The great value of these monsters, terrestrial or marine, in filling up bare spaces, and in giving an additional interest and reality, may be very well seen in the accompanying illustration (fig. 2)—a view of the Azores, where the strange water-monster fills up very adequately indeed a space where Nature failed to deposit an island. It is impossible to decide its species; at first sight it suggests the notion of a sawfish or water-unicorn. The old draughtsman was unwilling that any of it should be lost to us, so instead of placing it in the water, it, with perhaps the exception of the missing lower jaw, is entirely on the surface. The mysterious something that crosses it suggests the idea that the creature is going bathing, and has thrown its towel, schoolboy-fashion, over its back; but on fuller reflection we take it that that is meant to indicate the wave and turmoil that the creature makes in the otherwise placid sea as it rushes through it, or rather over it. [Illustration: FIG. 2.] The figure is a facsimile of a drawing of a portion of the Azores, St. George and Flores being omitted by us. It is extracted from Sir Thomas Herbert’s book, “Some Yeares Travels into Africa and Asia the Great, especially the famous Empires of Persia and Industant.” The edition we consult was printed in London in the year 1677. After the usual dedicatory letter we find the following appeal to the reader:— “Here thou at greater ease than he Mayst behold what he did see; Thou participat’st his gains, But he alone reserves the pains. He travell’d not with lucre sotted, He went for knowledge, and he got it. Then thank the Author: thanks is light, Who hath presented to thy sight Seas, Lands, Men, Beasts, Fishes, and Birds, The rarest that the world affords.” Personally we have much pleasure in paying the suggested tribute of courteous thanks, and we think that any of our readers who may encounter the book will in like manner confess their obligations to the old writer for his labours. We would fain hope that the trip had many brighter spots in it than he seems quite willing to allow.