breast of the flying-fish to enable it to seek safety in flight, when closely pursued by floating enemies. The porcupine-fish is mailed with a coat of thorns. The cuttle-fish possesses a fluid, by which, it darkens the water, and then eludes the sight of pursuers. The arms, or feelers, of another fish are about fifty feet long, so that it can keep at a distance unwelcome neighbours. Birds, as well as fishes, have an aqueous origin. In the Genesis of the Bible, it is stated that God also said: "Let the waters bring forth the creeping creatures having life, and the fowls that may fly over the earth, under the firmament of Heaven. And God created the great whales, and every living and moving creature which the waters brought forth, according to their kinds, and every winged fowl, according to its kind." (Gen. i.) This common origin is also referred to in a vesper hymn of the Catholic church: "Lord of all power, at whose command, The waters, from their teeming womb, Sinking the fishes in the sea, Lifting the birds aloft in air." By a prophet, the Avenger is compared to an eagle in flight: "and he shall spread his wings over Bosra." (Is. xlix.) Moreover, in Scripture, the eagle is represented as making her nest in high places, whence her eyes behold afar off. (Job. xxxix.) "God knoweth all the fowls of the air" (Ps. xlix.); and has gifted them with instincts adapted to their wants. "They neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet an all-provident Father feedeth them." Does not the same provident Caterer, who feeds the raven when her young ones cry, procure meat, also, for the rock-nested eagle,the carrion-vulture of the plain,-the pelican of the wilderness, the forest owl,-and the solitary sparrow on the house-top? Of Noah's two winged messengers, the crow and the dove, the latter alone returned to the ark with an olive branch, the symbol of peace. A royal penitent desired the pinions of a dove to soar heavenward; and when the Holy Spirit appeared on the Messiah's head, in the Jordan, it was under a visible dovelike form! If the Apostles were admonished to be as prudent as serpents, they were, also, recommended at the same time, to be "as simple as doves." The stork is held sacred in some countries, and is esteemed as the emblem of filial piety. Whether wild, or tame, sacred or profane, birds are both morally and physically useful to man. By foresightedness, in discerning times and seasons, and by diligence in the care of their offspring, they suggest to the children of men to keep in view the end, for which, all were created. To use a poet's words: "See the birds together, In fair, or foul weather, Worship God (for he is God of birds as well as men); Enters on his labour Sparrow, robin, redpole, finch, the linnet, and the wren." The nightingale's vesper song excels in melody the human musician's voice. However, in a nocturnal contest, St. Francis of Assisi, it seems, came off victorious. The seraph of Alvernia's sisters, and rivals, were the feathered warblers of the grove,—their chirpings were his matin bell to prayer. The chaffinch, it is said, rises and begins its litanies, not unlike a trappist monk, at half-past one in the morning. The blackbird begins its day at half-past four, and the sparrow comes latest, at half-past five. Birds add to man's comfort by adorning him with their plumes, by cheering him with their songs, and by furnishing him with delicious nutriment. With regard to a bird's usefulness, it is said, that an owl is a better mouse-catcher than a cat; that a buzzard yearly destroys about 6,000 mice; and that a rook has an extravagant appetite for worms. In this way," the country clergymen of ornithology" (as rooks are termed by Waterton) prove themselves to be among the farmer's best friends. Unless checked by the vigilance of little birds; vines, olives, and forest trees would be gradually ruined by grubs and insects. In Holy Writ, man's ignorance is reproved by the example of the stork, the turtle, the swallow, and the kite. There is also wisdom to be learnt from songsters of the grove, as well as from a flowery parterre. "If the lilies of the field, With their leaves, instruction yield; By the blessed birds of heaven! Every bush and tufted tree Warbles sweet philosophy. Mortals, fly from doubt and sorrow; Israel's poet-king noticed that "the sparrow hath found herself a house, and the turtle a nest, where she may lay her young ones." (Ps. lxxxiii.) However cheaply the first-named bird may be held, the Gospel assures that, it is deemed not unworthy the care of a Divine Providence (Luke). Ornithological science, in construction, has been contrasted with human skill in architecture. Without presuming to decide, the question may be left open, whether the bird-mason is outdone by the man-builder in adapting means to an end, or even in workmanship? Take the nest of a wren, for instance, and "Mark it well, within, without; No tool had he, who wrought, no knife to cut, No nail to fix, no bodkin to insert, No glue to join; his little beak was all! And yet, how neatly framed! What wiser head, And twenty years' apprenticeship to boot, The beaver, the water-mole, and other amphibious animals are astonishingly clever in erecting their habitations. Between Nature's work, and human handicraft, there is this difference, that the more minutely the former is examined, the more there is to admire in its simple perfection; whereas, not seldom, a close scrutiny detects the shortcomings of human art. Hence, not unreasonably, it may be asked, again: "Who teacheth us more than the beasts, and instructeth us more than the fowls of the air?" In their testimony, moreover, we may rejoice; and invite them, also, to take part with mankind in a thanksgiving song: "O, all ye beasts and cattle,-ye whales and all that move in the waters; all ye fowl, and ye sons of men, bless the Lord! praise and exalt Him, above all, for ever." (Dan. iii.) CHAPTER XI. THE TESTIMONY OF INSECT WORLDS, ETC.-MICROSCOPIC WONDERS ANIMALCULÆ CATERPILLARS MEDUSÆ-BUTTERFLIES SPONGES POLYPES, ETC. "EVERY creeping thing, that creepeth on the ground, shall be moved at my presence, saith the Lord God.” (Ezech. xxxviii.) "The Lord hath made the little, and the great, and hath equally care of all.” (Wisd. vii.) "Listen, and I will tell thee The song creation sings; From the humming of birds, in the heather, To the flutter of angels' wings." Considering the variety of Nature's productions, an observer exclaimed:-" Oh, blinded is man's eye, if it see not just aptitude in all things!" Oh, frozen is man's heart, if it flow not with gratitude, for all things! In fact, whatever be the magnitude, multitude, or parvitude of creatures, they are all admirably designed, as means to an end, by their provident Maker. A theologian remarks, that "men of science search every nook and corner of the world, to show, even in the case of the vilest insects, the adaptation of their habits, and instincts to their wants, and weaknesses; and to demonstrate how full creation is, not only of the powerful wisdom, but of the minute considerateness, and tender compassion of the Almighty." In fact, |