s nebulous, boiling over fires volcanic. Age by age,
the fluid thickened; dropping, at long intervals, heavy sediment to
the bottom; which layer on layer concreted, and at length, in crusts,
rose toward the surface. Then, the vast volcano burst; rent the whole
mass; upthrew the ancient rocks; which now in divers mountain tops
tell tales of what existed ere Mardi was completely fashioned. Hence
many fossils on the hills, whose kith and kin still lurk beneath the
vales. Thus Nature works, at random warring, chaos a crater, and this
world a shell."

Mohi stroked his beard.

Yoomy yawned.

Media cried, "Preposterous!"

"My lord, then take another theory--which you will--the celebrated
sandwich System. Nature's first condition was a soup, wherein the
agglomerating solids formed granitic dumplings, which, wearing down,
deposited the primal stratum made up of series, sandwiching strange
shapes of mollusks, and zoophytes; then snails, and periwinkles:--
marmalade to sip, and nuts to crack, ere the substantials came.

"And next, my lord, we have the fine old time of the Old Red Sandstone
sandwich, clapped on the underlying layer, and among other dainties,
imbedding the first course of fish,--all quite in rule,--sturgeon-
forms, cephalaspis, glyptolepis, pterichthys; and other finny things,
of flavor rare, but hard to mouth for bones. Served up with these,
were sundry greens,--lichens, mosses, ferns, and fungi.

"Now comes the New Red Sandstone sandwich: marly and magnesious,
spread over with old patriarchs of crocodiles and alligators,--hard
carving these,--and prodigious lizards, spine-skewered, tails tied in
bows, and swimming in saffron saucers."

"What next?" cried Media.

"The Ool, or Oily sandwich:--rare gormandizing then; for oily it was
called, because of fat old joints, and hams, and rounds, and barons of
sea-beeves and walrusses, which then crowned the stratum-board. All
piled together, glorious profusion!--fillets and briskets, rumps, and
saddles, and haunches; shoulder to shoulder, loin 'gainst sirloin,
ribs rapping knuckles, and quarter to none. And all these sandwiched
right over all that went before. Course after course, and course on
course, my lord; no time to clear the wreck; no stop nor let; lay on
and slash; cut, thrust, and come.

"Next the Chalk, or Coral sandwich; but no dry fare for that; made up
of rich side-courses,--eocene, miocene, and pliocene. The first was
wild game for the delicate,--b