Year: 1875

OF naZlnesS OF tnelr appearance; for dis
tant objects are usually dimmed by the in
tervening atmosphere. II sometimes hap
pens, however, that an object close al
hand Is dimmed by an unobserved haze
so as to seem to be at distance; in which
case, unless the spectator is able to correct
the mistake by the force of reason, the OBJ
ject will assume in his conception gigan.
tic proportions. A few years since q
gentleman, well educated and by no means
nervous, in riding along a public highway
saw in an adjoining field what seemed tc
him to be u wild beast of terrible aspect
and mOnstrous proportions. Its body
equaling that ofa halfgrown hippopotamus
in size, far exceeded it in uncouthness
and resembled nothing ever seen by him
before, or described in books of natural
history. Contrary to all rules of ami
NAL structure, its enormous body was
nimbly borne by legs dispropOrtionate
ly long and slender. And what wa,
strangest of all was that this enormous
creature was suspended in the air by
rope, to which it clung by some contriv
ance in its feet, and by which 1t slowly
descended until, having reached den OF
hole in the midst of distant thicket, il
plunged therein and disappeared. He
was so astonished by the unearthly vision
that he stopped his horse on the broad
highway and watched the scene to its end
How was he to account for il? For, how
ever incubus-like the scene, it was nc
dream, but a reality, to which his senses
testified as positively as to his own exist.
ence. He watched and reasoned, and
soon the mystery was revealed. The mon.
ster had disappeared, but the rope along
which it had so strangely travelled was
still in view. Carefully scanning thai
rope through the misty air, he discovered
that, instead of its overhanging the field
afar off, one Of its ends was attached to g
twig distant from him only few steps
and that, instead of his having looked
upon monster comparing in size with the
hippOpotamus, he had only been watch.
ing the motions of an enormous spider
which had passed down one of the cables
of its web to the entrance of its den. Oh
the relief to his mindi Had he not held
on until the mystery was explained he
must have labored to the end of life under
the impression that either he had been
mentally deranged or that he had beheld
monster such as was never before seer
on earth.


Persons travelling upon railroad for
the first time at the speed of forty or fifty
miles the hour will sometimes be horri
fled and sometimes amused at what they
seem to see. For instance, in rushing al
this rate through rugged "cut," if they
will fix the eye steadily upon a projecting
crag or rock on the side of the cut and
upon level with the eye, it will appear
to increase in size so rapidly thatthe mind,
unaccustomed to observe such rapid move
ments, can account for its increase only
on the supposition that the rock or crag
is projected at them, and they will be
tempted, under the vivid impression, to
draw themselves quickly back from the
seeming missile, or, in other words, tC
Dodge 1t. Also, whoever, while travelling
at this rate, will occupy place on the
rear platform and let his eyes skim along
the rail directly beneath, will hardly be
able to escape from the conviction that
the rail, instead of being fixture on the
road, is not running forward at speed al
most equal to that of the car.


In passing by rail over a wide, grassy
prairie, or by steamboat through the i'm
mense levels of green marsh bordering our
Southern seaboard, the head becomes al
most giddy with the ceaseless whirl which
is visible around any point as a center on
which the eye happens to be fixed, all
objects nearer than the point seeming to
run rapidly back, and all farther objects
as rapidly forward. This gyration is so
graceful that the observer is tempted
to watch it long. After few minutes,
however, unless forewarned, he is liable
to experience an illusion which for mo-
ment or two may give him serious dis
turbance-at least such was the expert
ence of the writer. On a bleak winters
day he was passing by steamboat through
wide and beautiful marsh, and was en-
ioying the apparent motion just described
from the warmest place attainable on deck,
which was to the leeward of the hot iron
chimney. Suddenly turning his eyes
from the-green marsh to spot on deck
above the wheel-shaft, he was startled to
see the planks apparently forced from
their fa,tenings as If by some slow, resist
less power, which moved them past eacl
other at the rate of several inches per sec
ond. Having not doubt for "seeing i.
believing") that serious arrangement haC
happened to the machinery below, and
that the floor would soon be total wreck
he sprang hastily away from the danger
GUS neighborhood, and at safe distance
turned to watch the progress of the acci
dent. To his surprise there was no breal
whatever. The planks occupied the same
relative position, although they seemed
even yet to be slightly moving. At thi
moment the thought occurred that thu
seeming motion of the planks was re
versed resemblance of the seeming whir
of the marsh, and was to be accounted TO
by the persistent impression made upol
| the retina. Hundreds of times since ha
he enjoyed the illusion and called the at
tention of others to it, many of whom ha'
never observed it before.


There is another optical phenomenon
not quite so much of an illusion, ye


being only seeming, must be put int
the same category. When the sun shine
brightly upon the floor of piazza or G
an open bridge, causing a strong contraS
| between the Illuminated faces OF tn
blanks and the dark lines of division be
| tween, if anyone will walk firmly acros
| these planks and interstices, keeping tn
! line of sight steadily fixed downward an
! forward at an angle of about forty-tive dI
grees with the floor, he will probably Sc
a strange quivering of the planks, as
| the floor was about to give way. TIL
qualifying adverb probably" is used bt
cause, although some persons discern I'll


quivering on their first trial, others cal


not discern it after repeated attempts. I'll


quivering does not take place within th


circle of perfect vision, but Just outside


&C.; yet, so great did it appear to the on


who first observed it, that he thought I'll


bridge on which he was walking W,


about TO be shaken to pieces. This ill


sion is explained by remembering tn,


the interior Of the eye-ball is partly file


with fluids, which, being Jared by Il


heel striking firmly upon the floor, caui


a wavy motion of the retina in all tho


parts not kept steady by the muscles


the eye.


We give no notice of those remarkabl


and in some instances terrible, hallucin


tiOns attendant upon Il state of disease


hallucinations in which the individu


sees as plainly as with the real eye Il


figures and faces of friends far distant,


Of persons diseased, or of strangers new


seen before, and, in cases of delirtu


trcmens, Of fierce demons haunting u


sight or clinging to the person. ~


omission has been intentional. The o
ject of the writer was to describe on
those cases which have fallen under


own observation, and IN which all perso


may feel a practical interest, for the reas,
that they occur in everyday life, and I