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SECOND EDITION
FEDERLE • ROSADO-DE-CHRISTENSON
RAMAN • CARTER • WOODWARD • SHAABAN
ii
SECOND EDITION
Michael P. Federle, MD, FACR
Professor and Associate Chair for Education
Department of Radiology
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford, California
Siva P. Raman, MD
Assistant Professor of Radiology
Department of Radiology
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland
Brett W. Carter, MD
Assistant Professor of Radiology
Department of Diagnostic Radiology
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Assistant Professor of Radiology
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging
The University of Texas Medical School at Houston
Houston, Texas
Paula J. Woodward, MD
David G. Bragg, MD and Marcia R. Bragg Presidential Endowed
Chair in Oncologic Imaging
Professor of Radiology
Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences
University of Utah School of Medicine
Salt Lake City, Utah
iii
1600 John F. Kennedy Blvd.
Ste 1800
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2899
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Details on
how to seek permission, further information about the Publisher’s permissions policies and our arrangements with organizations such as
the Copyright Clearance Center and the Copyright Licensing Agency, can be found at our website: www.elsevier.com/permissions.
This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the Publisher (other than as may be
noted herein).
Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and
experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices,
or medical treatment may become necessary.
Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in
evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described
herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety
and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.
With respect to any drug or pharmaceutical products identified, readers are advised to check
the most current information provided (i) on procedures featured or (ii) by the manufacturer
of each product to be administered, to verify the recommended dose or formula, the
method and duration of administration, and contraindications. It is the responsibility of
practitioners, relying on their own experience and knowledge of their patients, to make
diagnoses, to determine dosages and the best treatment for each individual patient, and to
take all appropriate safety precautions.
To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or
editors, assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter
of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods,
products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein.
iv
Dedications
To Ric Harnsberger, whose vision, enthusiasm, charisma, and hard work created
and sustained this entire enterprise. Your legacy will endure long after all of our
names are forgotten.
MPF
I dedicate this project to my parents, Ralph and Joy Carter, without whom this
effort would not have been possible.
BWC
To Miguel Flores.
The stalwart patriarch of the Flores/z clan, whose staunch work ethic remains
an inspiration to me. You started in this world with so little and have done so
much. Thank you not only for your example but also for your hijo.
PJW
v
vi
Additional Contributing Authors
Gerald F. Abbott, MD, FACR
Associate Radiologist, Thoracic
Massachusetts General Hospital
Associate Professor
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts
vii
viii
Preface
In his elegant foreword to the first edition of this book, Professor Morton Meyers
related the evolution of our understanding of human anatomy, from Vesalius’ Fabrica
through the many contributions of surgeons, such as Harvey Cushing, who wrote that
“...from the publication of the Fabrica almost to the present day the intimate pursuit
of...anatomy has constituted the high road for entry into the practice of surgery.”
Meyers went on to write, “Today it is the radiologist who is most facile with highly
detailed anatomy, and who...demonstrates this in vivo. Dissectional anatomy has been
superseded by cross-sectional anatomy.”
In the decade since the publication of the first edition of this book, our ability to define
normal and abnormal anatomy of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis has continued
to advance. An example is the major improvement in MR evaluation of the pelvis,
depicting in multiple planes with unprecedented detail the pertinent anatomical
alterations that may result in pelvic floor laxity, urinary and fecal incontinence, and
perianal fistulas. Similar advances have been made in the multimodality depiction of
anatomic structures throughout the body, and these have been incorporated into this
second edition of Imaging Anatomy.
As with the first edition, we feature what Meyers deemed “exquisite, museum-quality
illustrations,” paired with the imaging modalities most relevant to the understanding
of human anatomy in health and disease.
We hope that the efforts of our radiologist authors and talented medical illustrators
will make the anatomy of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis “come alive” for our readers.
ix
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x
Acknowledgments
Text Editors
Arthur G. Gelsinger, MA
Nina I. Bennett, BA
Terry W. Ferrell, MS
Karen E. Concannon, MA, PhD
Matt W. Hoecherl, BS
Megg Morin, BA
Image Editors
Jeffrey J. Marmorstone, BS
Lisa A. M. Steadman, BS
Illustrations
Lane R. Bennion, MS
Richard Coombs, MS
Laura C. Sesto, MA
Lead Editor
Lisa A. Gervais, BS
Production Coordinators
Angela M. G. Terry, BA
Rebecca L. Hutchinson, BA
Emily Fassett, BA
xi
xii
Sections
SECTION 1: CHEST
SECTION 2: ABDOMEN
SECTION 3: PELVIS
xiii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
xiv
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SECOND EDITION
FEDERLE • ROSADO-DE-CHRISTENSON
RAMAN • CARTER • WOODWARD • SHAABAN
This page intentionally left blank
SECTION 1
Chest
Chest Overview 4
Lung Development 44
Airway Structure 64
Vascular Structure 86
Interstitial Network 106
Lungs 118
Hila 148
Airways 178
Pulmonary Vessels 200
Pleura 232
Mediastinum 258
Systemic Vessels 294
Heart 336
Coronary Arteries and Cardiac Veins 380
Pericardium 402
Chest Wall 422
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Chest Overview
Chest
Chest
• Apical lordotic (AP or PA axial) chest radiography Radiographic Densities
○ Superior angulation of x-ray beam from horizontal plane • 5 radiographic densities
of 15-20° ○ Air
○ Distinctive features ○ Water (fluid, blood, and soft tissue)
– Clavicles and first anterior ribs project above apices ○ Fat
– Ribs course horizontally ○ Bone
– Magnification (foreshortening) of mediastinum ○ Metal (contrast, metallic portions of medical devices,
○ Indications metallic foreign bodies)
– Radiographic visualization of apex, superior • Silhouette sign
mediastinum and thoracic inlet ○ Intrathoracic process (mass, consolidation, pleural fluid)
– Enhanced visualization of minor fissure in suspected that touches mediastinum or diaphragm obscures
middle lobe atelectasis visualization of their borders on radiography
• Expiratory radiography ○ Critical for radiographic diagnosis of
○ Evaluation of air-trapping – Atelectasis
○ Evaluation of pneumothorax (limited value) – Consolidation
– No clear difference in sensitivity or specificity for – Pleural effusion
diagnosis
Radiographic Interpretation COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
• Assessment of patient's identity and location of right/left General Concepts
markers • Imaging based on x-ray absorption by tissues with differing
• Assessment of entire thorax atomic numbers
○ Frontal radiography • Display of differences in x-ray absorption in cross-sectional
– Inclusion of all thoracic structures from larynx to lung format
bases • Excellent spatial resolution
– Full inspiration • Enhanced visualization of structures of different tissue
□ Diaphragm below posterior 9th-10th ribs or at 5th- density based on display of wide range of Hounsfield unit
7th anterior ribs at mid clavicular line (HU) measurements
○ Lateral radiography ○ Window width refers to number of HU displayed
– Inclusion of anteroposterior extent of chest wall ○ Window level refers to median (center) HU
– Inclusion of apical lung and posterior ○ Window width and level for assessment of thoracic CT
costodiaphragmatic sulci – Lung window (width of 1,500 HU; level of -650 HU)
• Assessment of appropriate radiographic positioning □ Evaluation of lungs, airways, and air-containing
○ No rotation portions of gastrointestinal tract
– Spinous process of T3 (posterior structure) centered □ Identification of pneumomediastinum,
between medial clavicles (anterior structures) on pneumoperitoneum, and soft tissue gas
frontal radiography – Soft tissue (mediastinal) window (width of 400 HU;
– Superimposition of right and left ribs posterior to level of 40 HU)
thoracic vertebrae on lateral radiography □ Evaluation of vascular structures and soft tissues of
○ Medial aspects of scapulae lateral to lungs on frontal mediastinum and chest wall
radiography – Bone window (width of 2,000 HU; level of 400 HU)
○ Arms above thorax without superimposition on lung and □ Evaluation of skeletal and calcified structures
mediastinum on lateral radiography □ Evaluation of metallic objects and medical devices
• Appropriately exposed radiograph – Liver window (width of 150 HU; level of 50 HU
○ Assessment of peripheral pulmonary vasculature without contrast and 100 HU with contrast)
○ Visualization of pulmonary vessels through heart and □ Evaluation of upper abdomen: Liver, kidney
diaphragm on frontal radiography □ Evaluation of pleural effusions for solid pleural
○ Visualization of vertebrae through heart on frontal nodules
radiography
• Systematic evaluation Conventional CT
○ Assessment of multiple superimposed structures and • Evaluation, localization, and characterization of
tissues abnormalities detected on radiography
○ Assessment of all visible structures including portions of • Localization of lesions in preparation for CT-guided
neck, shoulders, and upper abdomen biopsy/drainage
○ Anatomic localization of abnormalities Contrast-Enhanced CT
○ Assessment of associated findings
• Administration of intravenous contrast
○ Comparison to prior studies
○ Evaluation of vascular structures
• Challenges
○ Evaluation of vascular abnormalities
○ Evaluation of retrocardiac lung
○ Distinction of vascular structures from adjacent soft
○ Evaluation of retrodiaphragmatic lung tissues (e.g., lymph nodes)
○ Evaluation of apical lung
5
Chest Overview
Chest
Chest
CHEST OVERVIEW
Airways
Heart
Pleura
Graphic shows the complex and diverse structures and organs of the thorax. The chest wall skeletal and soft tissue structures surround
and protect the primary organs of respiration, the thoracic cardiovascular system, and the proximal gastrointestinal tract. The apposed
pleural surfaces create a potential space that normally contains a small amount of fluid, which lubricates the pleural surfaces and
reduces friction during respiratory motion. The airways deliver oxygen to the alveolar-capillary interface and carry carbon dioxide out to
the environment. The heart and vessels deliver deoxygenated blood to the capillary-alveolar interface and oxygenated blood to the
peripheral organs and tissues.
7
Chest Overview
Chest
PA CHEST RADIOGRAPHY
Interlobar pulmonary
artery
Heart
Lung
Normal posteroanterior (PA) chest radiograph helps illustrate inherent challenges regarding interpretation of radiographs of the
thorax. Chest radiography displays a wide range of structures and tissue types with significant superimposition of structures of different
radiographic densities. Portions of the lung may be obscured by overlying mediastinal soft tissues and skeletal structures. Attention to
radiographic image quality is of paramount importance for accurate diagnosis of subtle abnormalities.
8
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MAORI FISHING PARTY
Sir George Grey was the first, I think, to write down any of the
Maori fairy-tales; at any rate, two of the best of them are found in
his book. One concerns the adventure of the chief Kahukura, who,
walking one evening on the sea-shore in the far north of the North
Island, saw strange footprints and canoe marks on the sands.
Clearly fishermen had been there; but their landing and departure
must have taken place in the night, and there was something about
the marks they had left that was puzzling and uncanny. Kahukura
went his way pondering, and “held fast in his heart what he had
seen.” So after nightfall back he came to the spot, and after a while
the shore was covered with fairies. Canoes were paddled to land
dragging nets full of mackerel, and all were busy in securing the fish.
Kahukura mingled with the throng, and was as busy as any, picking
up fish and running a string of flax through their gills. Like many
Maori chiefs, he was a light-complexioned man, so fair that in the
starlight the fairies took him for one of themselves. Morning
approached, and the fishermen were anxious to finish their work;
but Kahukura contrived by dropping and scattering fish to impede
and delay them until dawn. With the first streaks of daylight the
fairies discovered that a man was among them, and fled in confusion
by sea and land, leaving their large seine net lying on the shore. It is
true that the net was made of rushes; but the pattern and knotting
were so perfect and ingenious that the Maori copied them, and that
is how they learned to make fishing-nets.
Another chief, Te Kanawa, fell in with the fairies high up on a
wooded mountain near the river Waikato. This encounter also, we
are assured, took place long ago, before the coming of white men.
Te Kanawa had been hunting the wingless kiwi, and, surprised by
night, had to encamp in the forest. He made his bed of fern among
the buttresses at the foot of a large pukatea-tree, and, protected by
these and his fire, hoped to pass the night comfortably. Soon,
however, he heard voices and footsteps, and fairies began to circle
round about, talking and laughing, and peeping over the buttresses
of the pukatea at the handsome young chief. Their women openly
commented on his good looks, jesting with each other at their
eagerness to examine him. Te Kanawa, however, was exceedingly
terrified, and thought of nothing but of how he might propitiate his
inquisitive admirers and save himself from some injury at their
hands. So he took from his neck his hei-tiki, or charm of greenstone,
and from his ears his shark’s-tooth ornaments, and hung them upon
a wand which he held out as an offering to the fairy folk. At once
these turned to examine the gifts with deep interest. According to
one version of the story they made patterns of them, cut out of
wood and leaves. According to another, they, by enchantment, took
away the shadows or resemblances of the prized objects. In either
case they were satisfied to leave the tangible ornaments with their
owner, and disappeared, allowing Te Kanawa to make his way
homeward. That he did with all possible speed, at the first glimpse
of daylight, awe-struck but gratified by the good nature of the elves.
Our wild flowers, say the naturalists, show few brilliant hues. Our
fuschias are poor, our violets white, our gentians pallid—save those
of the Auckland isles. Our clematis is white or creamy, and our
passion-flower faint yellow and green. Again and again we are told
that our flowers, numerous as they are, seldom light up the sombre
greens of the forest. This complaint may be pushed much too far. It
is true that pale flowers are found in the islands belonging to
families which in other countries have brightly coloured members.
Though, for instance, three or four of our orchids are beautiful, and
one falls in a cascade of sweet-scented blooms, most of the species
are disappointing. But the array of our more brilliant flowers is very
far from contemptible. Over and above the gorgeous ratas and their
spray-sprinkled cousins are to be reckoned the golden-and-russet
kowhai, the crimson parrot’s-beak, veronicas wine-hued or purple,
the red mistletoe, the yellow tarata, and the rosy variety of the
manuka. The stalks of the flax-lily make a brave show of red and
yellow. The centre of the mountain-lily’s cup is shining gold. And
when speaking of colour we may fairly take count of the golden glint
or pinkish tinge of the toé-toé plumes, the lilac hue of the palm-
flower, the orange-coloured fruit of the karaka, and the purples of
the tutu and wineberry. Nor do flowers lack beauty because they are
white,—witness the ribbon-wood loaded with masses of blooms, fine
as those of the double cherry, and honey-scented to boot; witness
the tawari, the hinau, the rangiora, the daisy-tree, the whau, and
half a score more. For myself, I would not change the purity of our
starry clematis for the most splendid parasite of the Tropics.
Certainly the pallid-greenish and chocolate hues of some of our
flowers are strange; they seem tinged with moonlight and meant for
the night hours, and in the dusky jungle carry away one’s thoughts
to “Rappaccini’s Daughter” and “Les Fleurs du Mal.”
For a bit of New Zealand colour you may turn to Colenso’s
description of a certain morning in early October when he found
himself on a high hill-top in face of Mount Ruapehu. Snow had fallen
in the night and the volcano was mantled heavily therewith. The
forest and native village on the hill on which Colenso stood were
sprinkled with white, and, though the rising sun was shining brightly,
a few big flakes continued to flutter down. Outside the village a
grove of kowhai was covered with golden-and-russet blossoms, all
the more noticeable because the young leaves were only on the way.
Suddenly from the evergreen forest a flock of kakas descended on
the kowhais, chattering hoarsely. The great parrots, walking out on
the underside of the boughs to the very end of the branches, began
to tear open the flowers, piercing them at the side of their base and
licking out the honey with their brush-tipped tongues. Brown-
skinned Maori boys climbing the trees brought to the naturalist
specimens of the blossoms thus opened by the big beaks. The
combination of the golden-brown flowers and green forest; the
rough-voiced parrots, olive-brown and splashed with red, swaying on
the slender branch-tips; and the sunlight gleaming on the white
snow, made, with the towering volcano in the background, a picture
as brilliant as curious.
Whatever the dim flowers, purple fruit, and glossy leaves of many
of our plants might lead the imaginative to expect, the number that
are poisonous is very small. Only two examples are conspicuous, and
but one does any damage to speak of. Of the noxious pair the
karaka, a handsome shrub, is a favourite garden plant, thanks to its
large polished leaves and the deep orange colour of its fruit. It has
been a favourite, too, with the Maori from time immemorial. They
plant it near their villages, and they claim to have brought it in their
canoes from Polynesia. Botanists shake their heads over this
assertion, however, the explanation of which is somewhat similar to
a famous statement by a certain undergraduate on the crux of the
Baconian controversy. “The plays of Shakespeare,” said this young
gentleman, “were not written by him, but by another fellow of the
same name.” It seems that there is a Polynesian karaka in the
islands where the Maori once dwelt, but that it is no relation of the
New Zealand shrub. The affection of the Maori for the latter was
based on something more practical than an ancestral association.
They were extremely fond of the kernel of its fruit. When raw, this is
exceedingly bitter and disagreeable—fortunately so, for it contains
then a powerful poison. Somehow the Maori discovered that by long
baking or persistent steaming the kernels could be freed from this,
and they used to subject them to the process in a most patient and
elaborate fashion. Now and then some unlucky person—usually a
child—would chew a raw kernel and then the result was
extraordinary. The poison distorted the limbs and then left them
quite rigid, in unnatural postures. To avoid this the Maori would lash
the arms and legs of the unfortunate sufferer in a natural position,
and then bury him up to his shoulders in earth. Colenso once saw a
case in which this strong step had not been taken, or had failed. At
any rate the victim of karaka poison, a well-grown boy, was lying
with limbs stiff and immovable, one arm thrust out in front, one leg
twisted backwards; he could neither feed himself nor beat off the
swarm of sandflies that were pestering him. White children must be
more cautious than the Maori, for though the karaka shines in half
the gardens of the North Island, one never hears of any harm
coming from it. The other plant with noxious properties is the tutu,
and this in times past did much damage among live-stock, sheep
especially. Much smaller than the karaka, it is still an attractive-
looking bush, with soft leaves and purple-black clusters of berries.
Both berries and shoots contain a poison, powerful enough to
interest chemists as well as botanists. Sheep which eat greedily of it,
especially when tired and fasting after a journey, may die in a few
hours. It kills horned cattle also, though horses do not seem to
suffer from it. Its chief recorded achievement was to cause the
death of a circus elephant many years ago, a result which followed
in a few hours after a hearty meal upon a mixture of tutu and other
vegetation. So powerful is the poison that a chemist who handles
the shoots of the plant for an hour or two with his fingers will suffer
nausea, pain, and a burning sensation of the skin. An extremely
minute internal dose makes the nausea very violent indeed. Of
course, so dangerous a plant does not get much quarter from the
settlers, and for this and other reasons the losses caused by tutu
among our flocks and herds are far less than was the case forty or
fifty years ago. Strangely enough the Maoris could make a wine from
the juice of the berries, which was said to be harmless and
palatable, though I venture to doubt it. White men are said to have
tried the liquor, though I have never met any of these daring
drinkers. Though the most dangerous plant in the islands, it does
not seem to have caused any recorded death among white people
for more than forty years.
ON THE PELORUS RIVER
Something has already been done. Forty years ago Thomas Potts,
naturalist and politician, raised his voice in the parliamentary
wilderness; and in the next decade a Premier, Sir Julius Vogel, came
forward with an official scheme of conservation which would have
been invaluable had he pressed it home. Since then enlightened
officials, like the late Surveyor-General, Mr. Percy Smith, have done
what they could. From time to time reserves have been made which,
all too small as they are, now protect some millions of acres. In the
rainier districts most of this is not in great danger from chance fires.
Nor is it always and everywhere true that the forest when burned
does not grow again. It can and will do so, if cattle and goats are
kept out of it. The lavish beauty of the primeval forest may not
return, but that is another matter. The cry that Government
reservation only saves trees from the axe to keep them for the fire
may be dismissed as a counsel of despair, or—sometimes—as
inspired by the saw-miller and land-grabber. Of late years, too, both
Government and public are waking up to the wisdom of preserving
noted and beautiful scenes. Many years ago the settlers of Taranaki
set an example by reserving the upper and middle slopes of their
Fusiyama, Mount Egmont. Long stretches of the draped cliffs of
Wanganui River have been made as safe as law can make them,
though some still remain in danger, and I am told that at
Taumaranui, on the upper river, the hum of the saw-mills is ever in
your ears. Societies for preserving scenery are at work elsewhere,
and the Parliament has passed an Act and established a Board for
the purpose of making scenic reserves. Twenty-five thousand acres
have lately been set aside on the Board’s advice, and the area will, I
assume, be added to yearly.
Now and again, in dry, windy summers, the forest turns upon its
destroyers and takes revenge. Dying, it involves their works and
possessions in its own fiery death. A bush-fire is a fine sight when
seen on windy nights, burning whole hill-sides, crawling slowly to
windward, or rushing with the wind in leaping tongues and flakes
that fly above the tree-tops. The roar, as of a mighty gale, the
spouting and whirling of golden sparks, the hissing of sap and resin,
and the glowing heat that may be felt a mile away, join grandly in
furious energy. Nothing can be finer than the spectacle, just as
nothing can be more dreary than the resulting ruin. A piece of bush
accidentally burned has no touch of dignity in its wreck. It becomes
merely an ugly and hateful jumble, begrimed, untidy, and
unserviceable. A tract that has been cut down and fired deliberately
is in a better case. Something more like a clean sweep has been
made, and the young grass sprouting up gives promise of a better
day. But bush through which fire has run too quickly is often spoiled
as forest, without becoming of use to the farmer. The best that can
be done when trees are thus scorched is for the saw-miller to pick
out the larger timber and separate with his machinery the sound
inside from the burned envelope. This he does skilfully enough, and
much good wood—especially kauri—is thus saved. The simple-
minded settler when selling scorched timber sometimes tries to
charge for sound and injured portions alike; but the average saw-
miller is a man of experience.
TAREI-PO-KIORE
If there appears any fair chance of beating back the flames, the
men join together, form a line, and give battle. They do not lightly
surrender the fruits of years of toil, but will fight rolling smoke, flying
sparks, and even scorching flame, hour after hour. Strips of grass
are burned off in advance, and dead timber blown up with dynamite.
Buckets of water are passed from hand to hand, or the flames are
beaten out with sacks or blankets. Seen at night on a burning hill-
side, the row of masculine fighting figures stands out jet-black
against the red glow, and the wild attitudes and desperate exertions
are a study for an artist. Among the men, boys work gleefully; there
is no school for them when a fire has to be beaten. Very young
children suffer greatly from the smoke with which the air they
breathe is laden, perhaps for days together. Even a Londoner would
find its volumes trying. Now and again a bushman in the thick of the
fight reels half-suffocated, or falls fainting and has to be carried
away. But his companions work on; and grass-fires are often
stopped and standing crops saved. But fire running through thick
bush is a more formidable affair. The heat is terrific, the very soil
seems afire; and indeed the flames, after devouring trunks and
branches, will work down into the roots and consume them for many
feet. Sparks and tongues of flame shoot across roads and streams
and start a blaze on the farther side. Messengers riding for help, or
settlers trying to reach their families, have often to run the gauntlet
perilously on tracks which the fire has reached or is crossing. They
gallop through when they can, sometimes with hair and beard
singed and clothes smelling of the fire. Men, however, very seldom
lose their lives. For one who dies by fire in the bush, fifty are killed
by falling timber in the course of tree-felling. Sheep have
occasionally to be left to their fate, and are roasted, or escape with
wool half-burnt. Wild pigs save themselves; but many native birds
perish with their trees, and the trout in the smaller streams die in
hundreds.
Many stories are told of these bush fires, and of the perils, panics,
or displays of courage they have occasioned. Let me repeat one. In
a certain “bush township,” or small settlement in the forest, lived a
clergyman, who, in addition to working hard among the settlers in a
parish half as large as an English county, was a reader of books. He
was, I think, a bachelor, and I can well believe that his books were
to him something not far removed from wife and children. The life of
a parson in the bush certainly deserves some consolations in
addition to those of religion. Well, a certain devastating fire took a
turn towards the township in which a wooden roof sheltered our
parson and his beloved volumes. Some householders were able to
drive off with their goods; others stood their ground. The minister,
after some reflection, carried his books out of doors, took a spade
and began to dig a hole in the earth, meaning to bury them therein.
Just as the interment was beginning, a neighbour rode up with the
news that the house of a widow woman, not far away, had caught
fire and that friends were trying to extinguish the burning or at least
save her goods. Whether the book-lover gave “a splendid groan” I
do not know; but leaving his treasures, off he ran, and was soon
among the busiest of the little salvage corps, hauling and
shouldering like a man. When all was done that could be done he
hastened back, blackened and perspiring, to his own dwelling. Alas!
the fire had outflanked him. Sparks and burning flakes had dropped
upon his books and the little collection was a blazing pile. I have
forgotten the parson’s name and do not know what became of him.
But if any man deserved, in later life, a fine library at the hands of
the Fates, he did. I hope that he has one, and that it includes a copy
of Mr. Blades’s entertaining treatise on the Enemies of Books. With
what gusto he must read chapter i., the title of which is “Fire.”