glands; whereas flannel will, even after a violent perspiration, rest on a skin it has nearly dried, and be only damp itself.
Thus, after violent exercise, a cotton or linen garment next the skin hangs against it damp and clammy, and is a frequent source of colds; so that for such violent exercise as cricket, boating, or tennis, flannel next the skin, and that garment rightly called the "sweater," has been wisely adopted by the male sex.
Silk worn next the skin is warmer and slightly more absorbent than vegetable fibre; but that it does not allow the noxious exhalations to pass freely is proved by the unpleasant smell it soon acquires.
Before quitting this branch of my subject it may be interesting to refer to the colour of the skin or complexion, which is partly dependent on the constitution of the skin itself, partly on the state of the vital functions. Thus the bronze tint of the Hindoo, the black skin of the negro, and the hue of the brunette are caused by the number of pigment cells deposited in the true skin itself. In very fair people these pigment cells are absent. On the other hand, when the skin of the face and hands becomes coarse and red by exposure to rough weather, it is because the small blood-vessels which supply the surface of the parts have become enlarged by abnormal excitement and irritation. The colour of the blood is dimly seen through the semi-transparent outer skin. Thus, when an outdoor life is led, the complexion is fresh and rosy; but when an indoor and
