astral plane, they are able to assume any
appearance at will, but they undoubtedly have definite forms of their
own, or perhaps we should rather say favourite forms, which they wear
when they have no special object in taking any other. Of course under
ordinary conditions they are not visible to physical sight at all, but
they have the power of making themselves so by materialization when
they wish to be seen.

There are an immense number of subdivisions or races among them, and
individuals of these subdivisions differ in intelligence and
disposition precisely as human beings do. The great majority of them
apparently prefer to avoid man altogether; his habits and emanations
are distasteful to them, and the constant rush of astral currents set
up by his restless, ill-regulated desires disturbs and annoys them. On
the other hand instances are not wanting in which nature-spirits have
as it were made friends with human beings and offered them such
assistance as lay in their power, as in the well-known stories told of
the Scotch brownies or of the fire-lighting fairies mentioned in
spiritualistic literature. This helpful attitude, however, is
comparatively rare, and in most cases when they come in contact with
man they either show indifference or dislike, or else take an impish
delight in deceiving him and playing childish tricks upon him. Many a
story illustrative of this curious characteristic may be found among
the village gossip of the peasantry in almost any lonely mountainous
district, and any one who has been in the habit of attending _seances_
for physical phenomena will recollect instances of practical joking
and silly though usually good-natured horseplay, which always indicate
the presence of some of the lower orders of the nature-spirits. They
are greatly assisted in their tricks by the wonderful power which they
possess of casting a glamour over those who yield themselves to their
influence, so that such victims for the time see and hear only what
these fairies impress upon them, exactly as the mesmerized subject
sees, hears, feels and believes whatever the magnetizer wishes. The
nature-spirits, however, have not the mesmerizer's power of dominating
the human will, except in the case of quite unusually weak-minded
people, or of those who allow themselves to fall into such a condition
of helpless terror that their will is temporarily in abeyance; they
cannot go beyond deception of the senses, but of that art they