Their auditory powers had been far less developed than their visual, and gave but faint hope of transcending interstellar space, and my training soon brought me within easy distance of their hearing capacity. The range of this faculty both at its upper and its lower limit had been considerably extended. Sounds dangerous on account of their loudness to the inner mechanism of ordinary ears were by means partly of strengthening the protective cartilages and partly of a trevamolan or graduated modifier of sound, which they constantly wore, made harmless and even gentle and enjoyable. Those that were too faint to reach any human ear became audible to me after some training in the use of their vamolans or makro-mikrakousts. So greatly had these been improved along with the power of hearing that they could discriminate the different noises of microscopic life. These vamolans in their application of electricity to hearing could make the buzzing of an insect sound like the roar of thunder. By modifications of them any of the sounds heard through them could be recorded for ever. Thus had been formed a library and museum of the phonology of animal life. They had been able to study the records of sounds emitted by the various species of animals and had come to know the meaning of each sound before they had driven all but microscopic life from the island; thus they had learned by means of the recording vamolans the language of animals. The birds of the air I have seen follow the cries of Thyriel, gathering around her in clouds, as she flew, until by a sudden change of tone she would scatter the fluttering masses to the four winds. Even the fish of the sea would rise and leap above the waves to her notes; ferocious, devouring monsters would leave their prey and follow gently in her train. Most of this power over the undeveloped creation was due to the record and study of their cries; but not all. The magnetism of her personality had a strange effect upon the wildest birds of prey: it seemed to bear with it tacitly the lesson of Limanoran civilisation that no life was to be destroyed by those who meant to make the best of life; there was a gentle, merciful spirit in the glow of the eyes. I have seen her take a wounded bird to her bosom as she flew, and, putting new life into it by the stroke of her fingers, set it free, strong and happy.