v.
 
 LECTURES 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY. 
 
 BY 
 
 EDWARD JESSE, ESQ. 
 
 AUTHOR OF " GLEANINGS IN NATURAL HISTORY," "ANECDOTES 
 
 OF DOGS," "FAVOURITE HAUNTS AND RURAL STUDIES," 
 
 "AN ANGLER'S RAMBLES," "WINDSOR AND ETON," 
 
 ETC. ETC. 
 
 DELIVERED AT 
 
 THE "FISHERMAN'S HOME," BRIGHTON. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 L. BOOTH, 307 REGENT STREET, W. 
 1861.
 
 LONDON: 
 
 STRANGEWAYS AND WALDEN, PKINTBRS, 
 28 Castle St. Leicester Sq.
 
 Cjr.es* 
 
 ARE DEDICATED TO 
 
 THE BRIGHTON FISHERMEN, 
 
 BY THEIR 
 SINCERE FRIEND AND WELL-WISHER, 
 
 EDWARD JESSE. 
 
 2091 1 73
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 SOME of the readers of the following Lectures 
 might wish to be informed what induced the 
 Author to write and deliver them to the 
 Brighton fishermen. It may, therefore, be stated, 
 that the occupation of these men kept them very 
 frequently for days together at sea, often on 
 Sundays. The consequence was, that they be- 
 came much neglected, both as to their temporal 
 as well as their spiritual improvement. Indeed, 
 there was a time when a part of the beach at 
 Brighton exhibited a scene of quarrelling, swear- 
 ing, and drunkenness, such as was seldom wit- 
 nessed. It is far different now, for, owing to 
 the exertions of some benevolent persons, an 
 arch, capable of containing about eighty persons, 
 was hired for their use. This has been floored,
 
 VI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 white-washed, lighted, and warmed; and the 
 walls covered with many amusing and instruc- 
 tive drawings and coloured prints, presenting a 
 very cheerful aspect. Seats and small tables 
 have also been provided, together with a library 
 of amusing and instructive books, in addition to 
 newspapers and periodicals. 
 
 When the "Home" was thus completed, the 
 Author was requested to. inaugurate it with a 
 Lecture, which he willingly undertook to do. It 
 was listened to by a most attentive audience, 
 and suitable addresses were also made to the 
 men by his friend Mr. Cordy Burrows, and 
 other gentlemen present. These Lectures were 
 continued from time to time, as occasions 
 offered, during the period the Author remained 
 at Brighton, and last winter he resumed the 
 practice ; and he has reason to be gratified with 
 the result of his labours, for his assertion will be 
 borne out by many others, that a more well- 
 conducted, sober, and attentive set of men 
 than his hearers have seldom been collected 
 together.
 
 INTRODUCTION. Vll 
 
 But his success must not be attributed ex- 
 clusively to the Lectures. The fishermen have 
 been induced to abandon the ale-houses and 
 beer-shops (those curses of labouring men), in 
 consequence of being amply and liberally sup- 
 plied with good hot coffee at all times of the 
 day, and until nine o'clock at night. This, they 
 find, does them more good than either spirits or 
 ale, and they thus avoid those miseries and that 
 poverty which drunkenness is sure to bring, 
 with all its curses, on themselves and their 
 families. Thus, by the judicious use of coffee, 
 the men have become a sober class, and are 
 enabled to make deposits in Savings' Banks, and 
 can therefore feel that they are independent of 
 sickness and occasional want of employment. 
 This fact is one of great social importance, and 
 might be beneficially followed in every town 
 and village in England. Indeed, those benevo- 
 lent persons, especially females, who visit the 
 dwellings of the poor, might teach them how to 
 roast, grind, and make coffee. All that is want- 
 ing is an iron tray, and a wooden pestle and
 
 Vlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 mortar, for the purpose, and they would cost 
 but a mere trifle. These, with a pound or two 
 of coffee-berries, and a lesson for the use of 
 them, would be an acceptable and useful wed- 
 ding-present for the bride of a working-man, 
 and might tend to win her husband from re- 
 sorting to an ale-house. 
 
 But to return to the Lectures. They were 
 written partly from the Author's own notes; 
 and were, in part, extracted from different 
 works on natural history. Some of them have 
 been read and approved of by the Author's 
 friend and neighbour, Professor Owen ; and he, 
 therefore, submits them with some little confi- 
 dence to the public. He may add, that the in- 
 struction contained in them may be found useful 
 in schools, and to the young generally. Where 
 they have been read to children they have been 
 listened to with attention and pleasure. 
 
 EDWARD JESSE. 
 
 East Sheen, Surrey, 
 July 1R01.
 
 [From the Brighton Herald of January, I860.] 
 
 AT the foot of the Ship-street " Gap," Brighton, there 
 is a series of arches built in the face of the cliff ; and 
 in one of these a very novel and interesting scene 
 took place on Thursday evening. It is known as the 
 Fisherman's Home and Reading-room, and is a warm, 
 comfortable, well-lighted place, perfectly adapted to 
 induce the beach population to prefer a cup of coffee 
 and a book to the expensive luxury of the beer-shop. 
 In this room were gathered as many seamen as could 
 be crowded into it, this being a kind of inaugural 
 assembly, one of, we hope, a long series of nights 
 on which the members of the Home will meet for 
 readings, songs, and other means of rational amuse- 
 ment. 
 
 As this was the first, so it was a special night, marked 
 by the attraction of a special paper written for the 
 occasion by Mr. Jesse. He did not, however, read 
 his own paper. 
 
 Alderman Burrows undertook that task ; but, before 
 commencing the reading, he took occasion to observe 
 that this Institution had been provided by persons 
 taking an interest in those who were not so well able 
 j- to help themselves, in order that the fishermen fre- 
 quenting this beach might have a nice, warm, dry, 
 comfortable apartment, in which they might read 
 newspapers and books provided for them, so that 
 they might be led to make an intelligent and right 
 
 B
 
 use of those faculties which the Almighty had be- 
 stowed upon them. By educating himself, a man 
 was the better able to appreciate the advantages of 
 a good and virtuous life, and also to discriminate 
 between right and wrong, so that he might do his 
 duty towards his neighbour, his duty towards him- 
 self ; and in the performance of those two duties he 
 would be doing the greatest of all duties, that towards 
 his Maker. It was with this conviction that this 
 Beading Room had been provided ; and it gave him 
 much pleasure to see it so full this evening. If the 
 fishermen only showed their appreciation of it by 
 their attendance, an adjacent arch would also be fitted 
 up, and there would thus be accommodation for double 
 the number. In the meantime, as many among the 
 fishermen had not the advantage of education, it had 
 been thought desirable that there should be some 
 one to read aloud some amusing book in the room of 
 an evening : he had pledged himself to do so once a- 
 fortnight, and if other gentlemen would do the same, 
 there would, with very little trouble, be an amusing 
 and instructive entertainment provided there almost 
 every evening in the week. It was a source of plea- 
 sure to find many persons taking a warm interest in 
 this Institution, which was to a considerable extent 
 self-supporting, and it is always a pleasure to help 
 those who help themselves. He was accompanied 
 by a very dear and affectionate old friend, Mr. Jesse, 
 who had kindly prepared a paper on " Singular Facts 
 Relating to Fish," expressly for this occasion.
 
 [From the Brighton Herald of February 6th, I860.] 
 
 "Really our fishing population have reason to be 
 grateful they ought to consider themselves highly 
 favoured when a gentleman of Mr. Jesse's talents 
 and years, visiting Brighton for the benefit of his 
 health, takes so much interest in their behalf as to 
 write for their especial use and instruction such valu- 
 able and interesting lectures as he has done ; and, 
 moreover, to have those lectures printed and sold, as 
 he promises to do, for the benefit of their ' Home.' 
 The men evidently do appreciate Mr. Jesse's kindness, 
 as a token of which they have returned their thanks 
 to him as follows : 
 
 " ' We, the undersigned fishermen and boatmen of 
 Brighton (and others present), beg to return our sincere 
 thanks to Mr. Jesse for writing and reading his good 
 lectures. 
 
 (Signed) 
 
 " ' Joseph Salvage, EichardMarkwick, George Young, 
 Jim Shrivel], William Pentecost, Thomas Pen- 
 tecost, George Priest, and Philip Collins 
 (fishermen). 
 
 Joseph Wells, James Harries, and Friend Payne 
 (seamen). 
 
 Thomas Laycock, John Measor, Francis Measor, 
 Richard Gillam, Thomas Daws, James Mock- 
 ford, William Bray, Samuel Akehurst, George 
 Gunn, John Gooding, George Harman, Philip 
 Barnard, Thos. Bassett, John Laycock, James 
 Bassett, Thomas Bassett, sen., George Monk, 
 John Barton, and George Jeffery (boatmen).' "
 
 LECTUEES, 
 
 I. 
 
 SINGULAR FACTS RELATING TO 
 FISH. 
 
 MY DEAR FRIENDS, 
 
 I am going to read you something about fish, 
 as you are all fishermen ; but not all about the 
 fish of this country, as you know them well, but 
 about the fish of hot countries ; and what I am 
 about to say of them will, I am sure, interest 
 you. The facts I am going to state are well 
 known to observant naturalists, and are suffi- 
 ciently authenticated to leave no doubt of their 
 truth. In the East Indies, Ceylon, and other 
 hot countries, there are numerous ponds and 
 tanks, which in the rainy season are well filled 
 with water as well as with fish. When the sun 
 afterwards blazes forth in all its tropical heat,
 
 6 LECTURE I. 
 
 these ponds and tanks are dried up, and you 
 would suppose that the fish would also be dried 
 up with them. But this is not the case. The 
 fish have the power of penetrating deeper and 
 deeper into the mud as it gradually dries, till 
 they find a sufficient moisture to keep them alive 
 till the periodical rains come some months after- 
 wards, when they find their way back again 
 into the water. In the meantime, their retreat 
 is occasionally disturbed by the natives, who dig 
 down and find them generally at a depth of two 
 feet. The soil is clay, into which they have the 
 power of burying themselves. In some of the 
 sandy plains of the East Indies there are large 
 but shallow ponds, or rather hollows, which are 
 filled in the rainy season, but in hot weather 
 are perfectly dry. As they become so, great 
 numbers of small fish may be seen dead on 
 the sandy surface; but on the recurrence of 
 heavy rains these hollows are again stocked 
 with fish. 
 
 Now, Dr. Buist, a learned and observant na- 
 turalist, gives us many instances of fish having 
 fallen from the clouds. He tells us that, on 
 the 19th February, 1830, at noon, a heavy fall 
 of fish occurred at Nokuthatty factory, and that
 
 ON FISH. 7 
 
 attestations of the fact were obtained from nine 
 different parties. The fish were all dead ; some 
 fresh, others not. They were seen in the sky 
 like a flock of birds, descending rapidly to the 
 ground. Again, he says that, on the 16th and 
 17th May, 1833, a fall of fish occurred near 
 Futtehpoor, after a violent storm of rain. The 
 fish were from l^lb. to 31bs. in weight, and all 
 dead. Some fish fell at Meerut, while Her 
 Majesty's 14th Regiment were out at drill, and 
 were caught in numbers. At another time, 
 during rain, a quantity of live fish, about 3 in. 
 in length, fell about 20 miles from Calcutta; 
 they were all of the same kind. Many other 
 instances might be mentioned : one vouched for 
 by the late Governor of Ceylon, Sir Emerson 
 Tennent, who, while riding out after a heavy 
 rain, observed many small fish alive on the 
 road. After these facts, I should mention that, 
 if showers of fish are to be explained, it must 
 be on the assumption that they are carried up 
 by squalls or violent winds from rivers or spaces 
 of water not far away from where they fall. 
 An instance also occurs to me, in this country, 
 which was seen by a friend of mine. He had 
 a garden surrounded by a high wall, with a
 
 8 LECTURE I. 
 
 dry soil. After a heavy fall of rain, the garden 
 was filled by myriads of small frogs, which 
 must have descended from the clouds. 
 
 After these remarks on the showers of fish, 
 I may tell you what is still more extraordinary 
 that some fish in Ceylon, in the dry season, 
 leave the pools when they contain but little 
 water, and can make their way through the 
 grass to other pools, going to them in one di- 
 rect line. Some fish, also in Guiana, have 
 been seen travelling overland during the dry 
 season, in search of their natural element, in 
 such droves that the negroes have filled their 
 baskets with them. Sir John Bowring, in his 
 account of the embassy of the Siamese kings, 
 in 1855, states that in ascending and descending 
 the river Meinam he was amused with the 
 curious sight of fish leaving the river, gliding 
 over the wet grass, and losing themselves 
 amongst the trees of the jungle. Whilst tra- 
 velling on land, the fish have their gills open 
 or expanded. The class of fish which have 
 this power of moving on land have some of 
 their bones so disposed in plates and cells as 
 to retain a supply of moisture, which, while 
 crawling along, gradually exudes so as to keep
 
 ON FISH. 9 
 
 the gills damp. Another small species of fish 
 is often seen travelling along a hot and dusty 
 road in Ceylon, under the mid-day sun, in 
 search of water. Extraordinary as these facts 
 may appear to you, they are perfectly well 
 vouched for; also, that a species of perch in 
 Ceylon, of a very peculiar formation, has been 
 seen to ascend trees, in search probably of some 
 food, insects most likely. 
 
 Now, in hearing what I have to say to you, 
 I must request you to bear in mind that a Be- 
 nevolent Creator has endowed animals, fish in- 
 cluded, with that formation and those instincts 
 which are necessary for their self-preservation. 
 I will give you a proof of this which is familiar 
 to you. You know that many flat fish, soles, 
 turbot, &c., have brown and white surfaces. 
 When they are attacked by other fish which 
 prey on them, they remain flat on the white 
 surface of their skins, showing only the brown 
 surface, which is generally the colour of the 
 sands on which they feed; and thus they es- 
 cape the observation of their enemies. So it 
 will be found to be all through Nature. Every 
 animal is furnished with either some means of 
 escape, of defence, or of cunning. Some are
 
 10 LECTURE I. 
 
 swift, and some are strong, and others hide 
 themselves from their enemies in holes in the 
 earth. But all are fed in some way or other 
 by the same Almighty hand which created 
 them. You will find a beautiful reference to 
 this in Psalm cxlv. : 
 
 " The eyes of all wait upon Thee, Lord ; and Thou 
 givest them their meat in due season. 
 
 " Thou openest Thine hand, and fillest all things 
 living with plenteousness." 
 
 If God thus care for the birds of the air, 
 the beasts of the field, and the fishes of the sea, 
 be quite sure that He will take care of you if 
 you place trust in His goodness. When out 
 at sea in your boats, exposed perhaps to bois- 
 terous and contrary winds, as most of you must 
 have been, then lift up your hearts to that Good 
 Being who can make the storm to cease and 
 the waves to be still. You will always find 
 this a great comfort and relief, especially when 
 you are in any danger. 
 
 Let me now give you an instance or two of 
 the goodness of Almighty God to His creature 
 man. You are aware that mackerel, herrings, 
 pilchards, sprats, &c., are caught in vast num-
 
 ON FISH. 11 
 
 bers at certain seasons of the year, though per- 
 haps you may not be aware that there are as 
 many hills, and, probably, mountains, in the 
 sea as there are upon dry land; this has been 
 partly ascertained in laying down the cable 
 across the Atlantic. Now, these hills are 
 covered with marine plants, like a forest or 
 jungle; and you might suppose that, for pur- 
 poses of concealment or protection, these gre- 
 garious fish would resort to such places to de- 
 posit their spawn ; and if they did, you may 
 well suppose how few would be taken in your 
 nets. Now, a benevolent Providence has de- 
 signed that these fish should become useful to 
 man. And so they are, to a great extent ; for, 
 besides affording food to many in this country, 
 they are exported to different parts of the world. 
 I must now tell you that no spawn of fish will 
 vivify, or become productive, without light. 
 There is, then, a powerful instinct implanted 
 in them, which compels them to resort to 
 shallow places in the sea, in order to deposit 
 their spawn under the influence of light, and 
 where you are enabled to use your nets to 
 advantage. These gregarious fish, or fish which 
 go in shoals, are pursued by many enemies
 
 12 LECTURE I. 
 
 besides yourselves: gulls, porpoises, and other 
 fish follow and feed on them, and yet nothing 
 drives them from the shoals. It is the in- 
 credible numbers alone which keep up the 
 annual migration. 
 
 Before I conclude, I wish to call your atten- 
 tion to an unusual occurrence which took place 
 along our coasts about four years ago, and 
 which some of you may, perhaps, be able to 
 give some explanation of. At the time re- 
 ferred to a very heavy fall of snow took place, 
 and soon afterwards great numbers of conger- 
 eels and many other fish were picked up per- 
 fectly blind. Now, some of these eels and fish 
 were examined by Professor Owen, the head of 
 the Natural History Department in the British 
 Museum, and second to no one as a scientific 
 anatomist. His report was that the eyes of the 
 fish he examined were covered with an opaque 
 substance, which produced total blindness. This 
 curious fact was not confined to fish off our 
 Brighton coast, At Southampton, and many 
 other places, grey mullets and other fish came 
 on shore perfectly blind ; and I picked up what, 
 I believe, is called the parrot-fish, in the same 
 state. It is not easy to account for this sudden
 
 ON FISH. 1 3 
 
 
 
 blindness. 1 am aware that some attribute it 
 to the' fall of snow ; but why conger-eel and 
 other deep-sea fish should be affected by it is 
 a mystery not easy to be solved. I shall, there- 
 fore, be glad to hear what any of you have to 
 say on the subject. Let me add that fishermen 
 enjoy the advantage over landsmen of seeing 
 the sun rise on a beautiful morning, shedding 
 its gilded rays over the rippling waves far out 
 at sea, and also of viewing the glorious setting 
 of the same luminary. These are sights which 
 may well excite your admiration, and which 
 ought to raise your thoughts to that Great and 
 Good Being who has preserved your lives in 
 the midst of many and great dangers, and at 
 this moment enables you to meet together in 
 peace to receive instruction and amusement. 
 May He bless you all !
 
 14 
 
 II. 
 SECOND PAPER ON FISH. 
 
 MY DEAR FEIENDS, 
 
 In ray last lecture to you I endeavoured to 
 address you in that mood and way which would 
 best come home to your feelings, and show you 
 that I had only one object in view, that of 
 amusing and improving you. In fact, I wished 
 you to consider me as your true friend, and 
 such, I hope, I shall be found to be. You 
 appeared to listen attentively, as well as to like 
 what I wrote for you, a few evenings ago, on 
 the subject of fish in hot countries. Some of 
 you might have thought that what I then said 
 respecting fish making their way over land to 
 other waters and of their climbing up trees was 
 not very probable; nor can I wonder at it. 
 Now, I wish you to consider for a moment the 
 possibility of fishes being differently constructed
 
 ON FISH. 15 
 
 or formed in some countries to what those are 
 which you take in your nets off the Brighton 
 coast ; and in so doing always bear in your 
 minds that Divine Wisdom knows no bounds. 
 His will is the well-being and well-doing of all 
 His creatures, each of them in its own place or 
 sphere, and His Almighty power enables Him 
 to give peculiar formation and faculties to those 
 beings which His wisdom created and His will 
 decreed. 
 
 After these remarks, I may tell you that it is 
 by a muscular movement of their ribs that fish 
 can propel themselves along dry land, somewhat 
 in the same way that eels and serpents are 
 known to do. Now, if you will look at this 
 sketch of a fish I have brought with me, you 
 will see that what may be called ribs can be 
 used as organs of muscular motion, according to 
 the will of the animal. I should be making this 
 lecture of too great a length if I were to enter 
 more minutely into the particulars of the ana- 
 tomy of these crawling fishes; but I hope 
 enough has been said to convince you that they 
 exist. As to the fact of fish ascending trees, I 
 will only mention one proof of it, which is, that 
 there is a little climbing perch well known to
 
 16 LECTURE II. 
 
 naturalists, and which is found in the mangrove 
 swamps. It can ascend trees like a chimney- 
 sweep, and this it does by only using a pair of 
 prickles from the gill -flaps, instead of elbows, 
 and thus it gains the tops of stems many feet 
 above high- water mark, picking off the flies that 
 alight on the tree it climbs up. 
 
 But let us now turn to flying fish. There are 
 several different species of these, and they are 
 sadly persecuted, being pursued in the sea by 
 bonitos and other rapacious fishes, and take 
 flight when they are in danger from them. 
 While in the air, the frigate and other marine 
 birds make them their prey. It may seem to 
 you surprising that there should be flying fish 
 as well as creeping and climbing fish, and yet 
 they are known to exist. 
 
 Many of you, no doubt, have heard of the 
 sea-cow. It appears a mass of blubber and al- 
 most incapable of motion, yet its fins are covered 
 with a sort of nails which enable it to crawl on 
 shore, assisted by its pectoral fin, and also to get 
 on the ice. I mention this to prove to you that 
 the fins of these creatures are as curious as the 
 formation of the fish referred to, and that in both 
 cases the fins of the sea-cow, and the muscular
 
 ON FISH. 17 
 
 movement of the bones of crawling or climbing 
 fish, serve the purposes of feet. 
 
 I now wish to call your attention to some of 
 the enormous monsters which are to be found in 
 more distant seas ; for, fortunately for you, you 
 have not to encounter them in your nets off 
 these shores. One of these is called a squill. It 
 is provided with several arms of enormous 
 length, and when living it is said to be as trans- 
 parent as crystal. It has a large mouth, and its 
 eyes are of a sky-blue colour, embedded in the 
 substance of the head. This monster is said to 
 form part of the food of the whale. I will now 
 relate an anecdote of the squill. The captain of 
 a whaler landed on a small, uninhabited, rocky 
 island in the South Pacific, with one of his 
 mates, in search of curious shells. The tide was 
 receding, and the mate, having gone a few feet 
 up a rock, found a squill adhering to it. Never 
 having seen one of them before, he disturbed it, 
 when the creature endeavoured to flounder 
 down to the sea. The man intercepted it in its 
 course, when it raised itself up, and seized him 
 with its long arms, squeezing him in, such a way 
 that he felt as if all his bones would be broken, 
 at the same time it breathed hot air into his 
 
 c
 
 18 LECTURE II. 
 
 face, and glared at him with its blue and angry 
 eyes. In this extremity the mate called out to 
 the captain, who luckily was near, and who 
 came and released him by cutting in two the 
 arms of the squill with a large knife which he 
 had with him. Had it not been for this inter- 
 ference, the man would have been killed and his 
 body fed upon afterwards. In the Mediterra- 
 nean these creatures are found, but of an inferior 
 size. They spread themselves on the ground, 
 and, when persons are bathing, instances have 
 been known of their being seized and killed by 
 the squills. 
 
 There is another monster found in the West 
 Indies called the sea-eagle, because in its rage 
 and anger it sometimes elevates itself with such 
 force as to raise the sea into a foam, and makes 
 a noise like thunder. One of the species, called 
 by sailors the sea-devil, was taken at Barbadoes, 
 and was so large that it required seven pairs of 
 oxen to draw it on shore. Sharks and rays, 
 which are nearly allied to them, are known to 
 have been caught of the enormous length of 
 forty feet. 
 
 You may well ask, What can be the use of 
 these and many other monsters of the deep ? I
 
 ON FISH. 19 
 
 will endeavour to explain this to you. You 
 know that quadrupeds in general only have one 
 young at a time, while a fish will produce a 
 million ; and, indeed, it is calculated that a cod- 
 fish alone will put forth nine millions of eggs in 
 one year. Now it is evident, that if it were not 
 for these monsters, which open their enormous 
 mouths and throats and swallow the smaller fish 
 by hundreds, the ocean would soon be filled 
 with them, and there would scarcely be room 
 for other marine animals. Only think for one 
 moment how gregarious fish, such as mackerel, 
 herrings, &c., would increase and multiply if it 
 were not for your nets, and the predatory crea- 
 tures which feed upon them. Remember also 
 that He, whose tender mercies are over all His 
 works, has fitted the creatures thus exposed to 
 destruction for their fate ; and we may therefore 
 conclude that, being what are called cold- 
 blooded animals, they do not suffer from great 
 pain and anguish. The tremendous animals I 
 have referred to also devour all carcases, &c., 
 which may be found floating in the water, and 
 thus they serve to purify the ocean, as hyenas 
 and vultures do upon earth. I will mention 
 another lesson which may be learnt from the
 
 20 LECTURE II. 
 
 existence of these monsters; for, if God fitted 
 them to devour, He fitted them also to instruct. 
 The existence of creatures so evil, and such 
 relentless destroyers of the works of the Al- 
 mighty, teaches us that there are probably 
 analogous beings in the spiritual world, and 
 which should warn us to use great care and 
 watchfulness in our conduct, in order that we 
 may escape their destructive fury. You see, I 
 occasionally give a little good advice while I am 
 endeavouring to amuse you. 
 
 Nothing is more remarkable than the infinite 
 variety and singularity of the figures and shapes 
 of fishes. It has been thought that the ocean 
 contains representatives of every animal that is 
 to be found on the earth, or in the air at all 
 events, the forms of fishes are more singular 
 and extraordinary than those of any other de- 
 partment of natural history. Amongst the ani- 
 mals of South America, one of the most curious 
 and interesting is the gymnotus, or electric eel 
 so strong is their electric power, that it is 
 said they can kill a fish by it (and on which 
 they feed) at a distance of sixteen feet. Lace- 
 pede, the celebrated French naturalist, is my 
 authority for this statement. They abound in
 
 ON FISH. 21 
 
 the rivers and ponds of South America. When 
 the Indians want to catch them, they assemble 
 and drive the wild horses of the plains, by 
 shouts and other means, into the river. The 
 electric eels then attack them : now and then a 
 horse will receive so severe a shock that ,he is 
 killed. Others contrive to swim across the 
 river, and then throw themselves down ex- 
 hausted on the opposite bank. The eels are 
 thus deprived of their electric power for a time, 
 and are then speared by the Indians, who feed 
 on them. There is another singular fish, which 
 is able to bring its prey within its reach by dis- 
 charging a different element than that of the 
 electric eel, and that is water. It is a small 
 fish, remarkable for its singular shape, the bril- 
 liancy of its colours, and the quickness of its 
 movements. It may be called the fly-shooter, 
 from its food being chiefly flies and other in- 
 sects, and especially those that are found on 
 aquatic plants. When it sees one of these on a 
 leaf, it blows out a drop of water with some 
 force, which knocks the fly off the leaf, and it 
 then feeds on it. I will mention another fish, 
 and -an ugly one it is, which you are probably
 
 22 LECTURE II. 
 
 acquainted with, for it is found in all the Eu- 
 ropean seas. They are sometimes called fishing- 
 frogs, from their resemblance to that animal; 
 but I believe you call them sea-devils. It is a 
 large fish, and has been caught seven feet in 
 length. Now, this fish has no defensive arms, 
 nor strength in its limbs, or quickness in swim- 
 ming ; but it is a cunning fish, as I will prove 
 to you. In order to procure its food it hides 
 itself in the mud, covers itself over with sea- 
 weed, or conceals itself among stones, and lets 
 no part of it be seen but the end of some 
 fringes of its body, which it moves and agitates 
 in different directions, so as to make them ap- 
 pear like worms or other baits. Fishes, at- 
 tracted by this apparent prey, come near this 
 sea-devil, when lie catches them in his enormous 
 throat, which is furnished with almost innumer- 
 able teeth. There is another of this species 
 which has only a -single, what may be called, 
 bait, just above his mouth. You see in this 
 case of the sea-devil, that if it cannot pursue 
 and overtake and seize its prey, it is enabled 
 as in the case of the electric eel and the fly- 
 shooter to do so in a way we should not ex-
 
 ON FISH. 23 
 
 pect; thus showing the beneficence, wisdom, 
 and power of the Great Creator, and to which I 
 am always glad to call your attention. 
 
 I will only mention the habits of one or two 
 other fish, as they may interest you. The 
 hussar fish of Demerara, and the black goby 
 of the Mediterranean, each makes an artificial 
 and prettily-made nest ; the first of fresh-water 
 plants, and the other of sea-weeds. They pro- 
 tect their spawn and defend their young fry, 
 observing in this way all the instincts of birds 
 that lay eggs. The little sticklebacks of our 
 brooks in England do the same. The little 
 frog fishes have side-bags full of water, and 
 pectoral fins, like feet. They hop about for 
 hours on the sands, left dry by the retreating 
 tide, to prey upon the sand-hoppers, &c. The 
 mud-fish of the river Gambia, in Africa, when 
 the stream falls low, burrows and coils itself up 
 in a deep mud-cellar, leaving a little hole for 
 air, which its swim-bladder deals with like a 
 lung. When the rainy season returns it comes 
 out, and then breathes as fish do. It is a true 
 amphibious creature, that is, it can exist both 
 on land and in the water. 
 
 I have now done, and trust that I have in-
 
 24 LECTURE H. 
 
 terested you. From my advanced age, I may 
 not be spared to come amongst you another 
 year ; but while I live I shall always be delighted 
 to hear that you duly appreciate and avail your- 
 selves of the advantages prepared for you in 
 your Fisherman's Home.
 
 25 
 
 III. 
 
 ON BIRDS. 
 
 MY DEAR FRIENDS, 
 
 I have given you two lectures on foreign fish ; 
 and, as they appeared to amuse you, I will now 
 read you one on birds, because, except gulls and 
 a few marine birds, you are not very likely, from 
 your occupation as fishermen, to know much of 
 their habits and peculiar instincts. These are 
 well worth your attention, and I hope that what 
 I shall have to say on this subject may both in- 
 struct and amuse you. But, before I proceed 
 further, I wish to say a word respecting the gulls 
 which dip and flit and fly about these shores, in 
 a way which every lover of nature, and every 
 visitor to this town, must always admire. Now 
 I ask of you, as a little return for the trouble I 
 have taken in writing these lectures for you, to 
 protect these interesting birds as far as you are
 
 26 LECTURE UI. 
 
 able to do so. I always watch their flight with 
 the greatest satisfaction : it is one of the sights 
 which renders my visit to Brighton a pleasing 
 one. Besides, they are useful birds ; for, if you 
 take a stroll on the Downs when land is being 
 ploughed up, you will perhaps see gulls following 
 the ploughman, and picking up the grubs of 
 many of those insects which are so injurious to 
 the farmer. 
 
 As there are but few trees and bushes in the 
 more immediate neighbourhood of Brighton, I 
 am afraid that you are not often gladdened with 
 the song of the blackbird, thrush, and nightin- 
 gale, though you have probably heard the cheer- 
 ful notes of the lark, as he pours them forth, and 
 approaches to heaven nearer than any other 
 bird. The lark makes its nest always on the 
 ground, and generally early in the spring, in 
 grass fields. If you examine the claws of a 
 lark, which you may do at Mr. Sinnick's or 
 any other poulterer's, where, I am sorry to say, 
 too many of them are to be found, you will 
 find that these claws will readily take up one of 
 the eggs of these birds. When, therefore, the 
 mowers either approach to or mow over their 
 nests, they will take up an egg in each foot, as I
 
 ON BIRDS. 27 
 
 have seen them do, and convey them to some 
 more secure place, returning quickly for the 
 rest, till all are removed. Now, in viewing the 
 structure of the foot of the lark, one cannot help 
 admiring the goodness of a benevolent Creator, 
 who has thus supplied one of His creatures with 
 the means of rearing its young. Should the egg 
 be only just hatched, the young will be removed 
 in the same way. 
 
 I will now tell you that there are about forty 
 different sorts of tender and, generally, what are 
 called soft-billed birds, that is, birds that feed 
 on insects, which arrive in this country from 
 far-distant places every spring. You may not 
 be aware that these little birds perform their 
 long journeys in the night, led by an unerring 
 instinct, which the Great Creator has implanted 
 in them. This fact I have ascertained from some 
 of the keepers of lighthouses, who have informed 
 me that they have occasionally found these birds, 
 early in the morning, killed by flying against 
 the revolving light. They have also found 
 woodcocks, snipes, and other birds, dead, show- 
 ing that they also migrated in the night. As 
 another proof of this curious fact, I may mention 
 that, riding out early one morning in a meadow,
 
 28 LECTURE nr. 
 
 a large flock of swallows dropped on the ground 
 near me, and so much exhausted that they ap- 
 peared incapable of moving, although I rode my 
 horse amongst them. After resting some time 
 they took flight, and dispersed in various direc- 
 tions. Swallows are supposed to migrate to this 
 country from Africa, Italy, Spain, Greece, and 
 other places. A captain of a ship assured me, 
 that when he was at a long distance from land, 
 numerous swallows settled on his rigging, as a 
 resting-place. They are a useful bird, destroying 
 myriads of flies; for they are on the wing, 
 catching them, from the first light of day till 
 late in the evening, It is a pretty sight to see 
 them thus employed. They are sensible, clever 
 birds, and I will give you one or two instances 
 of this. You know that swallows make their 
 nests of mud or clay. Now sparrows are apt to 
 take possession of these nests and lay their eggs 
 in them. When the hen-sparrow is sitting on 
 them, a number of swallows will collect together, 
 each with some clay in its mouth, and, in an in- 
 stant, stop up the hole of entrance, thus leaving 
 the sparrow to starve to death in the nest she 
 had stolen. This fact I observed myself, and 
 also the following: A pair of sparrows had
 
 ON BIRDS. 29 
 
 driven a pair of swallows from their nest, laid 
 their eggs in it, sat on them, and hatched six 
 young ones. When this took place, a number 
 of swallows came and pecked down their former 
 nest, and I saw the helpless young sparrows on 
 the ground, where they soon perished. A third 
 instance of this combined intelligence in birds 
 was communicated to me by the late Sir Henry 
 Willock, who was our Ambassador in Persia. 
 There was a ruined tower opposite his window, 
 at Teharan, on which those migratory birds, the 
 storks, came year after year to make their nest. 
 On one occasion a pair of peafowl forestalled 
 them, and took possession of the tower and began 
 to prepare a nest, driving the old storks away. 
 After a short time a number of these latter as- 
 sembled, attacked the peafowl, drove them away, 
 and remained near the spot until the original 
 storks were securely established on the tower. 
 Now you must perceive that this faculty of com- 
 municating their wants and of exciting their 
 congeners, or others of their own species, to 
 assist in revenging their wrongs, is not only 
 curious, but wonderful. How this is done must 
 be left to conjecture, except that it is an impulse 
 implanted in them by their Divine Creator.
 
 30 LECTURE III. 
 
 Dogs that have been ill-treated by a larger one 
 have been known to entice another to revenge 
 their cause. 
 
 I will now tell you a little about the cuckoo 
 a bird, I am afraid, you seldom hear at 
 Brighton ; but it arrives in this country early 
 in the spring, and its unvaried notes seem to 
 proclaim fine and pleasant weather. It is a lazy 
 bird ; for, instead of sitting on and rearing its 
 young, as all other birds do, it deposits its eggs, 
 but only one, in the nests of other birds, selecting 
 always those of insectivorous birds, that is, of 
 birds which feed their young only on insects : 
 these are generally robins, wag-tails, and hedge- 
 sparrows. Now, the cuckoo is as large as a 
 blackbird, and requires a great quantity of food, 
 It is evident, therefore, that if the parent robin, 
 &c., had to feed their own young as well as the 
 voracious cuckoo, some of them would be starved. 
 In order to prevent this, the latter is furnished 
 with a hollow in his back, in which he contrives 
 to get the newly-hatched robin or hedge-sparrow, 
 and then throws them out of the nest one by 
 one, remaining sole possessor of it. Having done 
 this, he is readily fed and brought up, though it 
 requires all the exertions of his foster-parents in
 
 ON BIRDS. 31 
 
 order to supply his enormous appetite. There is 
 another curious fact connected with the cuckoo. 
 There was a small hole in the wall of my gar- 
 den, in which a robin had built its nest. Now, 
 it was quite impossible that a cuckoo could get 
 into it to lay its egg, and yet I found a young 
 cuckoo in it. She must, therefore have dropped 
 her egg on the ground near the hole, and either 
 taken it up in her mouth, or in her foot, and 
 placed it in the nest. 
 
 Perhaps you are not aware that there is a 
 great difference between rooks and crows, al- 
 though it is very usual to call them all crows. 
 The rook feeds on worms, slugs, &c., and is 
 very useful to the farmer ; while the crow is not 
 only a great thief, but will kill, if he can, other 
 birds, in order to make them his prey. A gen- 
 tleman driving one day in his gig along a lane 
 in Shropshire, saw a house-pigeon pursued by 
 two carrion crows, so they are called from 
 eating carrion, as they were probably hungry, 
 and wanted the pigeon for food. The latter, 
 becoming exhausted, fled for refuge into a tall, 
 thorny hedge. One of the crows, however, 
 stationed himself above the pigeon, and the other 
 below it. They then got nearer and nearer to
 
 32 LECTURE III. 
 
 the poor bird, who, seeing its danger, left the 
 hedge, but was immediately followed and seized 
 by one of the crows. To the surprise of the 
 gentleman who had watched the whole proceed- 
 ing, he saw the crow rise up into the air, and at 
 last fall down dead; one of those active little 
 animals, called weasels, had fastened on him. 
 This serves to illustrate the old proverb of the 
 biter being bit. The pigeon was afterwards 
 picked up alive, and taken home by the gentle- 
 man referred to. I will now tell you another 
 anecdote of the crow. In the Island of Ceylon 
 there is a very cunning and impudent one, not 
 black, as ours are, but with a brown or bronzed 
 back. In the court-yard of the house of the 
 Governor of Ceylon a large dog was chained 
 up, and was employed one day in picking the 
 meat off a bone which had been given him. One 
 of these crows alighted near him, and showed a 
 wish to partake of the bone. This the dog 
 would not allow, so the crow flew away and soon 
 returned with a companion, who was placed 
 near the tail of the dog, and the other took his 
 station as near as he could venture to the 
 coveted bone. The crow near the dog's tail 
 then gave a strong pluck at it, when the dog
 
 ON BIRDS. 33 
 
 turned quickly round to see who had taken this 
 liberty with him. This was the opportunity 
 wanted, for the first crow seized the bone and 
 flew away with it, followed by his companion, 
 and they no doubt enjoyed it together in some 
 secure place. You see this is another proof of 
 what I have said of combined intelligence and 
 communication in animals. The above curious 
 anecdote is related by the late Governor of Ceylon 
 in his history of that island. 
 
 There is another cunning bird, which Shak- 
 speare calls the maggot-pie, but we the magpie. 
 In a tame state they are easily taught to talk, 
 which they will sometimes do quite as distinctly 
 as a parrot ; in a wild state they now and then 
 make a chattering noise, but do not often collect 
 together as rooks do, although some years ago I 
 counted more than twenty in one flock on the 
 Brighton Downs. They make curious nests, 
 using a large quantity of thorny sticks and 
 brambles, and sometimes place them in odd 
 situations, as I am about to tell yon. You have 
 heard of the celebrated Dr. Johnson, who, al- 
 most without assistance, and in the midst of 
 poverty, completed that wonderful Dictionary, 
 a proof of his great learning and extensive read-
 
 34 LECTURE III. 
 
 ; ntr which is called after him. In his more 
 
 C1 
 
 prosperous days he went a journey into Scot- 
 land, accompanied by his friend Mr. Boswell; 
 and as he was a large, hetivy man, he had a 
 stout stick in proportion to his size. Now, it so 
 happened that he lost this stick, and deplored 
 his loss very much. His companion, in order 
 to comfort him, said that it would be found 
 again. "Never!" said Dr. Johnson: "con- 
 sider, sir, the value of such a piece of timber in 
 this country !" Thus you see that trees were not 
 very abundant in those days in Scotland. This 
 being the case, a pair of magpies, for want of a 
 better place, resolved to make their nest in a 
 gooseberry-bush in a garden. They brought 
 great quantities of brambles, sticks, and gorse, 
 or furze, and made it so large, and with so many 
 twistings and turnings in it, that no arm (even if 
 it were as long as my own, and that is pretty 
 long, as you may see,) could reach either the 
 eggs or the young ones. It was considered a 
 curiosity, and was suffered to remain unmo- 
 lested ; and there it may be, for all I know, at 
 present, although the Scotch are a thrifty people, 
 and might not like to lose their crop of goose- 
 berries.
 
 ON BIRDS. 35 
 
 I do not know whether any of you have seen 
 the fishing eagle. It is sometimes found in this 
 country, and it feeds upon fish when it can get 
 any. It is a noble bird, but not so fine a one as 
 the golden eagle, for which it is sometimes mis- 
 taken. A lady told me that a flock of wild swans, 
 perfectly white, flew past her drawing-room 
 window in Ireland, pursued by two eagles. It 
 must have been a fine sight. As the swan is a 
 much larger bird than the eagle, it shows the 
 boldness and power of the latter in attacking 
 such a prey. 
 
 The heron is a bird you have probably seen, 
 and a most patient one it is, standing, with its 
 long legs, in the shallow water of some pond or 
 stream, for hours together, waiting to catch an 
 eel, or some other fish, or a frog or water-rat. 
 It will also feed on snakes. In frosty weather 
 they go to the marshes, as well as to the sea-shore, 
 in search of food. They build on the highest 
 trees ; and, notwithstanding the great length of 
 their wings, they quit the trees and alight on 
 them again with the most perfect silence. In the 
 fine heronry in Windsor Great Park and it is 
 a royal one I once saw an interesting sight. 
 A pair of ravens wanted to take possession of a
 
 36 LECTURE m. 
 
 heron's nest. The battle began on the tree in 
 which the nest was built ; but the ravens were 
 driven from it, and then the fight was continued 
 in the air. The ravens soared round and round, 
 uttering their harsh notes, while the herons struck 
 them with their sharp, strong beaks, and after a 
 long time drove them off. In a heronry on the 
 top of some noble Scotch fir-trees in Ashly Park, 
 near Walton-on-Thames, a young heron had 
 fallen out of its nest, and was brought into the 
 house and given to a gentleman who happened 
 to be there. It was put into a basket, which 
 was placed in his gig, and he drove that evening 
 to his house some miles distant. On arriving 
 there, he turned the young bird into his garden, 
 which was walled round. Early the next morn- 
 ing he saw an old heron feeding the young one, 
 and this it continued to do until the latter was 
 able to fly and make its escape. It would ap- 
 pear that this affectionate parent must have fled 
 miles and miles in search of its offspring, until 
 at last, hearing its plaintive cry, it came to its 
 support. 
 
 The affection of birds for their young is very 
 extraordinary. I have known a blackbird at- 
 tack a cat that was near its nest while on the
 
 ON BIRDS. 37 
 
 top of a wall, and by flying rapidly against it 
 drive it away. This affection I have frequently 
 seen in partridges and peewits, or plovers. When 
 they have considered their young to be in danger, 
 they will fly along the ground just before the 
 person who is near their brood, flapping their 
 wings as if they were wounded, and uttering 
 piercing cries, thus drawing the intruder after 
 them. It is a pleasing instance of maternal 
 affection. 
 
 I do not know whether any of you remember 
 an extraordinary flight of the small blue or rock- 
 pigeon which took place over Brighton some 
 years ago. I am informed that there was a 
 similar one last year at this place. Where they 
 come from, or where they go to, I am unable to 
 inform you. In North America the flights of 
 these birds are so enormous that they continue 
 in one long, broad line for miles together, and to- 
 wards evening they settle on trees in the forests, 
 breaking down some of the branches, and many 
 falling on the ground perfectly exhausted. The 
 farmers in the neighbourhood know pretty well 
 the time of this annual migration, and drive 
 their pigs into the woods to feed and fatten on 
 the pigeons.
 
 38 LECTURE m. 
 
 But I must conclude, or I shall tire you. 
 Let me, however, beg of you not to abandon 
 your snug Fisherman's Home. When the ad- 
 vantages of it are more known, depend upon it 
 a more general and liberal assistance will be 
 afforded it by the inhabitants of this large and 
 prosperous town. Some persons have said to 
 me, " You will do no good amongst these fisher- 
 men they will spend their money in drink and 
 idleness as soon as they get it." Now, I think 
 very differently, and far better, of you. I will 
 never believe that the fine body of men I now 
 see before me are incapable of receiving well- 
 intended and kindly advice, and of acting upon 
 it. I trust and think that this will not be the 
 case. 
 
 I will only add, that in walking about Brighton 
 I occasionally see in those vile receptacles for 
 drunkards, called beer-shops, a paper stuck in 
 the window with these words on it " Best Old 
 Tom here." Now, this Old Tom, as he is called, 
 is a consummate rascal, as I am going to prove 
 to you. You may ask, What has this old gentle- 
 man done to deserve such an epithet? You 
 shall hear. If you form a too intimate acquain- 
 tance with him, he will lead you to poverty,
 
 ON BIRDS. 39 
 
 misery, and ruin. He will make you impoverish 
 your wives- and children, and not only ruin your 
 own health, but ruin also the health of your 
 soul, rendering you at last a fit subject of the 
 devil. But this is not all that this old rascal 
 does. He has been even known to incite those 
 who have been too much under his seductive 
 influence to commit the crime of murder, and 
 many, as they were ascending the fatal scaffold, 
 have attributed their being led to do this from 
 their having begun an acquaintance with Old 
 Tom. Nor is this all. As a Magistrate for 
 Middlesex, I can assure you that very many of 
 those who are brought to our County Lunatic 
 Asylum at Hanwell, in a state of insanity, both 
 men and women, are indebted for their madness 
 to this same Old Tom ; for, I am sorry to say, 
 that he has a very extensive acquaintance. 
 What can I say more to you, except to urge 
 and beseech every one to avoid his company and 
 acquaintance, or, in other words, not to become 
 a gin-drinker? From my long experience, I 
 have known good, hard-working men, well to 
 do, fall victims to this sad vice, and become 
 ruined in this world and, it is to be feared, 
 ruined in the next.
 
 40 LECTURE in. 
 
 I have now done my best to amuse and in- 
 struct you. Do not think that what I have said 
 respecting gin-drinkers is intended to apply to 
 you. I see too many open, honest, healthy 
 countenances before me not to feel sure that the 
 vice of gin-drinking has been avoided by them. 
 Farewell.
 
 41 
 
 IV. 
 ON QUADRUPEDS. 
 
 MY DEAR FKIENDS, 
 
 I have written three lectures for you, two on 
 the subject of fish and one on birds, and I am 
 now going to address you on the subject of 
 quadrupeds, or four-footed beasts. I have a 
 few anecdotes to tell you respecting them which 
 I hope will interest you, but before I do this, I 
 wish to impress upon you how desirable it is 
 that you should become acquainted with the 
 works of the Great Creator; and, be assured, 
 that the more you acquire a knowledge of them, 
 so much the more will you be led not only to 
 admire but to wonder at the infinite variety and 
 extraordinary contrivances of Him who made 
 you and all things, both in heaven above and
 
 42 LECTURE IV. 
 
 upon and in the earth beneath. If the most 
 minute insect is examined through a magnifying 
 glass, an exquisite and curious formation will be 
 discovered, and will appear as wonderful as that 
 of the largest animal. In short, it is our duty to 
 see God in His works, and those works will de- 
 clare His goodness. 
 
 And now I may tell you that much has been 
 written on the subject of instinct and reason in 
 animals, as well as in men. I will endeavour to 
 explain the difference. Instinct leads all animals 
 to do exactly what was first instilled in them at 
 their creation. Birds build the same sort of 
 nests and feed their young with the food most 
 proper for them the lion wanders about at 
 night seeking his prey the ostrich lays its 
 eggs in the hot sand the bee makes the same 
 sort of curious cells and so it is through all 
 
 O 
 
 animated nature ; but the dog, the elephant, and 
 some other creatures, will sometimes act as if 
 they were possessed of reason, and of which I 
 will presently give you some instances. Man, 
 on the contrary, is not led to act from instinct, 
 but from reason. If you were going to commit 
 an act of great folly or wickedness, reason would 
 tell you not to do so, while instinct would teach
 
 ON QUADRUPEDS. 43 
 
 a bird to avoid a hawk, and a rabbit to get into 
 its hole to escape from a fox. I will now give 
 you an instance of reason in men. You may 
 remember the circumstance, for it only happened 
 a very few years ago. A number of passengers, 
 with many women and children, embarked in a 
 ship, and in which was a company of soldiers. 
 The ship sprung a leak, and it was soon evident 
 that it could not be stopped, but that she must 
 sink. The boats were lowered, but would not 
 possibly hold the whole numbers on board. The 
 brave, noble soldiers, called out that the women 
 and children should be saved first ; and they were 
 so, the boats being soon filled with them and the 
 passengers and crew. The soldiers were thus 
 left alone on the deck, drawn up in line, daunt- 
 less and unwavering, their captain at their head. 
 They felt the foundering vessel gradually sink- 
 ing beneath them, but, strong in their sense of 
 duty as well as of discipline, without an effort to 
 save themselves, they went down with the vessel, 
 and all perished ; the women, children, and pas- 
 sengers and crew, were saved. Here was the 
 triumph of reason over instinct. Instinct would 
 have led these noble soldiers to seize one of the 
 boats and to save themselves. Reason inter-
 
 44 LECTURE IT. 
 
 posed, and triumphed, as you have seen, over 
 instinct, and that in a way which did the greatest 
 honour to British soldiers. 
 
 I will now give you some instances of reason 
 in animals. Two friends of mine went out duck- 
 shooting. When they came near some high 
 reeds where they expected to find ducks, they 
 threw their hats down, crawled to the reeds, and 
 having shot at the birds, they sent their retriever 
 dog for the hats, one of them being much smaller 
 than the other. The dog took up first one hat 
 in his mouth, and then trying to take up the 
 second, the first, of course, dropped on the 
 ground. After some efforts to take them both 
 up at the same time, he put the smaller hat into 
 the larger one, pressed it down with his foot, 
 and then readily brought them both to his 
 masters. This, I think, affords a strong proof 
 of reason. 
 
 Another friend of mine was shooting on a hill 
 in the north of England, which was surrounded 
 by a stone wall, about four feet high. He fired 
 at and wounded a hare, which ran through one 
 of the holes left at the bottom of the wall. He 
 sent his retriever after it, who readily leaped 
 the wall from the higher ground, and pursued,
 
 ON QUADRUPEDS. 45 
 
 caught, and killed the hare, and returned with it 
 in his mouth to the wall. When there, he made 
 some attempts to leap it, but failed. He then 
 poked the hare through one of the holes with his 
 nose as far as he could, jumped over the wall, 
 went to the hole, and brought the hare to his 
 master. 
 
 In Cumberland there are very extensive and 
 high hills, on which numerous flocks of sheep 
 depasture, and which at a distance look like 
 little white specks. A shepherd will stand at 
 the bottom of one of these hills, and send his 
 dog up in the evening to collect his flock. This 
 the dog will do by selecting the sheep from the 
 different flocks, and bringing them down to his 
 master, there being seldom one missing. Should 
 there, however, happen to be one, the dog is 
 sent back, and never fails to return with the pro- 
 per sheep. I have watched this proceeding, and 
 it has always appeared to me most wonderful 
 that, in a flock consisting probably of some hun- 
 dreds, mixed with several others, a poor dog 
 
 should be able to distinguish each one of his 
 
 / 
 
 master's sheep. A caress on the head, or a 
 kind word, seemed sufficient to repay him for all 
 his trouble. He will return at night to his
 
 4b LECTURE IV. 
 
 master's cottage, wet and tired, and coil himself 
 up before a fire, probably of a few sticks, and 
 be ready to renew his toil the next day. 
 
 These sheep-dogs have a wonderful degree of 
 intelligence. When I had a small farm, I was 
 in the habit of having two hundred sheep sent 
 me from the Cheviot Hills, some two hundred 
 and fifty miles from my farm in Surrey. On 
 asking the shepherd who brought them the first 
 year how he had got on, he said he had but a 
 young dog, and found much difficulty by the 
 sheep taking wrong turnings, going up lanes 
 and by-roads. The next year I asked him 
 the same question. He told me that he had 
 been accompanied by the same dog, who recol- 
 lected all the false turnings the sheep had made 
 the year before, and had gone before them and 
 kept them in the proper road, so that he had no 
 difficulty with them. Here was recollection, 
 intellect, and a certain degree of reason as well 
 as instinct. 
 
 The Highland shepherds are firmly convinced 
 that their dogs perfectly understand what is said. 
 Indeed, Hogg, the celebrated Ettrick Shepherd, 
 related to me one or two instances in proof of 
 this, which, I am sorry to say, I have forgotten ;
 
 ON QUADRUPEDS. 47 
 
 but you shall hear another. A Highland shep- 
 herd, speaking to a gentleman, said accidentally, 
 " I'm thinking the coo (cow) is in the corn." 
 His dog immediately rose, passed out of the 
 house, and climbing to the top of a pigsty, 
 which commanded a view of the corn-field, 
 satisfied himself that the cow was not there, 
 and returned to the house. In order to try 
 the dog, he said, " 'Deed, sir, the coo's in the 
 taturs." Again the dog went out, made his 
 own observations, and again returned. A third 
 trial was then made, which showed that there 
 was no occasion for the dog's services. He re- 
 turned and went under the bed, sulky, growl- 
 ing, and dissatisfied, evidently disgusted at 
 having been made a fool of. 
 
 A shepherd was in the habit of taking his 
 little son with him, a boy of three or four years 
 of age, when he was going to attend his sheep. 
 He left him one day on the slope of a hill, 
 while he went to some distance. On his return, 
 he looked and hunted for the lad in every direc- 
 tion, but at last went back, late at night, to his 
 cottage, and told his wife of their loss. While 
 they were sitting together, miserable and dis- 
 consolate, they heard a scratching at the door.
 
 48 LECTURE IV. 
 
 On its being opened the shepherd's dog came 
 in, which had not before been missed, and by 
 his significant actions, by pulling the shepherd's 
 coat and looking earnestly at him, induced him 
 to follow the animal with his lantern, and was 
 led by him to some rocks, into which the boy is 
 supposed to have slipped, and thus the life of 
 the child was saved. 
 
 I might multiply anecdotes of the sense of 
 dogs to a great extent ; but I will now tell you 
 something of the sagacity of elephants, which, 
 perhaps, have stronger reasoning powers than 
 any other animal. 
 
 The father of a young lady who is now stay- 
 ing with me, was one day in a jungle in India 
 tiger-shooting, mounted on the back of a fa- 
 vourite and much-petted elephant. All at once 
 he saw a tiger crouching just beyond the head 
 of the elephant. Having pulled the trigger, his 
 rifle missed fire ; he threw it on the ground in 
 order to seize another, when, to his surprise, 
 the elephant picked up the fallen gun with his 
 trunk and gave it to him, as if aware that it 
 was necessary for the destruction of the tiger. 
 
 Another day, this gentleman, while out tiger- 
 shooting on the same elephant, was aware that
 
 ON QUADKUPEDS. 49 
 
 a tiger was concealed in a very thick jungle 
 close by, but from which he could not be driven. 
 The mahout, or driver of the elephant, was de- 
 sired to tell him to bend and beat the bushes 
 with a tree which stood near. This the animal 
 did so effectually, that the tiger started out and 
 was shot. The gentleman was so pleased with 
 the sagacity of his elephant, that he told the 
 mahout to give him some sugar when they re- 
 turned home a favourite food with them. This 
 was forgotten; but in the evening the saga- 
 cious animal found out his master, rubbed him 
 gently and repeatedly with his trunk, and con- 
 trived to do so until the promised sugar was 
 given him. 
 
 A third instance of sagacity and reason in 
 the elephant I will now tell you. While on a 
 shooting-party one of these animals got into a 
 morass or bog. Nothing that it could do, or 
 the attendants, could get it out. At last, some 
 one suggested that a quantity of bushes should 
 be thrown to it. These the sensible animal 
 placed under its feet, and thus, by degrees, ex- 
 tricated itself. 
 
 An elephant, on one occasion, was ordered to 
 drag a tree, which proved too heavy for its
 
 50 LECTURE IV. 
 
 strength. It was urged and excited to continue 
 the trial, till the poor animal broke the chains 
 which attached it to the tree and ran away. 
 It was supposed that it had escaped into the 
 jungle, and would mix with the wild elephants. 
 But how differently did this noble and sensible 
 creature act ! Instead of returning to its native 
 wilds in the forest, it came back in about an 
 hour, accompanied by two other elephants, and 
 their united strength performed the task allotted 
 to the first elephant. Here was reason and a 
 power of communication in animals, which I 
 have referred to in former lectures. You may 
 doubt the accuracy of what I have stated, but 
 I can assure you that the fact may be strictly 
 relied on. 
 
 Let me tell you an anecdote of a seal, one of 
 which was lately exhibited in Brighton ; and a 
 noble animal it was, and very obedient to its 
 keeper. A gentleman, living near the sea in a 
 remote part of Ireland, where the people are 
 very superstitious, had a seal so tame, so affec- 
 tionate, and so fond of its master, that it would 
 follow and caress him whenever he had an op- 
 portunity of doing so. It so happened that 
 there were two bad harvests in succession, and
 
 ON QUADRUPEDS. 51 
 
 the foolish people attributed it to the poor in- 
 nocent seal. They made such a stir about it 
 that the proprietor was obliged to consent to its 
 being sent away, provided its life was spared. 
 It was placed in a boat, which was rowed to a 
 considerable distance, and the seal then turned 
 into the water; but it soon found its way back 
 to its old master. A second time it was taken 
 to a still farther distance ; but again came back. 
 A third time it was taken so far that the boat- 
 men were absent two or three days ; but, before 
 they consigned this seal to the waters, they 
 had the cruelty to put out its eyes. One day, 
 the gentleman thought he heard the plaintive 
 cry of his affectionate favourite. On opening 
 his door, there was the seal, who had strength 
 enough left to crawl so far, and then died : 
 thus showing his love to the last. It must have 
 died of starvation, as it was incapable of catching 
 any food. 
 
 In the Firth of Forth, in Scotland, seals are 
 very numerous, and will often put up their 
 heads close to a boat. The fishermen, how- 
 ever, declare, that if there should be a gun hi 
 the boat no seal will ever come within its 
 range. They are clever, sensible animals, and
 
 52 LECTURE IT. 
 
 easily attracted by musical sounds, putting their 
 heads out of water evidently for the purpose 
 of listening to them. There is a well-known 
 old seal in the Forth, who, from old age, has 
 become perfectly white. The fishermen call 
 him the Laird of Aberdour; and as they have 
 never been able to kill him, they think that 
 he cannot be killed. When a boat approaches 
 the rock on which he is, he rolls himself into 
 the water. The quantity of fish seals destroy 
 is enormous, coming up the rivers after the 
 salmon. 
 
 The beaver is another sagacious animal, 
 living in companies, and acting together as 
 if they were possessed of reason. In making 
 their strong dams across the rivers in North 
 America, they will, with their sharp teeth, 
 gnaw through the bottom of a tree, so as to 
 make it fall exactly where they want it. They 
 then fill up the spaces with clay, to form the 
 dam, using their flat tails, as bricklayers use 
 trowels, in plastering it. In the recesses of this 
 dam they lay up their winter store of food. 
 
 But I must conclude, with the hope that I 
 may have amused you. I will endeavour to give 
 you one more lecture before I leave Brighton,
 
 ON QUADRUPEDS. 53 
 
 and then they shall all be printed, and sold 
 for the benefit of the " Fisherman's Home," 
 which I hope you will all stick to as a place 
 of rational resort, and in the success of which 
 I shall always take the greatest interest. 
 
 .
 
 54 
 
 V. 
 
 ON INSECTS. 
 
 MY DEAR FKIENDS, 
 
 One of our most celebrated poets has said 
 
 " Each crawling insect holds a rank 
 Important in the plan of Him who framed 
 This scale of beings ;" 
 
 and it is on the subject of these insects that I 
 am now about to address you. 
 
 The scale of beings in this world has been 
 so beautifully and wisely ordained by the Great 
 Creator, that one of the greatest of naturalists 
 and philosophers in this or in any other coun- 
 try, while showing me a very small insect 
 through his microscope, made the following re- 
 mark: " I believe that if it were possible to 
 destroy the whole of these insects, the scale of
 
 ON INSECTS. 55 
 
 created beings would become entirely disor- 
 ganised or disarranged, so completely does the 
 well-being of some depend on the existence of 
 others." This is a curious and interesting re- 
 mark, coming from such authority, and is well 
 worth your recollection. 
 
 There are supposed to be about fifteen thou- 
 sand different sorts of insects in the world ; and 
 many of them, if viewed through a microscope, 
 would surprise you by the beauty and richness 
 of their colours. Some have fins, like a fish ; 
 or a beak, resembling that of birds. Others 
 have horns, like a bull or a stag. One is 
 armed with tusks, not unlike those of an ele- 
 phant; another has spines, like the quills of 
 the porcupine or hedgehog ; and some are 
 covered with a substance like horn. 
 
 But perhaps the most interesting fact is, that 
 there is no one invention of man up to the pre- 
 sent time of which some hint may not have been 
 taken from insects. You know that steamboats 
 are made to pass along the water by means of a 
 wheel on each side of the vessel. Well, there 
 is an insect which moves itself in the water by 
 the assistance of two little wheels fixed to its 
 sides, which it turns round with great quick-
 
 56 LECTUEE V. 
 
 ness, and thus goes from one place to another. 
 Spiders may teach the art of weaving, and the 
 bee that of building. One insect has an instru- 
 ment like a saw ; and another like an auger, or 
 a carpenter's tool, to bore holes with. The 
 nautilus, which may almost be called a sea- 
 insect, spreads out a little sail, and guides it- 
 self with oars. In short, there is no creature, 
 however insignificant it may appear, from 
 which some benefit or instruction may not be 
 derived. 
 
 You will, perhaps, be surprised when I tell 
 you that many of the little insects you see around 
 you have a great degree of sense, though you, 
 probably, avoid them with dislike. But so it is, 
 and I will give you one or two instances of it 
 You know that bees are kept in hives, where 
 they lay up a store of honey, and they go in and 
 out of the hive through a hole left open at the 
 bottom of it. Now, a large slimy slug, which 
 has no shell, got into a hive through this hole. 
 The bees soon killed it; but their united strength 
 could not drag it out of the hive, and therefore 
 they covered it completely over with a thick 
 coating of coarse wax, called propolis. It so 
 happened that one of the common brown-shelled
 
 ON INSECTS. 57 
 
 snails got into the same hive. It was soon stung 
 to death; but, instead of covering it and its 
 shell over with wax, they merely glued the edge 
 of the latter to the board of the hive, and thus 
 left it, as no unpleasant smell could issue from 
 it, which would not have been the case with the 
 slug had it not been cased over with wax. Was 
 there not reason in this? 
 
 I had a hive of bees which was attacked by 
 wasps, who wanted to get at their honey. In 
 order to defend the entrance to the hive, they 
 made a sort of fortification of wax behind the 
 hole of entrance, leaving only two or three small 
 passages just sufficient to enable one bee to pass 
 at a time, so that they could defend themselves 
 against the wasps with great ease. 
 
 When the heat on the inside of a hive is so 
 great that the wax is in danger of melting, a 
 number of bees will collect at the bottom of 
 the hive, and move their little wings with 
 such rapidity, that they can create as great a 
 circulation of air as a lady would do in fanning 
 herself. 
 
 In very hot countries, such as the West Indies, 
 bees alter their mode of laying up their store of 
 honey. If they placed it in cells at the top of
 
 58 LECTURE V. 
 
 the hive, as they do in colder countries, the 
 great heat of the sun would melt the wax, and 
 all their fanning would be to no purpose. They 
 therefore place it in very small waxen bottles, 
 somewhat in shape of an inverted mushroom, 
 the stalk or neck being uppermost. These are 
 placed at the bottom of the hive, and in this 
 situation the wax is kept cooler, and, of course, 
 less liable to suffer from heat. 
 
 I think that these facts will show you that 
 bees are possessed of sense, or what some would 
 call a superior intellect. It is not, however, 
 only their sense which we should admire, but 
 also their industry and usefulness. They are 
 never idle, but work from morning to night in 
 collecting honey; and when the weather is bad 
 they employ themselves in cleaning the hive, 
 and in making and repairing their cells. These 
 cells are beautifully constructed; and, as the 
 bees are obliged to pass over them very fre- 
 quently, the edges of them are much stronger 
 and thicker than the walls of the cells. These 
 edges, however, serve another purpose, as they 
 help to retain the honey. When the cells are 
 filled, they are covered over with wax, and not 
 opened until the honey is wanted.
 
 ON INSECTS. 59 
 
 Ants are another class of insects whose opera- 
 tions are curious and wonderful. For instance, 
 there is a small red ant in the West Indies which 
 conceals itself in covered ways, and attacks and 
 feeds on the hardest woods, never appearing on 
 the bark, or even touching it. Thus, when a 
 tree or a beam of a house appears perfectly 
 sound, it has been, perhaps, eaten out, and 
 nothing but a shell remains. 
 
 Some of our English ants will ascend a poplar 
 or a lime-tree, where they find, on the tender 
 shoots of the tree, a small green insect called an 
 aphis. You may ask, "Do they eat these in- 
 sects?" Quite the contrary. The ants, as I 
 have often seen them do, tickle them with their 
 antennae, or little feelers, which project from 
 their heads. This seems to please the aphides, 
 who discharge a sweet substance from their 
 bodies, called honey-dew, on which the ants 
 feed. They may be called the milch-cows of 
 the ants. 
 
 In a fine morning, ants disperse themselves in 
 various directions and to considerable distances 
 from their usual abodes in search of food. When 
 they have discovered any, they make their com- 
 panions acquainted with it by means of their an-
 
 60 LECTURE V. 
 
 tennse, or feelers, which serve them, as I will 
 presently prove to you, to hold a sort of con- 
 versation with each other. You may be sur- 
 prised at hearing this; but it is perfectly true, 
 not only with respect to ants, but also with bees 
 and wasps, and probably, also, in regard to other 
 insects. I have frequently placed a small green 
 caterpillar near an ants' nest, and watched what 
 would take place. A solitary ant has, perhaps, 
 discovered it, and eagerly attempted to draw it 
 away, as a winter store for they lay up, as 
 prudent persons should do, against a rainy day. 
 Not being able to accomplish this, I have seen it 
 go up to another ant, and by means of the an- 
 tennal language bring it to the caterpillar. 
 Still, these two were not able to accomplish 
 the task. They separated, and brought up 
 reinforcements of their community by the same 
 means, until a sufficient number were collected 
 to enable them to drag the caterpillar to their 
 nest. You thus see that a sort of language can 
 be kept up by means of these antennae. It is 
 supposed that a strong hive of bees will con- 
 tain 36,000 workers. Now, each one of these, 
 in order to be aware of the presence of their 
 queen, whom they love, as I am sure you do
 
 ON INSECTS. 61 
 
 yours, touch her every day with their an- 
 tennas. Should the queen die, or be removed, 
 such is the affection of her subjects for her, 
 that the whole colony disperse themselves, and 
 are seen in the hive no more perishing, every 
 one of them, and quitting all their store of 
 honey which they had laboured so industriously 
 to collect. On the contrary, should the queen 
 be put into a very small wire cage, placed at the 
 bottom of the hive, so that her subjects could 
 touch and feed her, they are perfectly con- 
 tented, and the business of the hive proceeds 
 as usual. 
 
 You see, then, that this antennal language is 
 a wonderful and curious gift, bestowed by a 
 Benevolent Creator on little insects; but who 
 are all, like you, objects of His love and care. 
 You should always bear this in mind; for, if 
 God clothes the flowers of the field, and feeds 
 the young ravens that call upon Him, be sure 
 that He will both clothe and feed you if you 
 trust in him, and endeavour to do what is 
 pleasing to Him. 
 
 There is another class of insect, the common 
 house-fly, well worth your notice. On examin- 
 ing them, you will see that each has two pro-
 
 62 LECTURE V. 
 
 jecting eyes, both of which are furnished with 
 4000 lenses, appearing, through a microscope, 
 like a piece of honeycomb. These give them 
 that rapidity of motion which you must often 
 have observed in escaping capture. Their flight, 
 also, is so swift that it has been supposed they 
 can fly at the rate of nearly a mile in a minute. 
 Their interior structure is equally curious, 
 having blood-vessels and other functions which 
 are to be found in larger animals. But I must 
 draw your attention to their feet, which are 
 furnished with a sort of wet sponge, that en- 
 ables them to run up and down smooth sur- 
 faces, such as glass, with the greatest facility. 
 Some flies lay their eggs in dung-pits; others 
 in the bark of trees, which causes them to throw 
 out those gnarled and wooden projections which 
 you may sometimes see in old oak and elm- 
 trees. 
 
 Wasps are another species of insects whose 
 proceedings are very curious and interesting. 
 Early in the spring, and on a sunny day, you 
 may see a large wasp settling on some decaved 
 wood and appearing to feed on it. This is a 
 female wasp, the parent of a large colony. The 
 wood she seems to eat is formed into a few cells,
 
 ON INSECTS. 63 
 
 perhaps at first only five or six, in which she 
 deposits her eggs. These are gradually in- 
 creased in number until the eggs are turned 
 into wasps, which then come out and assist in 
 the work of building, until what may be called 
 a large city is formed, inhabited by some thou- 
 sands of her subjects, for the queen is the 
 mother of them all. She generally selects a 
 hole in a bank, some old hollow tree, or a roof 
 of a house, in which to make her future colony. 
 There are, however, two distinct species of 
 wasps in this country ; one of which forms her 
 nest, generally a smaller one, on the boughs of 
 fir and other trees. They are round, and are 
 covered with what may be called flakes, of a 
 substance made also from wood. These throw 
 off the rain, and also serve to keep the young 
 wasps warm before they arrive at maturity. 
 The other species of wasps make the same 
 covering. 
 
 In order to show you with what rapidity 
 these insects form their nests, I will mention 
 the following fact: I built a small shed early 
 one spring, which was covered over with slates. 
 In the course of the following autumn it was 
 found that the slates admitted the rain. Some
 
 64 LECTURE V. 
 
 of them were, in consequence, taken off, when a 
 wasps' nest was found built on the rafters, so 
 that it could readily be removed perfectly en- 
 tire. It was a beautiful structure, the outside 
 appearing as if covered with small brown shells, 
 and it measured 3^ft. in circumference. I sent 
 it to the Zoological Museum. Now, this large 
 nest must have been made in ths course of five 
 or six months. 
 
 The nests of hornets are equally curious ; but 
 they use green wood in forming them. They 
 are generally found in hollow trees, but some- 
 times on the branches of firs ; so that, probably, 
 like the wasps, there are two species. They 
 are a dangerous insect, as their sting is very 
 severe. They are also very strong. I once 
 ' placed a hornet under a common wine glass, 
 when it got its fore feet under the edge of the 
 glass, and thus lifted it up, and made its escape. 
 I also once saw a hornet carry away a small 
 pear from my garden. Like wasps, the female 
 hornet is the parent of the colony. She re- 
 mains torpid during the winter, and in the 
 spring leaves her retreat, and begins making 
 her nest. All the workers, both those of the 
 wasps and hornets, die in the winter. This is
 
 ON INSECTS. 65 
 
 a beautiful arrangement of Providence, or, 
 rather, I should say, of the Great Creator; for 
 if these insects increased and multiplied in the 
 same proportion as bees, we should experience a 
 most unbearable nuisance. Bees, on the con- 
 trary, increase ; are confined in hives ; and are 
 most beneficial to mankind in producing wax and 
 honey. I had, however, almost forgotten to tell 
 you that there is a winged ant in South America 
 which builds a curious and beautiful nest in 
 trees. The cells of the combs are hexagonal, 
 like those of bees, and are stocked with honey, 
 which is both good and sweet. The cells are 
 much smaller than those of bees, and the whole 
 arrangement of them shows the most inter- 
 esting specimen I have seen of insect archi- 
 tecture. I have brought a piece of their comb 
 to show you. 
 
 The large forests in South America would be 
 almost impassable, both for man and beast, if it 
 were not for the beetles. The trees which com- 
 pose them stand very thick, and as they and the 
 branches are constantly falling down, they are 
 quickly consumed by beetles, which abound in 
 these forests in incredible numbers. Ants also 
 assist in the destruction of the trees, so that the 
 
 P
 
 66 LECTURE Y. 
 
 forest can be travelled through without many 
 impediments. But for these useful insects, no 
 one could get through them. 
 
 The nests of many insects, as I have men- 
 tioned, are very curious and interesting. I have 
 brought two or three specimens of them to show 
 you. One is that of a moth, found in South 
 America. You will see with what labour and 
 wonderful skill it is formed, and how impossible 
 it seems for an insect, shaped as a moth, to in- 
 troduce these numerous bits of sticks and fix 
 them on the outside of its nest. Here are some 
 other specimens I have brought to show you. 
 
 But I must not forget to tell you of a little 
 creature which lives far out at sea, and is found 
 on the gulf-weed. Its name is latiopa. Some- 
 times a rough wave will sweep it from the weed 
 and force it into the deep waters ; but it is pro- 
 vided with an air-bubble, and it glues to this 
 bubble a thread, which it lengthens as the bub- 
 ble naturally rises to the surface. This small 
 quantity of air, before it bursts, floats on 
 the water, and is soon attracted by the gulf- 
 weed, towards which it runs and fastens itself 
 alongside. Then up comes the insec^ by means 
 of her thread, and thus regains her seat on the
 
 ON INSECTS. 67 
 
 weed, her natural position. You see how 
 wonderfully and kindly the Great Creator has 
 provided for the well-being of a little insignifi- 
 cant creature. 
 
 There are, no doubt, many curious and in- 
 teresting insects in the sea ; but, from the ele- 
 ment in which they live, we know but little of 
 their habits and peculiar instincts. Some are 
 parasitic, or adhere to the bodies of fish, and 
 others eat into the flesh of whales. I must, 
 however, refer to the mussels, which, as you are 
 aware, attach themselves to rocks, by means of 
 a strong silk-like thread ; but perhaps you are 
 not aware that these threads, which are very 
 strong, have been collected and made into a pair 
 of gloves. 
 
 I have deferred my mention of the most in- 
 teresting and valuable of insects for the conclu- 
 sion of my lecture. I refer to the silk-worm. 
 In order the better to enable you to understand 
 the wonderful arrangements of Providence in 
 regard to this moth, I may tell you that all but- 
 terflies and moths, when they quit their cocoons, 
 or winter-coverings, fly away, and are of no ser- 
 vice to man, except as objects of admiration of 
 their beauty and peculiar instincts. But how
 
 68 LECTURE V. 
 
 different is the case of the silk-worm ! If she 
 were furnished with expanding wings, like other 
 moths, she would fly away and become useless. 
 Her wings, however, are so short, that although 
 she flutters them a little, she never attempts to 
 quit her home which has been provided for her, 
 but lays her eggs and dies so short is her ex- 
 istence as a perfect insect. These eggs, when 
 hatched, produce very small grubs, which must 
 have mulberry leaves provided for them to feed 
 upon. When they have arrived at maturity 
 they leave off eating, and begin to spin their 
 valuable silk, forming it into a cocoon, or cover- 
 ing, which they may be heard doing night and 
 day, for three days, when it is finished. The 
 silk which covers the cocoon will extend for 
 many hundred yards. In the silk countries 
 that is, in places where the silk-worms are most 
 cultivated these cocoons are thrown into a 
 cauldron of hot water ; the ends of the silk un- 
 fasten, when 50 or 60 of them are caught and 
 wound off into hanks, or skeins, like worsted, all 
 together, and sold by weight to silk merchants. 
 The grubs which spin these cocoons, of course, 
 are killed ; but a certain number are reserved 
 for breeding, and these lay many eggs.
 
 ON INSECTS. 69 
 
 Now, let us consider the utility of the silk- 
 worm. The countries which produce the 
 greatest quantity of silk are Italy, Turkey, 
 India, and China. The number of persons in 
 the world who are benefited or clothed by silk 
 is perfectly enormous. There are the growers 
 of it, the feeders, the cultivators of mulberry- 
 trees, the manufacturers of silk, the shopkeepers 
 and their attendants, and many others who are 
 either directly or indirectly benefited by it ; and 
 all this is owing to the peculiar construction of 
 an apparently insignificant insect. And here 
 I may mention that no fishermen's knots are 
 found in winding off the silk, and no entangle- 
 ment or breakage, but all runs smoothly from 
 one end to the other. Let us wonder at and 
 admire this wonderful arrangement of a Bene- 
 volent Creator in forming this insect. 
 
 But I must conclude this, my last lecture 
 at least, for the present with every kind wish 
 for your happiness and prosperity. Do not 
 forget your old friend, but try and make a good 
 use of what he has said to and written for you, 
 and God bless you all !
 
 70 
 
 VI. 
 
 THE LOVE OF ANIMALS FOR MAN 
 AND FOR EACH OTHER. 
 
 MY DEAR FRIENDS, 
 
 Some of you asked me to read you another 
 lecture, and I am going to give you one on the 
 love of animals for man and for each other. It 
 is an interesting subject, and may, perhaps, in- 
 duce those who either read or hear it to treat 
 dumb animals with that kindness which every 
 one who has a good heart would wish to do. 
 
 When that fearful curse was pronounced upon 
 man, " the fear of you and the dread of you 
 shall be upon every beast of the field and fowl 
 of the air," leading creatures to avoid mankind 
 as their worst enemies, one exception seems to 
 have been made in the case of the dog. This 
 faithful animal cleaves to his master through
 
 THE LOVE OF ANIMALS. 71 
 
 poverty, distress, hunger, and even death itself. 
 Nothing destroys his love and attachment. We 
 have instances when officers have been killed in 
 battle, a loving dog has remained close to the body 
 of his master, howling his distress, refusing all 
 food and comfort, following the body to the 
 grave, and expiring upon it, thus showing his 
 affection to the last. 
 
 Another affecting instance is related of a dog, 
 who followed his master to his grave, which was 
 in one of the London churchyards, and was 
 overlooked by several houses. On this grave 
 the dog scratched a hole and lay in it. One of 
 the kind-hearted inhabitants of the houses 
 brought it some food; but there it remained 
 day after day, but eating what was brought it. 
 At last, some one erected a small shed over it, 
 to shelter it from the weather. There the dog 
 might be seen year after year, protected and 
 sympathised with by every one who knew the 
 circumstance of its remarkable attachment, till 
 death and nothing but death released it from 
 its fidelity to the master it loved. 
 
 But, before I proceed with my anecdotes of 
 these affectionate animals, I must express my 
 surprise that so many unfeeling allusions should
 
 72 LECTURE YI. 
 
 constantly be made to those noble creatures. 
 Thus we hear of a "lazy dog" a " drunken 
 dog" a "dirty dog" a "shabby dog" of 
 leading a "dog's life" of a "dogged temper." 
 We call a dandy a "puppy," and sometimes 
 another man a "cur." All these are epithets 
 misapplied as far as the dog is concerned ; and 
 I think you will agree with me when you hear 
 the following anecdote : 
 
 A young gentleman of the name of Gough, of 
 considerable talents and of an amiable disposi- 
 tion, lost his way when wandering, without a 
 guide, on the mountain Hellvellyn, in Cumber- 
 land. He was accompanied by a terrier bitch, 
 his constant attendant during frequent solitary 
 rambles through the wilds of Westmoreland and 
 Cumberland. Trying to reach the top of the 
 mountain by a difficult pass, he fell down a pre- 
 cipice called " Stridenedge," and was killed. His 
 remains were not discovered until three months 
 afterwards, when they were found guarded by 
 his faithful dog. Although the body had been 
 so long a time exposed to the attacks of the 
 numerous wild birds of prey, and also the foxes 
 which abound in that region, it was found un- 
 touched and undefaced by them, so strictly had
 
 THE LOVE OF ANIMALS. 73 
 
 it been watched over and protected. How the 
 dog procured his food is a mystery which has 
 never been discovered, but the fact of his re- 
 maining near the body of his master is undoubted. 
 The celebrated Sir Walter Scott, a great lover 
 of dogs, and who frequently visited a friend in 
 Cumberland, wrote a beautiful poem, called 
 " Hellvellyn," on the incident I have just re- 
 lated. It is too long to quote the whole of it, 
 but I will give you an extract from it. Sir 
 Walter Scott says he had seen the place where 
 the wanderer had died, and then adds :- 
 
 " Dark green was the spot mid the brown mountain- 
 heather, 
 
 Where the Pilgrim of Nature lay stretch'd in decay, 
 Like the corpse of an outcast abandon'd to weather, 
 'Till the mountain-winds wasted the tenantless 
 
 clay; 
 
 Nor yet quite deserted, though lonely extended, 
 
 For, faithful in death, his mute fav'rite attended, 
 
 The much-lov'd remains of her master defended, 
 
 And chased the hill-fox and the raven away. 
 
 How long didst thou think that his silence was 
 
 slumber ? 
 When the wind wav'd his garment, how oft didst 
 
 thou start ? 
 How many long days and long weeks didst thou 
 
 slumber, 
 Ere he faded before thee, the friend of thy heart ?
 
 74 LECTURE VI. 
 
 And, oh! was it meet that no requiem read o'er 
 
 him, . 
 
 No mother to weep, no friend to deplore him, 
 And thou, little guardian, alone stretched before 
 
 him 
 Unheeded the Pilgrim from life should depart?" 
 
 I am sure you will all thank me for relating 
 this beautiful and affecting anecdote of the love 
 and fidelity of a poor dumb animal to his master, 
 whose remains were interred in the burial-ground 
 attached to a Quakers' meeting-house, near the 
 foot of the mountain. 
 
 A poor woman, returning one winter's even- 
 ing from a market, where she had purchased her 
 loaf of bread, a bit of bacon, and a small piece 
 of mutton, and accompanied by a small dog, was 
 overtaken by a violent snow-storm, as she was 
 passing along a narrow lane. She was unable 
 to proceed, and at the end of three or four days 
 was found dead. Her dog had survived, and 
 was discovered close to his mistress and the 
 basket of food, which was untouched, although 
 the poor animal must have been nearly starved 
 from having had nothing to eat for so long a 
 time. 
 
 I will now relate another anecdote of the love 
 and affection in dumb animals, which I am sure
 
 THE LOVE OF ANIMALS. 75 
 
 will please you. Mr. Morritt, well known to the 
 readers of the life of the celebrated Sir Walter 
 Scott, as. his intimate and confidential friend, had 
 two terriers of the pepper-and-mustard breed, or, 
 rather, for it is a character I always delight in, 
 the Dandy Dinmont breed. These dogs, for 
 it is as well to leave out the feminine appella- 
 tion, were much attached to their kind-hearted 
 master, and he to them. They were mother 
 and daughter, and each produced a litter of pup- 
 pies about the same time. Mr. Morritt was 
 seriously ill at this period, and confined to his 
 bed. Fond as these dogs were of their puppies, 
 they had an equal affection for their master, and 
 they accordingly showed this in the following 
 manner. They conveyed their two litters of 
 puppies to one place, and while one of the 
 mothers remained to suckle and take care of 
 them, the other went into Mr. Morritt's bed- 
 room, and continued there from morning until 
 evening. When the evening arrived, she went 
 and relieved the other dog, who then came into 
 the bedroom, and remained quietly all night by 
 the side of the bed; and this they continued to 
 do, day after day in succession, until Mr. Morritt 
 recovered. This charming anecdote was com-
 
 76 LECTURE VI. 
 
 municated to me from a quarter which need not 
 leave a doubt of its authenticity, and affords an 
 affecting proof of love and gratitude in ani- 
 mals who, I am sorry to say, are too often ill- 
 treated. 
 
 A vessel was driven by a storm on the beach 
 of Lydd, in Kent, a place some of you are pro- 
 bably acquainted with. The surf was rolling 
 furiously, and eight men were calling for help; 
 but riot a boat could be got off to their assistance ; 
 although I have no doubt but that some of you 
 now present would have tried, for the Brighton 
 fishermen have done many brave things. How- 
 ever, a gentleman at length came on the beach, 
 accompanied by his Newfoundland dog. He 
 directed the attention of the noble animal to the 
 vessel, and put a short stick into his mouth. The 
 dog at once understood his meaning, and sprang 
 into the sea, fighting his way through the foam- 
 ing waves. He could not, however, get close 
 enough to the vessel to deliver the stick he was 
 charged with, but the crew joyfully made fast a 
 rope to another piece of wood and threw it 
 towards him. The sagacious dog saw the 
 whole business in an instant he dropped his 
 own piece, and immediately seized that which
 
 THE LOVE OF ANIMALS. 77 
 
 had been cast to him, and then, with a degree 
 of strength and determination almost incredible, 
 he dragged it through the surge and delivered 
 it to his master. In this way a line of com-, 
 munication was formed, and every man on 
 board saved. Does not this anecdote make you 
 love dogs ? It ought to do so. 
 
 I will now give you an instance or two of the 
 love and kindness of animals to each other. My 
 home is at East Sheen, in Surrey ; but a short ' 
 distance from it there resides an amiable and 
 excellent gentleman, who, like many others, has 
 his cows, pigs, and poultry, and one of his pigs 
 produced a large litter. As is generally the 
 case, the youngest of the litter was a small, 
 weakly pig, and was pushed away when he 
 attempted to feed with the others. Being thus 
 without food, he gave utterance to his plaintive, 
 feeble cries. These attracted the sympathy of a 
 kind-hearted hen in the yard, who sheltered and 
 warmed it under her wings. The pig was sub- 
 sequently fed by artificial means, but the hen 
 continued her care of it till it no longer required 
 her protection. 
 
 I will give you another instance of animal
 
 78 LECTURE VI. 
 
 kindness which occurred under my own obser- 
 vation. The late Earl of Albemarle, when 
 Master of the Horse to the Queen, lived at the 
 Stud House in Hampton Court Park. He had 
 a fine breed of black-and-tan spaniels, one of 
 which produced a litter of puppies and died in 
 bringing them forth. Their plaintive cries, like 
 those of the pig I have mentioned, induced a 
 young female of the same breed, who never had 
 puppies of her own, or was in the way of having 
 any, to foster and warm them. They attempted 
 to suckle her; milk came in consequence, and 
 she was thus enabled to bring them all up. I 
 have often seen her employed at her task, and 
 nothing could exceed the affectionate way in 
 which she performed it. 
 
 You shall hear of an instance of friendship in 
 animals. When the German Legion was ac- 
 tively engaged in the Peninsular War, two 
 horses were always picketed together and served 
 side by side in the same troop. One of these 
 horses at last died. His companion refused all 
 food, and pined away and expired a victim to 
 his affection for his constant companion. Birds, 
 also, that have been kept together in cages, have
 
 THE LOVE OF ANIMALS. 79 
 
 been known to die when they have lost a com- 
 panion : so capable are animals of showing love 
 and affection. 
 
 But let me return to the dog; for I like to 
 dwell on his noble qualities. It was a pleasing 
 remark of Sir Edwin Landseer, whose pictures 
 of dogs approach so near to the life, that the 
 Newfoundland dog was " a distinguished mem- 
 ber of the Humane Society." Indeed, we see 
 in Sir Edwin's pictures faithfully portrayed 
 honesty, fidelity, courage, and sense no exag- 
 geration no flattery. He makes us feel that 
 his dogs will love us without selfishness, and 
 defend us at the risk of their own lives ; that 
 though friends may forsake us, they never will ; 
 and that in misfortune, poverty, and death, their 
 affection will be unchanged and their gratitude 
 unceasing. 
 
 A gentleman, while bathing in the sea near 
 Portsmouth, was in the greatest danger of being 
 drowned. Assistance was loudly called for; 
 but no boat was ready, and, although many per- 
 sons were looking on, no one could be found to 
 go to his help. In this predicament a New- 
 foundland dog rushed of his own accord into 
 the sea, and was the means of saving the life of
 
 80 LECTURE VI. 
 
 the gentleman. He afterwards purchased the 
 dog for a large sum, treated it as long as he lived 
 with great kindness, and had the following words 
 worked on his table-cloths and napkins " Virum 
 extuli mari ;" which may be thus translated "I 
 have rescued a man from the sea." 
 
 You will be amused with the following anec- 
 dote, for it is something in your way as sailors. 
 There was a Newfoundland dog on board H.M.S. 
 Bellona, which not only kept the deck at the 
 bloody battle of Copenhagen, but r,an backwards 
 and forwards with so much courage and apparent 
 anger at the foes, that he became a greater 
 favourite than ever with the crew. When the 
 ship was paid off, after the Peace of Amiens, the 
 sailors had a parting dinner on shore. Victor, 
 the dog, was placed in the chair, and fed with 
 roast beef and plum-pudding, his health drank, 
 and the bill made out in Victor's name. 
 
 A kitten, only a few days old, had been put 
 into a pail of water in the stable-yard of an inn 
 for the purpose of drowning it. It had remained 
 there for a minute or two, until it was to all ap- 
 pearance dead, when a female terrier, attached 
 to the stables, took the kitten from the water and 
 carried it off in her mouth. She suckled and
 
 THE LOVE OF ANIMALS. 81 
 
 watched over it with great care, and it lived and 
 thrived. She had at the time a puppy of her 
 own. 
 
 I will now tell you something of the turnspit. 
 In my very young days I was at a school where 
 large joints of meat were turned by two of these 
 dogs, one on one day and the other on the next. 
 When you consider that a joint of beef would 
 take at least three hours to roast, you may sup- 
 pose that the poor dogs had no easy task to 
 perform. The consequence was that, as the 
 dinner-hour drew near, they would often hide 
 themselves, and I have been told that if one of 
 them was found, and it was not his turn to be 
 put into the wheel, he would point out the 
 retreat of his companion, showing that they 
 not only calculated time, but are clever, sensible 
 dogs. 
 
 Dogs have been known to die from excess of 
 joy at seeing their masters after a long absence. 
 An English officer had a large dog, which he 
 left with his family in England while he ac- 
 companied an expedition to America during the 
 wars of the colonies. Throughout his absence 
 the animal appeared very much dejected. When 
 the officer returned home, the dog, who hap- 
 
 G
 
 82 LECTURE VI. 
 
 pened to be lying at the door of an apartment 
 into which his master was about to enter, imme- 
 diately recognised him, leaped upon his neck, 
 licked his face, and, in a few minutes, fell dead 
 at his feet. A favourite spaniel of a lady re- 
 cently died on seeing his beloved mistress after 
 a long absence. 
 
 I have n<5w given you some anecdotes of the 
 affection, sense, and strong attachment of ani- 
 mals either to man or to each other, especially 
 of the dog. I am convinced that, the more the 
 character of this animal is known, the better 
 treatment he will receive, and a stronger sym- 
 pathy will be excited for him. In fact, he is a 
 friend so faithful a protector so disinterested 
 and courageous that he deserves all the kind- 
 ness and affection which can be shown him. A 
 French writer has boldly affirmed that, with the 
 exception of women, there is nothing on earth 
 so agreeable, or so necessary to the comfort of 
 man, as a dog. However this may be, it is cer- 
 tain that if we were deprived of the companion- 
 ship and the services of the dog, man would be 
 a solitary, and, in many respects, a helpless 
 being. The dog has died in defence of his 
 master saved him from drowning warned 
 
 O
 
 THE LOVE OF ANIMALS. 83 
 
 him of approaching danger, and, if deprived of 
 sight, has gently and faithfully led him about. 
 If his master wants amusement in the fields or 
 the woods, he is delighted to have an oppor- 
 tunity of procuring it for him. If he finds him- 
 self in solitude, his dog will be a cheerful com- 
 panion ; and maybe, when death comes, he will 
 be the last, as we have seen, to forsake the 
 grave of his beloved master. In fact, he is fond, 
 intelligent, and grateful. I will here quote some 
 lines by Lord Byron on his dog : 
 
 " When some proud son of man returns to earth, 
 Unknown to glory but upheld by birth, 
 The sculptor's art exhausts the pomp of wo, 
 And storied urns record who rests below : 
 Not what he was, but what he should have been. 
 But the poor dog, in life the firmest friend, 
 The first to welcome, foremost to defend, 
 Whose honest heart is still his master's own, 
 Who labours, fights, lives, breathes, for him alone, 
 Unhonour'd falls. * * * 
 
 Ye who perchance behold this simple urn, 
 Pass on it honours none you wish to mourn ; 
 To mark a friend's remains these stones arise 
 I knew but one, and here he lies." 
 
 I have now done with my lectures for the 
 present. You wished, when I last met you, to
 
 84 LECTURE VI. 
 
 have one more, and I need not tell you that this 
 has been a hurried one. I have only to say 
 that I quit you with much regret ; for I have 
 been listened to with kindness and attention, 
 and, what has gratified me much more, I have 
 been assured that I have both pleased and in- 
 structed you. Be quite certain that I shall 
 never forget you, or cease to feel a deep interest 
 in your welfare. Do not forsake your "Home." 
 It is a place for rational enjoyment and im- 
 provement, equally a place also for an honest, 
 sober man, as well as a Christian. And now 
 farewell.
 
 85 
 
 VII. 
 
 THE INFLUENCE OF ANIMAL LIFE 
 ON LIME. 
 
 MY DEAR FRIENDS, 
 
 I propose in this lecture to talk to you a little 
 on those sea-flowers, which, on a calm sunny 
 day, you have seen floating about, expanding 
 their beautiful colours, and unfolding their liv- 
 ing petals to entrap their food. I propose also 
 to notice sponges, corallines, and other marine 
 productions, and to point out to you the use 
 which Divine Wisdom intended they should be 
 of to you fishermen when He created them. 
 You may ask, How can these apparently almost 
 inanimate substances be of use to us? I 
 will endeavour to explain this as intelligibly 
 and plainly as I can, but at the same time ex- 
 pressing my belief that without them your occu- 
 pation as fishermen would be a useless one
 
 86 LECTURE Til. 
 
 that is, that you would not be able to take fish 
 in your nets. 
 
 Now the sea, as you know, consists of a vast 
 expanse of water, and Providence has many 
 methods of keeping it in a pure and wholesome 
 state. It is impregnated with salt the winds 
 blow over and agitate it ; and now let us see the 
 effect of a storm upon it. The sun is obscured, 
 and the breeze freshens from the sea dark 
 clouds are gathering on the horizon, and the tide 
 begins to turn. The heaving waves now tumble 
 towards the shore, and, as they break in angry 
 foam, portend a storm. The sky looks threat- 
 ening, and the thunder peals in the distance. 
 The sea appears to wake as from a slumber, and 
 the blackening heavens lower over its dark 
 bosom, while the rising blast, impelling all her 
 waves, drives them upon the rocks in sheets of 
 white foam, lashing them on as if to madness, 
 till at length ocean and sky seem mingled, and 
 all is violence, and roar, and rage. 
 
 Such are the changing aspects of the sea, and 
 such the efficient means whereby Nature insures 
 her renovation of the mighty deep, refreshing it 
 throughout its broad d9mains, and keeping its 
 waters wholesome, filled with air, and thus
 
 THE INFLUENCE OF ANIMAL LIFE ON LIME. 87 
 
 adapted to afford the means of respiration to 
 the numberless living things that flourish in its 
 vast space. 
 
 But there is another operating cause, which I 
 have already hinted at, and most wonderful it is, 
 in rendering the waters of the sea conducive to 
 the well-being of the animals which are to be 
 found in it, and which I will now do my best to 
 explain to you. You are aware that all rivers 
 discharge themselves into the sea, and these 
 waters have a strong impregnation of lime, which 
 is obnoxious to animal life. Now, let us see 
 how this is obviated. It is a curious and inte- 
 resting fact, and I have the authority of the first 
 naturalist and philosopher of this, or, perhaps, 
 any other country (Professor Owen), for what I 
 am going to tell you. You have all of you pro- 
 bably heard of the coral insect a very small one, 
 indeed. By the agency of these coral animal- 
 culse, two hurtful influences of the caustic lime 
 are neutralized. These animalculse absorb the 
 lime which is in solution, combine it with a sub- 
 stance called carbonic acid, and thus form what 
 is called carbonate of lime, which is insolu- 
 ble, and perfectly innocuous, or not detrimental 
 to animal life. By thus forming and precipi-
 
 88 LECTURE VII. 
 
 tating, or forming at the bottom as a sediment, 
 this earthy matter, they are enabled to build up 
 the cells in which they live, and by which their 
 soft, jelly-like substance is defended. These 
 cells form what is called the coral or madrepore, 
 and the quantity of caustic lime thus removed 
 from its state of solution in sea-water, and 
 thrown down or precipitated as an insoluble 
 earth, or earth gathering a crust, may be con- 
 ceived when I tell you that islands and reefs of 
 coral, upwards of one thousand miles in extent, 
 are formed by the agency of these seemingly 
 frail and insignificant living beings. 
 
 I have said that these insects form islands, 
 and, before I proceed further to show you the 
 object of animal life in removing the caustic lime 
 from the sea, I will tell you how this is per- 
 formed. The operations of the coral insect, 
 through a long succession of ages, proceed up- 
 wards from the original foundations, until the 
 surface of the sea is reached, when the work 
 ceases. Sea-birds settle on these rocks of coral, 
 sea-weeds are driven on them, and other sub- 
 stances, all of which, added to the manure of 
 birds, form a stratum of soil, on which seeds are 
 either dropped or washed by the tide, and thus
 
 THE INFLUENCE OF ANIMAL LIFE ON LIME. 89 
 
 take root and flourish, so that in time an island 
 is formed, covered with cocoa-palms and other 
 exotic trees. This is the case about the Ber- 
 mudas, where nothing can exceed the beauty of 
 these coral islands. 
 
 When you consider that, in addition to these, 
 there are coral reefs, some of which extend up- 
 wards of one thousand miles, it would appear 
 certain that the operations of these little insects 
 must have existed from the earliest periods of 
 this our globe. It is a wonderful fact to 'reflect 
 upon, and will show how Providence arranges be- 
 neficially for the good of His creatures a system 
 which it would never have entered into the mind 
 of a finite being to conceive as possible, until 
 more recent discoveries have proved that such 
 is the case. Barrier reefs are similar to coral 
 islands. They run parallel with the shores of 
 some larger island or continent, separated, how- 
 ever, from the mainland by a broad and deep 
 lagoon channel. The prodigious extent of the 
 combined and ceaseless labours of these little 
 world-architects, as they may be called, must be 
 witnessed in order to be properly conceived. 
 For instance, they have built up a barrier reef 
 along the shores of New Caledonia for a length
 
 90 LECTURE yn. 
 
 of four hundred miles, and another which runs 
 along the north-east coast of Australia one 
 thousand miles in extent. Now, supposing this 
 latter to be only a quarter of a mile in breadth 
 and one hundred and fifty feet deep, here is a work 
 compared with which the walls of Babylon, the 
 Great Wall of China, or the Pyramids of Egypt, 
 may be called children's toys. You must recol- 
 lect also that the operations of the coral insect 
 were carried on amidst the waves of the ocean, 
 and in defiance of its storms, which, as you know, 
 often sweep away the solid works of man. 
 
 Such are some of the operations of that extra- 
 ordinary insect, the coral ; and I have pointed 
 out their influence on the caustic lime which 
 finds its way into the sea, and which is so inju- 
 rious to animal life. But there are other means 
 provided for neutralizing and rendering the lime 
 harmless. Sponges, sea-flowers of various de- 
 scriptions and in innumerable quantities, and 
 other marine animals, all having life, act as 
 agents in this wise arrangement of Providence 
 to purify the waters of the ocean. Sponges, you 
 might suppose, have no vitality or living organs ; 
 but this is not the case, although they perhaps 
 are the lowest in the scale of living beings, as I
 
 THE INFLUENCE OF ANIMAL LIFE ON LIME. 91 
 
 will show you. The sponge, as you know, not 
 having the power of moving from place to place, 
 is fixed and motionless as the rock on which it 
 grows. Now, as the sponge is productive, that 
 is, that it propagates other sponges, it may be 
 asked by what means this is done ? The parent 
 sponge produces a large quantity of seeds, called 
 gemmules, which may be compared to very 
 small pins' heads. If these are put in a watch- 
 glass containing a little sea-water, it may be 
 seen by the naked eye that they are able to swim 
 about with great facility and quickness. On 
 examining them with a good microscope, the 
 way in which they move will be discovered, and 
 certainly a wonderful sight it is. Millions of 
 what may be called paddles, and all furiously at 
 work, cover the surface of these tiny atoms, and 
 all so rapid in their motion that it is almost im- 
 possible to perceive their shape. These living 
 seeds are washed out of the body of the parent 
 sponge by the currents of the sea, and in process 
 of time fix themselves on the rocks and there 
 grow into sponges, and fulfil at last the purposes 
 for which nature intended them, that of neutral- 
 izing the effect of caustic, lime ; and if this were 
 not done, very few fish would be taken by you
 
 92 LECTURE VIL 
 
 fishermen. You see, then, how wonderfully 
 Providence, or rather an Almighty Being, has 
 arranged everything, not only for the good of 
 His creatures, but for mankind generally ; and 
 this by the means, in some cases, of little insig- 
 nificant insects. And here let me ask you to 
 pause for one moment in order to contemplate 
 the amazing power and wonderful goodness of 
 Him who made the earth and the sea, and stored 
 them both with what is useful and beneficial to 
 us. Then look at the sun, the moon, the stars, 
 and the glorious expanse of the heavens, and see 
 what power is displayed in them I Gladly would 
 I call upon you to look up with reverence to that 
 Great Being who is so good, so wise, so consi- 
 derate to all His creatures, and to pray to and 
 love Him as He directs us to do. Great God! 
 what sacrifice is too great to offer Thee ? what 
 love too devoted ? Indeed, His love to us His 
 goodness to us His care of us, all demand this 
 tribute from us, and hard and insensible must 
 our hearts be if we do not show it. 
 
 But to return to the benefits which are de- 
 rived from the innumerable small creatures 
 which are found in the sea. Independently of 
 what has been stated of their removing the
 
 THE INFLUENCE OF ANIMAL LIFE ON LIME. 93 
 
 noxious influence of caustic lime, they are also 
 agents in the hands of the Almighty for other 
 purposes. Take up a handful of the sand cast 
 up by the retreating tide upon the adjoining 
 beach, and with a magnifying glass examine it 
 minutely; count the various objects you will see 
 there, and if you have sufficient patience, count 
 their numbers also : but it will be no easy task. 
 You will see how innumerable are the forms in 
 which very small shells will present themselves, 
 all of them delicate in their structure and ele- 
 gant in their shape, and inhabited by exquisitely- 
 formed creatures, having all the functions of those 
 found in larger shells. Monsieur D'Orbigny, a 
 great observer of these minute shells, reckoned 
 3,840,000 in one ounce of sand ! If we attempt 
 to calculate the contents of a square yard, the 
 amount would surpass all human conception. So 
 incredible are their numbers that they form 
 banks, which, by their accumulation, interrupt 
 the progress of ships, stop up bays and straits of 
 the sea, fill up harbours, and with corals pro- 
 duce those islands that rise up in the Pacific 
 Ocean. But do not start when I tell you that 
 these almost invisible living objects have been 
 employed in building up the very world on
 
 94 LECTURE VII. 
 
 which we tread. I should be sorry to state any- 
 thing to you without some proof of what I said. 
 It is easy, therefore, to show you that these almost 
 invisible shells have had to do with the con- 
 struction of the surface of the earth. Take, for 
 example, the neighbourhood of Paris. The 
 chalky substance about it is in some places so 
 filled with these shells, that a square inch 
 from one of the quarries contains something like 
 58,000 of them, and that in beds of great thick- 
 ness and of vast extent. This would give an 
 average of many millions of millions in the 
 square yard. Now, as all Paris and the towns 
 and villages of the neighbouring districts are 
 built of the stone quarried from this deposit, 
 it is evident, without any exaggeration, that 
 the capital of France and all the neighbour- 
 ing towns are constructed principally of these 
 little shells. Indeed, the chalk of our own dear 
 country, " the white cliffs of Albion," which you 
 all so well know, and which throughout is of 
 such vast thickness, contains myriads upon my- 
 riads of these interesting shells. 
 
 But I shall tire you if I proceed further on 
 this subject. Be quite sure that I have the 
 authority of some of our best naturalists for
 
 THE INFLUENCE OF ANIMAL LIFE ON LIME. 95 
 
 what I have stated; but your own eyes and 
 examinations may help to convince you that at 
 least a part of what I have said is true. One of 
 my objects has been to amuse you the other to 
 raise your thoughts to that stupendous Power, 
 who, apparently by small means, works such 
 great ends, and who is at the same time infinitely 
 good, wise, and loving to every one. In this 
 world you are always in danger of foundering 
 amidst the waves of sin, or of being shipwrecked 
 on the rocks of temptation; but, like wary 
 pilots, steer your boats into some well-sheltered 
 creek till the storms of this world are blown 
 .over, and enjoy a safe anchorage. Then hoist 
 your flag of hope, ride before the sweet gale of 
 redeeming love, till you make, with all the sails 
 of humble faith, the blessed port of eternal life 
 and happiness.
 
 VIII. 
 
 INSECTS AND MARINE ANIMALS. 
 
 MY DEAR FRIENDS, 
 
 You were pleased with my lecture on Insects 
 last spring, and I am now going to pursue the 
 subject ; for it is almost an endless one. In 
 fact, the works of nature, or, I should say, of 
 the great Creator, far exceed what we know, or, 
 indeed, are ever likely to know of them. My 
 lecture, however, will not be confined to insects; 
 but I propose also to bring under your notice 
 some of those marine animals which so many of 
 you must have seen, but, probably, have not 
 been acquainted with their peculiar habits. 
 
 I will first describe to you the cochineal insect, 
 because, with the exception perhaps of indigo, it 
 produces the most important of all materials for
 
 ON INSECTS AND MARINE ANIMALS. 97 
 
 the dyers, and because I omitted to mention it 
 in my first lecture on Insects. The cochineal is 
 extensively cultivated in Mexico, and when the 
 Spaniards conquered that country in 1518, they 
 found the fine dye procured from this insect, but 
 supposed for a long time afterwards that it came 
 from a very small seed ; for such they thought 
 it to be in consequence of its singular appear- 
 ance. It was only from its being examined 
 under a microscope that its true nature was as- 
 certained. The insect, when imported into this 
 country to be used as a dye, has the appearance 
 of a reddish shrivelled grain covered with white 
 powder. It feeds on what is called the Indian 
 fig, a species of cactus, commonly called the 
 prickly pear ; but in Mexico, where the cochi- 
 neal is most cultivated, the hopal. In that 
 country, plantations of the hopal may be seen in 
 lines of fifty or sixty thousand, each plant being 
 kept about four feet high for more easy access 
 in collecting the insect. Great care is required in 
 this operation, which is performed by the Indian 
 women with a squirrel's or stag's tail. When the 
 insects have been collected they are killed, either 
 by throwing them into boiling water or by placing 
 them in ovens; and these latter bear a higher 
 
 H
 
 98 LECTUEE VIII. 
 
 price in the market, as they are less subject to 
 adulteration, a whitish powder being preserved 
 on them. The quantity of these insects im- 
 ported from South America for the purpose of 
 procuring a beautiful red dye amounts to up- 
 wards of half-a-million of pounds sterling, a 
 great sum to be derived from so small an 
 insect, and which should show us the folly of 
 despising any animal on account of its apparent 
 insignificance and minuteness. The Spanish 
 Government have always been extremely jealous 
 of any interference with their trade in this in- 
 sect : the East India Company offered a reward 
 of 5000Z. to any one who should introduce it 
 into India; but the experiment has, I believe, 
 hitherto failed. 
 
 Another insect possesses that valuable material 
 called lac, and is a species of cochineal. It is 
 found on various trees in the East Indies, and 
 the substance is made use of in that country in 
 the manufacture of beads, rings, and other female 
 ornaments. When added to sand, it forms 
 grind-stones ; mixed with lamp or ivory black, 
 being first dissolved in water, and with a little 
 borax, it makes admirable ink. A new prepar- 
 ation of lac-dye is now used, and which, when
 
 ON INSECTS AND MARINE ANIMALS. 99 
 
 mixed with cochineal, makes so fine a scarlet 
 that it is said to have saved the East India Com- 
 pany 14,000/. a-year in the purchase of scarlet 
 cloth for the army. 
 
 The quantity of wax made by bees is enor- 
 mous. In Spain alone, one single parish priest 
 is said to have had five thousand hives. In 
 Russia many peasants have four or five hundred 
 bee-hives, and make more profit of their bees 
 than of their corn. Since the introduction of 
 sugar, honey has lost much of its importance, 
 but still it is of great value in this country. 
 
 I have now endeavoured to point out to you 
 some of the benefits which are derived from in- 
 sects, and the knowledge of this cannot, I hope, 
 have failed to impress on your minds the won- 
 derful love of the Great Creator, who has 
 formed everything for some good and wise pur- 
 pose, and has been alike attentive to the comfort 
 and well-being of the meanest insect, as well as 
 to that of the highest of His creatures. In fact, 
 if we examine through a microscope the smallest 
 insect, we shall find them possessed of the power 
 of seeing, smelling, tasting (for they have a 
 tongue), and hearing. This last faculty is
 
 100 LECTURE VIII. 
 
 easily ascertained by tapping on the outside of 
 a hive of bees. 
 
 After what has been said, I think you will be 
 disposed to own that in no part of His works 
 has the All-wise Creator more vividly displayed 
 His goodness as well as His power than in these 
 atoms, if I may call them so, of creation. They 
 are equally worthy of the study of the Christian 
 and the naturalist, as well as affording instruc- 
 tion and entertainment to those I see around 
 me. 
 
 I will now give you an instance in proof of 
 this. You must all of you know the common 
 egg-urchin, or sea-egg, or, as I believe it is 
 sometimes called, the " Sca'ad man's head." Its 
 structure is most wonderful. It is provided 
 with tubercles, one large and three or four 
 small ones. One small tubercle will separate in 
 rows of pairs three pairs in each row. Small 
 ridges and furrows also separate the pairs of 
 rows from each other. From the pores protrude 
 suckers, which are very long. The number of 
 these suckers is very great. In a moderate-sized 
 urchin you may count sixty-two rows of pores 
 in each furrow or avenue. Now, as there are
 
 ON INSECTS AND MARINE ANIMALS. 101 
 
 three pairs of pores in each row, their number, 
 multiplied by six, and again by ten, would give 
 the great number of 3720 pores. The structure 
 of the sea-urchin is not less complicated in other 
 parts. There are above three hundred of what 
 may be called plates of one kind, and nearly as 
 many of another, all dove-tailing together with 
 the greatest nicety and regularity, having on 
 their surfaces above 4000 spines, each spine 
 being perfect in itself, and each having a free 
 movement in its socket. Its shell is composed 
 of 10,000 distinct pieces, so accurately joined 
 that the whole seems a single shell. Surely we 
 may exclaim that the skill of the Great Archi- 
 tect of Nature is not less displayed in the con- 
 struction of the sea-urchin than in the building 
 up of a world ! 
 
 Let me now talk to you a little of the star- 
 fishes, or, as they are called in Ireland, " devil's 
 fingers and devil's hands," where they are some- 
 times collected in great numbers and used as 
 manure in gardens, and an excellent manure 
 they make. Now, I am aware that they are no 
 favourites with you fishermen. In my younger 
 days I used to like to go out early and catch a 
 whiting or two for my breakfast. Suppose me
 
 102 LECTURE Yin. 
 
 seated in a boat, and, after a pleasant pull of 
 half-a-mile out to sea by a good honest fisher- 
 man, then preparing for sport. The water seems 
 to laugh and sing, as the Psalmist described the 
 waving corn, and sparkles in the morning sun, 
 and dances around as the anchor a heavy 
 stone is cast amidst the gently-swelling waves. 
 Eager for the sport, the lines are prepared; 
 there is a tug at the hook, and, hauling up the 
 lengthened string, expect a prize ; when lo ! 'tis 
 but a villainous star-fish that has seized the bait, 
 gorging it deep and fast. Again we try, and 
 with the same result. Bait after bait is thus 
 devoured, till I begin to think that shoals of 
 star-fishes are waiting there on purpose to annoy 
 me. No whiting for breakfast! Who would 
 keep his temper under such a trial ? 
 
 But still they are some of God's useful crea- 
 tures, and that to a great extent. The appetite 
 of the star-fish is for carrion. Their restless in- 
 dustry is constantly employed in hunting out 
 and swallowing all dead and tainted matters 
 that approach the shore, and which, if permitted 
 to accumulate, would soon pollute the very ocean, 
 defile the air, and thus render the earth almost 
 uninhabitable. Silently and quietly the work is
 
 ON INSECTS AND MARINE ANIMALS. 103 
 
 done by these unwearying agents. Cleanliness 
 and health attend their operations, while each, 
 like a living granary, pours forth innumerable 
 eggs, and thus supplies abundant food for count- 
 less hungry mouths, peopling the sea with life, 
 and thus adding to the boundless store of nature's 
 provisions. 
 
 I have said that fishermen have a great aver- 
 sion to all sorts of star-fish, or at least it was so 
 formerly, and perhaps is so at the present time. 
 Now these creatures have a wonderful power of 
 reproduction. If one of its arms, or, as they are 
 called, rays, and sometimes fingers, should be 
 taken off, another would come in its place ; and 
 in this way, if it is pulled in several pieces, each 
 piece will in time become a perfect star-fish. 
 This may surprise you, but it is a fact well 
 known to naturalists. Thus fishermen were 
 formerly in the habit of tearing them asunder 
 and committing their lacerated bodies to the 
 waves. This plan was anything but the way of 
 diminishing their numbers. You have probably 
 now become wiser, and are content with throwing 
 them on the beach and suffering them to die 
 there. 
 
 Another interesting marine animal is the her-
 
 104 LECTURE Till. 
 
 mit crab, with which you are all well acquainted. 
 In order to comprehend the shape of this crea- 
 ture it is necessary to deprive it of its habitation. 
 It will then be seen to be formed of two distinct 
 portions, the head and a good part of the body 
 being covered with shell, like the fore part of a 
 lobster, whilst the hinder or tail portion is bare, 
 soft, and without any solid protection ; so that, in 
 order to defend its hinder regions, the creature 
 is obliged to have recourse to the strange expe- 
 dient of procuring a retreat in any shells that 
 from their size and shape may be adapted to 
 such a purpose, and which the occupants drag 
 about with them on all occasions. I know 
 that it is a question amongst you fishermen 
 whether the crab selects an empty shell for his 
 purpose, or ejects the lawful tenant of one which 
 he takes a fancy to, by seizing his victim the 
 whelk, for instance behind the head, and after 
 killing it proceeding to eat it out of house and 
 home, and then taking possession of the vacant 
 residence. 
 
 The form of this crab is wonderfully adapted 
 to its mode of life in a shell. It will be observed, 
 that of the two claws with which it is furnished, 
 one is exceedingly small when compared with
 
 ON INSECTS AND MARINE ANIMALS. 105 
 
 the other, and this is a wise arrangement of the 
 Great Creator. Had the two claws been of equal 
 size, both of them as large as the biggest of them, 
 it is evident that they could never have been 
 drawn into the shell. When alarmed, they draw 
 in the smaller claw and close the opening with 
 the larger one, which is thus protected. When 
 the hermit crab grows too large for its shell, it 
 may be observed crawling along a line of empty 
 shells left by the last wave. They then slip 
 their tails out of the old house into a new one, 
 and in this way they will try a number of shells 
 till they find one to their liking. They feed on 
 any kind of putrid offal and garbage, and thus 
 become nature's scavengers in cleansing our 
 coasts. 
 
 And now let me say a few words to you re- 
 specting the prawn, perhaps one of the most 
 exquisitely constructed of all marine creatures. 
 They are, however, not to be judged of as you 
 may see them boiled and dead in Mr. Hayllar's 
 well frequented shop; but in a glass-case called 
 an aquarium, if they are well supplied with 
 proper food and fresh sea-water, they will appear 
 the merriest and happiest creatures possible. 
 But it is to the way in which they get rid, once
 
 106 LECTTJKE VIII. 
 
 a-year, of their old external covering, that I 
 wish to call your attention. When this period 
 arrives, the prawn ceases to feed, and goes about 
 from place to place until it has fixed on one 
 adapted for its purpose. It then stretches out 
 wide apart its third, fourth, and fifth pairs of 
 legs, and the feet are then hooked on so firmly 
 upon a substance near, and in such a way that 
 the body may be poised, and capable of moving 
 freely in all directions. The prawn then slowly 
 sways itself to and fro, and from side to side, 
 apparently for the purpose of loosening the whole 
 surface of the body from the skin or covering; the 
 two pairs of legs are at the same time kept raised 
 from the ground, stretched forwards, and fre- 
 quently passed over each other with a rubbing mo- 
 tion. The eyes also may be observed to be moved 
 within their covering, from side to side, by mus- 
 cular contraction; and when every precaution 
 appears to have been taken for the withdrawal 
 of its body from the old skin, a crack is observed 
 to take place between it and the abdomen, at 
 the upper and back part, and then the head, 
 antennae, or, as they may be called, feelers, legs, 
 feet, and all their appendages, are slowly and 
 carefully drawn backwards, and out from the
 
 ON INSECTS AND MARINE ANIMALS. 107 
 
 dorsal or back covering, until the eyes are quite 
 clear of the body shell, and appear above its 
 margin. The prawn, thus half released, then 
 makes a sudden backward spring or jerk, and 
 the whole of the skin is left behind, generally 
 adhering by the shell of its six feet to the sub- 
 stance it had selected for its purpose. 
 
 Now, one moment's thought will show you 
 what a truly wonderful process this act of 
 getting rid of its old covering really is. When 
 we reflect on the small size of this creature, and 
 the extreme delicacy of its various organs, and 
 then find that this moulting of the shell, with its 
 minute spines and microscopic hairs, is per- 
 . formed in the manner you have heard, it is im- 
 possible not to admire the wonderful power of 
 an Almighty Creator who has called into exist- 
 ence so marvellous a creature. 
 
 When the prawn has been thus liberated from 
 its old covering, it is at first perfectly helpless, 
 and so soft that it has not the power of sup- 
 porting its own weight. By degrees it gains 
 strength, and then retires to some secure place 
 till its different membranes have become suffi- 
 ciently hardened to allow of its venturing forth 
 among its companions without danger.
 
 108 LECTURE vra. 
 
 But it is time to conclude. You will observe, 
 that one of the objects in my lectures is to draw 
 your attention to the goodness and wisdom of 
 Almighty God, as they may be seen in His works. 
 These are so various, so beautiful so perfectly 
 adapted to the purposes for which they were 
 created, that the very knowlege of them should 
 make you better men and better Christians. Be 
 quite sure, then, that there is a God Almighty, 
 all wise and all good, and if we do not shut our 
 eyes we may see Him in all His works, and 
 learn not only to fear Him for His power, but to 
 love Him for the care which He takes of us 
 and of all His created beings.
 
 109 
 
 IX. 
 
 ON REPTILES. 
 
 MY DEAR FEIENDS, 
 
 I have not, in any of my lectures, said any- 
 thing on the subject of reptiles, such as turtle, 
 alligators, vipers, snakes, frogs, &c. ; and yet I 
 may, perhaps, amuse you by entering a little 
 into some of their history, for many interesting 
 facts may be related of them. These reptiles 
 have their use in the arrangements of Provi- 
 dence, and you should never lose sight of the 
 fact, that nothing has been created but what 
 is for the general good. 
 
 Amongst the larger of what may be called 
 reptiles, and which are occasionally found on out 
 coasts, may be mentioned the turtle. The habits 
 of this creature are interesting. At the Isle of
 
 110 LECTURE IX. 
 
 Ascension, and in many other places, innumer- 
 able multitudes of turtles arrive in the early 
 part of summer, resorting to their favourite 
 breeding-places. Some come from a great dis- 
 tance. On first nearing the shore, and gene- 
 rally on fine, calm, moonlight nights, the turtle 
 raises her head above the water, when about 
 forty yards from the beach, looks around 
 her, and should she see nothing likely to dis- 
 turb her, she sends forth a loud hissing sound, 
 and then advances slowly towards the beach, 
 crawls over it, and, when she has reached a 
 place fitted for her purpose, looks all around 
 her in silence. She then proceeds to form a 
 hole in the sand, which she does by removing 
 it from under her body with her hind flappers. 
 The sand is thus raised alternately by each 
 flapper until it is heaped up behind her. In 
 this way a hole is dug to the depth of from a 
 foot and a half to two feet, and which is done 
 in about nine minutes. The eggs are then 
 dropped into it, one by one, in regular layers, 
 to the number of a hundred and fifty to two 
 hundred. This is done in about twenty mi- 
 nutes. She then scrapes the loose sand back 
 over the eggs, and so levels and smooths the
 
 ON REPTILES. Ill 
 
 surface that few persons on seeing the spot 
 could suppose that anything had been done to 
 it. After this operation she quickly returns to 
 the sea, the eggs being hatched by the heat of 
 the sand. Each turtle has generally three lay- 
 ings of eggs in the season. When the young 
 ones are hatched, which takes place from a fort- 
 night to three weeks after the eggs have been 
 deposited, they make their way to the water, 
 when numbers of them fall a prey to birds, or 
 are seized in the sea and devoured by shoals of 
 fish and crocodiles. However, as we have seen 
 that the female turtle deposits her eggs pro- 
 bably altogether to the number of five hundred 
 three times a-year, we may suppose that many 
 escape from their enemies, and thus a provision 
 is made for keeping up a due supply of these 
 useful creatures. This is very much the case 
 with respect to the guinea-fowl. In the extensive 
 woods of Africa these birds are found in great 
 numbers. They lay their eggs on the ground 
 to the amount of twenty or thirty, and the 
 shells of these eggs are so hard that it is not 
 easy to break them. Now, as snakes, which 
 will feed on eggs, are very numerous in these
 
 112 LECTURE IX. 
 
 woods, it is evident that, except for the number 
 of eggs laid and their hardness, they would be 
 devoured by the snakes, who occasionally re- 
 move some from the nest in trying to break 
 them. I have always looked upon this fact as 
 a beautiful arrangement of Providence for the 
 preservation of His creatures. 
 
 I will conclude my notice of the turtle with 
 the following anecdote, which was told me by 
 the late Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence : In the 
 Island of Ascension turtles are kept in con- 
 siderable numbers in tanks, to supply the ships 
 which call there. Lord Adolphus commanded 
 a frigate which, on its way to England, touched 
 at Ascension and shipped a number of turtles ; 
 but as the voyage home was protracted, many 
 of them died, and were heaved overboard. One 
 large one, called Lord Nelson from its having lost 
 a flapper, survived till the ship was in the Chan- 
 nel, when it appeared so nearly dead that it was 
 thrown into the sea. All these turtles were 
 marked on the shell, as usual, with a hot iron. 
 In the course of a year this turtle was again 
 taken in the Island of Ascension, and was im- 
 mediately known by the marks as one of those
 
 ON REPTILES. 113 
 
 sold to Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence. It is a 
 curious fact, for the animal must have made its 
 way through some hundred miles of sea. 
 
 The largest reptiles are the crocodile and the 
 alligator; and, luckily for sea-bathers, not 
 known in this country. Their history is, how- 
 ever, curious, and their habits worth noticing. I 
 will begin with the crocodile. This reptile some- 
 times attains the length of twenty-five feet, and 
 is by many supposed to be the leviathan of Job, 
 as mentioned in the 41st chapter, and also in the 
 Psalms. It swims rapidly, is very dangerous, 
 and constantly seizes and feeds on human beings. 
 When the British had a detachment of soldiers 
 and some artillery on the banks of the mouth 
 of the river Indus, in the East Indies, a large 
 old crocodile carried off two or three natives, 
 one of them being a woman. Its skin was so 
 thick that no ball penetrated it, so some young 
 artillery officers formed the following plan for 
 destroying it: They killed a sheep, and in its 
 body placed a bag filled with gunpowder and 
 some other combustible matter, to which a long 
 wire was attached, with detonating powder at 
 the end. Presently the crocodile saw the prey 
 and seized it, and carried it to a hole which he 
 
 I
 
 114 LECTURE IX. 
 
 was known to frequent. Time was allowed 
 him to swallow the sheep, when the wire was 
 pulled the water then became violently agi- 
 tated a loud report was heard, and up came 
 the crocodile dead, and his stomach blown open. 
 It is a curious fact, that in the Nile no crocodiles 
 are found in certain degrees of latitude, but 
 they are between 26 and 28. Cairo is 30, 
 where they are never seen. 
 
 The female deposits her eggs in the sand, 
 about a hundred in number, and nearly the 
 size of those of a goose. An animal called the 
 ichneumon has long been famous in Egypt, 
 where it goes by the name of Pharaoh's rat. 
 It hunts for, digs up, and devours the eggs of 
 the crocodile, thus preventing too great an in- 
 crease of these dangerous reptiles. 
 
 Mr. Curzon, in his travels to visit the monas- 
 teries of Egypt, gives the following pleasing 
 and interesting account of his adventure with a 
 crocodile. He says : 
 
 " I had always a strong liking for crocodile 
 shooting, and had killed several of them. On 
 one occasion I saw, a long way off, a large one, 
 twelve or fifteen feet long, lying asleep under 
 a perpendicular bank, about ten feet high, on
 
 ON REPTILES. 115 
 
 the margin of the river. I stopped the boat 
 at some distance, and noting the place as well 
 as I could, I took a circuit inland, and came 
 down cautiously to the top of the bank, whence 
 with a heavy rifle I made sure of my ugly game. 
 I then peeped over the bank, and there he was, 
 within ten feet of the sight of the rifle. I was 
 on the point of firing at his eye, when I ob- 
 served he was attended by a bird called a ziczac. 
 It is a species of plover, and as large as a small 
 pigeon. The bird was walking up and down 
 close to the crocodile's nose. I suppose I moved, 
 for suddenly it saw me, and instead of flying 
 away, jumped up about a foot from the ground, 
 screamed " Ziczac ! Ziczac ! " with all the powers 
 of his voice, and dashed himself against the cro- 
 codile's face two or three times. The great beast 
 started up, and immediately spying his danger, 
 made a jump up, and dashing into the water 
 with a splash which covered me with mud, he 
 dived into the river and disappeared. The bird, 
 proud apparently of having saved his friend, 
 remained walking up and clown uttering his cry 
 with an exulting voice, and standing every now 
 and then on the tips of his toes in a conceited 
 manner." The circumstance of the crocodile
 
 116 LECTURE II. 
 
 being often attended by the ziczac has been 
 doubted by some naturalists, but the above 
 anecdote would serve to prove the truth of it. 
 Indeed, Herodotus, an ancient historian, who is 
 generally to be depended on, states that all 
 beasts and birds avoid the crocodile except a 
 small bird which he calls the trochilus, with 
 which the crocodile is always at peace, for he 
 receives benefit from it. When the reptile gets 
 out of the water on land he opens his jaws, 
 when the trochilus enters his mouth and swallows 
 the leeches which infest it. The crocodile is 
 so well pleased with this service that it never 
 hurts the bird. A celebrated French naturalist, 
 after investigating the subject, thought that 
 there was good foundation for the story of this 
 ancient writer. 
 
 You may ask, Of what use are crocodiles? 
 They play their part, and that an important 
 one, in the economy of nature. They are to 
 the great rivers of the tropics what wolves and 
 hyenas are to the land and the sharks to the 
 sea. In fact, scavengers clearing away offal 
 and carrion, which would poison the waters 
 and taint the air. 
 
 But it is time to turn to the alligator, a va-
 
 ON REPTILES. 117 
 
 riety of the crocodile, although differing from 
 it in many respects. In the first place they 
 make an incredibly loud and terrifying roar, 
 especially in the spring, their breeding season. 
 In the great river Amazon, where these creatures 
 abound, when hundreds are roaring at the same 
 time, it resembles thunder. Unlike the croco- 
 dile also, the female makes a nest in the shape 
 of a cone, four feet high, and four or five feet 
 in diameter, constructed of alternate layers of 
 eggs, and of mud, grass, and herbage. When 
 the young are hatched the female tends them 
 as a hen does her chickens. Their cry is like 
 the whining and barking of young puppies. 
 
 It would appear, from various accounts, that 
 alligators are much more ferocious than croco- 
 diles ; in fact, a much more dangerous reptile. 
 For instance, in one of the Manilla Islands a 
 man rode his horse across a river in a place 
 known to be frequented by an enormous alli- 
 gator. He got half way over the stream when 
 the alligator came upon him. His teeth went 
 into the saddle, which he tore from the horse, 
 while the rider tumbled over the other side into 
 the water and made for the shore. The alli- 
 gator, disregarding the horse, pursued the man,
 
 118 LECTURE IX. 
 
 who safely reached the bank, which he could 
 easily have ascended; but, rendered foolhardy 
 by his escape, he placed himself behind a tree 
 which had fallen partly into the water, and, 
 drawing a heavy knife, leaned over the tree, and, 
 as the alligator approached, struck him on the 
 nose, and kept on repeating the blows until the 
 animal, exasperated at the resistance, rushed on 
 the man, and seizing him by the middle of the 
 body, which he crushed, swam into the river, 
 where the poor man's sufferings could not have 
 been very long. This alligator was soon after- 
 wards killed by means of being drawn into three 
 very strong nets placed in the river : he broke 
 through two of them, but got entangled in the 
 third, and was speared to death after a long 
 resistance. This tremendous brute was nearly 
 thirty feet in length and sixteen feet in circum- 
 ference, and his head alone weighed three 
 hundred pounds. 
 
 A young girl, about thirteen years of age, was 
 washing a towel in a river frequented by alliga- 
 tors. She did not attend to a warning to beware 
 of them, and just as she was boasting that she 
 did not care for them, a scream for help was 
 heard, and a cry, " Lord, have mercy on me !
 
 ON REPTILES. 119 
 
 alligator has caught me!" The body was 
 found, some days afterwards, half devoured. 
 
 An English naturalist, who was in search of 
 plants in South America, says, " I was disap- 
 pointed not to observe a single plant, except the 
 rank grasses, round the margin of the river ; but 
 alligators were laid in the water in almost count- 
 less numbers, resembling so many black stones 
 or logs. What we had seen in the river Amazon 
 of these reptiles was nothing compared to their 
 abundance in the Ramos river and its adjoining 
 lakes. I can safely say that at no one instant, 
 during the whole thirty days, when there was 
 light enough to distinguish them, were we 
 without one or more alligators in sight." In the 
 lakes, towards the close of the rainy season, 
 myriads of ducks breed in the rushes, and here 
 the alligators swarm to feed on the young birds. 
 If a sportsman fire at the ducks in these places, 
 he has but a poor chance of bagging many ; for 
 the instant a bird falls on the water the alliga- 
 tors rush towards it and crash their huge jaws 
 upon each other's heads in their hasty attempts 
 to seize it. When alligators have been hungry, 
 they have been known to upset a small boat in 
 order to feed on the rowers. Many instances
 
 120 LECTURE IX. 
 
 have been recorded of persons having lost an 
 arm or a leg, which has been taken off by these 
 monsters. 
 
 The alligator of North America buries itself at 
 the bottom of marshes till the spring sets in, and 
 it is then in such a state of torpor that slices may 
 be cut from the animal without arousing it. On 
 the other hand, the alligator revels in the moist 
 heat of Florida, and is formidable, both in num- 
 bers and size, at a mineral spring near the Mus- 
 quito River, where the water, on issuing from the 
 earth, is not only nearly boiling, but is strongly 
 impregnated with copper and vitriol. 
 
 I will now talk to you about that poor, perse- 
 cuted, but harmless and useful reptile, the toad, 
 and I hope to rescue it from some part of that 
 ill-treatment it so constantly meets with. It is 
 a timid creature, perfectly inoffensive, and, as I 
 know, will attach itself to those who show it 
 kindness. Mr. Bell tells us that he had a large 
 one that would sit on one of his hands and eat 
 from the other. A true lover of Nature, in that 
 simplicity and singleness of heart which always 
 belong to that character, will find in the toad 
 much to admire, although it must be con- 
 fessed it has an ugly appearance. It is of
 
 ON EEPTILES. 121 
 
 great use in a garden, devouring great numbers 
 of slugs, worms, and destructive insects. It is 
 kept in cucumber and melon frames for that pur- 
 pose. I got a friend to send me twelve toads in a 
 box from Jersey for the late Mr. Knight, of the 
 Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, for one of his stove- 
 houses, which was much infested with insects, 
 and they cleared it of them very quickly. It 
 darts its long tongue out when two inches from 
 its prey, and seizes it so rapidly that it is diffi- 
 cult to perceive its motion. Three gentlemen, 
 while walking on the Fairlight Downs, near 
 Hastings, saw a toad squatted on the ground, 
 holding the head of a viper in his mouth. The 
 viper writhed its body as if trying to escape, but 
 to no purpose. The eyes of the toad glared, and 
 it showed much ferocity. The entire head of 
 the viper was in the toad's mouth, which seemed 
 completely filled in consequence, and its jaws 
 were closed, and yet it appeared to breathe 
 freely. This is the only instance I have ever 
 heard of a toad attacking a viper. 
 
 The toad, like the snake and other reptiles, 
 sheds its skin at certain periods ; but not until a 
 new one has been formed underneath. The old 
 skin then cracks along the back and belly, and
 
 122 LECTURE IX. 
 
 after a few struggles and shakes the toad is 
 free. 
 
 It is a curious fact that, although toads 
 abound in the Island of Jersey, they are never 
 found in the neighbouring island of Guernsey, 
 and, if imported into it, always die. 
 
 Much has been said and written of live toads 
 being found in blocks of stone and in trees ; but 
 I have not been able to procure an authenticated 
 fact of this circumstance : nor is it likely that 
 they would live for hundreds of years in such 
 situations as has been confidently stated. I once 
 put a toad in a flower-pot, which I placed on a 
 flat tile, stopping up the hole at the bottom of the 
 pot, and buried them about a foot deep in the 
 earth. At the end of the year I released the 
 toad, and found him as well and as lively as be- 
 fore his imprisonment ; but this is no argument 
 of their living many years in a block of stone. 
 It is torpid in winter, and then retreats into 
 some sheltered spot, and there remains till the 
 return of spring. 
 
 The frog is, perhaps, a more interesting rep- 
 tile than the toad. It is a harmless as well as 
 a very useful creature, serving Frenchmen for 
 food, but living itself on various insects and slugs,
 
 ON REPTILES. 123 
 
 which it devours in large quantities, so that it 
 should always be encouraged in gardens. In 
 winter, they congregate in multitudes, generally 
 in the mud at the bottom of the water, adhering 
 together so closely that they appear like one 
 mass. They separate on the return of spring ; 
 then their cheerful croak is again heard, and 
 they recommence their active life. 
 
 Frogs have been supposed, as far back as the 
 times of good old Izaac Walton, to have a great 
 antipathy to pikes, killing that fish whenever it 
 can. There is some truth in this. A gentle- 
 man, walking in the spring on the banks of a 
 piece of water at Wimpole, the seat of Lord 
 Hardwicke, observed a large pike swimming 
 in a very sluggish manner, near the surface 
 of the water, having two dark-coloured patches 
 on the side. A few days afterwards he saw 
 the same pike floating dead upon the surface 
 of the water, and, having drawn it to land by 
 means of a stick, he found that the two dark- 
 coloured spots were two living frogs, still at- 
 tached to the fish, and that so firmly that it 
 required some force to push them off with a 
 stick. These reptiles are so well known that 
 little more need be said of them. They are a
 
 124 LECTURE IX. 
 
 favourite food of the common snake ; and while 
 the snake is endeavouring to swallow a frog, the 
 cry of the latter is very loud and distressing. 
 
 But I must conclude. I have done my best 
 to amuse you, by setting before you some of the 
 Great Creator's works, all of which have their 
 peculiar uses assigned to them. Let us also be 
 thankful that this happy country is not infested 
 with those reptiles which you have heard abound 
 so much in hotter countries. This is one, among 
 many blessings, bestowed on this land.
 
 125 
 
 X. 
 
 ON THE HABITS OF ANIMALS. 
 
 MY DEAR FRIENDS, 
 
 I am going to read you a lecture on the 
 habits of animals generally, and hope it will 
 amuse you. One of my objects is to do so, 
 and another to instruct you. In fact, the in- 
 stincts of animals, their contrivances, their 
 architecture, their forethought, their affections, 
 and various other circumstances connected with 
 their several modes of life, are, indeed, lessons 
 of instruction to every one. They show the 
 goodness of the Great Creator. They serve 
 to prove the truth of what the Psalmist said, 
 " The eyes of all wait on Thee, and Thou 
 givest them their meat in due season." If the 
 most insignificant little living creature is viewed 
 through a microscope, it will be found to be
 
 126 LECTURE X. 
 
 most exquisitely formed, and to possess all 
 those functions which are necessary to its well- 
 being. I wish to impress this strongly on 
 your minds, that you may be able to view- 
 Almighty God in His works, and thus learn 
 to love and admire Him as the Author of all 
 good. Having stated this, I will now pro- 
 ceed to give you some curious instances of 
 instinct amongst what are called the inferior 
 animals, that is, of animals which are sup- 
 posed to be almost without sense or power of 
 motion. 
 
 You are all of you acquainted with the com- 
 mon sea-hog, or sea-egg. To look at it you 
 would suppose it to be without sense, or the 
 possibility of regarding external objects by sight 
 or hearing; yet it will travel up the rods of 
 a crab-pot, enter the opening, descend within, 
 mount again to the situation of the bait, and 
 choose the one which pleases it best. 
 
 Again, the star-fishes seem very inactive, and 
 without intelligence; yet they display sagacity 
 in the discovery and choice of food, as well 
 as in the manner of seeking it, and also alter 
 their habits in different seasons. 
 
 You might suppose that cuttle-fishes were
 
 ON THE HABITS OF ANIMALS. 127 
 
 without any sense, and yet they show some 
 degree of curiosity by their moving up to a 
 shining object to examine it; and when in 
 danger, they become suddenly suffused with a 
 decided blush of red, and then eject the con- 
 tents of their ink-bag, by which they become 
 concealed from observation. 
 
 The oyster closes its shell when it comes in 
 contact with some objects, and opens it on 
 the flowing of the tide, so that its structure 
 is wonderfully adapted to the wants and cir- 
 cumstances of a creature so apparently un- 
 conscious of a want, or, if it had one, so in- 
 capable of supplying it. 
 
 But let me turn to a higher order of animals ; 
 and I will begin with birds, and their instinct 
 of migration. You are aware that numbers of 
 birds arrive in this country in the spring from 
 far-distant regions, flying over immense tracts 
 of land and sea in one unerring line, and gene- 
 rally doing this in the night. This instinct 
 induces them to seek a warmer climate at one 
 season of the year, and a colder at another. 
 It cannot be supposed that the old birds lead 
 the young ones in these migrations, for it has 
 been ascertained that late broods have taken
 
 128 LECTUBE X. 
 
 their flight long after their parents have de- 
 parted. Indeed, the young cuckoo has never 
 known a parent's care, since it is brought up 
 in the nest of some other bird ; yet it leaves 
 this country long after others of the same 
 species, being then a solitary individual, and 
 finds its way to the groves of Greece and the 
 sunny regions of Italy. Now, it is quite clear 
 that this extraordinary migratory instinct must 
 have been implanted in this and various other 
 birds by a merciful Creator, for purposes in- 
 tended for their well-being in climates con- 
 genial to their respective wants. And then, 
 with what pleasure may we listen to the songs 
 of numerous warblers which arrive amongst 
 us in this blessed country, the nightingale being 
 amongst them, cheering us with their music, 
 and proclaiming the loving-kindness of our 
 Heavenly Father ! 
 
 But this migratory instinct is not confined to 
 birds. The extensive plains of North America 
 were formerly more frequented by vast herds 
 of buffaloes than they are at present, in con- 
 sequence of the destructive attacks made upon 
 them, not only by the Red Indians but by the 
 American settlers. At certain periods a strong
 
 ON THE HABITS OF ANIMALS. 129 
 
 migratory impulse seizes upon those great herds, 
 and they rush along the plains, cross rivers, 
 ascend hills, and go in one undeviating line to 
 some far-distant locality, overturning tents and 
 other obstructions in their way. So it is, also, 
 with the land-crabs of Jamaica. When the 
 season arrives they quit the upper country and 
 make a rush towards the sea-shore in a direct 
 line, and nothing stops their progress, so strong 
 is the migratory instinct. 
 
 This extraordinary impulse is also possessed 
 by some insects. In Australia a migratory pro- 
 cession of caterpillars may frequently be ob- 
 served. They travel in single file, having a 
 leader; and each is so close to its predecessor 
 as to convey the idea that they were united 
 together, moving, like a living cord, in a con- 
 tinuous line. If one caterpillar should be taken 
 from the middle of the line, the one imme- 
 diately before him suddenly stands still, then 
 the next, and then the next, and so on to the 
 leader. The same takes place at the other end 
 of the line. When the caterpillar which is 
 removed gets into the line again, the whole 
 move forward as at first, thus apparently having 
 some means of communication with the leader. 
 
 K
 
 130 LECTURE X. 
 
 This was not a solitary experiment, but has 
 been repeatedly tried during the progress of 
 these insects, and proves the extraordinary fact 
 of the power of communication existing amongst 
 them. 
 
 Quails have a strong migratory instinct, and 
 so regular is their arrival in the island of Malta, 
 that the day of their coming is noticed in the 
 published calendar of the island, as the change 
 of the moon is in ours. A great flight of storks 
 also takes place annually in the Mediterranean, 
 about the same period of the year ; and I was 
 assured by the captain of a ship, who was 
 engaged in making surveys on the coast, that 
 those young birds which were incapable of per- 
 forming so long a flight during the migratory 
 impulse, were conveyed on the backs of their 
 parents to far-distant places, some of them 
 making their way into Persia. 
 
 One of the most curious instances of migration 
 is in the case of the heron. Heronries are not 
 very common in England, and certainly there 
 are not any within some miles of Richmond 
 Park, in Surrey. Yet year after year (for I 
 reside in the neighbourhood) I have seen from 
 fifty to sixty herons assembled on a large open
 
 ON THE HABITS OF ANIMALS. 131 
 
 space in that park, not moving about or seeking 
 for food, but appearing as if they had met 
 together to consult on some important subject. 
 What their object was I never could even guess 
 at ; and it must be some extraordinary instinct 
 which brings them thus together, especially as 
 no heronry has so many of these birds belong- 
 ing to it, so that the assembly must consist of 
 several heronries. 
 
 It is an interesting fact, that instinct leads 
 migratory animals in general to pursue one in- 
 variable direction in their passage from one 
 distant country to another. They have neither 
 compass nor guide, and yet they rarely deviate 
 to any great extent in their journey. Moun- 
 tains and wide seas intervene, and yet young 
 and old find their way. Inscrutable as this 
 instinct may appear to our dull perceptions, it 
 is implanted in His creatures by a wise and 
 good God, who leads even the little, feeble 
 insect-hunting birds to go remote distances from 
 their homes to seek for that food which they 
 require. Indeed, their rapid flight proves that 
 they have a conscious security of finding it. A 
 lady told me, that while cruising in her husband's 
 yacht in the wide seas of South America, she
 
 132 LECTURE X. 
 
 witnessed a migration of butterflies, which were 
 far distant from any land, and on a subsequent 
 occasion a migration of humming-birds. Change 
 of weather, no doubt, produces migratory im- 
 pulses a fact which some of you fishermen are 
 acquainted with. 
 
 Some few years ago immense cloud-like 
 swarms of dragon-flies passed in rapid succes- 
 sion over a town in Germany. Their progress 
 was from south-by-west to north-by-east, some 
 flying high and others low, and they struck 
 against the windows of houses situated on emi- 
 nences. We are not visited in this country by 
 locusts, which commit such vast injuries on 
 crops in the East. When the migratory im- 
 pulse is on them they swarm in vast numbers, 
 taking long flights, and sometimes alighting in 
 the sea and perish. 
 
 Some animals change their quarters (it may 
 be called migration) for unaccountable reasons. 
 For instance, the badger, which is a soli- 
 tary animal, and once very numerous in this 
 country, would assemble to the number of nine 
 or ten, and travel by night to some other loca- 
 lity. If any one happened to disturb them in 
 their progress, he was attacked with the greatest
 
 ON THE HABITS OF ANIMALS. 133 
 
 ferocity, although when single they are per- 
 fectly harmless. Rats and mice are also known 
 to migrate ; but always by night. Speaking of 
 rats, I may tell you that a gentleman in Here- 
 fordshire laid up about two bushels of walnuts, 
 and on the following morning he found that 
 they had all been carried away by rats. 
 
 But I should tire you if I were to continue 
 longer the subject of instinct in animals, al- 
 though I might pursue it to a great extent. In 
 many cases it amounts so nearly to reason, which 
 latter faculty is supposed to be possessed only 
 by the human race, that it is difficult to define 
 where instinct begins and reason ends. You 
 may judge for yourselves when I give you the 
 following anecdotes : 
 
 A fox, partly tamed, was kept fastened by a 
 chain to a post in a court-yard, and was chiefly 
 fed on boiled potatoes. Many fowls also were 
 kept in the same yard, but had sense enough 
 not to come within reach of the fox. He was, 
 however, too cunning for them, as you will find. 
 Having bruised and scattered the boiled pota- 
 toes which he had received for his dinner at the 
 extremity of the space the chain would reach, he 
 retired to an opposite direction, and put on the
 
 134 LECTURE X. 
 
 appearance of being asleep. His cunning suc- 
 ceeded, for some of the fowls were thrown off 
 their guard, and came within the circle of danger 
 to eat the potatoes. The fox then sprang upon 
 them and seized his prey. Was there not some 
 degree of reason in this ? 
 
 Again : an old man was walking one day upon 
 the banks of a river, when he observed a badger 
 moving leisurely along the ledge of a rock on 
 the opposite bank. In a little time a fox came up, 
 and after walking some distance close in the rear 
 of the poor badger, he leaped into the water. 
 Immediately afterwards came a pack of hounds 
 in pursuit of the fox, who by this time was far 
 enough off floating down the stream, but the 
 unfortunate badger was instantly torn to pieces 
 by the dogs. Here was cunning combined with 
 reason. A fox has been seen to drop the end of 
 his tail among rocks on the seashore in order to 
 catch the crabs below, hauling up and devouring 
 such as laid hold of it. 
 
 I will now give you an instance of what might 
 be called reason in a dog, and which occurred 
 in this town. A lady, proceeding to the house 
 of one of her pupils, near Brunswick Place, had 
 her cloak seized by a dog, that pulled her the
 
 ON THE HABITS OF ANIMALS. 135 
 
 contrary way to which she was going. As she 
 could not disengage herself, she permitted her- 
 self to be led till she was brought to the open 
 space at Wick, when she became alarmed, and 
 asked some men to drive the dog away. They 
 persuaded her to see where the animal would 
 lead her, promising to protect Jier if necessary. 
 He brought her to a house which was then in 
 the course of erection, and began to scratch at 
 the end of a plank, which was laid across the 
 open unfinished area of the house for the work- 
 men to get into it. The plank was lifted up, 
 and a beef bone found under it, which the dog 
 seized and ran away with. This dog belonged 
 to an excellent, charitable clergyman at Wick, 
 who told me the anecdote after he had taken 
 some pains to ascertain its accuracy, so that it 
 need not be doubted. It is a curious instance 
 of a reasoning faculty in an animal. But I must 
 now conclude. 
 
 You will recollect that I have given you 
 several lectures on Natural History, and I wish 
 you to consider them, not as a mere gratifi- 
 cation of curiosity, or as vehicles for amusing 
 anecdote, but as affording proofs of a Superin- 
 tending Providence, and of the care bestowed
 
 136 LECTURE X. 
 
 on all the works of creation by a Being, infinite 
 in power, wisdom, and goodness ! Indeed, he 
 must be wilfully blind who does not observe 
 Divine interposition, not only in human affairs, 
 but in everything connected with the animal 
 and vegetable creation. With respect to the 
 vegetable creation I may tell you, that if pota- 
 toes are put in a cellar and the least ray of light 
 admitted, the shoots of that vegetable will move 
 in a direct line to that light. Again : if the root 
 of a plant be uncovered, without exposing it to 
 too much heat, and a wet sponge is placed near 
 it, but in the opposite direction from that in 
 which the root is proceeding, you will see the 
 root turn towards the sponge as if wanting to 
 imbibe its moisture. 
 
 Lastly, place an upright pole near an unsup- 
 ported vine which is growing in an opposite 
 direction to the pole, it will quickly alter its 
 course, and stop not until it has fixed itself to 
 the pole. These facts may excite our astonish- 
 ment, but they should, at the same time, pro- 
 duce in us feelings of gratitude, and, I may 
 add, of confidence towards that benign Being 
 who supports us as well as the humble vine, 
 and showers down His blessings upon us.
 
 137 
 
 XI. 
 THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 
 
 MY DEAR FEIENDS, 
 
 I am glad to meet you again, and to see those 
 faces around me which I have so frequently 
 looked upon with 'pleasure. That pleasure is 
 increased by the feeling that I may not only 
 have amused you, but possibly have done you 
 some little good, inducing you to feel that, 
 although your occupation leads you on the 
 great waters, you have an immortal soul to 
 attend to. You fishermen ought, indeed, to be 
 more conscious than landsmen that you are in 
 the Divine Presence, and have been constantly 
 indebted to Divine protection. When at sea, 
 you have little to look upon but the heavens 
 above or the boundless ocean around you. Both
 
 138 LECTURE XI. 
 
 may seem to be created on purpose for you 
 the sun to guide you by day, and the stars by 
 night; the sea to bear your boats on its bosom, 
 and the breeze to waft you on your course. You 
 probably feel how powerless you are of your- 
 selves how frail your vessels how dependent 
 you are on the goodness and mercy of your 
 Creator, and that it is He alone who can rule 
 the tempest and control the stormy deep. The 
 ocean for awhile separates you from the vices 
 and temptations of the world, and enables you 
 to reflect that God is the author of all you see 
 around you. 
 
 I have entered into these remarks, because I 
 wish in this lecture to give you some proofs of 
 the goodness of the great Creator in furnishing 
 every animal with those habits and that clothing 
 proper for the country in which they live, and 
 also how admirably the structure of their bodies 
 is adapted to their peculiar way of life. Thus, 
 for instance, elephants, rhinoceroses, and mon- 
 keys feed upon vegetables and fruits that grow 
 in hot countries; and such places are, therefore, 
 allotted to them. No sun is too powerful to 
 hurt them, and they do not need hair or wool to 
 keep them warm. On the contrary, the reindeer
 
 THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 139 
 
 are found in the coldest part of Lapland, and they 
 are covered with the thickest hair, and thus can 
 defy the severity of the winter. In like manner, 
 the rough-legged partridge passes its life in the 
 Lapland Alps, feeding upon the dwarf birch; 
 and that they may be able to run about safely 
 amidst the snow, their feet are feathered. 
 
 The camel frequents the sandy and burning 
 deserts, nor could they be passed without him; 
 but how wisely has the Creator contrived for 
 him ! In traversing the deserts, where no 
 water is to be found for many miles, and 
 where every other animal would die of thirst 
 in such a journey, the camel can undergo it 
 without suffering, for his stomach is full of cells, 
 in which he reserves water for many days. 
 
 The pelican also lives in deserts and dry 
 places, and frequently builds her nest far from 
 any water, in order that her eggs may be 
 hatched by the heat. She is, therefore, obliged 
 to bring water from afar for herself and her 
 young, for which reason Providence has fur- 
 nished her with a very large bag under her 
 throat, which she fills with a quantity of water 
 sufficient for many days. 
 
 The feet of goats are admirably adapted to
 
 140 LECTURE XI. 
 
 enable them to climb over rocks and the preci- 
 pices of mountains. 
 
 Swine, especially in their wild state, have 
 very strong powers of smelling. Thus they are 
 able to find succulent roots in the ground, which 
 they turn up and feed upon. 
 
 Squirrels are so formed that they can climb 
 up trees with great rapidity, and so are wood- 
 peckers. 
 
 Swallows are beautifully made for their pecu- 
 liar mode of life. Thus the shape and lightness 
 of their bodies, and the length of their wings, 
 not only enable them to fly from morning to 
 night, in search of flies and other insects, but 
 also to take long flights across wide seas and 
 distant lands to different climates, according to 
 the seasons of the year. 
 
 Look, again, at the mole, how curiously it is 
 made for its underground life ! Its fur is close, 
 thick, and soft; its feet are admirably made to 
 enable it to form its runs in the earth; its eyes 
 are so small that nothing can injure them ; and 
 its powers of smelling so acute, that it can detect 
 worms and other insects under the soil on which 
 it feeds. Its sense of hearing is so acute, that 
 if a footstep approach the spot where it is at
 
 THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 141 
 
 work, it will immediately cease its operations. 
 It is a most useful animal, although many 
 farmers are so foolish as not to have found it 
 out. 
 
 But it would be an endless employment if I 
 were to enter fully into the various ways in 
 which a benevolent Providence has provided for 
 the wants of His creatures by their peculiar 
 formation. I will now endeavour to give some 
 instances of those peculiar instincts which some 
 animals possess, and which tend to their self- 
 preservation, or that of their young. For in- 
 stance, when a female otter has been attacked 
 in company with her young one, she will clasp 
 it with her forefeet and plunge beneath the sur- 
 face. Instinct tells her, that although she can 
 remain for some time under water herself, her 
 young one cannot, and, therefore, she is forced 
 to rise again very soon. Her love for it is so 
 strong, that if it is taken its cries bring her to 
 the side of the boat, where she often shares the 
 fate of her cub. 
 
 When rooks are feeding, they always place a 
 sentinel on a tree to give an alarm in case of 
 danger. Fieldfares, and other birds which col- 
 lect together in large flocks, do the same. In-
 
 142 LECTURE XI. 
 
 stinct alone could have taught them the necessity 
 of doing this. 
 
 You have probably heard of the monks of St. 
 Bernard, whose monastery is situated amongst 
 the snow and ice of the Alps. They have a 
 fine, strong, and intelligent breed of dogs, which 
 have been taught to wander over the snow, and 
 seek for travellers who have been buried in it; 
 and thus many lives have been preserved. A 
 friend of mine procured a very young puppy of 
 this breed from the good monks, and brought it 
 to England in the winter. There was snow on 
 the ground when it was turned loose, but, 
 young as it was, it immediately began to 
 scratch in the snow, as if seeking for some 
 one, so strong was its instinct. 
 
 We have about forty little, tender, migratory 
 birds, which arrive in the spring, and many of 
 them cheer us with their songs. Now, these 
 birds must fly over wide seas and lands before 
 they can reach our shores; and this is generally 
 done in the night. You may ask, What leads 
 them to do this to encounter so much danger 
 and fatigue? It is an instinct which Almighty 
 God has implanted in them; and so unerring, it 
 is supposed, must be their flight, that they come
 
 THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 143 
 
 in one direct line to this country in the proper 
 season. 
 
 When a salmon has been hooked or taken in 
 a net, it immediately discharges the contents of 
 the stomach, as instinct teaches it that it has a 
 better chance of escape with an empty than a 
 full one. 
 
 Some animals will put on the semblance of 
 death when their lives are in danger. For in- 
 stance, the opossum does it ; and the common 
 snake will do this, and also a bird called the 
 landrail, and some beetles. 
 
 Instinct has taught the peacock, when danger 
 threatens it, to expand its beautiful tail, to shake 
 its quills, and to hiss like a serpent, the shape 
 and colour of its head resembling that reptile ; 
 and it must be a bold animal which would attack 
 it in this position. 
 
 When a cat gets into a wood, and tries to 
 conceal herself, that she may find an opportu- 
 nity of seizing her prey, you may hear the 
 screams of blackbirds, and the alarmed cry of 
 numerous other birds, all directing their atten- 
 tion to the spot where the cat is concealed, thus 
 informing the whole neighbourhood of the pre-
 
 144 LECTURE XI. 
 
 sence of an enemy. This is the instinct of 
 vigilance. 
 
 Instinct shows itself in a variety of ways. For 
 instance, an otter produced a pair of young ones 
 in the Zoological Gardens in London, and these 
 young ones got into a pond when but half filled 
 with water, and were unable to climb up its 
 perpendicular sides. When they had remained 
 in the water some minutes, the mother appeared 
 anxious to get them out, and made several at- 
 tempts to reach them from the side of the pond. 
 She then plunged into the water, and, after 
 playing with one of them for a short time she 
 put her head close to its ear, as if to make it 
 understand her intention, and then sprung out 
 of the pond, while the young one clung tightly 
 by its teeth to the fur at the root of her tail. 
 Having landed it she rescued the other in the 
 same manner. This offers a curious instance of 
 a communication of ideas between a parent and 
 its young, in consequence of some peculiar in- 
 stinct ; but it also shows the early age in which 
 intelligence is possessed by offspring. 
 
 The love of life is possessed in common both 
 by man and animal. In the latter, instinct
 
 THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 145 
 
 teaches it to avoid danger, and in man reason is 
 brought into action for his self-defence. A 
 moor-hen, whose nest amongst rushes had been 
 frequently destroyed by a sudden rising of the 
 water in a neighbouring pond, built a nest in a 
 spruce-fir tree near it, at a height of twenty feet 
 from the ground, instinct teaching her that there 
 it would be safe. A similar instance occurred 
 in my own neighbourhood in Richmond Park, 
 where there were some Cape geese. These laid 
 their eggs on an island in the middle of the 
 pond, but they were constantly fed upon by 
 water-rats. Finding this to be the case, the 
 geese made their nests in some oak pollard trees 
 near the water, where they laid their eggs and 
 hatched their brood in safety. They then took 
 their young, one by one, in their bills to the 
 pond. I have known a swan, just previous to a 
 sudden rise of a river, add a quantity of mate- 
 rials to her nest, assisted by her mate, so as to 
 raise it above the flood-mark at least two feet, 
 and thus prevented her eggs being chilled. 
 Creative Wisdom could alone have endowed the 
 swan with this extraordinary instinct of fore- 
 seeing a flood and guarding against its conse- 
 quences. 
 
 L
 
 146 LECTURE XI. 
 
 Instinct has taught a curious little animal in 
 Australia, something between a rabbit and a rat, 
 to collect two or three cartloads of sticks, inter- 
 woven in such a way as to form one solid mass, 
 and in this the young are brought forth and 
 reared. The object in doing this is to protect 
 the young from being destroyed by the wild 
 dogs of the country. Instinct has also taught 
 some birds, where monkeys and snakes abound, 
 to build their nests at the extremity of slender 
 branches of trees, in which they lay their eggs 
 and rear their young in perfect security. 
 
 At Cape Comorin, the most southern part of 
 Hindostan, there is a bird called the baya bird, 
 which suspends a glow-worm to its nest. These 
 birds are very numerous there, and they have 
 hanging nests. At night each of their little 
 habitations is lighted up by a firefly stuck on 
 the top with a bit of clay. The nest consists of 
 two rooms. Sometimes there are three or four 
 flies on them, and their blaze in the little cell 
 dazzles the eyes of the bats, which often kill and 
 feed on the young of these birds. I have the 
 authority of Dr. Buchanan for this interesting 
 anecdote. 
 
 In relating these facts to you, I wish to im-
 
 THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 147 
 
 press on your minds that no creature, however 
 weak and ignoble it may appear, is left unpro- 
 vided and defenceless to take its chance in the 
 struggle for existence. Each is endowed by its 
 Creator with bodily and mental attributes, most 
 perfectly adapted to its sphere of action. The 
 humble worm is furnished with innumerable 
 hooks to enable it to penetrate the soil, and to 
 turn up those little hillocks or casts which you 
 must have seen, and which enrich the earth. 
 The spider spreads its beautiful network to 
 catch its prey, showing an industry and perse- 
 verance equally extraordinary; while the little 
 bee flits about from morning to night in search 
 of honey, with which to store her hive, hasten- 
 ing from flower to flower : thus fertilising blos- 
 soms in her flight, and rendering the fields and 
 gardens gay with flowers and productive of 
 fruit. And here I cannot help quoting part of 
 a speech made lately at Leeds by one of our 
 Ministers, Lord Palmerston, on this interesting 
 subject. He said : " The contemplation of 
 these organic beings must fill the mind with 
 admiration at the amplitude of the creation, and 
 of the care and skill and wisdom which have 
 directed the Great Creator to whom they owe
 
 148 LECTDRE XI. 
 
 their origin." It has been my endeavour to 
 prove to you how beautifully and beneficially 
 God's providence acts upon His creatures by 
 endowing them with habits, formation, and 
 instincts necessary for their self-preservation, 
 and which, as you have heard, one of our most 
 enlightened Ministers thought worthy of notice 
 while addressing a large audience of people. 
 
 What I have been saying to you is not only 
 for the purpose of proving to you the wisdom 
 and goodness of the Great Creator in every 
 thing we see around us, but to set before you 
 how beautifully and beneficially His providence 
 acts upon His creatures by endowing them with 
 habits, formation, and instincts necessary for 
 their self-preservation. This is a subject well 
 worthy of your consideration ; for if God feeds 
 the raven and attends to the cry of her feeble 
 young for food and supplies it, how much more 
 readily will He hear your prayers if they are 
 poured forth with an earnest and humble desire 
 of being benefited by them ! I also wish to im- 
 press upon you that God's method of govern- 
 ment is by rewards and punishments that is, 
 that He will punish evil and wicked men for 
 their conduct in this world, and reward those,
 
 THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 149 
 
 both In this world and also in the next, who 
 with humble and contrite hearts diligently seek 
 Him. 
 
 I have one more lecture to give you before I 
 leave this place, and, from my advanced age, it 
 may probably be my last. Whether it may be 
 so or not no one can tell, but this I beseech you, 
 do not forget what your old friend has affection- 
 ately and honestly said to you, with an earnest 
 desire of doing you good. Bear constantly in 
 your minds that you are sent into this world for 
 the purpose of seeing whether you will prepare 
 yourselves for a happier and far better one, or 
 live in a state of indifference, wickedness, and 
 hardness of heart, till you die, like the beasts 
 which perish, without hope and without com- 
 fort. I pray God that of His infinite goodness 
 and mercy He will preserve and bless you all.
 
 150 
 
 XII. 
 ON SAYINGS' BANKS. 
 
 MY DEAK FRIENDS, 
 
 I am now going to address you on a subject 
 which I think may be of use to you, and I am 
 sure you will give it your serious attention. 
 My wish is to do you good. 
 
 You are all of you labourers that is, you 
 work for your living : whether by sea or land 
 is of no consequence to what I am going to say. 
 Now, I must tell you that I consider a labourer, 
 with the use of his own good right arm, is an 
 independent man. You may be surprised at 
 my saying this ; it is true, nevertheless. But, 
 in order to become independent, remember that 
 you must be diligent, thrifty, and sober, avoiding 
 those curses of hard-working men, the ale-house 
 and beer-shop.
 
 ON SAVINGS' BANKS. 151 
 
 But there is another method of becoming 
 independent, and that is by deposits in a savings' 
 bank. Now, you may think it difficult to put 
 by a trifling sum every week out of your earn- 
 ings ; but be assured that you may do this if you 
 have the will. In the poorest family there are 
 odds and ends of income apt to be frittered away 
 in unnecessary expenditure, but which might be 
 saved. I will give you an instance in proof of 
 this. In a poor village in the north of England, 
 a good clergyman established a savings' bank. 
 It was a very unlikely place to succeed ; but he 
 did succeed. The wages of the workmen were 
 only 8s. a-week, and female labourers and 
 servants had much less. The institution rose 
 in four years as follows: The first year 151?. 
 were deposited; 176Z. the second year; 241Z. 
 the third; and the fourth, 922Z. 
 
 Let me give you another instance, also well 
 authenticated. The Royal Artillery Corps has 
 1432 depositors, and their savings on the 31st 
 of March, 1859, amounted to 23,0 1 2 1, or an 
 average of 161. to each depositor. This was 
 done out of a daily pay of Is. 3d. and one penny 
 for beer money, or about 9s. 6d. a-week, but 
 subject to deductions for extra clothing, &c.
 
 152 LECTUKE XII. 
 
 During the Crimean war the Army Works 
 Corps sent home 35,000^. of their savings. 
 
 The celebrated George Stephenson, who laid 
 out so many miles of railroad, told me one day 
 that he began life as a poor labouring boy, and 
 that it was a source of great joy to him when his 
 wages were raised to 12s. a-week, and he said 
 that he was then a made man. He not only 
 maintained himself upon his 12s., but helped his 
 poor parents, and paid for his own education. 
 When his wages were advanced to 20s. a-week, 
 he immediately began, like a thoughtful, intel- 
 ligent workman, to lay by his surplus money, 
 and when he had saved his first guinea he 
 proudly declared to one of his brother -workmen 
 that he was now a rich man ; and he was right. 
 For a man who, after satisfying his own wants, 
 has something to spare, is no longer poor ; and 
 a person of great experience has declared that 
 he never knew amongst the labouring class of a 
 man who, having out of his small earnings laid 
 by a pound, had in the end become a pauper. 
 In order to show what diligence and intelligence 
 will do, I may mention that Mr. Stephenson 
 told me some years ago that he had lived to lay 
 out forty millions of money in railroads and
 
 ON SAVINGS' BANKS. 153 
 
 other public works, and he died a rich man; 
 but remember, that he began by placing money 
 in a savings' bank. 
 
 1 will now give you two pleasing instances of 
 the use of savings' banks. 
 
 One evening a boy presented himself to draw 
 11. 10s. from the bank. According to its rules 
 a week's notice must be given before any sum 
 exceeding 20s. can be withdrawn, and the 
 cashier, therefore, hesitated to make the pay- 
 ment, " Well," said the boy, " the reason's 
 this : mother can't pay her rent ; I'm going to 
 pay it, for as long as I have awt she shall hev' 
 it." In another instance a youth drew 201. to 
 buy off his brother, who had' enlisted. " Mother 
 frets so," said the lad, "that she'll break her 
 heart if he isn't bought off, and I can't bear 
 that." 
 
 You have heard of the London Ragged 
 Schools, and useful and admirable schools they 
 are. Now, in 1859 not less a sum than 8880Z. 
 was deposited by these poor children, in 25,637 
 sums by them alone. If this can be done by 
 these children of the ragged schools, how much 
 better are you able to do it ! Remember that 
 you have all of you to provide against three
 
 contingents: want of employment, sickness, and 
 death. You may escape the two first, but the 
 last must come. It is, however, your duty to 
 provide against the two first of these; and this 
 you may do by deposits in the savings' bank. 
 
 If you will not help yourselves, how can you 
 expect others to assist you? But I am sure 
 that a good, steady, provident man, who has 
 earned an excellent character for himself, if he 
 should be attacked by sickness or any other 
 misfortune, is sure to find friends and assistance. 
 Enjoy your pint of beer or hot coffee, but avoid 
 the ale-house for you there spend, or rather 
 waste, your money and ruin your families ; for 
 it has been computed that amongst those who 
 earn a sufficiency to live upon comfortably, one- 
 half of it is too often spent by the man upon 
 objects in which the other members of his family 
 have no share. Now, this is selfishness, to say 
 the least of it. 
 
 I cannot conceive a much greater pleasure 
 that a working man, with a wife and family, can 
 experience, than a feeling that he is independent 
 that is, that he has saved up sufficient money 
 to guard against bad times and sickness. Many 
 of you have good, handsome wives, and pretty
 
 ON SAVINGS BANKS. 105 
 
 children. It is your duty to save up money for 
 them, and you will enjoy your home much more 
 when you have done this. May I ask you a 
 question? When you have had more .money 
 about you than you require for current pur- 
 poses, have not some of you been tempted to 
 spend it? Is it not, to use a common phrase, 
 apt to burn a hole in your pocket ? Are you 
 not easily entrapped into company, and into an 
 ale-house, with its bright fire, and there spend 
 your money foolishly, and perhaps become in- 
 toxicated? It is a fearful fact, that in 1859 
 there were, throughout the kingdom, 152,222 
 houses licensed to sell intoxicating drink, and 
 only 606 savings' banks. Indeed, in Manchester 
 alone, there are 6306 houses licensed to sell 
 drink, and in the large, populous county of 
 Lancaster, only thirty savings' banks. You see, 
 then, what sad inducements there are to tempt 
 the working classes to impoverish themselves. 
 On the contrary, thousands of working men 
 have been benefited by savings' banks, in which 
 large sums have been accumulated. For in- 
 stance, a respectably-dressed working man, when 
 making a payment one day at the savings' bank, 
 which brought his account up to nearly 80/.,
 
 156 LECTURE XII. 
 
 informed the manager how it was that he had 
 been induced to become a depositor. He had 
 been a drinker, but one day accidentally finding 
 his wife's savings' bank deposit-book, from which 
 he learnt that she had laid by about 20L, he 
 said to himself, " Well, now, if this can be done 
 while I am spending, what might we do if both 
 were saving ? " The man gave up his drinking, 
 and became one of the most respectable men of 
 his class. " I owe it all," he said, " to my wife 
 and the savings' bank." 
 
 It is my wish to impress upon you that, if you 
 do not lay by money, you cannot improve your 
 present condition. You are fixed like a limpet 
 to the rock. But with some money at your 
 command, you may find various methods of 
 laying it out to advantage. Recollect also, that 
 if you cannot deposit one or two shillings every 
 week, you can put into the Penny Bank, and 
 this generally leads to larger deposits. 
 
 I have only to add, that I trust all of you 
 will avoid the great sin of drunkenness. It is 
 a sort of leprosy, clinging to many in this happy 
 country. People may talk of deaths by war, by 
 disease, or famine ; but be quite sure that, de- 
 structive as these are, they are nothing when
 
 ON SAYINGS' BANKS. 157 
 
 compared with the deaths caused by intempe- 
 rance. People also talk of reforms such as 
 reforms in Parliament, in religion, &c. but 
 depend upon it, that the great reform we want is 
 the enfranchisement of our fellow-creatures from 
 the degrading effects of drunkenness. The filth 
 and misery which fester round the drunkard 
 must be seen in order to be known. He is, in 
 fact, worse than a brute to himself, as well as to 
 his wife and children, degrading them and de- 
 grading himself. Remember that drunkenness 
 makes some men fools, some men beasts, and 
 some men knaves. 
 
 I have now entered my eighty-second year, 
 and may have but few opportunities of address- 
 ing you again; but it would be a great happiness 
 to me to think that what I have now affection- 
 ately said to you will be borne in mind when I 
 am no more. May God, of His infinite mercy, 
 bless you all. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 StRANGEWAYS AND WALDEN, PfclNTEBS, 
 
 28 Castle St. Leicester Sq.

 
 a