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286 science, but who, nevertheless, through their love for it, possess a general knowledge equal to many of your professional astronomers; at least, such is the case with us, and many important discoveries have been made by these patient observers."

I admitted that it was so with ourselves, and said that ever since we left Moolooba I had been thinking much of the planet Mars and its happy inhabitants, and would be extremely pleased to learn whatever he knew or conjectured about the origin of animal life, taking, for instance, that of the people of our own earth.

"I cannot speak with any degree of certainty on the matter," he said, "but our astronomers have been of the opinion for a very long period that animal life was conveyed to our world, in the first instance, through the medium of another member of the universe, which, at some remote time, came into contact with our own planet."

"Is it probable there was a collision?" asked.

"Yes," he answered; "and that occurrence may account for such a vast portion of the earth's surface being covered at the present day by the waters of the ocean."

"Is it likely they came from Mars?" I inquired.

"It is not known from what world they came,"