　the　feet　at　the　ankle。　。　。　。　　I　apply　a　drop　of　acid　over　the　knee　of　the　footless　leg。　。　。　。　　Again；　the　animal　turns　the　leg　towards　the　knee；　as　if　to　reach　the　irri…　tated　spot　with　the　toes；　these；　however；　are　not　now　available。　　But　watch　the　other　foot。　　The　foot　of　the　other　leg　is　now　being　used　to　rub　away　the　acid。　　The　animal；　finding　that　the　object　is　not　accomplished　with　the　foot　of　the　same　side；　uses　the　other　one。
  I　think　that　at　least　one　thing　will　be　patent　to　every　unprejudiced　reader　of　these　excerpts；　namelythat　any　frog　（with　its　head　on　or　its　head　off）　which　happened　to　make　the　per…　sonal　acquaintance　of　Professor　Rutherford　must　have　found　him　poor　company。　　What　benefit　science　may　have　derived　from　such　association　I　am　not　qualified　to　pronounce　upon。　　The　lec…　turer　showed　conclusively　that　the　frog　is　a　peculiarly　sensitive　and　intelligent　little　batra…　chian。　　I　hope　that　the　genial　professor；　in　the　years　which　followed；　did　not　frequently　con…　sider　it　necessary　to　demonstrate　the　fact。
  LEIGH　HUNT　AND　BARRY　CORNWALL
  IT　has　recently　become　the　fashion　to　speak　disparagingly　of　Leigh　Hunt　as　a　poet；　to　class　him　as　a　sort　of　pursuivant　or　shield…bearer　to　Coleridge；　Shelley；　and　Keats。　　Truth　to　tell；　Hunt　was　not　a　Keats　nor　a　Shelley　nor　a　Cole…　ridge；　but　he　was　a　most　excellent　Hunt。　　He　was　a　delightful　essayistquite　unsurpassed；　indeed；　in　his　blithe；　optimistic　wayand　as　a　poet　deserves　to　rank　high　among　the　lesser　singers　of　his　time。　　I　should　place　him　far　above　Barry　Cornwall；　who　has　not　half　the　freshness；　variety；　and　originality　of　his　com…　peer。　　　　　　I　instance　Barry　Cornwall　because　there　has　seemed　a　disposition　since　his　death　to　praise　him　unduly。　　Barry　Cornwall　has　always　struck　me　as　extremely　artificial；　especially　in　his　dra…　matic　sketches。　　His　verses　in　this　line　are　mostly　soft　Elizabethan　echoes。　　Of　course　a　dramatist　may　find　it　to　his　profit　to　go　out　of　his　own　age　and　atmosphere　for　inspiration；　but　in　order　successfully　to　do　so　he　must　be　a　dra…　matist。　　Barry　Cornwall　fell　short　of　filling　the　role；　he　got　no　further　than　the　composing　of　brief　disconnected　scenes　and　scraps　of　solilo…　quies；　and　a　tragedy　entitled　Mirandola；　for　which　the　stage　had　no　use。　　His　chief　claim　to　recognition　lies　in　his　lyrics。　　Here；　as　in　the　dramatic　studies；　his　attitude　is　nearly　always　affected。　　He　studiously　strives　to　reproduce　the　form　and　spirit　of　the　early　poets。　　Being　a　Lon…　doner；　he　naturally　sings　much　of　rural　English　life；　but　his　England　is　the　England　of　two　or　three　centuries　ago。　　He　has　a　great　deal　to　say　about　the　〃falcon；〃　but　the　poor　bird　has　the　air　of　beating　fatigued　wings　against　the　book…　shelves　of　a　well…furnished　library！　　This　well…　furnished　library　wasif　I　may　be　pardoned　a　mixed　imagethe　rock　on　which　Barry　Corn…　wall　split。　　He　did　not　look　into　his　own　heart；　and　write：　he　looked　into　his　books。　　　　　　A　poet　need　not　confine　himself　to　his　indi…　vidual　experiences；　the　world　is　all　before　him　where　to　choose；　but　there　are　subjects　which　he　had　better　not　handle　unless　he　have　some　personal　knowledge　of　them。　　The　sea　is　one　of　these。　　The　man　who　sang；
  The　sea！　the　sea！　the　open　sea！　　　　　　The　blue；　the　fresh；　the　ever　free！
  （a　couplet　which　the　Gifted　Hopkins　might　have　penned）；　should　never　have　permitted　himself　to　sing　of　the　ocean。　　I　am　quoting　from　one　of　Barry　Cornwall's　most　popular　lyrics。　　When　I　first　read　this　singularly　vapid　poem　years　ago；　in　mid…Atlantic；　I　wondered　if　the　author　had　ever　laid　eyes　on　any　piece　of　water　wider　than　the　Thames　at　Greenwich；　and　in　looking　over　Barry　Cornwall's　〃Life　and　Letters〃　I　am　not　so　much　surprised　as　amused　to　learn　that　he　was　never　out　of　sight　of　land　in　the　whole　course　of　his　existence。　　It　is　to　be　said　of　him　more　positively　than　the　captain　of　the　Pinafore　said　it　of　himself；　that　he　was　hardly　ever　sick　at　sea。　　　　　　Imagine　Byron　or　Shelley；　who　knew　the　ocean　in　all　its　protean　moods；　piping　such　thin　feebleness　as
  The　blue；　the　fresh；　the　ever　free！
  To　do　that　required　a　man　whose　acquaintance　with　the　deep　was　limited　to　a　view　of　it　from　an　upper　window　at　Margate　or　Scarborough。　Even　frequent　dinners　of　turbot　and　whitebait　at　the　sign　of　The　Ship　and　Turtle　will　not　en…　able　one　to　write　sea　poetry。　　　　　　Considering　the　actual　facts；　there　is　some…　thing　weird　in　the　statement；
  I　'm　on　the　sea！　I　'm　on　the　sea！　　　　　　I　am　where　I　would　ever　be。
  The　words；　to　be　sure；　are　placed　in　the　mouth　of　an　imagined　sailor；　but　they　are　none　the　less　diverting。　　The　stanza　containing　the　distich　ends　with　a　striking　piece　of　realism：
  If　a　storm　should　come　and　awake　the　deep；　　　　　　What　matter？　　I　shall　ride　and　sleep。
  This　is　the　course　of　action　usually　pursued　by　sailors　during　a　gale。　　The　first　or　second　mate　goes　around　and　tucks　them　up　comfort…　ably；　each　in　his　hammock；　and　serves　them　out　an　extra　ration　of　grog　after　the　storm　is　over。　　　　　　Barry　Cornwall　must　have　had　an　exception…　ally　winning　personality；　for　he　drew　to　him　the　friendship　of　men　as　differently　constituted　as　Thackeray；　Carlyle；　Browning；　and　Forster。　He　was　liked　by　the　best　of　his　time；　from　Charles　Lamb　down　to　Algernon　Swinburne；　who　caught　a　glimpse　of　the　aged　poet　in　his　vanishing。　　The　personal　magnetism　of　an　au…　thor　does　not　extend　far　beyond　the　orbit　of　his　contemporaries。　　It　is　of　the　lyrist　and　not　of　the　man　I　am　speaking　here。　　One　could　wish　he　had　written　more　prose　like　his　admirable　〃Recollections　of　Elia。〃　　　　　　Barry　Cornwall　seldom　sounds　a　natural　note；　but　when　he　does　it　is　extremely　sweet。　　That　little　ballad　in　the　minor　key　beginning；
  Touch　us　gently；　Time！　　　　　　Let　us　glide　adown　thy　stream；
  was　written　in　one　of　his　rare　moments。　　Leigh　Hunt；　though　not　without　questionable　manner…　isms；　was　rich　in　the　inspira