iijjni o\Ji ''«IUJ/«inil Jl»' ■ MWJII»J 3V» aWEUNIVER% ^Til^ONVSOl^ CO > .^.OFCAIIFO% ^OFCALIR ^^AbViian# >&Aavii8n ^^lUBRARYQ^ |JvHIBRATO/c^ ^OFCAlfFOff^ ^OF-CALIFOftj^ ^EUNIVERSfe ^lOSAfiCE ^aJAINH- ^lOSANCE %Hvaan-# ^6?Aavaaii# ^riijoNvso)^ AWEUNIVER5% ^TJUDNVSOl^ %a3AINa3\\v' A^^MINIVERS/A ^10SANCEI% ^^HIBRAR' ,^.OFCAllF0ff^ -^.OFCAlin .■\V\EUNIVER%, ?^ ^4MEUNIVEj%, ,^10S/ "^^Aavaani^ ' ' ^TiiaoNvsoi^ %aaA ^FIJfJJVS% ^«c!ta^ % ^HIIMYQci, e ; Sponge ; Animalcula ; Praise to God from all his Works ..... 427 WAlLm 2c LINNEUS HIS TOUE OF LAPLAND — ASCENT OF A MOUNTAIN — DANGER FEOM A FOREST ON FIRE HONOURS REPLY TO THE KING OF SPAIN DEATH PERSON VANITY HIS ARRANGEMENT OF ZOOLOGY: MAN THE APE ORAN OUTANG MONKEY BABOON LEMUR MACAUCO BAT SLOTH ANT-EATER MANIS ARMADILLO RHINOCEROS ELEPHANT AND MORSE. Edward. You frequently mention Linneus, sir; I wish you would tell me about him. Mr. Percy. As we so often refer to his botanical arrangements, Edward, your inquiry is very natural. I will give you a few particulars of his history. He was born in May, 1707, and was the son of a poor vicar of a village in Sweden. He imbibed, when very young, a taste for natural history from his father, who 1 B LINNEUS. was very fond of it, and who had a garden well stocked with plants. He was early sent to the University of Upsal ; and at that time he was so poor, he often did not know- where to procure a meal : and as to his dress, he was driven to such shifts, that he was obliged, when his shoes required mending, to patch them himself, and with folded paper ! Why, I thought he was very rich, from what I have heard you say. He became so, at length, by the patronage of the great. When twenty-five years of age, he set off on the tour of Lapland, to improve his knowledge of its natural history. He was accompanied by two Lap- landers, both of whom were his servants, and one his interpreter. Among other things, they carried a small boat, in which they might cross the rivers ; under this he very often slept at night. His own account of his equipment and costume, when he set off on this expedition, is amusing. His coat was a linsey-wolsey cloth, lined with red shal- 2 LINNEUS. loon, and a shag collar. His breeches were leather ; he wore a round wig, and a cap of green leather. He was furnished with a bag, which contained one shirt, two pair of false sleeves, two half-shirts ; an inkstand, pencase, microscope, and sp}ang-glass ; a gauze cap to protect liim from the gnats, and a parcel of paper stitched together for diying plants. He had also a hanger, and a fowKng-piece, for his defence ; and an eight-sided stick, which was graduated, or marked, for the purpose of measuring. What are " half-shirts," father ? I cannot tell you, Edward ; it is a fashion, I sup- pose, peculiar to Sweden. Well, in five months, he travelled six hundred and thirty- three Swedish miles. Are they not longer than English ones ? Much longer ; they were equal to three thousand, seven hundred and ninety-eight of ours. In such a cKmate as that of Lapland, he must have met with many dangers. Certainly, they were reasonably to be expected. He mentions many of them. He had determined, 3 B 2 LINNEUS. contrary to the persuasions of all around him, to ex- plore a cavern in the mountain of Skirla. "With much difficulty," he says, " I prevailed on two men to show me the way. We climbed the rocks, creep- ing on our hands and knees, and often slipping back again. Sometimes we caught hold of bushes, and sometimes of projecting stones. Had they failed us, it would have cost us our lives. I was following one of the men in climbing a steep rock ; but seeing the other had better success, I endeavoured to overtake him. I had but just left my former situation, when a large mass of rock broke loose from a spot which my late guide had just passed, and fell exactly where I had been, with such force, that it struck fire as it went by me. If I had not providentially changed my route, no one would have heard any more of me. Shortly afterwards, another fragment came tumbling down; I am not sure that the man did not roll it down on purpose to get rid of me. At length, quite spent with toil, we reached the cavity in the middle of the mountain." 4 LINNEUS. This was terrible, father. In some measure, it was so. His life was often endangered whilst immured in the hea^y fogs, and in crossmg on rafts, which, more than once, di^'ided, and left him in most perilous circumstances. In one of the forests of Lapland, his danger was very great from a different element. The trees had been set on fire by hghtning, and owing to the dryness of the season, they burnt with great fmy. In some places, the devastation extended for several miles. In one spot, where he thought the fire nearly ex- tinguished, the wind began to rise, on which a sudden noise arose in the half-burnt forest, such as he could compare to nothing but that of a large army attacked by an enemy. He, and his companions, knew not whither to direct their steps. The smoke would not suffer them to remain where they were, and they did not dare to turn back ; they, therefore, hastened for- ward in hopes of soon reaching the outskirts of the wood. They ran as fast as they could, in order to avoid bemg crushed by the falling trees, some of LINNEUS. which threatened them every minute. Sometimes the fall of a huge trunk was so sudden, that they stood aghast, not knowing how to escape destruction, and throwing themselves entirely on the protection of divine Providence. In one instance, a large tree fell between Linneus and his guide ; but they both, by the kind care of heaven, escaped from all danger. In tliis very University of Upsal, w^here he was a student, and so poor as to be obliged to patch his own shoes, he became, at the age of thirty-four, pro- fessor of physic and botany ; and, shortly afterwards, physician to his sovereign. Industry and genius will, sooner or later, find their reward. Did he not come into England ? Yes, in 1736, and formed an acquaintance -s^dth our principal philosophers and botanists. His reputation soon extended over Europe. The king of Spain in- vited him to Madi'id ; he offered to settle on him a large pension, to ennoble liim, and to grant him the free exercise of his religion, as he was a Lutheran. His reply was noble, — if he had any merits, he said, 6 LINNEUS. they were due to his country. Full of worldly riches and honours, he died Jan. 11, 1778, in the 71st year of his age. The whole university followed him to the grave. He lived to see his pupils dispersed all over Europe, and to hear of establishments being formed for the advancement of science in general, and of botany in particular, in most of its kingdoms, and sanctioned by their respective sovereigns. What sort of a man was he ? Was he very hand- some, sir ? As to his person, his stature was diminutive and puny. His head was rather large for his size, his eyes are said to have been penetrating, and his whole countenance not uninteresting. See, Edward, and never forget the lesson, how improper it is to form an estimate of any one by his outward appearance. Caressed and honoured in no common degree, it is not surprising, that, in his latter years, he manifested considerable vanity. Thus he speaks of a tract of his on medicine, of eight pages, as a masterpiece ; and as 7 LINNEUS. containing greater treasures than a hundred common authors, though their volumes might be in folio. He says expressly, " That no person ever had a more solid knowledge than himself of the three kingdoms of na- ture ; or ever so completely reformed a whole science, and created therein a new era ; or became so cele- brated all over the world ; or sowed in any academi- cal garden so many seeds as himself." A part of all this is certainly true. But would it not have been better if some one else had said it ? I think it would have been more becoming, Ed- ward. But it is a fact, that almost every distin- guished person that can be named, has been remark- able for some weakness or frailty. Providence has probably permitted this to be the case, among other reasons, that we may not glory in men, but in him who is the adorable Creator of all that is excellent and admirable, and the liberal bes tower of every "good and perfect gift." Thank you, dear father, for your account of Lin- 8 LINNEAN ARRANGEMENT. neus. I have been thinking, that I should gain much knowledge if you would, in our walks, go through his an-angement of animals, and tell me all about the classes and orders. Your plan is a very good one, but I fear it is too extensive, Edward, — " all about all the classes and orders," is, indeed, a formidable undertaking. If I mention each class and order, and give you an ac- comit of one or more animals belonging to each, I think we shall accomplish much. You must use your eyes with diligence, and carefully read the w^orks of our best writers to know ^^ all about " the animal world. You can tell me, as you have read an account of his system, the names of the six classes into which Linneus divides the animal kingdom. I. Mammalia, or the animals that have breasts, and suckle their young. II. Ayes, or birds. III. Amphibia, or animals which live both on land and in the water. IV. Pisces, or fishes. V. Insecta, or insects. VI. Vermes, or worms. You are correct, Edward. Now there are seven 9 CLASS I. MAMMALIA. MAN. orders belonging to the first class, Mammalia. The characters of this class are, — their heart has two VENTRICLES, AND TWO AURICLES ; THEIR BLOOD IS RED AND WARM ; AND THEY BRING FORTH THEIR YOUNG ALIVE ; that is, they are vi\iparous. The characters of the orders of this class are taken from the number, structure, and situation of their teeth. What is the name of the first order ? The Primates, or chiefs, as the word means. These have four incisors, or cutting-teeth, IN each jaw ; AND ONE CANINE, OR DOG-TOOTH, ON EACH SIDE OF THE FORE-TEETH IN BOTH JAWS. This order includes four genera, or species; I think you recollect them. They are, — man, the ape, the lemur, and the bat tribe. You are right. As to Man, we have often spoken about his wonderful frame. It is, indeed, as the Scripture finely expresses it, " fearfully made." But his mind is his grand distinction, which raises him far above all other creatures, and which enthrones him 10 ORDER I. PRIMATES. MAN. as the \'isible monarch of the world. All creation displays the infinite power and skill of its Former ; the different tribes of being, with the food which is provided for them, show his unspeakable goodness; but had there been no creatiu'e possessing an imma- terial soul, as well as a material body, there would have been a di'eadful blank in the works of the Most High. Man, alone, is capable of knowing, of loving, and of obeying his Maker. He, alone, is capable of perceiving the manifestations of his power, wisdom, and goodness. Without man, the creation would have been a magnificent temple, without any being in it to admire and adore. No other being could inten- tionally glorify God. The sun knows nothing of its own splendour, or of its Maker's glory. The earth is unconscious of its beauty, or utility. Though the varied tribes of animals receive their food fi'om their Maker's hand, yet they do not know, or inquire after him. Man, man is the " Distinguiih'd link in being's endless chain !" No wonder that the great Teacher sent from God 11 CLASS I. MAMMALIA. MAN. should have pronounced the spmtual and eternal wel- fare of this deathless mind as the " one thing " to be desired and sought beyond all others ; and that he affirmed the soul to be worth more than the world. Are there not several varieties of the human race ? There are ; though all have had one common ori- gin, they differ in colour ; this, however, is most likely occasioned by the varied climates which they inhabit. The white people, you know, chiefly occupy Europe ; the inhabitants of Asia are of a yello\vish brown ; those of Africa are black ; the natives of America are of a copper hue ; and the people of the southern islands are of a dark brown, or ta^^^ly co- lour. But there is a great difference between the appear- ance of one man and another of every nation- There is ; though their faces have a general like- ness, yet there is a dissimilarity ; and this circum- stance is a display of the wisdom of God. If one per- son exactly resembled another, a father would not know one child fi'om another ; an honest man would 12 ORDER I. PRIMATES. THE APE. not be known from a criminal ; and the innocent might be punished instead of the guilty. But let us notice some of the other animals in this order. Which are the next ? The Ape tribe ; but I don't Hke to think of man as being in the same class. Nor do I ; and Cmder, the justly celebrated French naturalist, separates man from this order, and places liim in one by himself, which he calls Bimane, or the two-handed creatm-e. Linneus places serpents among the amphibia ; but most persons now arrange them under the head Reptiles. And this, I think, is far better. Are apes, baboons, and monkeys, all the same ? They have some resemblance ; but apes have no tails, baboons have only short ones, and monkeys have long tails. Which of them approaches nearest to the human species ? The Oran Outang ;* though, as Buffon remarks, * Simla satyrus. 13 CLASS I. MAMMALIA. ORAN OUTANG. the interval which separates the two species is im- mense ; the resemblance in figure and organization, and the movements of imitation, which seem to re- sult from these similarities, neither make him ap- proach the nature of man, nor elevate him above that of the brute. The oran outang, though he has a body, members, senses, a brain, and a tongue, per- fectly similar to those of man, neither speaks nor thinks. Though he seems to mimic human motions, he performs no action that is characteristic of man ; no action which has the same principle, or the same design. Being endowed with the human structure, the ape must move like a man ; but the same motions do not prove that he acts from imitation. Two bodies which receive the same impulse, as two pendu- lums, will move in the same manner, but do not imi- tate each other. Imitation presupposes mind, and a .design of imitating, of which the ape is incapable. Mind, reflection, and language, depend not on the figure, or the organization of the body ; they are en- dowments peculiar to man." 14 ORDER I. PRIMATES. ORAN OUTANG. Where is the oran outang found ? Almost all the monkey tribe are confined to the torrid zone. It is commonly to be met with in Africa and Borneo. Some of them, it is affirmed, are taller and stronger than men. Their colour is of a rusty browTi; but the chin is not at all prominent; they can, indeed, scarcely be said to have a chin ; and the hair grows backwards from the \\Tist to the elbow. They avoid mankind, and take up their abode in soli- tary places ; and are not easily taken alive, as they are very strong, and swift of foot. They live on fruit and vegetables, but ^\'ill devour shell-fish. Do they build any houses, sir ? It is said that they make a rough kind of dwelling with branches of trees. But are they never taken, and tamed ? Not except they are very young ; and then they soon become docile. Buffon says, " I have seen one sit down at table, unfold his towel, wipe its lips, use a spoon, or fork, to carry its food to its mouth, pom- its liquor into a glass, and make it touch that of the 15 CLASS I. MAMMALIA. MONKEY. person who was near him. When invited to take tea, he brought a cup and saucer, placed them on the table, put in sugar, poured out the tea, and allowed it to cool before he drank it. He was very fond of sweetmeats, which everybody gave him. He lived one summer in Paris, and died the following winter in London." The Striated Monkey,* is another animal of this order, and is a native of South America. It is seldom more than twelve inches long ; and has been found, not unfrequently, to take an empty cocoa-nut shell for his habitation. The little creature climbs with the agility of a squirrel. Its face is naked, the body is marked with ash-coloured reddish bars, and its ears resemble those of a man. The forehead and lips are white ; and its tail, which is long for the size of the animal, is marked with alternate rings of black and ash-colour. They feed on insects and fruit, but have been known eagerly to seize gold and silver fish * Simia Jacchus. 16 ORDER I. PRIMATES. MONKEYS. from a glass globe, which they devour greedily. Nearly all the baboon and monkey tribe have pouches inside their cheeks, in which they deposit enough food for a day or two. Have the monkeys any enemies ? Yes, many ; various beasts of prey live on them ; and serpents follow them to the tops of trees, and swallow them whole. They are all very cunning creatures, I should think, sir. Don't you recollect mentioning how some of them robbed an orchard, placing a sentinel to give the alarm if any one should approach, and standing at distances from each other to throw the fruit from hand to hand, till it was lodged safely in their ca- verns ? Truly, they are very crafty. Man is among their enemies ; the natives of South America kill them commonly for food. Lieut. Smyth in liis journey from Lima to Para, tells us, that he often ate of them, and found them very good food. But in the travels I lately read through India, it 17 C CLASS I. MAMMALIA. MONKEYS. was said, that the people, so far from killing, they worshipped them, and erected magnificent temples to do them honours. It is so ; I recollect when a French officer killed a monkey for stealing his dinner in a town in the east, it was with much difficulty that he could be rescued from the fury of the populace. The inhabitants in some parts, put rich food and fruit for them on the tops of their houses several times in the week ; and if these visitants do not find it, they are often furious, and damage the buildings. In a temple dedicated to the honour of the monkey-tribe at Ceylon, the Por- tuguese found a gold casket, with a tooth of one of these animals in it. The worshippers offered three hundi'ed thousand pounds for its restoration to the place in which it was found. In order to discoun- tenance this idolatry, the governor ordered it to be burnt. Three hundred thousand pounds for a monkey's tooth, father ! Yes ; and a person pretended, some time after- 18 ORDER I. MAMMALIA. THE LEMUR. wards, to have fomid this tooth, and the ignorant priests actually gave him ten thousand pounds for it. What foolish people ! Truly, they were so ; and we might not have been \\'iser, if we had been destitute of the Holy Scrip- tures. But to return to this creature, — Dampier tells us, that he saw immense numbers of the quato, or four-fingered monkey in the forests of Peru. " They danced," says he, " from tree to tree over my head, chattering, and making a dreadful noise, with grim faces, and antic gestures. Some broke off dry sticks, and flung them at me. One of them leaped directly at me, and made me retreat ; but he caught hold of a bough with the tip of his tail, and continued s\\'inging, making mouths at me. It is difficult to get them when shot, for they will cling fast to a branch with their tail or feet as long as any degree of life remains. When I have shot at one, and broken a leg or an arm, I have pitied the poor creatuxe, to see it look and handle the broken limb, and turn it from side to side." But let us notice the Lemur 19 C 2 CLASS I. MAMMALIA. LEMUR. TRIBE. Can you tell me how they are distin- guished. I think they have six front teeth in the loicer jaw^ and the canine, or dog-teeth, are close to the others. Tlieir feet somewhat resemble hands, and the head is like that of the dog. You are right, Edward. We will notice a speci- men or two. The slow lemur * is well known ; as its name intimates, it moves very slowly. In the day it rolls itself up and sleeps, and comes abroad only in the night in search of food. It lives on roots of plants, and on insects, and will catch, and devour small birds, which it strangles with great dexterity. It is of a pale brown, or mouse-colour ; and has a cir- cle of white, enclosed in another of black, around its eyes. This animal is without a tail, is about the size of a squirrel, and is found in Ceylon, and various parts of the East Indies. Sir W. Jones, in his Asiatic Researches, tells us, * Lemur tardigradus. 20 ORDER I. PRIMATES. LEMUR. that he had one which he had domesticated. He says, that he was very susceptible of cold. " To me," he adds, " who constantly fed him, and bathed him twice a week in-water, he was at all times grate- ful. He was pleased at being stroked on the head and throat, and often suffered me to touch his ex- tremely sharp teeth. He slept all day rolled up Hke a hedge-hog. He awoke in the evening, and licked and dressed himself like a cat. When the sun was set, he was all vivacity. He ate fruit, drank milk eagerly, was very fond of grasshoppers, and passed the whole night, in the hot season, prowling for them. "When a grasshopper, or any insect, alighted within liis reach, his eyes, which he fixed on his prey, glowed with uncommon fire ; and, ha\ing drawn himself back to spring on it with greater force, he seized the prey with both his fore paws, but held it in one, and devoured it. The posture of which he was most fond, was, to cling wdth his fore paws to the upper \\-ires of the cage. In the evening he usually stood erect for many minutes, plapng on the wires 21 CLASS I. MAMMALIA. MACAUCO. with his fingers, and rapidly moving his hody from side to side." It must have been very amusing to have observed his manners. Sir William thought so too ; for he says, " A little before day-break, when my early hours gave me fre- quent opportunities of observing him, he seemed to solicit my attention ; and if I presented my finger to him, he licked, or nibbled it, with great gentleness. When the day brought back his night, his eyes lost their lustre, and he fell into a slumber of ten or eleven hours." Please to mention another animal of this tribe. The ring-tailed macauco * is another ; but unlike the one I have mentioned ; for he is very brisk and active. The tail is twice as long as the body, and is adorned with black and white rings. It is a native of the woods in Madagascar, where they are often seen * Lemur catta. 22 ORDER I. PRIMATES. BAT. ill troops of thirty or forty. But let us notice the last tribe in this order ; they are the bats. We have often talked about the common bat, father. f "" We have. It is a remarkable animal ; it seems to be the link which unites the four-footed animals with the birds. It flies like a bird, but it walks in a very bad hob- bling way. True ; but still it does walk. Do you recollect the character of this tribe ? 23 CLASS I. MAMMALIA. BAT. The teeth are erect^ near each other, and pointed ; the toes of the fore-feet are long, and connected with a leather-like membrane, which is used as wings. Are there not several varieties of them ? There are tw^enty-eight ; four only of which are found in Great Britain. The short-eared bat* is the most common among us ; and is but a small animal. You know, sir, the one we caught some time since, was not more than two inches and a-half long ; but from the tip of one wing, to that of the other, it measured nine inches. Will you tell me about them ? It sleeps all day, like the lemur, but awakes in the twilight of the evening, and glides along shady walks and the sm*face of streams in search of moths and in- sects, which are its food. The female makes no nest ; but brings forth two yomig ones, which hang upon her breasts; this is the case often when she flies abroad ; but sometimes she fixes them on a wall, * Vespestilio murinus. 24 ORDER I. PRIMATES. BAT. where they stay till the old one returns. It is a kind appointment of Providence that they sleep all the winter ; because there are no flies, and they would, of course, die with hunger. It is remarkable, that when their eyes are closed, they will fly about the room without coming at all in contact with the wall or the window. I have read, that when a wains- cot was taken down in a mansion in Wales, two hun- dred and eighty bats were found hanging to the wall. Many of the females had two young ones hanging to their teats ; they were a small kind of bat, \vith little ears, and ahnost black. The yomig ones were quite naked, like callow birds. The long-eared bat* is not very common ; though it is found in Great Britain, France, and Russia, and in some other parts of the world. Is not the vampyre bat f the most dreadful ? It is ; its wdngs are often so long, that a man can- not reach from the end of one, to that of the other. * Vespertilio auritus. t Vespertilio vampyrus. 25 CLASS 1. MAMMALIA. SLOTH. Many hundreds are seen in the day hanging to the trees in the islands of the east. They sometimes drink the juice of the palm till they are intoxicated, and fall to the ground. These bats are eaten by the French in the Island of Bourbon, and by the natives where they are found. It has been known to suck all the blood from a person found in a profound sleep, so that they have waked no more in the pre- sent world. How dreadful ! I am glad there are none of them in our country. And so am I, Edward. But let us advance to the second order of the class Mammalia ; what is it ? and what are its distinguishing marks ? It is Bruta. Its character is, the animals WHICH BELONG TO IT HAVE NO FORE-TEETH IN EITHER JAW. There are seven genera, or tribes. I wish you would say something about each. I vdll. No animal of this order is to be found in Europe. The first is the Sloth tribe. They have no cutting-teeth; but they have five grinding-teeth on 2G ORDER II. BRUTA. ANT-EATER. each side ; their hinder legs are much longer than the fore ones; and their whole bodies are covered with hair. I have seen a picture of one, with strong hooked claws, hanging on a tree. Only three species have been found. The three- toed,* or fingered sloth, is a native of South America, and is about the size of a common cat. It employs some days in getting up into a tree ; and when it has devoured its leaves and fruit, it is said by some to throw itself down ; and by others, that it is as long in getting down as it was in ascending. The animal has a most piteous and miserable aspect. A pole was put under the feet of one, w^hich it grasped firmly, and continued in that position for forty days, without food. \\Tien taken do%vn, it seized a dog, and held it fast, till both of them perished by starvation. The great ant-eater f is a tribe of this order. It is covered with coarse hair. Its head is long, and its Bradypus tridactylus. t Myrmecophaga jubata. 27 CLASS I. MAMMALIA. MANIS. mouth is but barely large enough to hold its tongue, which is doubled, and is about two feet long. The tail, which is of use in climbing trees, is of consider- able length, and very hairy ; it serves as a blanket to keep the animals warm when they repose. From one extremity to the other, it often measures eight or nine feet. How does it catch the ants ? Why, when it has found a nest, it scratches it open with its paws, and places its tongue, which is covered with slime, in it. Wlien a great number of ants are on it, it draws in its tongue, and devours them ; and thus it goes on, till it is satisfied. It climbs trees, and swdms over rivers with great ease ; and will resist the most formidable animals with great courage. But what is the next tribe ? The Manis. The long-tailed manis* is a wonderful creature. It is usually about five feet long, covered with sharp, * Manis tetradactyla. 28 ORDER II. BRUTA. ARMADILLO. lancet-like, polished scales: when attacked, it raises these, as the porcupine does his quills ; and, having rolled itself up like the hedgehog, it presents so for- midable a surface, that the tiger oi panther only wound themselves by rolHng them about ; they are unable to open, and to devour them. They live on insects, and catch them, like the ant-eater, with their tongue. The Armadillo tribe is the next in order. It is a remarkable animal. The three-banded armadillo * is nearly all covered with shells or armour : its name is derived from three oblong girdles round the body. The different pieces of this defence, like the tail of a lobster, readily fold one within the other. They root up the earth, and burrow in it ; and seldom come from their retreat, but in the night. Their food is fruit, vegetables, and insects. When attacked, they roll themselves up Hke the hedgehog. Trinkets of various kinds are made from their shells. * Dasypus tricinctus, 29 CLASS I. MAMMALIA. RHINOCEROS. The one-horned rhinoceros * is the next tribe. Its name is derived from two Greek words, which mean the animal with the nose-horn. In its strength and size, it ranks next to the elephant. The skin of its back and sides, it is said, have been known to resist leaden bullets. One was brought from Bengal, into Europe, in 1743. The expenses incurred in bringing him amounted to one thousand pounds. Surely, this was much more than the creature was worth. Rhinoceros unicornis. 30 ORDER II. BRUTA. RHINOCEROS. Animals which are full grown, and which devour so much, never pay for bringing so far ; those that are young are alone suited to the purpose. Mi\ Bruce says of the two-horned rhinoceros, " With his upper lip, and the assistance of his tongue, he pulls down tlie upper branches of trees, and devours them ; when he has done this, he places his snout as low in the trunk as he finds his horns \rill enter, rips up the body" of the tree, and reduces it to mere laths ; and seizing as much as he can in his monstrous jaws, he t^^-ists it round ^rith as great ease, as an ox would a root of celery, or any small plant. I went," says Bruce, '' ^^4th the hunters after one of these animals. In a little time he was transfixed mth thirty or forty javelins ; he ran into a deep ditch, when a servant who stood directly over him, shot him, and he fell as though he was dead. The hunters now jumped in with their knives to cut him up ; they had scarcely begun their work, before the creature arose on his knees ; and, doubtless, would have killed many of them, if one of the men had not instantly cut the 31 CLASS I. MAMMALIA. ELEPHANT. sinew of the hind leg." But what other tribes have we to notice of this order ? The great elephant* is a creature about which a volume might readily be vmtten. There is but one species ; they have two strong ivory tusks, which Elepbas maximus. 32 ORDER II. BRUTA. ELEPHANT. they use in procuring their food, and as weapons against their enemies. Their trunk is a most as- tonishing instrument ; no hand could be more useful. In the Latin tongue, the same word is used for the trunk of the elephant and the hand, father. It is. Elephants are found ^\dld in the woods of Asia and Africa. They have been kno^^al to live one hundred, and even one hundred and twenty years. This animal has been fomid to weigh full four thou- sand five hundred pomids. The tusks are sometimes a hundi'ed and fifty pounds each. . Mr. Cordiner, in his account of Ceylon, gives a description of an elephant hunt in that island, in which no fewer than three thousand persons were engaged. They surrounded a part of a forest mth a chain of fires, that they might diive the animals to a centre. At the end of two months they were enclosed in a circle. " An idea," he says, " of the enclosure may be formed, by dra'\\ing the outline of a mde fuimel. A little way within the ^\'ide end, a palisade runs across, six hundred feet broad, contcdning four open 33 D CLASS I. MAMMALIA. ELEPHANT. gates, at which the elephants enter. A view of two of these is commanded from a bungaloe, erected for spectators, on pillars thirty feet from the ground. The enclosure is formed of the strongest trees on the island, from eight to ten inches in diameter, bending inwards, sunk four feet into the ground, and from sixteen to twenty feet high above it, placed at the distance of sixteen inches from each other, and crossed by four rows of powerful beams, bound fast to them with phant canes. To this palisade are added supporters more inclined, several feet asunder, augmenting the strength of the fence. The part of it in which the elephants are first enclosed, is eigh- teen hmidred feet in circumference ; but it commu- nicates with a smaller fold, one hundred feet long, and forty broad, through which a rivulet passes five feet deep. The beasts enter this place of confine- ment at only one gate; and beyond the water the fence gradually contracts, terminating in a strong passage, five feet broad, and one hundred long. "All things being ready for di'i™g the elephants 34 ORDER II. BRUTA. THE ELEPHANT. into the snare, tlie governor and kis party repaired to the ground about seven in the evening, ascended the elevated bungaloe by a long ladder, and waited seve- ral dark and tedious hours ; but the termination of the chase amply repaid their patience. The shouts of the hunters were incessant ; muskets and rockets joined in the chorus ; and the \vild roar of the ele- phants was heard at intervals, warning us of their ap- proach. At length the forest crashed, and the enor- mous herd pushed forward with fury, instantaneously levelling every tree which opposed their passage. The follomng up of the people with the lights and fireworks, was truly grand. Every man waved in his hand a blazing torch, formed of abmidle of reeds, the feeble, but effectual means of defence against a tre- mendous foe. The trees were nobly illuminated, and towering aloft amidst the surrounding darkness, spread their glittering foliage in the air." ^Vhen the first enclosure was full, the four gates were closed and secured, and the beasts driven for- ward into the smaller fold. The line of flame once CLASS I. MAMMALIA. THE ELEPHANT. more began its terrifying movement. The people resumed their tumultuous noise, mingled with the din of trumpets, drums, and arms. The affi'ighted herd, again annoyed with impending horrors, renewed their tremendous flight ; and rushing like an agitated tor- rent into the water, experienced still greater sorrows. As soon as seventy elephants had forced their way into this place, it being sufficiently crammed, the cords were cut, and the barricading gate dropped down. The greater part of those which had entered were so closely wedged together, that many of them were motionless ; and even the foremost, which were last confined, saw only a fallacious opening to lead them from this doleful labyrinth. Upwards of one hundi'ed of the captured herd, cut off from their com- panions, were left for a time, to range at greater liberty in the larger prison. All this took place in the night ; at sunrise we be- came spectators of a most extraordinary sight. So great a number of enormous animals crowded into so small a compass, is a spectacle rarely to be seen. 36 ORDER II. BRUTA. THE ELEPHANT. Pressing liea\dly upon one another, incapable of almost any movement, but con\Tilsions of distress. None of tbe spectators could find language to express his feel- ings — all were struck dumb with a species of astonish- ment hitherto unexperienced." The beasts are di'iven one by one into the long pas- sage, and secured by ropes fastened to their legs ; when the wild elephant is completely harnessed, two tame ones, trained to the business, are brought to the gate and placed on each side of it. These imme- diately survey the prisoner w^hom they have to con- duct ; they feel his mouth to know whether or not he has tusks, and lay hold of his proboscis, to ascertain what degree of resistance he is likely to make. Ropes are passed through the collar of the \vild elephant, and made fast to similar collars on the tame ones. The bars of the gate are then unloosed, and drawTi out ; and the wild captive darts forward directly between the two tame elephants; he can, how- ever, only advance a little way, as the ropes, se- curing his hind legs, still continue fastened to the 3? CLASS I. MAMMALIA. THE ELEPHANT. strong stakes of the rail. In this situation he re- mains until the riders, mounted on the tame ele- phants, have drawn the cords tight which bind him to the necks of his half -reasoning conductors. During this operation, he endeavours to undo with his trunk some of the knots which have been made ; and often attempts to give a destructive blow to the diminutive creatures so actively engaged in confirming his cap- tivity. But the tw^o tame animals, who are vigilantly observant of all his motions, never fail to prevent him from doing any mischief, by gently lowering his pro- boscis with their own. If he continues long refrac- tory, they batter him with their heads, and at last produce the most obsequious submission. The nooses of the ropes are then opened, lea\dng his hind legs at freedom, and himself entirely disengaged from the snare. The two tame elephants keep close to each side of him, and proceed in pompous procession to the garden of stalls, where they deKver up their charge, to experience another species of hardships. The marching off of the venerable two is a sight 38 ORDER II. BRUTA. THE ELEPHANT. truly magnificent, and exhibits a noble specimen of the skill of man, united with the sagacity of the ele- phant. But what can they do with so many ? Numbers are marched round to Jaffnapatam, are sold by auction, and exported to the continent of India. Some of the princes in the east keep hun- dreds of these animals, which they employ when they travel, or for purposes of state. The trunk of this creatui'e appears very wonderful. The one we saw in the caravan rang a bell, let off a pistol, picked up a sixpence, and untied several hard knots with it. It is its nose as well as its hand. Tliis beast w^as fourteen feet high; its trmik, the keeper told us, was eight feet long ; and at the thick- est part, was five feet in circumference. He also said that all which are exhibited were once wild, as the elephant will not breed in captivity. It devoured one hundred weight of rice, and other food every day. And how readily it fell on its big knees. Sir, when it was bid. I have read many times in Rollin's History, 39 CLASS I. MAMMALIA. THE ELEPHANT. of their being taken into the field of battle : but no people employ them now in this way. No ; they would be more injurious than beneficial, since the invention of fire-arms ; at the sight of the blaze they would turn and fly, and put the ranks into confusion. In such circumstances they are as injuri- ous to their friends as to their enemies. Are not their tusks the most useful part of them ? They are; and the animal is hunted both in Africa and Asia for the sake of the ivory produced by its tusks. It appears, from the records of the customs, that 5981 pounds were imported from the Cape of Good Hope in four years. The East India Company sold twenty-six tons of the same article. The Ceylon ivory is by far the best, as it keeps its colour, whilst all other ivory becomes yellow in the w^earing. Elephants appear to be very social animals, as they are always found in herds. They are; and where they find a good pasture, they go and imdte their companions. And they help eS VULTURES THE FALCON BEARDED AND GOLDEN EAGLES-- OSPEEY — OWL BUTCHER-BIKD PIES PARROTS TOUCAN — HORNBILL — CROW RAVEN ROOKS JACKDAW JAY — MAGPIE RED-LEGGED CROW — BIRD OF PARADISE CUCKOO WOOD-PECKER. Edward. I have been thinking, father, of the great number of animals which we have noticed in the class Mammalia; and a strange thought has come into mj mind. Mr. Percy. What is it ? Why, as many of the creatures I refer to, are many times larger than we are, and some of them seem very knowing, whether they ever think about other crea- tures, and about the globe on which they dwell, as we do ? 122 MIND. Your inquiry, Edward, is a curious one ; but it is interesting, and easily answered. We are pretty sure, that no creature besides man, has the power of investigating the works of God, or of knowing the perfections of the adorable Creator. You said, this inquiry had come into your mind, — God has given to man a spii'it, or mind, which renders him unspeak- ably superior to the beasts of the field, or the fowls of the air. Hence he has done much more than the mere examination of the inhabitants of the globe. He has sailed round the globe itself, and proved tliat the distance is about twenty-five thousand miles ; he has showii that its diameter, or measure through it, must be about eight thousand. He has also ascer- tained its daily revolution, and its amiual course round the sum True, Edward ; and all this is the result of mind. But this diminutive creature called man, so much less than an elephant, has done much more than you have mentioned. To what do you refer, sir ? 123 MIND. Why, he has calculated the distance of the earth from the sun, at every season of the year ; yea, he lias measured the sun, on whose brightness he is un- able to gaze, and has shown that he is a million of times bigger than our globe ! A million of times bigger than our globe ! What a sublime thought ! It is ; and he has gone beyond this, — for he has discovered other suns, and systems of worlds, without number, in the immensity of space ; and he has taken such well-founded \iews of the universe, that the globe on which he lives, is but as a little speck to his imagination. How wonderful ! And I can tell you how many planets or worlds there are, which journey round the sun, and their distances from him. Mention the distance of the nearest, of our globe, and of the farthest planet. Mercury is the nearest, and is thirty-seven millions of miles from the sun ; our earth is ninety-five mil- lions ; and Uranus, or Georgium Sidus, is eighteen 124 MIND. hundred millions of miles. Mercury rolls round the sun in eighty days ; our globe does so in three hundred and sixty -five days and a quarter ; and Uranus takes nearly eighty-four years to complete its revolution. All these discoveries and calculations are the result of mind. The most sagacious of the creatures besides man, knows nothing of the frame of the heavens. They are altogether confined to a narrow circle of low ha- bits, wliich we call instincts. It is by the efforts of the mind, and of that alone, that we attain the know- ledge of God, or of his works. We may indeed exclaim, with our poet Akenside, *'MiND, MIND Ai,ONE, — bear witness Earth and Heaven ! — The Hving fountain in itself contains Of beauteous, and subHme ! " Well may we regard the cultivation and improve- ment of the mind as of the first importance ; and well did the Great Teacher affirm, that its welfare both here and hereafter is " the one thing needful ! " But let us attend to the second class in Zooloofv. CLASS II. AVES. It is AvES, or Birds, a very interesting and beau- tiful class, father. It is ; their clothing is beautiful and surprising ; how admirably is one part of a feather connected with another; and how elegantly are they adjusted, so as to form a garment altogether suitable ! The smallness of the head, the length of the neck, the slender make of the body, the lightness of the bones, all, as well as the wings, adapt it for flying through the air. Is not the flight of the bird through the air like the rowing of the fish through the water ? It is ; and his tail is as a rudder, — for when the bird rises, he raises his tail, and lowers it when he wants to descend : when placed horizontally, it sustains him in an even position. The oil with which birds are furnished, and with which they cover their feathers, is a wonderful pro- vision to throw off* the rain, and keep them diy. And their migration from one country to another is sui*prising. It is ; but nothing pleases me more than their nests. 126 BIRDS NESTS. We have often examined them with wonder and dehght. Can you repeat Mr. Hurdis's pretty lines on this subject? I think I can ; speaking of a bird's nest, he says, * * *' Mark it well; within, without. No tool had he that wrought ; no knife to cut, No nail to fix, no bodkin to insert. No glue to join ; his little beak was all. And yet, how neatly finish'd ! What nice hand, With every implement and means of art, Could make me such another ?" And who is it bids the bird make a nest, and of such materials and size ? And who tells it, that it is going to lay eggs ? And that it must sit on them and keep them warm? And that, then they will bring young ones ? And who bids tliem lay so many eggs, and no more ? Ah, Edward, who indeed ! Here is the finger of di\ine Providence! The gizzard you showed me the other day, is a kind of mill, into which the grain falls from the crop, 127 CLASS II. AVES. CONDOR. and is ground, and thus nourishes the animal. But what a wonderful article an egg is ! If we break it, there is the yolk, and the white, but where is the bird ? No eye can find it after the most strict scrutiny. You are right, Edward. But let us proceed more systematically to our subject. The characters of this class are derived chiefly from the structure of the bill. The first order in it is Accipitres, or the Rapa- cious birds, and it includes four tribes. Its character is, THEY HAVE A HOOKED BILL, THE UPPER PART OF WHICH, NEAR THE BASE, IS EXTENDED ON EACH SIDE BEYOND THE LOWER : AND IN SOME IT IS ARMED WITH TEETH. The Vulture tribe is the first; thei/ have the head naked, and the hill hooked at the end. The Condor, * is much larger than the eagle. Some of them have measured from the tip of one wing to that of the other, sixteen or eighteen feet. Its strength is very great, and its bill and talons are of a foiTnid- able description. It has been known to kill a sheep, * Vultur gryphus. 128 ORDER I. ACCIPITRES. VULTURES. ajid devour it ; and it seizes, and carries off a lamb without the least difficulty. This terrific bird is a native of South America. The assertion, that it can take up an elephant into the air, which has been made, must, of course, be fabulous. Does not the \Tdture do good by devouring putrid carcasses ? Very much good, Edward. The Carrion Vulture* is evei'y^'here fomid in the torrid zone, and devours all things which are offensive ; and not only so, but it will watch where the alligator deposits her eggs, and hapten to them as its delicious prey. The Aqui- line, or Egyptian Vulture,-}- is found in immense num- bers in that country. They are the scavengers of all the villages and towais ; and the country would scarcely be habitable without their services. They seize on rats and mice, scarcely anything being rejected by them. They are not disturbed by the approach * Yulturauva. j Vultur peronopterus. 129 K CLASS II. AVES. VULTURES. of man ; and if one of them be shot, his companions immediately and fearlessly devour him. Do they not often follow the caravans through the deserts in the east, to feast on the animals wliichmay die, or on any offal that may happen to be castaway ? They do. Their sight is so keen that they will descry their prey from an immense distance, and dart down on it with the swiftness of an arrow. What a large feather is that in your study from the wing of a condor ! It is ; the quill of it is an inch and a half round, and the feather is nearly three feet in length. The Cape Vulture* resembles the rest of the species in voracity, and in its general habits. Their heads are of a bright blue, covered with yellow down. If a number of them find an ox reposing alone, they wi\] inevitably pounce on, kill, and devour him. Allien gorged, they are unable to fly, and are readily de- stroyed. * Vuhur Kolbii. 130 ORDER I. ACCIPITRES. FALCONS. Even these rapacious and unlovely creatures seem to fill an important and a very useful place, in the plan of the wise Creator. Truly they do. The more I examine the works of the Most High, the more I enter into the spirit of the sentiments of one of our finest writers : — " All nature is but art unknown to thee ; All chance, direction which thou canst not see ; All discord, harmony not understood, All partial evil, universal good." The Falcon or Eagle tribe is the next. Tfie base of the hill is covered icith a naked skin, and the bill is hooked at the end. The whole of this tribe are rapa- cious, and live on animal food; but do not commonly, like the ^ailture, feed on carrion. They live solitary, or in pairs. The Secretary Falcon, or Serpent eater,* is a native of Africa and Asia. Vaillant says, '' The Dutch gave it the name of Secretary, from the bunch of quills behind its head," as it has several long * Faico serpeniarius. 131 K 2 CLASS II. AVES. FALCONS. feathers in that position, which it can lay down or raise, at its pleasure. Its legs are very long ; when standing upright it measures about three feet. This remarkable bird will take up a serpent or tortoise. and dash it on the ground repeatedly, mth such violence as to kill it. In Africa it is often tamed ; and, if well fed, lives in amity wdth the domestic fowls. If well fed, sir ? If not, what then ? Why, then it will kill the chickens, or ducklings, and eat them. The Bearded Eagle* inhabits the highest peaks of * Falco barbatus. 132 ORDER I. ACCIPITRES. EAGLES. the Alps ; tliey measure six, seven, or eight feet from \^-inof to win ST. There is a number of feathers under its throat, which form a kind of beard. Mr. Bruce gives an interesting account of one which he shot on the mountains of Lalamon, near Gondar. This enor- mous bird came flpng along the ground, and settled within the ring which his men had made round some large dishes of goat's flesh. The men ran for their lances and shields. The eagle stuck his talons into a leg and shoulder, and carried them off. Mr. B. loaded his rifle-gun with ball, and sat down by the meat, expecting his return ; and in a few minutes he came back, and settled about ten yards from him, when he shot him through the middle of his body. From one wing to another it measured eight feet four inches ; from the beak to the tail, four feet seven inches ; and its weight was twenty-two pounds. On picking it up his hands were covered with yellow pow- der or dust. How I should like to have been with Bruce ! That is, if you could have got to the moun- 133 CLASS II. AVES. EAGLES. tain as readily as you could think of it, and get back in the same way ! But this would be somewhat difficult. It would. But, to proceed, — the Golden Eagle* is a native of Europe, and has been taken on the northern moun- * Falco chrysaetos. 134 ORDER I. ACCIPITRES. OSPREY. tains of Great Britain. He dwells alone, like the lion of tlie forest, or for a season \^ith his mate, forms a nest among the inaccessible cliffs. It is aifirmed, that when they have had young, they have sometimes seized children, and borne them away as food for their offspring. I have read, that in a time of famine, a peasant clipped the wings of some yoimg eaglets, and tied them fast, so as to increase their cries, for a long time, — during which, the old birds brought so much provision, that the poor man's family was amply furnished with supplies. The Osprey, or Fisliing Eagle,* is found on the shores of large rivers, seas, and lakes, both in Europe and America. Wilson, the excellent American ornithologist, gives a most gra- phic description of the manoeuvres of the osprey, when in search of its prey. " In leaving the nest," he says, *• he usually flies direct tiU he comes to the sea ; then sails around in easy curing lines, turning * Falco halietus. 135 CLASS II. AVES. OSPREY. sometimes in the air as on a pivot, apparently without the least exertion, rarely moving the wings ; his legs extended in a straight line behind, and his remarkable length and curvature, or bend of wing, distinguishes him from all other hawks. The height at which he thus elegantly glides, is various, from one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet, sometimes much higher, all the while calmly reconnoitring the face of the deep below. Suddenly he is seen to check his course, as if struck by a particular object, which he seems to survey for a few moments with such steadi- ness, that he appears fixed in the air, flapping his wings. This object, however, he abandons ; or ra- ther, the fish he had in his eye has disappeared, and he is again seen sailing around as before- Now his attention is again arrested, and he descends ^\•ith great rapidity ; but ere he reaches the surface, shoots off on another course, as if ashamed that a second victim has escaped him. He now sails at a short height above the surface, and by a zigzag descent, and without seeming to dip liis feet in the water, 136 ORDER I. ACCIPITRES. OSPREY. seizes a fish, which, after carrying a short distance, he often di'ops, or yields to the bald eagle ; and again ascends, by easy spiral circles, to the higher regions of the air, where he glides about in all the ease and majesty of his species. At once, from this sublime, aerial height, he descends like a perpendicular torrent, plunging into the sea with a loud rushing sound, and with the certainty of a rifle. In a few moments he emerges, bearing in his claws his struggling prey, wliich he always carries head-foremost ; and, having risen a few feet above the surface, shakes himself, as a water-spaniel would do, and directs his heavy and laborious course straightway to the land." Its middle claw is notched like a saw, to hold its slippery prey. The osprey has been known to fix his talons in so powerful a fish, that he has been dragged under the water, and has thus perished in endeavouring to take his prey. Does not that serve him right, father ? I scarcely know how to answer your question, 137 CLASS II. AVES. OSPREY. Edward. God has so arranged things, that almost all creatures live on the death of others. If this were not the case, man himself would have no great variety or quantity of food. There is much good sense, as well as piety, in the remarks of the excellent natural- ist Kirby, on this subject. " It may be observed," says he, " in reference to the constant scene of des- truction which is seen in creation, that the sacrifice of a part maintains the health and life of the whole. The great doctrine of vicarious suffering forms an ar- ticle of physical science ; and we discover, standing even upon this basis, that the sufferings and death of one being may be, in the divine counsels, and con- sistently with what we know of the general opera- tions of Providence, the cause and instrmnent of spi- ritual life, and final salvation of multitudes of others. Thus does the animal kingdom, in some sort, preach the Gospel of Christ."* This is a wonderful lesson, sir, from the text of * Kirby's Bridgwater Treatise, vol. ii. 62, 3. 138 ORDER I. ACCIPITRES. FALCONS. the osprey devouring his prey ; but it seems natu- rally to arise from the circumstance. To return to our eagles. The common Black Eagle * is found in almost every part of the world, and its capacity and general habits are the same as those of its species. The common PEREGRINE FALCOX. Buzzard, f the Peregrine Falcon, t the Gentil Fal- * Falco melanaetos. t Falco buteo. t Falco peregrinus. 139 CLASS II. AVES. FALCONS. con,* formerly used in falconry, and much prized by the gentry, the Hen Harrier,f the Sparrow Hawk, Falco gentilis. j Falco cyaneus. 140 t Falco nisus. ORDER I. ACCIPITRES. OWLS. and the Chanting Falcon,* are all inhabitants of Great Britain, and belong to the order of the rapa- cious birds. Does not the Owl tribe belong to this order ? It does. The varieties of this tribe are very nume- rous. The tongue is cloven^ and the hill ftooked. The owl cannot see distinctly in the full sunshine ; she conceals herself in the day, and flies abroad in the evening and night, prepng on mice, birds, and noc- turnal insects. They generally inhabit ruins or hol- low trees. The Horned Owl -f- is really as large as an eagle ; its plumage is beautiful ; it seizes on phea- sants, partridges, hares, or on any game. This large bird has occasionally been shot in the mountains of the Highlands of Scotland. The common White or Screech Owl, % is generally found in barns and out- houses, which it clears from mice, as readily as a cat. This species lives entirely on this little quadruped. * Faico musicus. t Strix bubo. X Strix flammea. 141 CLASS II. AVES. OWLS. A single brood will devour many hundreds of them before they leave the nest. %A, Do you recollect, we once saw one in our walks which had left her hollow tree before sun-set, and 142 ORDER I. ACCIPITRES. SHRIKES. there was a flock of birds after her, offering insult, and giving her blows ^\ith their wings. ^\Tiy did they do so ? I really cannot tell you ; unless it is, that they re- gard her as an enemy, and know well that in the broad day-light she cannot catch or injure them. The Bro\Mi Owl* is a very rapacious creature. It is said, that it skins a mouse with very great dexterity. They sometimes enter pigeon-houses, and make great havoc. It is a kind arrangement of divine Pro- vidence, that these animals do not seek after their prey by day ; or they would, most likely, make great devastation in our poultry yards, — as it is, they are rather beneficial than otherwise, — more especially as they prevent the increase of noxious creatures. Are not the Shrikes among the rapacious birds ? They are so placed by Linneus ; though other naturalists have put them in the order of the Pies. They certainly are very rapacious ; but they may be * Strix ulula. 143 CLASS II. AVES. SHRIKES. regarded as presenting to us a connecting link be- tween the rapacious birds and the Pies. The hill of this hird is a little hooked at the end ; and the tongue is lacerated. There are a great many varieties of this tribe. The great Butcher Bird* is found both in Europe and America. This bird is so called from the manner of taking its prey ; seizing a little bird by the throat, and strangling it in an instant, the conqueror fixes the \ictim on a thorn, cuts it up, and devours it at leisure. This is quite in the butcher's fashion, to be sure. It is ; and it is a sort of mock-bird ; for some naturalists affirm, that it will mimic the notes of other birds, that it may allure them to approach, and thus seize on them as its prey. The Tyrant Shrike, f is another of this tribe, and an inhabitant of North America. The second order in this class, is the Pied, or Pies ; THEIR BILLS ARE SHARP AT THE EDGE, THE * Lanius excubitor. t Lanius tyrannus. \44 ORDER II. PIC^. PARROTS. UPPER SURFACE IS CONVEX AND THE SIDES ARE COMPRESSED. There are many genera; we w-ill no- tice some of the principal. The Parrot tribe in this order is very remarkable and extensive. Nearly one hundred and eighty distinct species have been ascer- tained. They have a hooked bill and a fleshy tongue. The parrot and the crocodile are the only animals which move the upper jaw ; this is peculiarly suited to this bird's habits of climbing, and is its chief instrument in effecting it. Parrots associate in large flocks, and are very clamorous. Their natural voice is very harsh, but they T^ill imitate the language of man, and 145 L CLASS II. AVES. PARROTS. learn almost any sound. It lives chiefly on fruit ; but in a domesticated state will eat almost any food. It is of various colours, and its plumage is generally beautiful. Our cockatoo, then is of this order. Yet you recollect your cousin's ash-coloured parrot with her crimson tail, — do you not ? Yes ; she would laugh, dance, and sing ; she would call the dog Pompey, cry old chairs to mend, and say a great many things. Do you recollect how she would mimic her mistress in. calling the fowls ? Yes ; I was one morning in the yard, when the parlour window was open, and I heard her call. Cup biddy, many times, — and all the poultry fled into the parlour, till the servant came and drove them out.* No doubt they expected something to eat. But mention another tribe. * This %vas a fact. 146 ORDER II. PIC^. TOUCANS. The Toucan tribe ; they are very beautiful birds as to theii' plumage, but have a strange, unwieldy beak. --^ --i-<»j They have ; it is serrated at the edge^ and their tongue is someichat feathered. ^\Tien tamed, and pla}rful, they will extend this five or six inches from their bill. It feeds on fruit, which it will throw up, and catch, as children amuse themselves \\dth a ball. The feathers of the breast are of a fine orange colour ; the Indian natives of America take these off" with the skin, and glue them on their cheeks, esteeming them a very prime acquisition and 147 L 2 CLASS II. AVES. HORNBILLS. ornament. This bird is as much prized for its flesh as for its feathers. As the bill is hollow, it is not so formidable an instrument as it appears to be at first sight. The HoRNBiLL TRIBE Seem nearly allied to the toucan. The hill is serrated ; they have a horny pro- tuberance above it, and their leys are scaly. The Malabar Hombill * is rather larger than a crow. They are natives of Malabar, and of the east. Its singular Bucerus Malabaricus 148 ORDER II. PIC^. CROWS. beak is not fully formed till the bird is two years old; tliis instrument is used to beat bark of trees to dis- turb insects, on which it preys. In the island of Cey- lon, they are tamed, and do the office of a cat in catching and devouring vermin. The African horn- bill is twice as large as that of Malabar ; its plumage is black, mth a few white feathers in the wings. The rhinoceros hornbill has a beak of a light yellow, and it is nearly a foot long. The bird is about the size of a turkey. It is black, but has a white tail. They are not nice in their food, as they will devour any vermin or carrion. But name the next tribe, Edward. The Crow tribe ; their hill is sharp edged^ and the nostrils are covered with reversed bristles. I believe there are many species. There are ; the Raven * is not uncommon among us. You know it is often found in a domestic state. This was the bird that fed the prophet Elijah. • Corvus corax. 149 CLASS II. I know it was. AVES. RAVENS. (Jncle John had one in his timber yard ; the dogs were all afraid of him, and dared not come w^here he was : but he was very sly, and would often steal meat, and anything he could carry oiF, from the 150 ORDER II. FICJE. RAVENS. kitchen. This raven was said to be fifty years old when he died. He was; these birds are found in almost every climate, and will eat whatever they may happen to meet ^\ith. " In the centre of a grove, near Selborne," Mr. AVhite informs us, " there stood an oak, which, though shapely and tall on the whole, bulged out into a large excrescence about the middle of the stem. On this a pair of ravens had fixed their residence for such a series of years, that the oak was distinguished by the name of the Raven-tree. Many were the at- tempts of the neighbouring youth to get at this e}Ty : the difficulty whetted their inclinations, and each was ambitious of surmounting the arduous task. But when they arrived at the swelling, it jutted out so in their way, and was so far beyond their grasp, that the most daring lad was awed, and acknow- ledged the undertaking to be too hazardous. So the raven built on, nest upon nest, in perfect security, till the fatal day arrived in which the wood was to be levelled. It was in the month of February, when 151 CLASS II. AVES. CROWS. these birds usually sit. The saw was applied to the root, the wedges were inserted into the opening, the wood echoed with the heavy blows of the mallet, the tree nodded to its fall ; but still the dam continued to sit. At last, when it gave way, the bird was flung from her nest; and, though her parental affection de- served a better fate, was whipped down by the twigs which brought her dead to the ground." That was very sad for her ! It was; the common Crow,* in its habits very much resembles the raven, and is well known. They are usually found in pairs : but have been seen in large numbers on the northern coast of Ireland, devouring muscles. They were sufficiently crafty to carry them up into the air, thirty or forty yards, and to drop them on the rocks to break their shells, and then they were easily devoured. The bill of the Rookf is naked at the root of the bill. They often quarrel, and pull each other's * Corvus corone. f Corvus frugilegus. 152 ORDER II. TICJE. ROOKS. nests to pieces. Mr. White tells us, that he saw two young ones, whose "bills, legs, feet, and claws, were milk-white." Though they eat some of the THE CKOW. farmer's grain, they are very useful to him in de- vouring multitudes of the cock-chafer grubs : so that The 153 I think it does much more good than harm CLASS II. AVES. JACKDAW. rook looks veiy much like a small raven, but these birds have much antipathy to each other. If a raven builds in the trees of a rookery, the rooks all forsake their dwellings. But v^^hy do they do so ? I suppose they know they are not a match for the raven ; and they are aware that the raven will seize on their young to feed its offspring. I think you said they could smell gunpowder. It is so affirmed ; but I know not that this is the case. It is probable that this common notion has arisen from the alarm vv^hich the inhabitants of the rookery evidently manifest, when a person passes near to it vnth a gun ; I have many times observed this strange movement. The Jackdaw * is well known, and often tamed. It frequents old ruins, and lives chiefly on insects, fruit, and grain. You recollect the long string of eggs which a young * Corvus monedula. J 54 ORDER II. VICJE. JAYS. man gave me, — he said they were those of the Jack- daw, which he had obtained from holes in the ruins of Netley Abbey. It is very probable that he told you the truth, as I have seen very many of these birds in those ruins. The Jay * is another species of this tribe. Its plum- age is very beautiful. But it makes a very harsh, unpleasant noise, and it has no song. It has not : when it calls its young you would ima- gine it to be a cat mewing. We may remark, in general, that the birds which have the most gaudy and brilKant plumage, have the poorest song. The nightingale is a very plain bird, but what a song she pours forth ! Truly, she does; she has not an equal in our groves. The jay feeds on fruit; and is known to make great havoc in a field of peas, and in a cherry orchard. * Corvus glandarius. IJ5 CLASS II. AVES. CROWS. The Ma^ie * belongs to this species, and is well- known. This bird built its nest in the high pear-tree in our orchard. You recollect how it was made of sticks, with a canopy over it, and a hole in the side for a door-way Your account of its nest, Edward, is a very good one. It is very much like the crow in its eating ; with great pains, it may be taught to utter a few simple words. The Red-legged Crow,f is a handsome bird ; it is found in the rocky parts of Cornwall, and in South Wales. They seldom leave their dwellings, but in very fine weather. The Canadian Crow J is very numerous around Hudson's Bay; it is unpleasantly familiar and bold, as it enters houses, and takes meat or any provision from tlie table, and flies off" with it. Corvus pica. f Corvus graculus. I Corvus Canadensis. 15G ORDER IL PIC^. BIRD OF PARADISE. Does not the Bird of Paradise* belong to this order ? It does ; I showed you one, when you \dsited the British Museum. PAEADISEA SUPEEBA. The plumage was wonderfully fine ; how I should like to see one alive. * Paradisea apoda. 157 CLASS II. AVES. CUCKOO. You arc not very likely to realize your wish. They are natives of New Guinea. This bird flies against the wind, that its loose plumage may not be ruffled. They feed on fruit and insects, and are eagerly sought after on account of the beauty of their feathers. But a more remarkable bird than any we have mentioned, belongs to this tribe. I refer to the cuckoo ; its hill is smooth, and it has a ring round the nostrils. He is indeed a bird by himself, for there are none like him^ — at least as to his song, — if song it may be called, which consists of but two syllables. I think you told me there are two species ; but I have not seen more than one. No ; I am aware you have not. But the Honey Guide, or Bee Cuckoo,* is a native of Africa ; it leads the Hottentots to the nests of the wild bees ; and is always rewarded by a part of the prey. The common * Cuculup indicator. 158 ORDER II. PIC^. CUCKOOS. Cuckoo,* is well-kiiowii ; you had a young one the last autumn. Yes; Chloe, our spaniel, discovered it in a bush. * Cuculus canorus. 159 CLASS II. AVES. WOODPECKER. and I "brought it home. Its feathers were very beautiful ; and you gave me Dr. Jenner's account of this bird to read.* Mine died, you know, sir, at the approach of vdnter ; though I did all I could to keep it warm. I never knew one survive the winter ; they leave our country about the beginning of July. Wliither do they go ? I cannot tell you, Edward ; much of the history of this bird is yet unknown. It is said, that, in some cases, they hatch and feed their own young. This appears to me rather doubtful, as we are sure the instances in which they do not do so, are not only numerous, but well authenticated. The Woodpecker tribe is distinguished by its long, slender tongue, which is harhed at the end, the more readily to pierce its prey. The hill is angular, and the toes are placed tico forwards and two backwards, for climbing. This bird is remarkable for boring * See Juvenile Naturalist. 160 ORDER II. PIC^. WOODPECKER. holes in the heart of the soundest trees, where it makes its nest, and lays five or six eggs of a white colour. Its plumage is a fine green, but the feathers on its head are crimson. It is nearly as large as a jay. We have already noticed the Wryneck and Kingfisher tribes.* The Creeper tribe are * Juvenile Naturalist. 161 M CLASS II. AVES. HUMMING BIRDS. numerous, but there is only one species in our coun- try. It is said, that these birds destroy an immense number of insects. The most beautiful, as well as the smallest of birds, belonging to this order, are not to be found in Great Britain ; do you recollect what they are ? Humming Birds ; their plumage is very brilliant ; 162 ORDER II. PIC^. HUMMING BIRDS. it reflects all the colours of the bow of heaven. We saw many of them in the British Museum ; and some of them were but little larger than a bee. We did ; they have their name from the humming of their wings, which is occasioned by the swiftness of theii' flight. There are nearly seventy species. They are di\T.ded into crooked and straight bills. Their tongue is long and slender, and, by this wonder- ful instrument, they extract the honey of flowers, which is their food, wdth the greatest facility. The Trochi- lus Minimus is smaller than some bees. They often fight for the possession of a flower, though none of them settle in the cup of it. When they find no sweetness in a flower, they will pull it to pieces in anger. They are found in Brazil and Surinam. An American missionary tells us, that he found the nest of a humming bird in a shed near his dwell- ing-house, and took it in, at a time when the young ones were about fifteen days old. He placed them in a cage at his chamber window for his amuse- ment ; the old ones came and fed them every hour in 163 M 2 CLASS II. AVES. HUMMING BIRDS. the day. At length they grew so tame, that they stayed in the chamber, and took up their abode with their young. They would all frequently perch on their master's hand, chirping as if they had been at liberty abroad. One night he forgot to tie up their cage to the ceiling, to preserve them from the rats, and he fomid in the morning, to his great mortifica- tion, that they were all devoured. It must be a pretty spectacle to see multitudes of these beautiful creatures, delighting themselves among the flowers, and in the warm sunshine. It must ; and it is the mark of a benevolent and well-informed mind, to rejoice in the happiness of the animal creation. I think, with our poet, that " The heart is hard in nature, and unfit For human fellowship, as being void Of sympathy, and, therefore, dead alike To love and friendship both, that is not pleas'd "With sight of animals enjoying life, Nor feel their happiness augment his own." 164 EARLY EISING STARLING ^WATER OUZEL THRUSH FIELDF.VRE BLACK- BIRD MOCKIXG BIRD GROSBEAK CROSSBILL CHAFFINCH SPARROWS CANARY FLYCATCHER LARKS NIGHTINGALES SWALLOWS PIGEONS TURKEY PEACOCKS PHEASANTS GROUS BUSTARDS OSTRICHES HERONS CRANES GIGANTIC CRANE. Mr. Percy, Why, Edward, you are stirring early this morning. Edward. Yes, sir; I have been up nearly two hours. Indeed ; why it is but just six o'clock. What have you been doing so early ? I have been putting down some things you have told me in our walks, which I wish to recollect. You very much please me by so doing. It was a just remark of a celebrated writer, that every well- 165 EARLY RISING. informed man receives a two-fold education ; one from his tutors, and a more important one from himself. Now you are gaining this ; and, by the blessing of God, you are sure to succeed. I am glad you have sufficient courage to rise early, and thus you live longer, and more happily, than many around you. I never knew anyone who excelled in any art or science, who was not accustomed to rise early in the morning. Bishop Newton, in his life of Milton, tells us, that this great poet used to go to rest about nine, and would rise in the summer at four, and in the winter at five in the morning. He read and studied till twelve, — when he took an hour's exercise and dined. Soon after dinner, he went into his study again till six. He was a man of men ; his learning was prodi- gious. I recollect he says in one of his prose works, " My morning haunts are where they should be, at home ; not sleeping, or getting rid of the surfeits of an irregular feast, but up and stirring; in winter, IGC EARLY RISING. often ere the sound of any bell awakes men to labour or to devotion ; in summer, as oft with the bird that first rouses, or not much tardier, to read good au- thors, or cause them to be read, till the attention be weary, or memory have its full fraught." How often he celebrates the morning in his noble work, the Paradise Lost, as " the sweetest hour of prime ;" as delicious for its fragrance and melodies ; as the period * « * <* When all things that breathe, From the earth's great aUar, send up silent praise To the Creator." And is not rising early good for the establishment of health ? I have no doubt of it. A great medical authority says, *' Getting up an hour or two earlier, often gives a degree of vigour which nothing else can procure. For those who are not much debilitated, and who sleep well, the best rule is to get out of bed soon after awaking in the morning. Rising early \\'ill gradually prolong the sleep on the succeeding night, 167 EARLY RISING. till the quantity enjoyed is equal to the demand for it. Lying late is not only hurtful by the relaxation it occasions, but also by occupying that part of the day at which exercise is most beneficial." Sir Thomas More, and Bishop Burnet, used to rise at four every morning. The excellent Sir M. Hale, when a student, devoted sixteen hours out of the twenty-four to study. Parkhurst, the author of your Lexicons, rose, all the year round, at five o'clock. I could readily increase this list. If I have gained more extensive knowledge than many around me, it has been by the adoption of this laudable practice early in life. I lately met with some pretty lines on this subject, translated from the works of a foreign poet, — " Up, sleeper, dreamer ! Up, for now There's gold upon the mountain's brow ; There's light on forests, lakes, and meadows ; The dew-drops shine on flow'ret bells. The village clock of morning tells ; Up, men ; out cattle ; for the dells And dingles teem with shadows. 168 EARLY RISING. Up to the fields, thro' shine and stour, "What hath the dull and drowsy hour, So blest as this ? The glad heart leaping, To hear morn's early song sublime ; See earth rejoicing in its prime ; The summer is the walking time, The winter, time for sleeping. The very hand that crops the flower. Hath welcome for the dawning hour. Aurora smiles ; her beck'nings claim thee ; Listen, look round, — the chirp, the hum ! Song, low, and bleat, — there's nothing dumb ; All love, all life ! Come, slumberer, come ; The meanest thing shall shame thee !" And I recollect a saying of yours, father, on this subject. I have many sayings, or maxims, on this subject ; to which do you refer, Edward ? You said, that paradise was regained to him who rose early, and went abroad to meet with God in his great temple, to pray to, and to praise him. And I think it is. In such circumstances, I have had very many seasons of elevated enjo}anent. The 169 CLASS II. AVES. STARLING. secret of enjoying the works of God, and of finding them ever fresh, and ever beautiful, is to realize his presence in the midst of them v^^ho created, and who preserves them in all their loveliness and glory. But let us return to our subject, the animal kingdom. I think we finished our notice of the second order of the class Aves. We did. The Passeres are the third order ; THEY HAVE A CONICAL, SHARP-POINTED BILL, AND THE NOSTRILS ARE OVAL, OPEN, AND NAKED. There are many genera of this order ; we will notice the principal of them. Is not the starling* one of them ? It is. They assemble in the autumn and winter, in flocks, and fly in large circles. They are said to settle in such multitudes on the reeds in the fens in Lincolnshire, as to do great damage, by breaking them down. And you know, sir, that they almost cleared our largest and best cherry-trees, the last season. * Sturnus vulgaris. 170 ORDER III. PASSERES. OUZEL. They did. There was an immense flock in the widely-spread- ing yew-tree in the church-yard, one evening last autumn ; I was near it, and was delighted to hear them all chirruping and singing, and so merry. It is very pleasant to see the creatures around us happy ; a mind rightly disposed will not readily dis- turb the joys of the lowest of the animals which God has made. I often think of the person of whom you told me, who caught a large fly, and, as he let it go out of the window, said, " There is plenty of room for us all in this large world." The Water Ouzel * belongs to this tribe. It is a bird of singular habits. It will go into the water, or dive into it, and walk along the bottom of a river, as if it were on dry land. I forgot to remark, that the starhng may be taught to talk like a parrot. I recollect reading of one that was in a cage, which was always saying, ^' I can't get out ! " * Sturnus cinclus. 171 CLASS II. AVES. FIELDFARE. But is not the Thrush tribe the next ? It is ; the Song Thrush * is a very beautiful bird, and sings the greater part of the year. We have but few birds which do so ; and, therefore, we value them. Don't you recollect, Edward, the copse by which we used to stop to hear him in our walks ? Yes; and it seemed to resound with his song, it was so loud, and shrill, and sweet. The Fieldfare f belongs to this tribe. It visits us Turdus musicus. t Turdus pilaris. 172 ORDER III. PASSERES. BLACKBIRD. in October, and winters mth us ; but about March it migrates to Sweden and Norway to breed. They ahvays roost on the ground, though they build their nests on the highest trees. The Blackbird * is ano- ther species ; but you have learnt all about this bird, as the cook keeps one in the kitchen : it is, I think, rather too loud in its song for the house. Is it not much like the thrush in its manners ? I think it is a more shy bird. Thrushes are seen in a flock sometimes ; but blackbirds, I apprehend, are always soHtary. You told me, that our blackbird often awakened you in the morning, and that you liked to be wakened by the songs of birds. The Locust-eating Thrushf is a curious bird. They live in connnunities ; and make ten, fifteen, or twen- ty nests together, and cover them with one common roof of twigs. They Kve on the larva of the locusts. Turdus merula. t Tardus gryllivorus. 173 CLASS II. AVES. MIMIC THRUSH. and they follow these rapacious insects in their flight from one country to another. Is not this a kind appointment of Providence ? It is. But there is one bird belonging to this tribe more wonderful than any other. I refer to the Mimic Thrush, or Mocking Bird.* It is very com- mon in North America, and in some of the West Indian islands, and is a noble songster ; but, in addi- tion to its ovni notes, it has a power of imitating, with much accuracy, every sound which it hears, both pleasant and disagreeable, from the croaking of a raven to the song of the nightingale. Wliat a bird ! It sings day and night, -with but little intermis- sion, from March to August. His varied notes are so many, that the Mexicans call him the Bird "w-ith Four Hundred Tongues. Wilson, the admirable ornithologist, tells us, that this bird mil imitate the bro^\^l tlirush, the warblings of the blue bird, the * Turdus polyglottus. 174 ORDER III. PASSERES. CROSSBILL. simple song of tlid robin and many other birds, which he mingles with the crowing of the cock, the cackling of hens, the scream of the jay ; and in such perfection, that the hearer would really suppose them all to be present. He throws his wdngs about, and leaps and dances with an ecstacy of delight, while he goes through his performances. Linneus has very properly distinguished him as the many-tongued thinish. The Grosbeak tribe have the hill of a conical formic and convex above and below. Will you mention some of the varieties ? Is not the Crossbill * one ? It is. You have seen this bird ; it derives its name from its singular beak. Buffon says, that " This beak is one of the freaks of nature." A strange expression ! It is, on the contrary, admira- bly fitted to get the seeds out of the pine or fir cones, on which it feeds. With the greatest ease it will di- • Loxia curvirostra. 175 CLASS II. AVES. GROSBEAKS. vide an apple to procure the kernels. It seldom comes into our country ; and never stays long : it is a native of the pine forests on the Rhine There are several species. The Greenfinch* is another bird of this tribe. Tliis is a common bird. There was a nest of them in the hedge of our or- chard. Is not the Bullfinch f too of this tribe ? It is. But, though its plumage is fine, it has no song of its own worth hearing. Yet it readily learns any tune, when taught by the voice or an instrument ; and it has been known to speak words. Among the Grosbeaks, from which the tribe is named, the Sociable Grosbeak J is very remarkable. They abound in some parts of South- em Africa, aud build many hundred nests togethe in a large tree, with a fine kind of grass, over the whole of which they form a common covering. The * Loxia chloris. | Loxia pyrrhula. 176 ORDER III. PASSERES. CHAFFINCH. whole looks like a thatched cottage. There are many entrances ; each of which leads to a separate street; so that the whole seems to form a little town. A city of birds, father ! What a novelty that must be ! It is, truly. The Finch tribe have a sharp- pointed^ thick, and conical hill, and are well known to you. The Greenfinch which so often sings on our fir tree, is one of this order. His notes are very fine. The Chaffinch,* too, is of this tribe : its nest is very beautiful. The one we found in the spring was formed of grey moss, of the same colour as was spread all over the bush ; so that it could not be seen without looking closely : * Fringilla ccelebs. 177 CLASS II. AVES. SPARROWS. and the inside was so prettily lined with wool, and hair, and feathers ! And the four eggs were whitish, with brown spots of different sizes. The Linnet * is another bird of this tribe ; so is the Sparrow. f Sparrows, I be- lieve, are to be found in al- most all parts of the habit- able world. It is a bold bird. Robert, the gardener, said, that a pair of sparrows with their yomig, devoured more than three thousand, three hundred caterpillars in a week ; do you think it was true ? I apprehend the calculation was not made without much care. There are two other birds belonging to this tribe, which are remarkable both for their plumage and their song. Fringilla linaria. t Fringilla domes tica. 178 ORDER III. PASSERES. GOLDFINCH. I think I know them ; are they not the Goldfinch* and the Canary Bird ? f They are. We have often noticed this pretty finch. J It is met with throughout Europe, and in Asia and Africa ; it has been known to hve twenty years. And you are well acquainted with the Canary bird. * Fringilla carduelis. j" Fringilla canaria. I Juv. Nat. 179 N 2 CLASS II. •AVES. FLY-CATCHER. Yes ; our own sweet fellow has learned many of the notes of the lark and the nightingale.* He was, and is, indeed, a very fine songster. The Yellow Hammer deserves to be remarked for the beauty of his plumage. Our cat caught one the last week in the orchard. Its feathers were very fine ; and I was sorry she killed it. The Fly-catcher tribe have a pointed bill, the upper part notched near the end, and its base jriaged with bristles. Mr. White says, " The Fly-catcher f is, of all our summer birds, the most mute, and the most familiar ; it also appears the last of any. It builds in a vine, or sweet briar, against the wall of a house, or * This is the case with one in the possession of the Author, f Musicapa irisola. 180 ORDER III. PASSERES. LARKS. in the hole of a wall, and often close to the post of a door where people are going in and out all day long. It does not make the least pretensions to song, but uses a httle inward wailing note, when it thinks its young in danger from cats, or other annoy- ances : it breeds but once, and emigrates early." Mr. "White is mistaken as to its notes ; since it sometimes warbles very prettily. They are rather scarce ; and are but rarely, or not at all seen in some districts. Do not Larks belong to this order ? They do ; there are several varieties ; but the Wood- Lark,* and the Sky-Lark,f are the most remarkable. The wood-lark has its name, I suppose, from its occasionally settling on trees, which the sky-lark Alauda arborea. I Alauda arvensis. 181 CLASS II. AVES. LARKS. never does. It is a fine songster, and often sings in the night as well as in the day. But, next to the nightingale, the sky-lark, of all our birds, has the finest strain. Your lark sings so incessantly, that I have sometimes wished that he would give himself a holi- You did not mention the character of this tribe. The bill is slender, the tongue cloven, and the claw of the back toe is very long. Their feet are pointed to suit their mode of living ; they cannot cling to any- thing from the length and straightness of the hinder toe ; so they never attempt to perch on trees. It lives on the ground or in the air. The manner in which it rises in the air, and its song, are exceedingly beautiful.* * Motacilla alba, rubecula, troglodytus, and sutoria. 182 ORDER III. PASSERES. NIGHTINGALE. " Up springs the lark," says Thomson, '^ Shrill voic'd, and loud, the messenger of morn ; Ere yei the shadows fly, he, mounted, sings Amid the dawning clouds, and from their haunts Calls up the tuneful nations." The Warbler tribe is the next, is it not ? It is : the hill is slender^ the tongue cloven at the end, and the tail is long. There are nearly one hundred species of them; but a small proportion of them are found in our country; the Nightingale* is the * See Juv. Nat. 83 CLASS II. AVES. SWALLOWS. chief of them. This bird will sing eight or nine months in a cage ; but in a state of freedom, not more than nine or ten weeks. It is a delicate bird, and seldom lives long in a state of captivity ; it seems, therefore, wrong '^''^|^P|^ to confine it. The la^s«^^^^ _ .___<,-^ Wagtail, the Red- breast, the Wren, and the Taylor Bird, are of this tribe; we have often noticed them.* The Swallow TRIBE are also equally well known, and have fre- quently employed our attention. I should like to know whether the same swallows which visit us one year, come back the next ? I apprehend it is evident that this is the case. I can't think how it is they find their way back ; and how it is they don't all stop at the first towTis and villages. * See Juven. Nat. 184 ORDER in. PASSERES. PIGEONS. I know not, Edward ; but that the same birds do return to the same buildings and houses, is evident ; because Dr. Jenner, one year, caught several, and cut off two of their claws, and they came back the next year; one of them, he tells us, was at liis house seven years afterwards. This does seem a proof of it; but it is strange they should come again to a place where they had been used so ill. They did, Edward, as men should do ; they recol- lected the many benefits they had enjoyed, and forgot the injuries which had been inflicted. " My enmi- ties," said Cicero, " are mortal ; my friendships are immortal ! " The Pigeon tribe is the last we need notice in this order. They have a slender bill, and the nostrils are placed in ajieshy -prominence near the base. There are between twenty and thirty varieties of them. They usually hatch two young ones. It is singular that the crops of the old ones should produce a kind of curds, which is especially suited to their offspring as food ; 185 CLASS II. AVES. PIGEONS. this continues only till the little ones can take more substantial food. The Wild Pigeon is well known. One of the most celebrated of the tribe is the Car- rier Pigeon.* It is of a dark blue colour, has a circle of naked white skin round its eyes, and is larger than the common pigeon. How can they teach them to go from one place to another ? * Columba tabellaria. 186 ORDER III. PASSERES. PIGEONS. The plan is very simple : they are taken a mile or two fi'om their home, at fii'st, then four or five, and then ten ; and so on, till the pigeons will return from any distance ? How far will they go in a day ? Many extravagant things have been recorded on this subject which would astonish you. I think they will travel at the rate of nearly forty miles an hour. But suppose the pigeon should settle anywhere, and be shot ? It is possible that this may be the case ; but to guard against any danger on this account, persons who em- ploy them fasten the same intelhgence to the mngs of several messengers ; and it is not probable that they should all fail. Commercial men have employed them to convey the prices of Stock, and of different articles, by which they have cleared large sums. Thus, they have been sent to and from Holland, Germany, Lon- don, the Netherlands, and Paris, with considerable success. How strange it is, that they do not stay some- 187 CLASS II. AVES. PIGEONS. where on their way, and not keep on their flight so far ! Attachment to their young and their home, no doubt, makes them persevere till they reach the place whither they are sent. It would be curious to learn how far the birds which are most swift of wing would fly in an hour. It would ; but to ascertain it with accuracy, would be difficult. It has been affirmed, that a swallow will fly twenty miles in about thirteen minutes ; that a swift will fly sixty, and a wild duck about ninety miles an hour. This is very surprising ! It is. The most wonderful accounts of pigeons on record, are those of Wilson, the American ornitho- logist. He tells us, that in the western beech-forests, he has seen congregated millions. They occupy, as a resting place, a large extent of forest. When they have frequented one of those places for some time, all the tender grass and underwood is destroyed ; the surface strewed with large limbs of trees, broken down 188 ORDER III. PASSERES. PIGEONS. by the weight of the birds ; and the trees themselves, for thousands of acres, are killed as completely as if destroyed with an axe. Not far from Shelby Villa, in Kentucky, this ad- mirable naturalist informs us, one of these pigeonries extended through the woods, forty miles in length, and several in breadth. As soon as the young were grown, and before they had left their nests, numerous parties came to this spot, a-pigeordng, as they call it. They came ^\*ith waggons, axes, beds, cooking utensils, and encamped for several days. The noise of the pigeons in the woods was so great as to terrify the horses, and it was difficult for one person to hear an- other without bawling. The ground was strewed over with eggs and young pigeons, and on which herds of hogs were fattening. Hawks, buzzards, and eagles, were sailing about in great numbers, devouring the young ones as they chose, while from twenty feet upwards, to the tops of the trees, the view through the woods presented a perpetual tumult of crowding and fluttering multitudes of pigeons, their wings roar- 189 CLASS II. AVES. PIGEONS. ing like thunder, mingled with the frequent crash of falling timber ; for the axemen were at work, cutting down those trees that seemed to be most crowded with nests; they continued to fell them in such a manner, that they might bring down several others ; by which means the falling of one large tree sometimes pro- duced two hundred young ones of a good size. On some single trees there were upwards of one hundi-ed nests. There are always two young ones in a pigeon's nest, sir. Not in the nests of these pigeons, Edward ; a cir- cumstance that is remarkable, and for which we can- not account. It was dangerous, Wilson says, to Avalk mider these flying and fluttering millions, from the frequent fall of large branches, broken down by the weight of the multitude above, and which, in their descent, often destroyed numbers of the birds them- selves, while the clothes of those who traversed the woods, were covered with filth. From his daily ob- servation of their flight, their number was evidently 190 ORDER III. PASSERES. PIGEONS. incalculable. For many hours the li\Tng torrent has poured over his head, as thick as the birds could crowd together, and as far as the eye could see. The breadth of the body extended several miles ! This is most astonishing ! Why, what a prodigious quantity of food they must devour in a day ! Truly, they must. Wilson forms a very rough es- timate on this subject. "If we suppose," he says, " a column I saw to have been one mile in breadth, — and I beheve it to have been much more, — and that it moved at the rate of one mile in a minute for four hours, — the time it continued passing, — would make its whole length two hundred and forty miles. Again, supposing that each square yard of this mo\-ing body contained three pigeons, the square yards in the whole space multiplied by three, would give two thousand, two hundred and thirty millions, two hundred and seventy-two thousand pigeons ! An inconceivable multitude, and yet probably far below the actual amount. Computing, that each of them consumes half-a-pint of seeds or food, daily, the 191 CLASS II. AVES. TURKEYS. whole quantity, at this rate, would equal seventeen millions, four hundred and twenty-four thousand bushels per day ! What a merciful Providence it is, that they fre- quent those parts of the world which are not culti- vated by man ! Why, they w^ould make a famine in our little country ! You are right, Edward. This American bird is called the Passenger Pigeon.* The Ring Dove Pigeonf is the largest of the tribe which is found among us. The Galling form the fourth order of this class, and the Turkey tribe is the first in the order : two species only have been discovered ; one in America, the other in India. The birds of this order have a CONVEX BILL, THE UPPER PART ARCHED ; the Turkey tribe have their face and neck naked. The common Turkey J is well knowai. Those that are Columba migratoria. f Columba palumbus. X Meleagris Gallopavo. 192 ORDER IV. GALLINiE. PEACOCKS. found wild in the woods of Canada, are much larger than ours ; they live together in large flocks of many hundreds, and are easily taken. ^;-.^.&t^ The Peacock tribe * is distinguished from all others by its fine crest, and its splendid tail, is it not ? Truly it is ; no plumage can be named which ex- ceeds the brilliancy of this noble bird. * Pavo cristatus. 193 CLASS II. AVES. PHEASANTS. Especially of its tail. The admirable feathers which it erects with so much pride, grow out of its back, and are not, as ge- nerally supposed, its tail ; this is formed by a few plain, stiff, brown feathers, which serve as a basis, by which the train is supported. I was not aware of this circumstance. Where are they found in a wild state ? In some parts both of India and Africa. There are four species of them. It is well their plumage is so fine, for their voice would not recommend them to our esteem. It is a dreadful scream. If we could unite the nightingale's song with the peacock's plumage, what a bird would be produced ! Truly, IF we could 1 But let us proceed. The Pheasant tribe * have the sides of their heads naked and smooth. They are readily found and killed ; and, if they w^ere not protected by our game * Phasianus Colchicus. 194 ORDER IV. GALLINyE. GROUSE. laws, the whole race would be soon extinct. Our domestic poultry belong to this tribe. The common Guinea Fowl, of which we have many in our farm yard, are of the Pintado tribe. ^^J. They are abundant in the western parts of Ajfidca, and in the isles of Bourbon, France, and Mada- gascar. The Grouse tribe includes Grouse, Partridges, and Quails. The Grouse have strong convex hills , and many of them a scarlet skin above each eye. It is big- 195 O 2 CLASS II. AVES. GROUSE. ger than a partridge, but commonly not so large as a pheasant. As they usually inhabit cold mountainous PARTRIDGES. districts, they are covered even to the very toes with feathers. The Black Grouse* are found in Wales, and in the New Forest ; and the Red Grouse f are found in the Highlands of Scotland, and in Wales. The * Jetrao tetrix. f Jetrao scoticus. 196 ORDER IV. GALLIN.E. BUSTARDS. Ptarmigan, or White Game,* are chiefly found in the countries within or near the arctic circle. As the winter approaches, all the feathers, except those of the wings and of the tail, double their plumage ; what a wonderful provision is this against the intense cold of the climate which they occupy ! Great quan- tities are taken for food, at Hudson's Bay. Par- tridges and Quails also belong to this tribe. f The Bustard tribe J have only three front toes ; their legs are long^ and imclothed above the knees. There are twelve species. The male bird has a pouch in which it carries a considerable quantity of water. They are the largest wild birds to be found in our country, with the exception of the eagles ; but are much fewer than they used to be. They are sometimes met with in small flocks, in the least populous parts of Dorsetshire and Yorkshire; and run off" with very great rapidity on the least alarm. But we * Jetrao lagopus. t See Juv. Nat. t Otis tarda. 197 CLASS II. AVES. OSTRICH. have not named the most remarkable tribe in this order. Wliat isit? That of the Ostrich. This is the largest known bird ; they have been found from six to nine feet in height. The wings are not formed for flying, the legs are naked above the knees ; one species has two, and the other three toes, which are placed forwards. The Black, or Great Ostrich,* has its residence in the burning deserts of Africa and Asia. They associate together in flocks. It has been regarded as the link of union between the quadrupeds and the winged tribes. Its neck somewhat resembles that of a camel, and is covered with hair, and it grazes like that animal. Most naturalists have fallen into several errors in reference to these birds ; even Lmneus has affirmed, that the ostrich sometimes lays nearly fifty eggs. The fact is, that several females accompany one male, and they all deposit their eggs in one com- * Strathiocanielus. 198 ORDER IV. GALLING. OSTRICH. mon place in the sand, each laying ten or twelve; so that sixty or more have been found together. These they sit on for six weeks, when they are hatched. I thought the ostrich always left her eggs in the sand, and took no more care of them. This is a common, but erroneous opinion. As the climate is warm, she does not sit the whole of the day, for it would be unnecessary ; but she broods on them constantly by night. The young cannot walk for several days after they are hatched ; if, therefore, the parent bird did not feed them, they would perish. Their eggs sell at the Cape for sixpence each, and furnish a meal for two or three people. Does the ostrich do any harm ? If there are many of them in the neighbourhood of cultivated ground, they will do much damage to the corn-fields of the farmer. They have been known to bite off" the ears of the greater part of a field of wheat. Hence the colonists drive them off*, or des- troy them, as well as they can. 199 CLASS II. AVES. CASSOWARY. They must present a large mark, and be easily shot. Truly, if you can get near to them ; and this the Hottentots sometimes do, disguised in one of the skins of the bird. For a considerable time it will outrun the fleetest horse ; and it is only when wearied down by long pursuit, that it will hide its head, and sufler itself to be taken. Is it not strange, that a bird should have wings which are of no use to it ? Though the ostrich cannot fly mth its wings, they add very much to its swiftness ; and, no doubt, they fan themselves with them, and by that reason, pre- serve a pleasant coolness in the warm cKmates which they inhabit. Does not the Cassowary* very much resemble the ostrich ? It does ; you are aware it belongs to the same * Struthio cassuarius. 200 ORDER V. GRALL.E. CRANE. tribe. It was brought from Java into Europe by the Dutch. Its legs are thicker and larger than those of the os- trich ; and it is much more formidable in its appearance. It often swallows stones or iron. But let us notice the fifth order, the Grall^, or the Waders; the bill is cylindrical, the tail short, and the thighs are half naked. The Heron tribe, of which there are a great num- ber of species, belong to this order. They have a long^ strong^ and shairp hill. That of the common Crane * is more than four inches long ; and the whole bird measures more than five feet. They mi- * Ardea grus. 201 CLASS II. AVES. CRANES. grate from place to place in search of a warm cli- mate ; hence it is that they are never seen in our country. In their course, they reach a great height, so as sometimes to be out of sight ; but they usually appear in a re- gular figure : to this circumstance one of our poets refers very prettily, — *' Part loosely wing the region ; part more wise, In common, rang'd in figure, wedge their way, Intelligent of seasons, and set forth Their airy caravan, high over seas Flying, and over lands with mutual wing, Easing their flight. So steers the prudent crane Her annual voyage." The common crane is found in the north of 202 ORDER V. GRALL.^. CRANES. Europe, as far as Siberia, and the arctic circle, and in other parts of the globe. Do they ever come into England, or Great Britain ? Very rarely, if ever ; they are seen, but only for a short sea- son, in France, in the spring and fall of the year. The Numidian Crane is a beautiful bird with a very grace- ful crest ; similar in shape and habits to the Guinea fowl, ge- nerally found in low marshy neighbourhoods. It is a native of Africa, but found in parts of Europe and America. The Gigantic Crane* is a native of Bengal, is very NUMIDIAN CEANE. Ardea argil. 203 CLASS II. AVES. CRANES. common at Calcutta, and is exceedingly useful as a scavenger: its bill is about sixteen inches round at the base- One measured from the tip of one wing to that of the other, fourteen feet ten inches ; and from the tip of the bill to the claws, seven feet and a-half. In an instant, it will devour a cat, tor- toise, or serpent, and almost anything that can be eaten, which falls in its way. It has a most vora- cious appetite, and its stomach is anything but deli- cate. Mr. Smeathmass mentions a young one he saw in the Bananas, who used to take his place, like a servant, behind his master's chair, awaiting the arrival of dinner. Once before the meal com- menced, it seized a fowl most unmannerly, which it swallowed at once. A bone of a shin of beef, broken, made but two morsels for this ravenous creature. He would often fly about the island, and roost among the silk cotton trees ; but never failed, though two or three miles distant, to see the dinner carried into the hall, and to enter it with the women who bare in the dishes. 204 ORDER V. GRALLiE. HERONS. This was a wonderful crane ! It was. The common Heron* is found throughout Europe. I have often seen them walking in the shallows of rivers, or on the seacoast when the tide had ebbed, or was returning. It will live fifty or sixty years. They are very voracious ; having been * Ardea major. 205 CLASS If. AVES. HERONS. known to devour fifty small roach in a day. Some fish-ponds have been entirely deprived of their fish by them. In ancient time herons were secured by . vUICLIJkMSi>-S«- law for royal sport; none but the monarch being allowed to hunt them. They were chased by dogs and falcons ; and the amusement appears to have been much prized. 20(i ATHEISM. I can't think how the heron can catch so many fish, as it cannot swim. Its feet are not webbed; but it is wonderfully fitted for its habits. Its has a long neck, and long legs, as well as a long bill. Its talons are strong and hooked ; and one of them is serrated, that it may hold its prey. How surprisingly are different animals formed to suit their mode of life ! And what an idiot must he be, who does not see that the Creator formed them \\'ith this end in view ! And where there is design, there must be a designer. Creation is full of obvious design ; there must then be a great omnipotent designer — and this being is God. Tliis was what the Apostle Paul meant when he said, " Every house is builded by some man — but he that built all things is God." What a task an atheist must have ! Truly, he must ; he must prove that the eye was not made to see with, or the sun to give light, or the earth to nourish the creatures. He has to show that 207 ATHEISM. a picture may exist without an artist ; a stream with- out any source ; a building without any architect ; and that worlds, full of design, may spring, without an intelligent designer, out of nothing ! What a task ! REMARKABLE THINGS REINDEER WHALES HERRINGS SALMON SAND- PIPERS LAPWINGS SNIPES WOODCOCKS CURLEWS LAND-RAIL FLA- MINGO DCCKS— GEESE SWANS GULLS PELICANS PENGUINS PETE- RELS PUFFIN AUKS ALBATROSSES NORTHERN DIVER. Edward. Father, I wish you would tell me some more remarkable things ; you mentioned one yester- day about eyes, which was a little curious. Mr. Percy. A\Tiat was it ? Why, you said, that insects and animals which can move their eyes, have but two ; but those who do not, usually have more. Is not this the case with the hen and chickens we have just passed, while the fly and the spider have many eyes ? It is so, Edward. The eyes of the hen are very 209 P REMARKABLE THINGS. remarkable : they are so microscopic, that she can readily find the smallest seeds among the earth or gravel ; and they are so telescopic (if I may use such a term) that she can quickly discern a bird of prey at an immense height, and when, to the human vision, it appears only as a little dark speck in the clouds. Is not this remarkable ? She calls her little ones to her in a peculieir tone ; nor will she rest till she has gathered them all under her wings. I have seen her do so many times. The places where different plants and animals are found, are remarkable. The reindeer of Lapland may be adduced as a striking example. Why it would not be of so much use in any other place ; and it could not find the moss on which it feeds anywhere but in the northern parts of the world. I question if the animal could exist anywhere else. All the attempts which have been made to naturalize it in England and Scotland, have signally failed ; and the poor Laplander would be absolutely ruined with- 210 REMARKABLE THINGS. out them ; they constitute his entire riches, and are necessary even to his existence. The whale is another instance of the same kind. Their native haunt is within the arctic and antarctic seas ; though now and then one has been taken within the tropics, and in a low degree of latitude. But why, sir, do they frequent those seas the most ? There may be many reasons; the most probable one is, that the Creator has placed there the largest supply of suitable food. For the same cause the elephant has been placed in the midst of the forests of Africa and India, because the luxuriance of vege- tation readily yields the vast quantity of food which is necessary to their sustenance. Vultures are most numerous in hot climates ; and why ? Because it is there that dead carcasses soonest become putrid, and would create infection if they were not speedily de- voured. Hence in Eg}^t, where carrion and putrid- ity abound, there are immense multitudes of vul- tures, for which the inhabitants ought to be very 211 P 2 REMARKABLE THINGS. thankful. Our Lord has told us, you know, that ** where the carcass is, there the eagles will be ga- thered together." When we were looking at the beautiful humming birds, and their pretty nests, which uncle John brought from South America, you said that they could not live in our climate on account of its cold- ness. True ; South America is more suited to its deli- cate nature, on account of the greater warmth of the climate, and the abundance of its flowers, from the honey of which it derives its nourishment. What a striking display is there in these facts of the manifold wisdom of the adorable Creator ! It is impossible, Edward, without giving credit to the grossest absurd- ities, to suppose that animals were located in the positions they occupy by blind chance. You know, sir, our Lord says, that not " a sparrow falleth to the ground without your heavenly Father ;" then we may be sure, if he cares for sparrows, he also fares for all the works of his hands ; may we not ? 212 REMARKABLE THINGS. We may, Edward, and the thought is most de- lightful. The fecundity of animals may justly be reckoned among the most remarkable things with which we are acquainted. A few days since, I opened the volumes of a French naturaKst,* who, speaking of the herring, says, that twenty millions of them have been taken in one fishing excursion on the coast of Norway ; and that there are but few seasons in which the Norwegians do not catch four hundred milKons. Seven hundred millions are often caught in a season in the neighbourhood of Gottenbui'gh alone. He thinks, that, on the lowest computation, full one thousand millions of these fish are annually gathered from the ocean for the sustenance of man ! This is indeed remarkable. The fecundity of the oyster is not less wonderful. It has been affirmed by a good naturalist, that a single oyster w^ill bring forth one million, two hun- dred thousand eggs. According to this calculation, one * Lacepede. 213 REMARKABLE THINGS. fisli would produce twelve thousand barrels ! Is not this remarkable, Edward ? It is so ; but you said you would tell me how the salmon get up the waterfals to deposit their spawn. They do so in a very singular manner, by making use of their tails ! By making use of their tails ! Yes, they seize their tails with their mouths ; thus they make a powerful spring of it, and rise twelve or fifteen feet high at a leap ; and thus they ascend the w^aterfals. If they do not succeed the first time, they will repeat it till they do. How I should like to see one thus seizing his tail, and jumping up ! It is scarcely probable that you will ever enjoy this spectacle; but though this should not be the case, it is not less a fact. Shall we resume our more systematic remarks on natural history ? If you please. I think we noticed the heron tribe in the order Grallae, or the Waders. 214 ORDER V. QKALLJE. SANDPIPERS. We did ; are not the Sandpipers of this order ? They are ; the Sandpiper* is a dis- tinct genus of birds ; so called, because most of the species frequent the sands, and make a piping noise. The Ruff and Reeve f belong to this tribe. The ruff is the male bird; so called because of a striking ruff round the neck, and of different colours in each bird ; the reeve is the fe- male bird. They are birds of passage, and /^^^ visit the Isle of Ely, * Tringa. f Tringa pugnax. 215 CLASS II. AVES. LAPWING. Lincolnshire, and the East Riding of Yorkshire, every spring, in great numbers. The males far ex- ceed the females in number, and are much given to quarrelHng. I never saw one of them ; but I have often seen the Lapwing* or Peevdt ; which, I be- lieve, is of this tribe ; as is also the Long- legged Plover. It is ; and I regard it as a very remarkable bird. It feeds on worms, and it will strike its foot near their holes till they are alarmed, come out, and are seized. I recollect one came almost close to me on the common, and seemed as if she could not fly. I tried to catch her, and ran a long while ; but at last she Tringa vanellus. 216 ORDER V. GRALLiE. SNIPE. rose from the ground, and fled off as if nothing had been the matter. How she cheated you, Edward! Her nest, no doubt, was not far from the spot where she met you. By her ar- tifices, she en- ticed you far enough from it, when she left you, glad enough that she had effected her purpose. The Snipe tribe belongs to the order of Waders. Its hill is long, slender, and straight ; the hind toe is short, and has several joints. The common Snipe * is usually found in wet pastures and marshes, in the wintry season. If disturbed, they will often rise very high in the atmosphere ; but when tried by cold or want, they will not move till a person is close to Scolopax gallinago. 217 CLASS II. AVES. WOODCOCK. them. They feed on small worms, and are con- stantly digging for them in damp and moist places. In the summer this bird is found in mountains, as well as on the lowlands. A naturalist has observed, that in the breeding season the snipe changes its note entirely from that it makes in winter. The male will keep on the wing for an hour together, mounting like a lark, uttering a shrill pip- ing noise ; it then de- scends with consider- able velocity, making a bleating sound not unlike an old goat, which is re- peated alternately round the spot where the female is ; especially while she is sitting on the nest. Some of these birds migrate ; but many of them stay with us the whole year. The Woodcock,* which belongs to this tribe, * Scolopax rusticola. 218 ORDER V. GRALLiE. WOODCOCK. pairs, and migrates very early in the spring, to Nor- way and Sweden ; from whence they return in great numbers at the latter end of the year. It is generally remarked, that there are not so many found by sports- men as there used to be. How can you account for this, sir ? I apprehend that it proceeds from this circum- stance, — the inhabi- tants of the north have latterly ac- quired a taste for their eggs as a lux- ury^ ; and vast num- bers are, of course, sought, and sold in the markets of Stockholm. They live very much like the snipe. Mr. Montagu mentions a curious proof of their fondness for worms ; " A woodcock," he says, "in our menagerie, very soon discovered and drew forth every worm in the ground, which was dug up to en- 219 CLASS II. AVES. CURLEW. able it to be done; and worms put into a large garden-pot, covered with earth five or six inches deep, are always cleared by the next morning, with- out one being left." Does not the Curlew * belong to this tribe ? It does. It has, most likely, de- rived its name from its cry. They are found on the ,<9^~ r - sea-coasts in most ^^^^ parts of Europe. :, " The Rail tribe belong to this or- der. Captain Cook found some of them at the Straits of Magellan ; and they are very widely dif- fused over the world. There are between twenty and thirty species. That which is best kno%vn to us is the Land-Rail, f * Scolopax arquata. j Rallus crex. 220 ORDER V. GRALLiE. FLAMINGO. I have often heard it in the corn-fields ; does it feed on corn No ; it feeds on slugs and worms ; but, most likely, frequents the corn-fields for concealment. It cries Crek, crek, crek ; so that anyone may know easily where it is. Not so easily, Edward ; I have often tried to find this bird, but have been unable, though it has been making its cry apparently close to me. It rarely takes to the wing, but runs with great swiftness ; and sometimes squats so closely on the ground, as not readily to be discerned. But there is one more bird, of a most surprising description, that belongs to this order, which we have not noticed. What is it, sir ? The Flamingo ; * its hill is bent, its neck is very long, and its feet ivebbed. Its plumage is of a scarlet colour, excepting the quills, which are black, and its neck and legs so long, that the bird rises to the height of ♦ Phoenicopterus ruber. 221 CLASS II. AVES. FLAMINGO. five or six feet, though its body is not much larger than that of a common turkey. They are birds of very great beauty; and are natives of Africa and America. If the sportsman keeps himself out of sight, he may readily kill many of the flock. It is said that, when the flamingo reposes, it stands on one leg, while the other is drawn close to its body, and the head is placed under the wing. They must appear very beautiful. Dampier, who saw a great number of them together, says, that at a ^^^^ ^^ ' distance they looked like a regiment of soldiers. They have been caught young, and readily tamed ; but do not live long in a domestic state. How can this bird sit on her nest with such long legs? 222 ORDER VI. ANSERES. DUCKS. A very natural question, Edward. We are in- formed that her nest is elevated; so that she can place one leg on each side of it, while she broods on her eggs with her plumage, as other fowls. How surprising! It is. But let us talk about the next order, the Anseres or the Swimmers. They have a smooth BILL, covered with A SMOOTH SKIN, IT IS BROAD- EST AT THE POINT, AND THE TOES ARE WEBBED. There are many genera in this order ; can you specify any of them ? Certainly ; they are very common — Ducks, Geese, Swans, Gulls, Pelicans These will be sufficient for our present considera- tion. The Duck tribe are well known. They have a hroad hill and sharp teeth at the edges. The common Wild Duck* abounds in the fens in Lincolnshire. Between three and four thousand have been caught in a single decoy in one season. They are allured by * Anas boscas. 223 CLASS II. AVES. DUCKS. a few tame ducks, which are trained for the purpose, into the nets, in which they are readily taken. Ducks WILD DUCKS. are very commonly caught in the East by a person who goes into the water up to his chin, covering his head with a vessel: in this way he goes into the midst of the unsuspecting fowls, and pulls them under water, and fastens them to his girdle. When he has taken as many as he can well manage, he returns to 224 ORDER VI. ANSERES. DUCKS. the land, aiid unburdening himself, again seeks his prey ; and in this manner great numbers of ducks are procured. This is very crafty, is it not ? It is ; but a very successful plan. It is said, that on the river Tigris at Canton, there are at least forty thousand vessels occupied at all seasons by families who maintain themselves by fishing, and rearing ducks. These sampanes or boats are moored on 225 Q CLASS II. AVES. DUCKS. each side of the river. Three or four hundred ducks, or more, will go out of these habitations ; and, though there are multitudes on multitudes, each will return to its own home. How wonderfully animals may be trained to almost anything ! They may ; yet we may always remark the supe- riority of reason over the greatest cunning or sagacity of instinct. The Eider Duck * is found in the western isles of Scotland, and the Fero Isles ; but in greater numbers in Norway, Ice- land, and Green- land. A soft down called ei- der, is obtained from the breast of this bird in the breeding sea- Anas mollissima. 226 ORDER VI. ANSERES. GEESE. son, and used for stuffing beds, duvets, &c. The male resembles the common duck in appearance, but is about twice its size ; the female is smaller and less handsome. They build their nests in holes in the rocks, and among the stones on the seashore ; they lay a number of eggs, which are of a pale ohve colour, large, glossy, smooth, and well-tasted. The geese of all species, of course, belong to this order. They do. Within the arctic circle immense numbers of snow-geese are found ; they are easily taken, and fonn a great part of the food of the inha- bitants of those dreary regions. Wild Geese * abound in the fens of Lincolnshire and Cambridge- shire. Our common Goose is the wild species do- mesticated. Did you not tell me that the people in the fens, who keep many thousands of them, strip them often, while alive, for their feathers ? * Anas anser. 227 Q 2 CLASS II. AVES. GEESE. They do ; once a-year for their quills, and several times for their feathers. Is not this very cruel ? I think so. Perhaps, as steel pens are so common, their quills will not be of so much value ; and this barbarous practice may be in part, at least, aban- doned. Are they not driven in flocks of thousands to Lon- don annually ? They are. Is there not a kind of goose called tlie Solan Goose, found wild in the northern isles of Scotland ? Yes ; the Solan Geese * are birds of passage ; they build in the island of the Bass in Scotland, and among the * Anser Bassanus, or Pelecanus Bassanus. 228 ORDER VI. ANSERES. GEESE. rocks of St. Kilda, in vast numbers. They usually appear about the time of the arrival of the herrings, on which they chiefly feed. They sometimes migrate so far south as the mouth of the Tagus, being fre- quently seen off Lisbon, during the month of De- cember, di\dng for sardinas, a kind of fish resem- bling a sprat, but larger. The young ones are esteemed a great delicacy. This bird is remarkable for the quickness of its sight; and, according to Martin, solan is derived from an Irish word which signifies that quality. It is about the size of the common goose, but its wings are much longer ; its beak is long and straight, but a little hooked at the end ; it has, near the hooked part, two small appen- dages like teeth. Its mouth opens to a great width, and nature has furnished it with notches like a saw, to enable it to hold the fish more securely. From the corner of the mouth is a narrow sKp of black bare skin, that extends to the hind part of the head. Beneath the chin is another, which, like the pouch of the pelican, is capable of extension, and sufii- 229 CLASS II. AVES. SWANS. ciently capacious to contain five or six herrings ; which, in breeding season, it carries to its young. So you see, Edward, the same God that endowed mankind with the nobler faculties of acquiring wis- dom and practical virtue, is not unmindful of the wants of the meanest of his creatures. Does not the Swan belong to this tribe ? Certainly it does. The domestic Swan* is a most Anas olor. 2::o ORDER VI. ANSERES. GULLS. beautiful and elegant fowl ; what dignity is apparent in all its movements ! They will svrim much faster than anyone can walk. The swan is so powerful, that it has been known to break a man's leg with the stroke of its wing. It is affirmed, that they will live nearly a hundred years. Milton prettily says, refer- ring to this noble creature — * * * *' The swan, with arched neck, Between her white wings manthng proudly, rows Her state with oary feet." Swans abound, in a wild state, in the northern parts of the world, especially in Siberia. And great nimibers of black swans are found in New South Wales. Do you recollect the Gull I caught in one of our fields ? I do ; no doubt it was driven so far inland by a heavy gale ; and, being exhausted and subdued by hunger, the bird readily permitted you to take it. Does it not belong to the order of Anseres ? 231 CLASS II. AVES. GULLS. It does ; the tribe have the hill a little crooked at the point, and the under part of the lower mandible is pro- minent There are many species. The common Gull* is best known. Multitudes frequent our rivers near to the sea, and rear their young in the clefts of the rocks which encircle the ocean. It is also found in Ireland, on the Russian lakes, on the Caspian Sea, in Greece, and on the shores of Newfound- land. When the tide ebbs, multitudes of them may be seen picking up the small fish and worms w^hich the waters have left on the sands. You measured the one I caught ; if I recollect rightly, it was sixteen inches long from the beak to * Larus canus. ORDER VI. ANSERES. PELICANS. the tail, and thirty-six broad from the tip of one wing to that of the other. It weighed about one pound ; I had forgot its length or breadth ; but I believe you are right, Edward. Its bill was yeUow, and its eyes and plumage beau- tiful. Are they good for food ? I think not. Their eggs are said to be palatable. Is the gull of any use ? No doubt they answer some important end in the creation, or they would not have been formed; though I cannot specify of what service they are. Does not the Pelican tribe belong to this order? It does. The^ have a naked face^ and there is a hag or pouch beneath the hill. They are often found in flocks. When full growTi, the PeHcan* is larger than a swan. It passes nearly its whole life in pro- curing its food, and in sleep. Its pouch will expand and hold a large number of fish. The bird usually * Pelecanus onocrotalus. 233 CLASS II. AVES. PELICANS. fills this, and then flies to the shore and devours its prey at its leisure. The bill of the peUcan we saw in the Zoological Gardens was fourteen inches long. We were assured that its pouch would hold ten or twelve quarts of water. I think you said that the accounts of its feeding the young with its blood were not true. They are not Con- trary to most of the water-fowl, they perch on the high trees, and sleep during the night. I know not that they are of any real service to man ; except, in- deed, that it has been now and then tamed, and employed in fish- ing for its owner ; and its pouch, after it has been dried and prepared, has been used as a bag or purse by the American Indians. 234 ORDER VI. ANSERES. SPOONBILL. A captain of a vessel has named a pleasing circum- stance relative to the pelican. When on the island of Natividad, in the South Seas, one of these fowl had been maimed in the wing, so that it could not fly or dive. The unfortunate bird must have perished speedily, had not the other pelicans regularly foraged for it, and brought it supplies day after day. That was very charitable. The Spoonbill belongs to this order. The Penguin tribe also belongs to this order. The bill is straight and furrowed, its wings are like Jins^ and are not used for fiight. In- deed, they use their fins as oars. Incredible numbers of them are found in the South Sea islands. Falkland Island abounds with them. Wlien in the water they often leap out of it four or five feet ; but when on the land they are easily taken ; they stand still, and do 235 CLASS II. AVES. PETREL. not make any effort to escape. The sailors who were with Capt. Cook took as many as they pleased of this singular bird. On what account do they leap out of the water ? I know not; perhaps to avoid some foe ; per- haps to accelerate their course ; or, it may be, out of mere sportive- ness. The Petrel TRIBE belongs to this The upper part of the hill is hooked at the point, its feet are wehbed^ and, in the place of a hind toe, it has a spur, ichich points doicmcards. This most singular bird comes on shore order. 236 ORDER VI. ANSERES. PETREL. only to breed. When the storm rages with the greatest fury, it is seen walking on the billows, or in the hollows made by the waves. It often follows vessels to an immense distance from land, and is ge- nerally thought to be ominous of a tempest. Though it is silent by day, it makes a great noise by night. =3^^^^^^ It is said, that they spout a stream of pure oil in the face of anyone who molests them. I have seen 237 CLASS II. AVES. PETREL. them repeatedly; they are but little larger than a swallow. And of what use are these strange birds ? I know not, Edward ; I do not, as I have often told you, undertake to answer all the questions, or half of them, which anyone could readily address to me. Yet I recollect there is one point of view in which they are ser- viceable ; the people of the Feroe Islands make candles of them. Make candles of them, sir ! Yes ; they draw a vdck through the bird and light it ; and, as the petrel is full of fat and oil, it burns for a long time. I should never have thought of such a use as this. I dare say you would not. The Auk tribe is placed under this order. It is a bird of passage, 238 :^:3^.. FULMAE PETREL. ORDER VI. ANSERES. PUFFIN AUK. visiting our coast about the beginning of April, and departing about the middle of August. They lay one egg in a hole in the earth, or in the fissures of the rocks. J7ie bill is thick, convex, and marked with ■"urrows. The bill of the one v^e saw stuffed, you know, sir, was half red, and the legs were of an orange colour. Its beak was very singular, and rather more than an inch long. It was the Puffin Auk.* This bird does not breed till it is three years old. It feeds on sprats and sea-weeds. The Man-of-war Bird, or the Albatross, is classed under this order. It is a most remarkable bird. They are often as large or larger than a swan. The plumage, in general, is white, marked with Alca arctica. 239 CLASS II. AVES. DIVER. black lines. The quill feathers are black, the bill yellow, and the legs of flesh colour. It is common about the Cape of Good Hope, and in America. Except when gorged with prey, they have great powers of flight. They take as their prey immense numbers of the flying fish. The flesh is very hard and dry, and the bird is of but little use. Their eggs, indeed, are valued at the Cape, and the white of them does not become hard, as is commonly the case with other eggs, by boiKng. It weighs from twenty to twenty-eight pounds; its ™igs extend from ten to thirteen feet. Has it any notes ? Yes, of a most unusual kind. Can you guess, Edward ? No ; are they like any of our British birds ? They very much resemble, it is said, the braying of an ass ! What notes ! I am not sorry they do not ^dsit our shores. The Diver tribe is the last we shall notice hi 240 ORDER VI. ANSERES. DIVER. this order and class. "The Northern Diver* or Loon," says Mr. White, "is so incomparably adapted to its mode of life, that in no instance do we see the wisdom of God in the creation to more advantage. The head is sharp, and smaller than the part of the neck adjoining, in order that it may pierce the water; the wings are placed forward, and out of the centre of gravity, for a purpose which shall be noticed here- after ; the thighs are quite at the podex, in or- der to facilitate diving ; and the legs are Hat, and as sharp back- wards almost as the edge of a knife, that, in striking, they may cut the water ; while the feet are palmated and broad for swimming, yet so folded up, when ad- Colymbus glacialis. 241 R CLASS II. AVES. DIVER. vanced to take a fresh stroke, as to fall as narrow as the shank. The two exterior toes of the feet are longest ; the nails are flat and broad resem- bling the human, which give strength, and increase the power of swimming. The foot, when expanded, is not at right angles to the leg or body of the bird, but the exterior part inclining towards the head, forms an acute angle with the body ; the intention being, not to give motion in the line of the legs themselves, but, by the combined impulse of both in an intermediate line, the line of the body. " Most people know," adds this excellent na- turalist, ** that the swimming of birds is nothing more than a walking in the water, where one foot succeeds the other as on land; yet no one has re- marked, that diving fowls, w^hile under water, impel and row themselves forward by a motion of their wings, as well as by the impulse of their feet ; but such is really the case, as any person may easily be convinced, who will observe ducks when hunted by dogs in a clear pond. Nor do I know that anyone 242 ORDER VI. ANSERES. DIVER. has given a reason why the wings of diving fowls are placed so forward : doubtless, not for the purpose of promoting their speed in flying, since that position certainly impedes it ; but probably for the increase of their motion under water, by the use of four oars instead of two ; yet, were the wings and feet nearer together, as in land birds, they would, when in action, rather hinder than assist one another." Are these divers or loons to be found on our coast ? Chiefly in Scotland, and in the northern parts of it ; but, in a severe winter, they have been seen on the Thames, fishing for the sprats ; and, on that ac- count, are called Sprat Loons. The legs of these birds are placed so very backward, and so out of all centre of gravity, that they are unable to walk. Hence they are called by Linneus, Compedes, because they move on the ground as if shackled or fettered. The Chinese Diver* is trained by that people for * Colymbus Sinensis. 243 R2 CLASS IT. AYES. GREBE. the catching of fish^ as well as the Connorant, a species of pelican. The Grebe * also belongs to this genus ; the dis- tinguishing characters of which are, that the hill is strong, straight, and sharp-pointed ; they have no tail, and their legs are indented with a double row of notches. The great Crested Grebe has, between the bill and eyes, a stripe of black naked skin, and on the head a large dusky crest, separated in the middle ; the cheeks and throat are surrounded with a long pendent ruff of a brownish colour, edged with black ; the chin is white ; from the bill to the eye is a black line, and above that a white one ; the hind part of the neck and back is nearly black ; the rump is covered with * Colymbus. 244 ORDER VI. ANSERES. WATER-HEN. long soft down, and the breast and belly are of a most beautiful silvery white, glossy as satin, and applied to the same uses as those of the Tappet Grebe ; that is, the manufacture of muffs and tippets. They breed in the meres of Shropshire and Cheshire, and in the east fen in Lincolnshire, where they are called gaunts. They hatch their eggs in a nest floating on the water among the reeds and flags : their food is fish, and they are almost perpetually diving in pursuit of their prey. Are all water- fovvds provided wath webbed feet ? No ; the genus gallinula, though they swim on the water, have no "^ - membranes joined to their toes. The common Moor-hen, or Water- hen, belongs to this genus. It is common about our rivers, breeds two or three times in the summer, and 245 CLASS II. AVES. WATER-HEN. in the spring has a shrill call. It nearly resembles the coot in shape, but is smaller. The crown of the head, hind part of the neck, the back, and wings, are of a beautiful deep olive green ; its feet are greenish, and its breast a lead-coloured blue. The colours of the plumage in the female are much less brilliant than those of the male, and it is inferior in size. The Water-rail, the Grinetta, the Ochropus, and a great many other birds, both English and foreign, are of this genus. And thus we have reached, in our walks, to the close of the second Class in Zoology. • And our walk has been a very pleasant one, sir. I often think of your remark, that the works of God must be all blotted out before the well-informed and devout mind could be deprived of enjoyment. It is true, Edward ; " Real piety," I think it is the language of Bishop Porteus, " disposes the mind to receive entertainment from a variety of objects, which, to the gay part of mankind, are flat and in- sipid. Rural retirement, domestic tranquillity, friendly 24G PIETY. conversation, literary pursuits, philosophical inquiries, works of genius and imagination, and the whole animal creation ; nay, even the silent beauties of un- adorned nature — a bright day, a still evening, a starry hemisphere, are sources of unadulterated plea- sure to those whose taste is not vitiated by criminal indulgences, or debased by trifling ones." In answer to the complaint of many, who, when they are besought to give up bad company and the scenes of dissipation, reply, that then they should be deprived of all their pleasures, Co^vper says, * * * " Are domestic comforts dead ? Are all the nameless sweets of friendship fled ? Has time worn out, or fashion put to shame Good sense, good health, good conscience, and good fame ? All these belong to virtue, and all prove, That virtue has a title to your love. Have you no touch of pity that the poor Stand starv'd at your inhospitable door ? Earn, if you want ; if you abound, impart ; These both are pleasures to the feeling heart. No pleasure ? Has some sickly eastern waste Sent us a wind to parch us at a blast ? 247 PIETY. Can British paradise no scenes afford To please her sated and indifferent lord ? Are sweet philosophy's enjoyments run Quite to the lees ? And has religion none ?" And may we not add, have all the beautiful crea- tures which God has formed, nothing in them to awaken our interest, admiration, or delight ? 248 PwE PTi LEs — Frogs — E dible Frogs — Bull - Frogs — Toads — Tortoises — TcKTLES — Crocodiles — Alligatoes — Guaxas — Lizards — Newts — Salaiiaxders — Cameleoxs — Snakes — Spectacle Snake — Black Snakes — Rattle-Sxakes — Boas — Evening. The Third Class in the Linnean System of Zo- ology is composed of amphibious animals ; it is di- \'ided into two orders — Reptiles and Serpents. The first order are Reptiles, and have feet. The bo- dies of all the amphibia are cold, and unclothed ; and some of them are armed \\dth a deadly poison. One cannot think of reptiles or serpents, without disgust and fear. This is, indeed, commonly the case ; but many of them are exceedingly beautiful, and their construc- tion is wonderful. They have teeth, with which they 219 CLASS III. AMPHIBIA. VIPER. seize their food ; but they usually swallow it. Their blood is cold ; and, though they are tenacious of life, many of them exist a good part of the year in a state of torpor, or suspended animation. The whole order is oviparous, or are produced from eggs. But does not the Viper bring forth its young alive ? It does; but still from eggs, which are hatched within the body of the parent. But how can they live without breathing ? I cannot tell you ; but the fact is unquestionable. It must be very dreadful to live in countries where reptiles abound. Not so much so as you imagine. The people in America are but very little annoyed by them. Do you not recollect what is said in the first chapter of Genesis ; that God has so constituted all animals that they have a fear of man ? And we find this to be the case. In proportion as cultivation and civilization extend, the noxious animals retreat. And you know they always choose caverns, dens, and very retired places as their abodes. Besides, we are furnished 250 ORDER I. AMPHIBIA. REPTILES. with instruments, by which, if they annoy us, they can be easily destroyed. Yet, I think, it would have been better if God had not created them. I do not think so. The simple fact that he has thought it good to create them, ought to enforce on us the conclusion, that it was well for him to do so. We may be sure that he has done nothing, and that he does nothing without infinite reason, whether we perceive it or not. One of our poets had good ground for saying, *' Each moss, Each shi 11, each crawling insect holds a rank Important in the plan of Him who fram'd This scale of beings ; holds a rank, which, lost. Would break the chain, and leave a gap That Nature's self would rue." I think I can tell you the names of the reptiles ; are they not the Frog, the Tortoise, and the Lizard ? They are. There are about fifty species, which are classed in three divisions — the common Frogs, 251 CLASS III. AMPHIBIA. FROG. which throw out their eggs or spawn in a jelly-like heap ; the Hylae or Tree-frogs,which are a smaller and a nim- bler race, and are able to pursue in- sects on the branches of trees ; and Toads, wliich lay their eggs like a string of beads. How different the young frog is from the old one ! It is ; the young one or tadpole has a tail, which drops off the body when the legs grow. The com- mon Frog* lies in a state of torpor through the winter, but comes forth in the spring, and changes its skin ; which operation it repeats about once in ten days, during the warm season of the year. It is very pro- lific ; it will produce 800 or 1 000 eggs every year. ilana temporaria, 2j2 ORDER I. AMPHIBIA. REPTILES. The tadpoles are formed in about forty days, and, in two months, they are changed into frogs. The tongue of the frog is wonderfully adapted for securing its prey. Its root, contrary to that of all other animals, is at the front of the mouth ; and the tip of it points to the throat. This instrument it darts out with an agility which almost eludes the eye, and transfixes and swallows the insect at the same in- stant. ^Yhole acres of ground have been seen covered with young frogs, just emerged from their ponds ; so that the \'ulgar have been led to affirm, that they had come down from the clouds in a shower. A shov/er of frogs 1 that would be strange ! The apparatus for breathing is in the mouth, at the root of the tongue ; it has tw^o openings in the upper part of its head, by which it inspires the air. You showed me the circulation of the blood in the leg of a frog some time since ; it was a pretty spec- tacle. It is very distinctly seen, as the skin of the frog is so thin and transparent. 253 CLASS III. AMPHIBIA. FROG. Is there not a species of frogs that is eaten on the Continent ? The Edible Frog * is very common in France and Germany. It is larger than the common frog ; it is of an olive-green colour, marked with black spots on the back, and bars of the same colour on its limbs. They are esteemed by many as a great luxury, and are cooked in various ways. I should not like them in any way, I am sure. Perhaps not. There is another remarkable frog which is eaten, and which is as fleshy as a young fowl ; it is the Bull-frog. f Frogs are common all over the world, but this is peculiar to America. They make a noise like a bull, from whence it derives its name. Tliese reptiles are a foot and a-half long, and even more ; they will leap full three yards at once. It is not unfrequently that they seize on the young ducks and geese which venture into the ponds where they are. * Rana esculenta. f Rana ocellata. 254 ORDER I. AMPHIBIA. REPTILES. Is the Tree-frog to be found in Britain ? No ; I think it is confined to the Continent. The Toad * belongs to this order. They are so numerous in South America, that, after a shower, the whole ground is covered with these ugly reptiles ; so that it is impossible to move without crushing them. Though it is, generally speaking, ugly, its eyes are very beau- tiful. Mr. Pennant mentions one which was kept in a gentleman's garden, which would come when it was called for to be fed ; it lived thirty-six years, and was at last killed by a raven. They are not poison- ous, as is generally believed. Is it true that they have been found in marble, and in the midst of the solid oak ? If this be the case, they must have lived there for hundreds of years. Many stories of this kind which have been related seem unworthy of any credit ; yet there are a few narratives so well witnessed, that it is scarcely rational Rana bufo. 25J CLASS III. AMPHIBIA. TOUTOISE. to reject the evidence by wliicli they are supported. I hardly know what to say about them. The Tortoise tribe is a very singular one. TJiey have four feet, and their bodies are covered with a heau- tiful shell. Their shell is so strong, that a loaded cart might go over it without doing it any injury ; it is composed of thirty-eight pieces. The common or Greek Tortoise * is eaten very generally by the Greeks. The admirable naturalist of Selborne has given us some pleasing information relative to this creature. He says, " It retires under ground about the middle of No- vember, and comes forth about the mid- dle of April. In the height of summer, but at no other time, it eats plentifully of lettuce, dan- dehons, and cowthistles. In forming its winter abode, Testudo Graeca. 250 ORDER I. AMPHIBIA. TURTLE. it scrapes out tlie ground with its fore feet, and throws it over its back \vith its hind ones ; but the motion of its legs is very slow, little exceeding the hour-hand of a clock ; yet it works night and day in scraping out the earth. Though it has a shell which would secure it against a loaded cart, yet it discovers as much soli- citude about rain, as a lady dressed in all her best attire — shuffling away at the first sprinkling, and run- ning its head up in a corner. " If attended to, it becomes an excellent weather- glass ; for, as sure as it walks elate, as it were, on tiptoe, feeding mth great earnestness in a morning, so sure will it rain before night. It never stirs after dark. All the winter he refrains from eating, and even from breathing. An old lady had one in her garden, on which she waited thirty years ; it knew her, and would come at her call. Tortoises have been known to live for a century ; and some have survived even much longer." The Green Turtle * is a very remarkable creature. * Testudo mydas. 257 S CLASS III. AMPHIBIA. TURTLE. Dampier mentions one which was six feet broad, and four feet in thickness. They are found almost every- where in the torrid zone. They often float on the water, with their heads in the air, as if enjoying it ; but when disturbed, they instantly sink to the bottom. In the spring, about April, they come on shore, and dig a hole in the sand, in w^liich they deposit more than a hundred eggs ; these they lightly cover over. Mariners usually search for them, and regard them as a great treat. Are they like our hens' eggs ? Yes ; they have a yolk and white, much the same, only the white does not become thick by boihng ; and, instead of a shell, they are enclosed in a strong covering, of a substance like wet parchment. The young ones, which are hatched by the sun, are often caught by the inliabitants on the African coast, and placed in enclosures on the seashore, where they are permitted to grow till they are killed for their food. I can't think how they can catch the old ones. Why, they lie in wait for their coming on shore to 258 ORDER I. AMPHIBIA. CROCODILE. lay their eggs, when they turn them on their backs, from which position the animal is unable to move ; and, in this way, they are easily secured. They will weigh from 400 to 800 or 900 pounds. Is the tortoise-shell box, which you gave me, made from the shell of either of these animals ? No ; but from the imbricated turtle, whose shell is more transparent, variegated, and stronger than that of the other species. The Lizard tribe belongs to this order; it is a very remarkable one. Tfceir bodies are naked or scaly, and tliey have a tail. What a difference there is between the little Eft, two or three inches long, and the Crocodile,* which is often four or five-and- twenty feet. What a prodigious and horrid creature ! Truly so; the first sight of it creates terror, as its teeth are exposed, having no lips to cover them ; and its eyes have a fiery glare. Has it many teeth ? * Lacerta crocodilus. 259 S 2 CLASS III. AMPHIBIA. CROCODILE. More than thirty in each jaw ; and they are very sharp-pointed, and strong. Its armour is composed of plate upon plate, and on the back it will resist a musket-hall. Its mouth is a horrid abyss. This (ireadful animal will He like a log of wood on the shore, and will spring even on a tiger, which may come to drink, dragging him into the water, and drowning him presently. A missionary told me, that one came from the river Gambia to Macarthy's Island, on which this good man then was, and seized one of two children which were playing on the banks ; re- turning to take the other, he was killed. The little boy was taken out of the monster, but, of course, was dead. Multitudes of them are to be found in all the rivers of Africa. Sonnini says, his boat, when he was on the Nile, was often surrounded with them ; but they did not appear to notice him. I think these monsters are oviparous ; are they not? They are ; they lay nearly a hundred eggs, which are hatched by the sun. 260 ORDER I. AMPHIBIA. ALLIGATOR. No wonder they are very numerous ; but the ich- neumons, I have heard, destroy multitudes of their eggs. They do ; and the vultures and birds of prey also devour milKons of their eggs, and of their young, or they would be an insuiferable plague. And yet He- rodotus tells us, that this hateful creatiu'e was wor- shipped as a god by the people around Thebes. How stupid, foolish, and depraved is the human mind, un- enlightened by divine revelation ! The Alligator of America very much resembles the crocodile. It is found in other parts of the world, as well as in Ame- rica. There are immense numbers of them in jNlada- gascar. One of the missionaries to that island tells us, " that when driving several herd of cattle across a river, soldiers were placed on both sides, who kept up a constant fire, to frighten the alligators from at- tacking the cattle ; but such was their fierceness, that they seized three out of some droves, five, and even ten bullocks out of others. It was wonderful to see such large beasts carried down by the alligators, and 261 CLASS III. AMPHIBIA. GUANA. speedily torn to pieces by these ravenous monsters — many of which were soon seen near the surface, throwing portions of their prey into the air, and catching them again in their jaws. When a bullock was seized, thirty or forty alligators were soon about it ; each seized a piece, but they did not take one from the other. When they had gorged themselves, they soon crept up on the mud-bank to sleep, and many of them were easily shot. Some of them were sixteen, and one twenty-three feet long. This last was a fe- male ; when opened, fifty-seven eggs were taken out of her. They are eaten by the natives, but not very much esteemed. Wliat terrible creatures these must be ! The Guana * belongs to this order, and is common in the Bahama Islands, and in America. They are much prized for food. They appear formidable ani- mals, but are harmless. It climbs into very high trees with much agility. Though it does not die r * Lacerta iguana. 262 ORDER I. AMPHIBIA. LIZARDS. readily by blows or wounds, a twig or straw put up its nostrils kills it at once. Do not the small Lizards belong to this or- der ? Of course, all lizards do. A friend of mine, who had been at Sumatra, told me, that he had often sat down to dinner in a room in that island, the ceiling of which was covered with lizards ; and that now and then one would drop on the table. They were accus- tomed, at the approach of evening, thus to enter every habitation. How disagreeable it must be ! I am glad we have none of them here. But we have many of them. The Nimble Lizard,* a pretty little creature, I have often seen basking in the sun ; but he has, on seeing me, disappeared in the twinkling of an eye. The small green lizards, which are very beautiful, are found in Jersey, and are common on the continent of Em'ope. * Lact-rta agilis. 263 CLASS III. AMPHIBIA. CAMELEON. I meant we have none of them here to annoy us, as they do the people in Sumatra. I supposed that was your meaning, Edward. The Water-eft or Newt,* you know, is very common ; it is quite harmless. They change their skin many times in the summer, and lie torpid in winter. The Salamander,f a sort of eft, about six or seven inches long, which has been said to live in fire, and to quench fire, but which cannot do either, belongs to this order. And there is one more very remarkable animal that does so ; can you tell me what it is ? You told me the other day — the Cameleon. J This is, indeed, a remarkable creature ; and its quality of changing its colour is well known. Does it not live on the air ? No ; it will live without food, like most of its tribe, a long time ; but it cannot exist without sustenance. It is half-an-hour swallowing a fly. It is found in * Lacerta palustris. f Lacerta salamandra, I Lacerta chameleon. 264 ORDER I. AMPHIBIA. REPTILES. India, Africa, in South America, and even in Spain and Portugal. It feeds on injects, which it seizes with its long glutinous tongue, and is very harmless. With its long tail, it lays firm hold of the branches of the trees which it occupies. It can employ one of its eyes in looking forwards, and the other in looking backwards, or in a different direction, at the same time. It can double its size by inflating its skin. But does it really change its colour as it pleases ? I know not, Edward. Jackson, in his account of Morocco, from various experiments, affirms, that it assumes the colour of the bodies over which it passes, but of none so well as green. These changes of co- lour, he says, require a certain time — generally, two or three minutes ; the body first becomes covered with small spots of the given colour, wliich gradually enlarge, imtil the whole surface is changed. When the animal is irritated, it assumes a blackish hue, which lasts imtil the irritation ceases ; in a state of repose, it is of a whitish colour. The accounts of travellers on this subject somewhat differ. The 265 CLASS III. AMPHIBIA. VIPER. second order of the class of amphibious animals com- prehends the whole tribes of Serpents ; the principal character of which is, that they are without feet. We have many of the common Snakes * on our farm ; I often see them. They are very harmless, I be- lieve. Certainly they are ; you have seen me catch them many times. You recollect the chain of eggs we found, which one of them had left on a dunghil. Snakes live on frogs, worms, and mice, or any insects. They go into the water after frogs, and swim with great ease. How many species are there of snakes ? I cannot tell you. I think naturalists have reck- oned about two hundred. Not more than a fourth or fifth of them are poisonous. The common Viper f or Adder is one of these. It is the only poisonous ani- mal which we have in our country. | * Coluber natrix. y Coluber berus. I Juv. Nat. ORDER II. AMPHIBIA. SNAKES. The Hooded or Spectacle Snake * is another whose bite is venomous, and commonly fatal. It is often met with in India. It is three or four feet long, and has a rusty -bro^^Ti hood, in the form of spectacles. Per- sons who have been bitten by it have died in two or three hours, in much agony. A fowl wounded by it dies almost instantly. The Indians deprive it of its poisonous fangs, and teach it to dance to the sound of musical instruments. The Black Snake -f is found in North America. It has no sting, but will bite, and yet not hurt anyone who attacks it. It is very fond of milk, and has been known to eat from a basin out of which children have been feeding ; and, though they have beaten it with the spoon, it has not attempted to injure them. This snake grows to a great size ; the farmers are glad to have them on their premises, as they clear them of the vermin. The Rattle-Snake J is a native of both the Ame- * Coluber naja. t Coluber constrictor. | Crotalus horridus. 267 CLASS III. AMPHIBIA. RATTLE-SNAKE. ricas. It is often found five or six feet in length. The rattles in the tail admonish all animals to get out of the way of this monster ; these increase, at the rate of one every year, till there are forty. A snake v^^ith forty rattles must make a great noise ! In fine weather it does ; but not when it is rainy. They do not attack man, but flee from him if they possibly can — as, indeed, all serpents do. The prin- cipal danger consists in stepping on them, when they turn and wound the limb which has hurt them. Its bite is generally fatal. It is said, that it will fix its fiery eyes on a bird or animal in a tree, till it falls into its mouth, and is devoured. In the surmner, they are met with in pairs ; but towards winter, they assemble in great numbers, and take refuge in holes in the earth, where they pass the cold season in a state of torpor. The Indians kill and eat them. " I sent a servant," says a gentleman, " a bare- legged Hottentot, to bring me an article from a neighbouring hut. . It was after nightfal ; and, on returning with it, she cried out, before entering the 268 ORDER II. AMPHIBIA. SNAKE. cabin, ' Oh, Mynheer, Mynheer, what shall I do ? A snake has twined itself round my ancles ; and, if I open the door, he ^\•ill come into the house.' ' Never mind,' I replied, ' open the door, and let him come if he dare.' She obeyed, and in glided the snake, luckily without having harmed the poor girl. I stood prepared, and instantly killed him ; and found him to be one of a very venomous description." What a narrow escape ! Visiting a friend near Graham's Town, he tells us, he went one day to take a book from a shelf in the drawing-room ; he found a beautiful yellow- snake, about five feet long, lying asleep on the up- permost range of books. He lay so still, that at first he thought it a dead one stuffed ; but, perceiving a slight movement in its tail, he gave him a hard blow with a quarto volume, and broke his back, and then readily killed him. Are not the Boa tribe* the largest of the ser- pents ? * Boa constrictor. 269 CLASS III. AMPHIBIA. BOA. They are. They are not venomous, and are met with in Africa, India, and in South America. It has been found from thirty to forty feet long. You re- collect how the man at the menagerie we visited took one out of a box, and suffered it to twine round his body. I do ; and I trembled at the sight. I could not help thinking that, though it had no sting, it might crush him to death. True ; I did not like the experiment. This crea- ture has been known to seize a buffalo, to break all its bones, and to devour it. How could it do this ? By reducing it to a mass of jelly with its slaver, which produces this result with great rapidity. It has been confidently affirmed, that they will devour a stag at a meal, and that they have been seen with the horns, which they could not gulp downi, hanging out of their mouths. When they have thus devoured an animal of any size, they fall into a state of sleep and torpor, and are easily destroyed. But it is time for 270 REFLECTIONS. US to close our remarks ; the dew is rising, and we are not far from our dear home. And see how the moon shines in her beauty ! It does ; the beautiful description of one of our owTi poets is here a reality; here, all the hues of evening, " From the rich sunset, to the rising star, Their magical variety diffuse : And now they change ; a paler shadow strews Its mantle o'er the mountain ; parting day Dies like the dolphin, whom each pang imbues With a new colour as it dies away. The last still loveliest, till — 'tis gone — and all is grey I " 271 FTSH SCAI-ES AIR-BLADDER FINS EELS ELECTRIC EEL SWORD-FISH COD-FISH HADDOCK WHITING HAKES LING SUCKING FISH THK JOHN DOREE TURBOT HALIBUT SOLES PLAICE PERCH MACKEREL THUNNY STICKLEBACKS SURMULLET — GURNARD FISHING-FROG CARPENTERS ALMA PERDIDA— ERUPTION OF FISH— GONAMY. T THINK Fish come next in order under our consider- ation. Did you not say we were less acquainted with their history and habits than with those of other ani- mals ? I think we are, and must remain so, on account of the element in which they live, wliich is, in a very great degree, inaccessible to our researches. But what we do know of them is very sui'prising ; don't you think so, Edward ? I think all the works of God are wonderful. Who 272 FISH. oould even have imagined such a coat as that in which a fish is clothed ? True ; the horny substance of the scales is so ad- mirably suited to the place of their abode, and these are covered with a sort of oily slime, to keep them distinct from the water, even while they live in it. And the colour of the scales, too, sir ! those you showed me with the microscope appeared like pearl, adorned with spots of purple and gold. Paley remarks, that all the philosophers in the world could never have made a feather ; much less could they have clothed the pheasant or the peacock. Should they attempt it, without having seen any of the feathered tribe, how would they be ashamed of their work, when contrasted with that of the Cre- ator ! What a variety of covering God has given to his creatures ! there are bristles, wool, hair, feathers, furs, scales, and prickles ; and, as you have often re- marked, they are intended for armour, as well as for garments. 273 T FISH. " Every feather," says Paley, " is a mechanical wonder. If we look at the quill, we find properties not easily brought together — strength and lightness. If we cast our eyes to the upper part of the stem, we see a material made for the purpose, used in no other class of animals, and in no other part of birds ; tough, light, pliant, elastic. The pith, also, which feeds the feathers, is of a peculiar nature — neither bone, flesh, membrane, nor tendon." The parts of a feather, it is observable, imite the one with the other, the better to cast off the rain, and to make its way through the atmosphere. And this is efiected, not by any gluti- nous substance, but by a mechanical contrivance ; the parts of the feather are " interlarded with one ano- ther ; and this is done by a vast number of fibres or teeth, which shoot forth on each side, and which hook together. Fifty of these have been counted in the twentieth of an inch. The effect of this formation i»- like the latch that is fastened to a door, which enters into the cavity of the catch fixed to the door-post, and there hooking itself, fastens the door ; for it is 274 FISH. properly in this manner that one thread of a feather is fastened to the other." I think fish and birds resemble each other ; the one swim through the water, and the other through the air. How wonderful is the air-bladder in fish ! by it the animal increases or lessens its specific gravity ; and, of course, rises or sinks as it pleases. It is a philo- sophical apparatus which it carries wherever it goes, and employs, in an instant, at its pleasure. The bones of fish are singular ; they are made of a hard cartilage, which is lighter than the bones of animals in general. The fins are so formed and distributed as to secure its equal balance in the water, and to give it power to advance in any direction. Their heads being pointed, must very much aid them in making their way through the waters. They evidently breathe through their gills ; but do they hear? No doubt they do ; their organs of hearing are on the sides of the head. Their sight is obviously very 275 T2 CLASS IV. PISCES. EEL. good. Nearly all of them are oviparous, or produce their young from eggs. Are there any that are not oviparous ? It is said, that the Eel, and a species of Blenny, bring forth their young alive. Fish live to a great age ; it is affirmed, much longer than the oldest of the human race. But let us pursue our system. Fish form the Fourth Class of Linneus : it is di- vided into six orders. Their characters are taken FROM THE situation OF THE BELLY FINS. APODES, or those without belly fins, are the first order. Eels, I think, belong to it. They do. The Eel * forms a connecting link be- tween serpents and fish. It is said, that they come ashore in the night, and glide through the meadows in search of snails and worms. They usually reside in the mud, at the bottoms of ponds, ditches, or still streams. These fish are remarkably tenacious of life — having been known to move some time after they * Muraena anguilla. 276 ORDER I. APODES. EEL. have been skinned and cut to pieces. They are rea- dily taken by hnes, laid at night in the waters, baited with worms or small fish. They lie torpid in the winter, like the serpents. In the spring, multitudes of young ones pass up many of our rivers. A person at Kjngston-on-Thames, in 18o2, observed, at a given point, from 1600 to 1800 go by him in a minute ! What a migration! Is the Conger Eel* of this tribe ? Yes ; they are taken on various parts of our coast, from twenty or thirty, even to a hundred pounds weight ? Is there not an eel which has a power to give an electric shock ? Yes, the Gymnotus tribe ; f they have no fin on the hack, and are almost peculiar to South America. Its stroke is said to be ten times the force of another electrical fish, called the torpedo. Mules and horses * Muraena conger. t Gymnotus electricus. 277 CLASS IV. PISCES. SWORD-FISH. crossing the stream inhabited by it, have been killed. A road in South America was actually abandoned on this account. Are they endowed with this singular quaUty for their defence ? No doubt this is partly the case ; but also to secure their prey ; they stun it with an electric shock before they devour it. It is well they are not common ; how sad it would be if they were in the rivers where we bathe ! It would ; but, as I have often remarked, it is a kind appointment of Providence that animals which are injurious to man, ge- nerally re- tire from any place which he frequents. The Sword- fish TRIBE belongs to this order. The sword or spike from its snout is a sufficient distinc- 278 ORDER II. JUGULARES. tion. There are two species, the European and the Broad-finned.* The latter of these are often very large; they have been met with of the size of fifteen or even twenty feet; and have been kno^vn to pierce through the side of a ship to the depth of seven or eight inches, or more. Whenever it meets with the whale it is said to attack it, though greatly inferior as to size, and invariably to make it retreat as fast as it can. The whale aims very dread- ful strokes of its tail at its well-known foe, but the sword-fish gets out of the way of them very adroitly. The second order in this class is Jugulares or the Jugular Fish. They have hony gills ; their belly Jim are 'placed before the breast fins. They are innu- • Xiphias gladius — Xiphias platypterus. 279 CLASS IV. PISCES. COD-FISH. merable. One of the most valuable of this tribe is the Cod-fish.* They are taken principally on the banks of Newfoundland ; a spot, no doubt, where they readily gain provision. The great bank is said to resemble the sides of a large mountain above five hundred miles long, and three hundred broad. So many as sixteen thousand British seamen are em- ployed in this fishery. Each vessel will catch be- tween thirty and forty thousand fish in a season, though they take every fish singly with a hook and line. This must be famous fishing ! It is ; but yet harder work than you imagine, from the coldness of the climate, and the size of the fish ; but a skilful hand will draw up nearly four hundred fish in a day ! What can they do with so many ? Salt them, and put them in barrels. They are from sixteen to thirty or forty pomids weight. * Gadus morhua. 280 ORDER II. JUGULARES. WHITING. How wonderful it is, that since such great num- bers are taken, there should be any left ! So it would appear at first sight ; but when we consider that Leuwenhoek counted more than nine millions of eggs in a moderate sized cod-fish, it is not so surprising. But we may well exclaim, '* How exuberant, yea, how inexhaustible, is the goodness of the Most High!" Is not the Haddock* very similar to the cod-fish? It is of the same tribe, and, certainly, not unlike it in many respects. They have been kno\\Ti some- times on our coast in shoals three miles broad, and fifty in length. What a display is here of the riches of the great deep, and of the divine benignity ! It is an interesting fact, that the large ones quit our coast when they become un- fit for food. The "Whiting f is another of the Jugular tribe, * Gadus eglesinus. j Gadus melangus. 281 CLASS IV. PISCES. LING. and is well known. It is a very delicate fish, and very suitable for persons whose appetite is not good. The Hake * is met with in abundance on the shores of tlie counties of Devon and Cornwall, and on seve- ral parts of the coasts of Ireland. It is reckoned a coarse, and therefore it is a cheap fish, and is much eaten by the poor. It is also salted for exporta- tion to Portugal and Spain. They devour multi- tudes of the herring and mackerel, and are remark- able for their voracity. Does not the Ling f belong to this tribe ? It does, and is a valuable fish. It is commonly from three to four feet long. Immense quantities are exported from Norway every year. It is usually taken on the coast of Yorkshire, and among the islands of the Hebrides. But what is the thii'd order of this class ? The Thoracici or the Thoracic Fish. These in- clude many genera, do they not ? * Gadus merluccius. f Gadus molva. 282 ORDER III. THORACICI. SUCKING-FISH. They do. They have bony gills, and the BELLY FINS ARE UNDER THE THROAT. Do not the Sucking-fish, Doree, and Bull- head TRIBES, belong to tliis order ? They do ; let us notice one at a time. The Suck- ing-fish TRIBE* have the back of the head fiat and furrowed. Three species only are kno^vn ; these are found in the Pacific Ocean, and in the Mediterranean Sea. By a singular forma- tion of the upper part of the head, they adhere to a vessel or to a fish, and so closely, that it is exceed- ingly difficult to get them away. Four or five have been found adhering at once to a shark ; and, though much annoyed by them, he could not shake them off*. St. Pierre informs us, that he could not separate one from a piece of glass on which he had placed it. The ancients thought that this fish could stop the s^viftest * Echeneis remora. 283 CLASS IV. PISCES. DOREE. vessel when in full sail ; but this is a mere fable, it has no such power. Wliy does it adhere to other fish in this way ? I really don't know ; it may, perhaps, derive some nourishment from them in this way ; or whether it does so to find protection from some foe which may pursue it, is uncertain. We must leave this among the many other things with which we are un- acquainted. The DoREE TRIBE* belongs to this order. It is a most singular fish. What a singular name it is! It is derived from the Vrenchjaune doree ; which, you know, means yellow fish. It is difficult to de- scribe ; I will show you a print of it. It is re- markable for its singularity and ugliness. It has a * Zeus insidiator. 284 ORDER III. THORACICI. FLAT-FISH. big head, a wide mouth, and large eyes ; with a finger-spot on each side of it. Some of the super- stitious affirm, that tliis, and not the haddock, was the fish which St. Peter caught with money in its mouth. Do you think it was so ? I know not ; and it is at least difficult now to come to any decision ; nor is it an affair of any con- sequence. It is but recently that this fish has be- come an article of food among the luxurious. The Flat-fish tribe belongs to this order. They have no air-bladder, and, consequently, seldom rise far above the bottom of the sea or river. Their eyes are on one side of their head. They have no weapons either for assault or defence ; but, as the upper sur- face is of a dark-browTi hue, they are easily concealed in the sand or the mud, to which they always have recourse when in danger. Can anyone doubt, since the under part is delicately white, that the sombre colour was given them by the Creator for their pro- tection ? Can't you mention some of this tribe ? 285 CLASS IV. PISCES. SOLE. Certainly ; there are the Turbot, Halibut, Sole, Plaice, and Flounder. These will be amply sufficient for our notice. The Turbot * is taken on the Yorkshire coast, and on the coast of Holland. It is met with of various sizes, from ten to twenty, and even thirty pounds, and is reckoned delicious. The eyes of the turbot are on the left side of the head. The Halibut f somewhat resembles the turbot; but the eyes are always on the right side of the head ; it is longer, and not so broad ; and it some- times weighs two or three hundred pounds, and even much more. In their flavour they are by no means equal to the turbot. The Sole J is found everywhere around the British coast; but they are taken chiefly in * Pleuronectes maximus. t Pleuronectes hippoglossus. I Pleuronectes solea. 286 ORDER III. THORACICI. PLAICE. Torbay. They are much and deservedly prized as a nutritious and palatable food ; it is, on this ac- count, valued next to the turbot. It is found on most seacoasts, but larger in foreign parts than with us. Do not flat-fish very much resemble each other in their habits ? They do ; they all conceal themselves in the mud or sand, and thus lie in ambush for their prey ; and they all retire into deeper water in the winter months. The Plaice* and the Flounder f are much like the sole, but they are not so highly esteemed for the table. There are, behind the left eye of the plaice, six tuber- cles ; these constitute the chief difference between them. The Perch tribe * Pleuronectes platessa. f Pleuronectes flesus. 287 CLASS IV. PISCES. PERCH. belong to this order ; tliere are between fifty and sixty species ; but only four or five are to be found in our rivers, or on our coasts. TJie cover of the gills of the perch is formed of three plates^ the uppermost of which is serrated. The common Perch* is well known, and is a fine fish for food. They ai'e so voracious, that they will devour their own species. They do not gi'ow very large. The biggest that are taken seldom weigh more than one or tw^o pounds. They frequent clear and rapid streams, with a sandy or gravelly bottom. They will live for some time after they are out of the water. It is remarkable that an angler may often take a large company of them one after the other ; but if one has been hurt by his hook and escapes, he communicates the tidings in some way, so that the rest all disperse. There is a singular species of the perch in Wales which is hunch-backed. And a still more singular species is mentioned by travellers. They tell us, that in * Perca fluviatilis. 288 ORDER III. THORACICT. MACKEREL. Tranquebas there is a Perch * that creeps from tlie water on the shore, and climbs the fan palm in pur- suit of insects for food ; its body is slimy, and its gills, by which it principally ascends the trees, are armed with spines. This is singular indeed; we have no fish in our coimtry which climb trees ! Do not the Mackerel TRIBE belong to this order ? They do. They have seven rays ichich form their (jills ; they have Jive small Jins between the hack Jin and the tail The Mackerel f is very elegant in its form, and most beautifully coloured ; when taken out of the water it soon loses much of its brilliance. It is easily caught by a bit of red cloth, drawn along the surface of the water. When in perfection for food, they come in immense shoals to our coasts about May and June, and are taken in nets. A sin- gle boat, in one night's fishing, has captured as many as were worth from sixty to seventy pounds. In * Perca scandens. | Scomber scomber. 289 U CLASS IV. PISCES. STICKLEBACKS. 1808, this fish was so plentiful at Dover, that sixty were sold for a shilling ; in 1831, the value of sixteen boats full, from Lowstofie, was five thousand, two hundred, and fifty-two pounds. One should suppose the fishermen caught the whole shoal, sir, to produce all this money. They are far from doing so ; the myriads that are taken are as nothing to the myriads which escape ! In winter the mackerel is nearly blind, from a film which grows over its eyes ; in the summer the fish casts it off. A slight phosphoric light surrounds them when taken out of the water. The famous prickle called garum by the Romans, was made from this fish. The Thunny and Scad belong to this tribe. Of the former, three or four hundred thou- sand pass annually through the Straits of Gibraltar. Do not the Sticklebacks* belong to the Thoracic Fish, or the third order ? They do ; it is a remarkable fish, though one of * Gasterosteus aculeatus. 290 ORDER III. THORACICI. SURMULLET. little value ; as it is small, and very bony. It lias three sharp spines on its hack. They are very vora- cious ; and, though rarely more than two inches long, one has been known to devour between sixty and seventy small fish in a day. They will attack any of a moderate size with their spines, and either put them to flight or kill them. They have been so abundant, and are still so every seven or eight years, at Spalding, in Lincolnshire, that a man has been known to earn four shillings a-day in gathering and selling them at a halfpenny per bushel, to manure the ground.* "Where could they come from, sir ? Really, I know not ; there is something in almost every object which God has formed, with which we are unacquainted, and which we cannot find out. The Surmullet tribe belong to this order. The Red Surmullet f is known from its colour, and because it is covered icith large and loose scales. It is never found * Enc. Brit. t Mullus barbatus. 291 U2 CLASS IV. 1>ISCES. GURNARD. in our rivers, or in fresh vv^ater. The Romans very much prized, and gave large simis of money to pro- cure them. Do you recollect how much ? A Roman consul, it is said, gave about sixty pounds for one of them ; but a Roman emperor was more foolish ; for he bought one at the immense price of two hundred and forty pounds ! That was buying it, indeed ! It was ; the Striped Surmullet * (so called, be- cause it has four stripes, of a yellow hue, on each side) is taken, as well as the red species, both in the American and in the European seas. They are like each other, as to the food they furnish ; and are equally perishable with the mackerel. They are reckoned very delicious food. They swim in large shoals. The Gurnard tribe are among the Thoracic Fish ; they have a large, angular, bony head, and slender ap- * Mullus surmutetus. 292 ORDER III. THORACICI. GURNARD. pendages at the base of each breast Jin. The Grey Gurnard * and the Red Gurnard f are beautiful as to their colours ; the latter so much so, that scarcely any description can exceed the reality. There are many species ; but only the red, grey, piper, tub-fish, and striped gurnard, are caught on the British coasts. You never mention the value of the fish of which you speak ; at least, not always. True ; because I am unable to do so, as they vary very much, according to the supply there is in the market. If it be small, they are usually dear ; but if it be plentiful, they are commonly cheap; as is the case, more or less, with everything. In the latter part of the thirteenth century, Edward the First used to regulate the price of the different kinds of fish, and no one dared to violate the king's regulations. But he managed these affairs very badly ; for he fixed the price of pike higher than that of salmon, and ten times higher than turbo t or cod. * Trigla gurnardus. + Trigla cuculus. 293 CLASS IV. PISCES. FISHING-FROG. This was regulation, truly ! The less that monarchs and governments interfere with the arrangements of commerce, in a general way, the better. What an immense variety there is in the shape of fish ! but I think I have neither seen nor heard of any so ugly as that, the picture of which you showed me in a volume by a French naturalist. You refer to the Fishing-frog, I suppose. It is, indeed, the perfection of ugliness. " This fish," says Lacepede, " having no defensive arms, nor force in its limbs, nor celerity in swimming, is, in spite of its bulk, constrained to have recourse to stratagem to gain its food. It plunges itself in the mud, covers itself with sea- weed, conceals it- self among stones, and lets no part of it be perceived but the extremity of the filaments 294 ORDER III. THORACICI. FISHING-FROG. that fringe its body, which it agitates in different di- rections, so as to make them appear like worms or other baits. Fish, attracted by this apparent prey, approach, and are instantly gulped down by a single movement of this voracious and ugly creature." But this variety is found among all the works of God. The other evening, when the peacock was screaming, as we returned from our walk, you ex- claimed, " What a marvellous contrast between these notes and those of the nightingale ! " And what a contrast between the melting music of that delicious songster and the shrill whistle of the carpentero, a species of woodpecker, which much resembles the noise which a carpenter makes in sharpening a saw ; and between our fine skylark, which fills the heavens with her melody, and the cry of a bird called the alma perdida, or the lost soul, which is exceedingly melancholy ; both of which Lieut. Smyth tells us he heard in his journey from Lima to Para. How dismal it must be to have such birds around ERUPTION OF FISH. us! I am glad we have none of them in Eng- land. It is well. But we were speaking of fish. The most singular circumstance I ever read of relative to them is, an eruption which the traveller Humboldt saw in South America. An eruption of fish, sir ! Yes ; this admirable naturalist and philosopher tells us, that from the mountain of Cotopaxi, between 2000 and 3000 toises above the level of the sea, milKons of fish descend, in great quantities of cold and fresh water. It was his opinion that they were of a similar species to those found in the rivulets at the foot of the volcano. This is one of the most remarkable things of which I have heard. I think, Edward, you asked me whether fish could hear ; I forgot then to name that the Chinese breed large quantities of gold-fish, and call them with a whistle to receive their food ; so, of course, they must hear. Sir Joseph Banks used to collect his fish by 296 GONAMY. sounding a bell. Carew, the historian of Cornwall, brought his grey mullets together to be fed by mak- ing a noise with two sticks. Could not some of those fish which belong to dis- tant climates, and are very valuable, be bred in our own country ? Perhaps a few of them might ; but, in general, animals thrive best in the situations in which they were placed by the benevolent and wise Creator. Yet I recollect to have read, that the Gonamy, a fine fresh-water fish, peculiar to the continent of India, has been introduced, with great success, into the Mauritius by the French. It is singular that the young of this fish is formed in the egg, previously to its being dropped by the parent. Whatever view we take of this wonderful creation, how are we reminded of the language of a sacred poet, " All thy works praise thee, O God ; but thy saints bless thee ! " And how forcibly, too, are we reminded of the lines of one of our own bards — 297 PRAISE TO THE CREATOR. " Awake, ye tempests, and his fame In sounds of awful praise declare, And the sweet whisper of his name Fill every gentler breeze of air. Birds, ye should make his praise your theme, For Heav'n demands a song from you ; While the dumb fish that cut the stream Leap up, and mean his praises too. Mortals, can you refrain your tongues. When nature all around you sings ? O, for a shout from old and young ! From humble swains and lofty kings ! Wide as his vast dominion lies. Make the Creator's name be known ; Loud as his thunder shout his praise, And sound it lofty as his throne ! " 298 GENERAL REMARKS HUMAN HAND VISION MIND CONSCIENCE SALMON FLYING-FISH PIKE HERRINGS PILCHARDS CARP TENCH GOLD- FISH SUN-FISH PIPE-FISH SUCKER FISHING-FROG STURGEON SHARK DOG-FISH — RAYS — TORPEDO — LAMPREY. Edward. You said you would give me a farther account of the Bridge water Treatises when you had read them. I think you have read the volumes of Chalmers and Kidd. Mr. Percy. I mentioned a few striking facts to you from Whewell's work ; but I cannot pretend, from memory, to give you anything like an account of them. How could I give you proper views of a palace by biinging you a stone or two, and a few of its ornaments ? You must read the volumes for your- self. 299 HUMAN HAND. Please to mention a few things that you recol- lect. Why, as these volumes are illustrative of the works of God, the facts you refer to harmonize w4th our design in these excursions. I was much pleased with the remarks of Professor Kidd on the human hand. He justly calls it " the instrument of instruments." Man is not superior, he remarks, to other animals, because he possesses this instrument ; but he is pro- vided with such an instrument precisely because he is their superior. Take from the hand but one of the fingers, and its owner can do but little. It is the human hand which gives the power of execution to the human mind ; and it is the relative position of one of the fingers to the other four, which principally stamps the character of the hand ; for the thumb, by its capability of being brought into opposition with each of the other fingers, enables the hand to adapt itself to every shape, and gives it that complete domi- nion which it possesses over the various forms of matter. 300 VISION. Ought we not to be very thankful that no accident has deprived us of a finger or a limb ? Surely we ought. Dr. Chalmers observes, that the human frame may be said to present a more close, and crowded, and multifarious inscription of the Di\inity than any single object in the whole compass of na- ture. It is instinct throughout with the evidence of the Builder's hand. Into that system of means which has been formed for the object of seeing, there enter, at least, twenty separate contingencies ; the absence of any one of which would derange or destroy the functions of the eye ! How wonderful is the eye ! What, then, is the mind of man ! Dr. Chalmers remarks, that the superiority of mind to matter has often been the theme of eloquence to moralists. For what were all the wonders of the latter, and all its glories, without a spectator mind, that could intelli- gibly view, and tastefully admire them ? Let every eye be irrevocably closed, and this were equivalent to the entire annihilation of the element of light ; and, 301 CONSCIENCE. in like manner, if tlie light of all consciousness were put out in the world of mind, the world of matter, though as rich in beauty, and in the means of bene- volence as before, were thereby reduced to a virtual nonentity. In these circumstances, the lighting up, again, of even but one mind, would restore signifi- cancy to materialism ; which, untouched itself, had just been desolated of all those beings in whom it could kindle reflection, or to whom it could minister enjoyment. It were equal to a second creation of it ; or, in other words, one living intelligent spirit is of higher reckoning, and mightier import, than a dead universe ! These are striking reflections, and one of your fa- volirite subjects, sir. It is ; I love to contemplate the certainty of the existence of mind, and its grandeur. I will mention one more subject, and we will proceed with our zoo- logical researches. Dr. C. has a few admirable remarks on conscience. The felt presence of a judge within the breast, he observes, powerfully and imme- 302 CONSCIENCE. diately suggests the notion of a Supreme Judge and Sovereign who placed it there. The sense of a go- verning principle within begets in all men the senti- ment of a lining Governor without and above them, and with all the speed of instantaneous feeling. When terror mixed with the rage and cruelty of Nero, it was the theology of conscience that haunted him ; a voice from the deep recesses of a moral na- ture, as stable and uniform through the species, as is the material structure of humanity. The wretched- ness and the fears of the sinner can only be accounted for but from the apprehension of a moral Governor. They would not have trembled at nature's law, apart from the thought of nature's Lawgiver. The imagin- ation of an unsanctioned law would no more have given disquietude, than the imagination of a vacant throne. The throne of heaven, to their troubled eye, was filled by a living Monarch. It is a imiversal feeling, to be found wherever there are men, because interwoven with the constitution of humanity. Do you recollect, sir, Mr. Pope says, 303 CLASS IV. PISCES. SALMON. '' What conscience dictates to be done, Or warns me not to do, This teach me, more than hell to shun, That more than heav'n pursue ! " 1 am glad you recollect such admirable sentiments. Mr. Addison nobly said, " I fear the reproaches of my conscience, more than those of the whole world." But let us proceed with our natural history. Where did we pause in our last walk ? At the close of the third order of the Fourth Class ; you finished your account of the Thoracic Fish. Then, of course, we pass on to the fourth order, the Abdominales; these have the belly fins placed BEHIND THE BREAST FINS. This order includes the Salmon, Flying-fish, Pike, Herring, and Carp TRIBES. The Salmon,* if not the finest of our fish, is certainly among the number of them. The last back fin is a fleshy one. They occupy at different seasons, Salmo Salar. 304 ORDER IV. ABDOMINALES. SALMON. both tlie salt and the fresh waters. In the fall of the year it comes up into our rivers to great distances, to deposit its spawn, leaping up the waterfals and cataracts, with sur- prising agility. They return from these excursions very lean, and good for little. Salmon are taken by nets and lines, as fish generally are; and also by spearing them. It is affirmed, that a person in Scot- land would go out on horseback into the shallow parts of the stream, and secure many, with a barbed spear about fifteen feet in length. Catching salmon on horseback ! I should never have thought of such a thing. Perhaps not ; nor should we have thought of any government raising a large revenue from the nests of swallows ; but this is the case. Sir Stamford Raf- fles informs us, that the tax on these nests pro- duces annually in Java more than three hundred thou- sand rupees ! 306 X CLASS IV. PISCES. SALMON. This is a most singular tax ! It would not produce such in England. No ; salmon are so plentiful, that more than 200,000 have been caught in a season in the river Tweed. And in the rivers of Kamtschatka, they come up and throw themselves on the banks in such im- mense quantities, that there would be a reason to fear a pestilence, were they not destroyed by tlie bears and dogs, as well as the inhabitants. They must be very valuable to the poor people in that miserable part of the world. They are indeed. The common or River Trout belong to this tribe ; and the Sea or Salmon Trout, as well as the Smelt or Smell it — as its smell is pecu- liar — the Char, and Umber or Grayling. I think you said the Flying-fish are arranged under this order. They are ; only three species are known. The common Flying-fish * has the breast Jins as long as the body, with which it flies. * Exocoetus volitans. 306 ORDER IV. ABDOMINALES. FLYING-FISH. What, sir, does it fly without wings ? Yes ; its fins answer the same purpose as wings. It is probable that they do not often fly out of the water, unless pursued by their enemies ; and they very often only escape from the jaws of one foe to fall into those of another, for the birds of prey seize and devour them. By wetting their wings, which they do by touching the surface of the water, they can fly with fresh vigour ; and thus they often renew their flight. A considerable number generally take wing together. These fish form a connecting link 307 X 2 CLASS IV. PISCES. PIKE. between the inhabitants of the water and the air. They are chiefly found in the warmer climates of the globe. The Pike tribe belong to this order. Tlie head is flat, and the upper jaiu is shorter than the lower. The common Pike * is proverbially voracious. They seize, not only on frogs and water-rats, but on fish of every species, as well as on ducks, ducklings, water- fowl, and even eat one another. They have been known to devour the whole stock of fish in a pond. In the northern lakes, it is affirmed, some are taken eight feet long. The largest caught in our own country weighed about thirty-five pounds. They are sometimes dragged to land by a noose, as they lie asleep on the ditches near the Thames, which they often do in the spring of the year. It is said, that its longevity is greater than that of any other fish. In 1754, one was taken at Kaiserslautern, with a ring fastened on it, on which was engraven, that it * Esox lucius. 308 ORDER IV. ABDOMINALES. HERRING, had been cast into the pond by the command of Frederick II., in 1487 ; it was nineteen feet long, and weighed three hundi'ed and fifty pounds ! Why, sir, he must have been more than two hun- dred and sixty-seven years old ! What a Methuselah of a fish ! Do you think it is true ? I cannot credit it ; I think there must have been some mistake in reading, or in recording the inscrip- tion. But let us pass on : the Herring tribe is one of this order. The common Herring * is well known. The helly has a ridge^ and is serrated underneath. They exist in such multitudes, that, if all the men in the world should take up as many as they could carry, they would bear away but a very small part of them. They furnish food, not only to im- mense numbers of the human race, but also to a * Clupea harengus. 309 CLASS IV. PISCES. CARP. large proportion of the inhabitants of the great deep. Charles V. visited the grave of a native of Brabant, who invented the best mode of pickling them, and ate a dried fish while standing on it. But we have often talked about the herring, and I am not aware that I can add anything to your knowledge of it. The Pilchards are a species of herring, and are taken in immense quantities on the coast of Corn- wall. Some correct idea may be formed of the value of this fishery from the fact, that, besides the home consumption, there have been annually exported about thirty thousand hogsheads ; producing nearly fifty thousand a-year. The Sprat, Shad, and Anchovy, belong to this tribe. The Carp tribe have three hony rays in the gill membrane. They are chiefly found in fresh water. The Carp* has no teeth, and but one fin on the back. They are very cunning in avoiding the net or snare of any kind, and they readily hide themselves very * Cyprinus carpio. 310 ORDER IV. ABDOMINALES. CARP. deep in tlie mud. They are found, not only in Europe, Lut in Persia ; and are taken of the size of two, three, or even four feet long. In a description of a nobleman's seat in France, it is said, " One of the most pleasing tilings about it were the immense shoals of very lai'ge carp, sil- vered over with age, like silver fish, and perfect- ly tame ; so that when any persons approached the pond in which they were, they would come to the shores in such numbers, as to heave each other out of the water, begging for bread, of which a quan- tity was always kept at hand on purpose to feed them." These fish were so tame as to allow them- selves to be handled. The carp is very long-lived and very tenacious of life. They were first brought to England in 1514. How I should have delighted to feed them every day! 311 CLASS IV. PISCES. TENCH. I am sure you would. The Tench* belongs to this tribe. The Germans generally despise it as an article of food, but it is much esteemed among us. Its back, and the dorsal and ventral fins, are of a dark colour, but the head, sides, and belly, are of a green lustre, beautifully mingled with gold. Like the carp, they will live a long time out of the water. In September last, four tench were sent from Play- ford, in Suffolk, to London, packed in dry straw ; when they arrived, two of them were alive, and re- covered vigour on being put into the water. The next morning they were packed up again in dry straw, slung to the lamp iron of a coach, and carried to Sunbury ; from thence they were wheeled, with other luggage, to Upper Halliford ; even then one was found to be living.f This was very remarkable. It was ; I question whether any other fish would have borne so much packing, unpacking, and journey- * Cyprinus tinea. f Quart. Rev. p. 343, 1 837. 312 ORDER IV. ABDOMINALES. GOLD-FISH. ing, and yet have been found alive. You have some fish of this tribe of which you are very fond. What, my Gold-fish ? * Yes, they belong to it. It is a native of China, and was introduced into England in 1691. One of mine is adorned with a bright scarlet from the top of its head to the middle of its body, and the other parts are of a golden hue. This is probably a male. I wish they would breed in my vase ; I do not think they will ; I never saw any spawn. They require a larger abode and deeper water than you give them. When they do spawn it is seldom noticed ; for it floats on the surface of the water, and the fish soon devours it. I thought they did not eat anything but the ani- malcula they found in the water. * Cyprinus auratus. 313 CLASS IV. PISCES. GOLD-FISH. I believe they do if they can get it. " The Chi- nese throw into the basins small balls of paste, of which they are fond when they are dissolved. They give them also lean pork, di'ied in the sun and reduced to a fine powder ; and snails, on whose slime, left on the bottom of the glass, they eagerly feed." In winter they take scarcely anything. Mine do not take anything, in the winter or sum- mer, but what they find in the water. But how very delicate they are ! When I first had them, T caught one for a moment in my hand, and it immediately sickened and died. They will not bear handling ; they should be changed with a small net from vessel to vessel, when it is necessary to remove them. A loud noise, that of thunder which is very near, or the discharge of cannon, or the brisk shaking of the vase in which they are, will instantly kill them. They form a very interesting and beautiful addition to the furniture of the parlour or drawing-room. A considerable traffic is carried on in the spawn of these fish by the 314 ORDER V. BRANCHIOSTEGI. PIPE-FISH. Chinese. A great number of barks, it is said, are engaged in it. The Gudgeon, Bream, Roach, Dace, Chub, Minnow, and Bleak, belong to this numerous tribe. The fifth order of this class is the Branchiostegi, or the fish which have gills without bony rays. It includes in it several varieties; the Tetroden TRIBE is one of them; the belly is armed with spines, and they have no ventral fins. They are found prin- cipally in the Indian Seas. The short Sun-fish is the most remarkable of the tribe ; it grows to a large size, and has been taken of the weight of four or five hundred pounds. The Pipe-fish tribe be- long to this order. The snout is long, turned up at the end. The longer Pipe-fish* has a groove under the tail, beneath which it conceals a multitude of its young. The Sucker tribe is arranged under this order, though not by all naturalists. They adhere with great firnmess to rocks, and to any substance * Syngnathus barbarus. 315 CLASS TV. PISCES. FISHING-FROG. on which they fix. The Lump Sucker* has the whole skin covered with tubercles ; the tail and vent fins are of a purple hue, and the belly is flat, and of a fine crimson colour. Beneath the pectoral fins there is an oval aperture surrounded with a fleshy substance ; it is edged with threads or claspers, by which it clings to any object wdth great force. One thrown into a pail of water has been known to adhere to the bottom so firmly, that a person grasping its tail, has readily lifted up the whole bucket of water. That is holding fast, truly. It is ; they are not of much use ; the Greenlanders and the seals devour them ; but they are so oily and strong, that, generally, they will never be an accept- able article of food. They are exceedingly proHfic. Perhaps the most remarkable fish of this order is the Fishing-frog,f of which, I think, I have spoken to you. It is found in the British seas. It resem- bles a tadpole. They are sometimes met with four * Cycloptenis lumpus. f Lophius piscatorius. 316 ORDER Vr. CHONDROPTERYGII. STURGEON. or five feet in length. Mr. Pennant mentions one which was taken near Scarborough, whose mouth was a yard wide. The lower part of the fish is white, the upper part dark, and the skin is generally smooth. It is surprisingly ugly. When the fisher- men catch it they cast it again into the sea, because they imagine it to be an enemy of the dog-fish. But, from its great mouth, it must devour a great many fish» No doubt it does. The last order of the class of fishes is the Chondropterygii, which have carti- laginous GILLS. We will notice the principal tribes : they are those of the Sturgeon, Shark, Ray, and Lamprey. The common Sturgeon* has no teeth, the mouth is under its head, and it has two helly fins. It sometimes comes up into our rivers, like the salmon, to spa^vn, but is an inhabitant of the sea. They are found both in Europe and America. They have been taken of the size of twelve, fourteen, six- * Accipenser sturio. 317 CLASS IV. PISCES. STURGEON. teen, and even twenty feet. They are much esteemed as food; their flesh is as white as veal, and very excellent when roasted or pickled. The body of the fish is pentagonal or five-sided, and covered with five rows of bony tuber- cles. They are taken in t^ ^^^ ^l^g salmon- nets, and often harpooned or speared in the rivers and lakes of America. They often leap several yards high out of the water, and sometimes fall into the boats of the fishennen. Such a large fish falling into one's boat, would it not alarm you, sir ? Perhaps it would, as I am not accustomed to such visitants ; and they have sometimes sunk the small canoes of the Indians from the force by which they have fallen on them. From the size of the fish it might be supposed that it would not be taken \\-ith- out much difficulty ; but this is not the case ; it 318 ORDER VI. CHONDROPTERYGII. SHARK. makes no resistance, and dies instantly it is brought on shore. I think your coach-maker said your ceirriage was covered with the skin of a sturgeon. It is; and is an excellent covering. Some years since, one of these fish was taken in the river Esk, which weighed four hundred and sixty pounds ! What a monster of a fish ! Its fecundity is very great, as is proved by the as- tonishing fact, that a bushel of spawn has been taken out of one of them. A bushel of spawn, sir ! Yes, a bushel ! The formidable tribe which has devoured many a man belongs to this order. What, the Shark tribe ? Yes ; they have Jive semilunar breathing holes on the sides of the neck ; this forms a remarkable distinction from other fish. The White Shark* is well known among navigators. There are more than thirty Squalus carcharias. 319 CLASS IV. PISCES. SHARK. species ; eleven are found in the seas of Britain. In the warmer climates they especially abound. They will pursue vessels for hundreds of miles, devouring everything that is thrown overboard. They are vivi- parous, and bring forth their young in a homy case, which they fasten by filaments to coral or sea-weed. Their flesh is rank, and is seldom eaten; but their liver produces a great deal of oil, and their skin is used to polish different articles. It has often been taken thirty feet long, and weighing from one to four thousand pounds. What a monster ! Indeed it is ; a man is no more before a shark, than a little worm before a gudgeon ! " The extent of the membranes," says Mr. Kirby, " on which the olfactory nerves expand, in a shark twenty-five feet long, is calculated to be twelve or thirteen square feet." Mr. Pennant had a shark's tooth which was an inch and a half long ; and the white shark has six rows of these sharp instruments, which it has muscles to raise in the most formidable manner when seizing 320 ORDER VI. CHONDROPTERYGII. SHARK. its prey. It will bite a man in two pieces at one movement of its jaws ! How horrible a creature ! When hooked and dra^\Ti on board a vessel, it will give dreadful blows with its tail ; so that the first thing the seamen do, is to chop it off vdth a large hatchet. It swims with very great velocity, so that nothing can escape from it. Yet, I think, I have heard you say, that the negroes will sometimes do so. A few of them are so nimble, clever, and courageous, that they vnll attack and vanquish this monster. Taking advantage from the circumstance, that the shark cannot seize its prey but when lying on one side, they slide under it while it is doing so, and stab it at this critical moment. What a moment, sir ! If they miss their aim, they are lost ; it is dread- fully hazardous. This enormous and savage creature is good for little when taken ; and its history is one of calamity 321 Y CLASS IV. PISCES. SHARK. and blood. Sir Brooke Watson, some years since, was bathing near a vessel, and seeing this monster approaching with open jaws ready to devour him, he cried out to the ship's company to throw him a rope and drag him into the ship. They did so, and he grasped it ; but, when just out of the water, the shark leaped after him, and snapped off his leg ! How I should like to have shot the horrid crea- ture! In a naval battle in 1782, " when the Cassar, one of the French ships of the line, was set on fire, the sailors threw themselves into the sea ; and Sir Charles Douglas observed great numbers of sharks, which were between the French and British fleets, instantly seize on the unhappy victims. He several times saw distinctly two contending about their prey ; each seizing a leg, and, at length, disappearing, dragging the body along with them. And, notwithstanding the roar of the artillery," he says, "he plainly heard the cries of these unhappy men." How shocking a record ! 322 ORDER VI. CHONDROPTERYGII. SHARK. In the American war in 1780, our sailors had seized on a young man, one of the colonists, and they compelled him to fight against his countrymen. Of course he determined to make his escape from so grievous a bondage as soon as he could ; and one evening, while the frigate in which he was, lay in Kingston Harbour, he jumped overboard. He was a quarter of a mile from the shore ; a shark saw and followed him very quietly, till he came to a state of rest near the shore; where, as he was hanging by a rope that moored a vessel to a wharf, scarcely out of his depth, the shark seized his right leg, stripped the flesh entirely from the bones, and took the foot ofl* at the ankle. He still kept his hold, and called, to the people in the vessel, who were standing on the deck. The shark then seized his other leg, which the young man, by his struggKng, disengaged from his teeth, but with the flesh cut through down to the bone into a multitude of narrow slips. The poor creature was brought on shore, and medical aid procured ; but, before it could avail him, he expired from loss of 323 Y 2 CLASS IV. PISCES. SHARK. blood. He died, saying, that he preferred the loss of his life to the loss of. his liberty, and to his wretched condition of being obliged to fight against his country. What a sad history ! I wish all the sharks were killed, that I do. Wishing won't kill them ; God has given us rea- son, and, if we consult its dictates, we shall readily keep out of their way. One should think, did we not know to the contrary, that no man in his senses would bathe in waters where sharks abound, or which they are known to frequent. I have heard, that they follow the slave ships through their voyages, as if they were certain of much prey. This, I believe, has often been the case. And how dreadful is the reflection, since the truth of it cannot be doubted, that cargo upon cargo of human beings have been thrown out to them ! Are all sharks equally dangerous and voracious ? No ; the Basking Shark, so called from its propen- 324 ORDER VI. CHONDROPTERYGII. DOG-FISH. sity to bask in the sun on the surface of the waters, has none of the ferocity of the white shark. Though he has been found of the enormous size of from three or four to twelve or thirteen yards long, it is said, that he will suffer a person to come so near as to pat or stroke him. Their fins are generally apparent above the waves. It is valuable only for its liver, which has been known to weigh from eight hundred to a thousand pounds, and has produced sufficient oil to bring twenty -five or thirty pounds sterling. I should not much like to pat or to stroke this shark. I suppose not. The common Dog-fish* belongs to this tribe. They are found in all climates, and they destroy immense quantities of fish. In some years they almost ruin the fishery of cod and had- dock around the Scarborough coasts. The article called shagreen, by which things are poKshed, is made from the skin of this animal. Mr. Yarrell says, * Squalus canicula. 325 CLASS IV. PISCES. TORPEDO. that there are as many as fourteen species of sharks and dog-fisli around the British coasts. There is a shark called the Angel Shark,* because its pectoral fins are very large, and look like wings. It is a savage, ugly, and dangerous creature, and has no claim to the fine appellation which it bears. A fine angel, truly. The Ray tribe belongs to this order. They have Jive breatldng apertures on each side of the under part of the body. They have no air-bladder, and, of course, live at the bottom of the water. The eyes are above, and the mouth under the body. Some of them have been taken of the weight of two hundred pounds. The Torpedo * is the most remarkable fish of the tribe. It is an electric fish, nearly of a circu- lar form. Like the electric eel, it no doubt stupifies and stuns its prey, and then seizes and devours it. Reaumur put one of them into a vessel filled with sea-water ; he placed a duck in the same tub, and * Squalus squatina. f R^i^ torpedo. 326 ORDER VI. CHONDROPTERYGII. LAMPREY. covered it to prevent the escape of the fowl. In about three hours afterwards the duck was dead. The well - kno^\'n fish, the Skate and the Thornback, belong to this tribe. The electrical power of the tor- pedo must be great to kill a duck. It must. The Lamprey tribe is the last we will notice among the fish. Their mouth is oval, the body eel-shaped, and they have seven breathing ajpefrtures on each side. They adhere so firmly to stones and any solid bodies, that, though they are cut asunder, they will not rehnquish their hold. The true Lamprey* is sometimes taken of the weight of four or five pounds. It has from twelve to twenty rows of cir- Petromyzon marinus, 327 CLASS IV, PISCES. SHARK. cular teeth ; but this apparently formidable appara- tus does but little execution, as it feeds on worms and very small fish. Cartilage, in the lamprey, sup- plies the place of bones. This is a singular fish ; indeed, there seems to be fish of all sizes, shapes, and colours. There are ; the works of God, look where we may, are manifold. I forgot to mention, when speaking of the shark, how one was taken by the natives of Raiatea, as related by Messrs. Tyerman and Bennet. As the wind had subsided, and they were rowing laboriously, a large shark sprung at one of the oars and fastened on it with his teeth. Finding this very unpalatable he let it go, and came nearer the boat in search of a living victim; but one of the natives seized firm hold of a fin, and kept his grasp, regard- less of the danger. The terrible animal instantly raised his tail out of the water over the gunwale of the boat ; which, notwithstanding his desperate floundering, several of the stout natives seized, and detained him till the rest had made a rope fast round 328 ORDER VI. CHONDROPTERYGII. SHARK. him ; when, by their united force, and after many efforts, they actually succeeded in hauling him into the bottom of the boat. I would rather have let him go his way in the water ; though I should have been glad to prevent so dreadful a creature from doing any more harm. You mean you would have been more afraid of him in the boat than if he were in the water. Yes. But the natives were not afraid of him ; for he was not the first shark they had served in that manner ; so they soon despatched him with mallets and staves. In the evening they pulled him on shore, and baked the flesh, and made a hearty supper of it. I like to hear of the capture of these monsters. There is one circumstance in reference to the shark which is most extraordinary ; it is, that many of the inhabitants of the southern isles worship it. Worship it ! What silly creatures ! Silly and depraved indeed ; but it is so. A mis- sionary tells us, that the place where they met for ■629 CLASS IV. PISCES. SHARK. divine service, was on the very site of a temple dedi- cated to the worship of the shark ; a fit representative of him who is really the great destroyer. Did they worship the shark from fear ? Partly so, no doubt. Yet how courageously did they pull one into the boat and kill it, as you just now said. They did ; but then, you must recollect, by the instructions of the missionaries, they had become Christians. Before this, if they met a shark at sea, they gave him a part of the fish they had caught to propitiate him; and they often gave them, on the beach, large quantities of pork and provision for the same purpose. Almost every family had a particular shark which they worshipped and fed. A shark fed and worshipped ! What a God ! A wretched one, who would not fail to devour man, woman, or child who approached him, if he were able to seize them. What a mercy it is that God has revealed his own true character in his holy word. 330 FISH. There are many fish, sir, which you have not men- tioned, are there not ? Certainly ; I know not when we should close the subject if I were to speak of all of which I have heard or read. I will briefly mention a few of the most rare, and which you have not seen. There is the Telescope-fish. It is chiefly of a beautiful red colour. Its tail is formed of thi'ee white points in the shape of a trident. This beautiful fish is found only in the fresh-water rivers of China. There is the Trumpet-fish, which is taken in many parts of the Mediter- ranean. Its colour is a pale red ; the beak is long, though its mouth is but small. This fish is eaten, but it is not of much value. Another is the Spotted Toad-fish ; which, as its name seems to imply, is an ugly creature. There 331 FISH. are crooked spines all over the body, and instruments V >^ are over its head by which ^^^1^^^ V\ ^ it catches and secures its ^^|^^H|^M^M prey. This fish moves ^^^T^^^H^^B|^^ very slowly, is seldom seen ^H^H^^B^^HHH^ but at the bottom of the ^^^^^^H^pI^B water, and is met with ^^^^ only in Brazil or China. A fourth is the Pilot-fish. It is dis- tinguished by three bands, and is nearly two feet long. They are common in the East Indies, in the Southern Ocean, near the Cape of Good Hope, and in the Mediterranean. A fifth is the Por- cupine-fish. It is co- vered with spines ; the back is of a dark-blue colour, but the belly 332 FISH. white. Wlien taken it tries to wound every object mth its spines ; but sometimes feigns itself for a season dead, and looks like a wet glove. It is com- mon in the Red Sea and in America. A sixth fish is the Horned Silure. The head is broad and flat, and the horns are just above the mouth. The skin of this fish is very much like leather. The dorsal fin, unlike that of any other fish, is just above the head. It is a na- tive of the Asiatic seas. A seventh fish of a most singular form, is the Bow- banded Chetedon. The eyes are nearly at the top ■ of the head; the pupil is black, but the iris of a gold yellow. Its general colour 333 FISH. is a very dark brown, inclining to black. Its four belts seem to be of ivory. A line of small dots divides this fish. They are found on the coasts ol South America. An eighth is the Four-eyed Loach. Each eye has a double pupil, from whence it derives its name. Like the whale, it produces its young alive. It has not been found but in the rivers of Surinam. A ninth fish remark- able for its singularity is the Sea-cock. This fish is \nthout scales, of a silvery hue inclin- ing to red; but its fins are of a lively green. It is found both in the Ecvst and West Indies. I will mention only one more, but which is quite 334 THE CREATOR. as singular as any one 1 have named — the Flying Scorprena. Its his- tory, I believe, is known but very im- perfectly. We do not worship the shark, or any of the creatures now. No ; but that we do not is owing to the knowledge we have derived from the Scriptures. The God who made and sustains all worlds, and all beings, is God alone. We may well exclaim, in the language of that noble volume, " Who among the gods of the hea- then is like unto him ? w^ho hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance. He taketh up the isles as a very little thing ! His is the greatness, and the glory, and the majesty ; for all in heaven and on earth is his, and he is exalted above all ! O 335 THE CREATOR. come, let us worship and bow down ; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand." 336 INSFXTS-- MOSQUITOES GNATS SOUNDS OF INSECTS CHAFEHS BEE- TLES DIAMOND, BURYING, AND STAG BEETLES PILL CHAFER PTINUS DEATH-WATCH — LADY BUG CURCULIO GLOW-WORM EARWIG COCK ROACH — MANTIS — LOCUSTS MOLE CRICKET LANTERN-FLY GRASSHOP- PERS APHIS COCHINEAL LINES ON THE WEATHER. Mr. Percy. Well, Edward, how far have we ad- vanced in our study of the Limiean System of Zoology ? Edward. We finished our re\dew of the Fourth Class — of fishes. We did ; and when w^e first thought of the plan of examining it in our walks, you were afraid we should never be able to notice all the classes and orders ; and now we have but two more classes to investigate. We have gone through the Four Classes of Beasts, 337 Z INSECTS. Birds, Amphibious Animals, and Fishes, in nine walks. Is this, then, our tenth walk only, since we have begun to converse on the subject ? It is only the tenth. You remind me of a remark you have often made in the course of my studies, that a man will make sure progress in learning a language or anything else, if he will really acquire a little knowledge of it every day. He will. We should not be discouraged at diffi- culties. A man may make a visible progress in re- moving a mountam, who every day takes away as much as he can carry at once. You did not reach the top of St. Paul's by lazy wishes that you were there ; or by standing on the ground and looking up vdth the foohsh exclamation, " It is such a long way up, we shall never get there ; and so we won't try ! " No ; but you took step after step ; and, though you were tired, you reached the summit, and you had your reward — the beautiful and subhme prospect which burst on your delighted gaze. And so, by de- 338 INSECTS. grees, but with very little effort, you have really be- come acquainted with the world of animals, as they are beautifully arranged by a great genius, of nice observation and distinguished ability. I find a much greater interest in every creature I now see, than I once did. I no sooner see an animal, but I think of the class and order to w^hich it belongs, and on what account. As you ahvays tell me what subject you mean to talk about, and give me some book to read on that particular branch of it ; I find it easy to accompany you, and I the more readily retain w^hat you say. I am sure you do. The Fifth Class is the next that invites our attention ; I think you recollect the subject? It is Insects ; I have been reading a chapter on it. The word is a Latin one, and means cut in two; be- cause insects, like the bee or wasp, seem to be com- posed of tw^o parts, united only by a thread. It is so ; but you know the subject abeady ; may we not take another with which you are unacquainted ? 339 Z 2 INSECTS. No, sir ; I know it but partially ; and conversing on it will more deeply impress what I do know upon my memory. But is it not strange that crabs and lobsters should have been placed by Linneus among the insects ? I rather approve of the arrangement of Cuvier, who places them under the head crustaceous animals ; this seems more proper. Are not insects very inferior to those nobler parts of the creation which have come under our con- sideration ? They may be so in some points of view. Of course we do not place a butterfly, or even a bee, on a level with a horse or cow. But insects form a very im- portant and very interesting part of animated nature. Every portion of the Creator's works presents to the contemplative mind a display of indescribable power, wisdom, and goodness. " After an attentive exami- nation," says a foreign naturalist, " of the nature and anatomy of the smallest as well as the largest ani- mals, I cannot help allowdng the least an equal, or, 340 INSECTS. perhaps, a superior degree of dignity. If, wliile we dissect with care the larger animals, we are filled with wonder at the elegant disposition of their parts, to what a height is oui' astonishment raised when we discover all these parts arranged in the least in the same regular manner ! Notwithstanding the small- ness of ants, nothing hinders our preferring them to some larger animals, if we consider either their un- wearied diligence, their wonderful strength, or their inimitable propensity to labour. Their amazing love to their young is still more surprising. They not only daily carry them to such places as may afford them food ; but if, by accident, they are killed, and even €ut into pieces, they will, with the utmost ten- derness, carry them away piecemeal. Who can show such an example among the larger animals which are dignified by the title of perfect?" I do not alto- gether agree with this writer, although many of his observations are correct. All the works of God are wonderful and well worthy of our most but an emmet can never 341 INSECTS. be a more interesting object than a horse or an elephant. There are some things you may teach almost any animal ; but you cannot teach a bee or an ant any- thing. Our Newfoundland dog, Nero, will fetch and carry, and do many things which you bid him. And even serpents, you know, sir, are taught to dance. Yes, and birds to sing tunes very different to their natural notes. Even a pig has been taught to select a particular letter or letters from an alphabet ; but, as you say, insects are guided entirely by instinct, they are incapable of being taught anything. Insects are more numerous than any other class of beings, are they not ? Perhaps they are ; we know that in some parts of America and the north of Europe, that the mosqui- toes, for example, are in such swarms, that it is difficult to keep a light, as they rush on and ex- tinguish it. The insects, and some of the little creatures which are placed under the Class Vermes or Worms, ap- 342 INSECTS. pear so much alike, that might they not have been inckided in one ? How can you distinguish between them ? They used to be generally confounded ; but Lin- neus has shown that they essentially diifer — almost as much as birds do from the Class Mammalia. You ask me how I know that an animal must be placed under the class of insects ? I reply, An insect has antennge, a head, and six or more feet, with a hard skin, which serves it instead of bones, which the class of worms has not. Mr. White says, that insects do not hear ; and that he made a noise by his bee-hives with a speaking- trumpet which might have been heard a mile, but the bees took not the least notice of it. I recollect you remarked one day, that it was evident the wasp and the bee heard; for when they are assailed, they change their notes, and their fellows hear, and come to their assistance. This I have seen many times. Some persons have affirmed, that insects do not smell ; but I think it at 343 INSECTS. least highly probable that they do. Many think that they hear with their antennae, and smell with their feelers. We are sure they have eyes, and they are very wonderful eyes too ! They are ; their eyes are numerous, and, as you say, wonderful. They have many surfaces or lenses, each of which reflects the object ; hence it is that they are all very quick-sighted. Their eyes, then, would be very much like my multiplying glass, which, instead of the image of one candle, presents me with at least fifty difierent lights. Just so ; as these lenses are directed to every quain- ter, their eyes do not move ; nor is it necessary that they should. Hook computed fourteen thousand of these lenses in the two eyes of a drone. Then the drone would see in a small compass, if near a taper, fourteen thousand candles ! What a splendid illumination ! And Leuwenhoek computed twelve thousand, five 344 INSECTS. hundred, and forty-four of these lenses in each of the eyes of the di'agon-fly. How wonderful I Do not insects breathe by aper- tures in their sides ? They do. There is a wonderful variety of heads, tongues, trunks, wings, limbs, and habits in insects. To mention but one instance — what a diiference there is between the proboscis of a fly, and the ring-folded sucker of a butterfly ! That of the fly is the proboscis of the elephant in miniature ! In miniature, indeed, Edward ! And that of the butterfly resembles the spring of a watch rolled up under its head! The legs of insects are diversified, and are admirably suited to their habits ; whether they run, leap, or swim. And what a variety is there in their wings, in their shape, colour, and disposition ! How carefully the chafer folds up hers in a strong easel And what changes they all pass through ! Who would suppose, if he did not know it, that the eggs 345 INSECTS. would produce a caterpillar, and that the caterpillar would be transformed into a butterfly ! And how surprising it is, that the gnat should drop its eggs into the water, which we know it does. It cannot live in the water itself; how, then, is it that it imagines its young can ? How, indeed, Edward. He would be a very clever man who could answer your question. You might ask, how is it that the cabbage-butterfly deposits its eggs on the cabbage ; and others on plants, and in places in wdiich the young find an abundance of food ? The insect lays its egg, from which the larva, grub, or caterpillar is hatched ; this changes to a pupa or chrysalis ; and this into an insect similar to that which first laid the egg, which is called a perfect in- sect ; and why ? Because it undergoes no more changes. The flesh-fly does not mistake and lay its eggs on the cabbage-leaf; nor does the butterfly deposit hers on a joint of meat. How is it that insects never make such mistakes ? 346 INSECTS. I know not, Edward. Here is the impress of the Creator's hand. The music of insects is remarkable. I always like to hear the humming of bees. And you know you stood still one evening some time to hear the singing of the gnats ! Singing of the gnats, indeed. Yet I must acknow- ledge they did amuse and please me. Thomson has prettily noticed the singing, as you call it, of the in- sects ; — " Resounds the living surface of the ground ; Nor undelightful is the ceaseless hum To him who muses through the woods at noon ; Thick in yon stream of light, a thousand ways, Upward, downward, thwarting, and convolv'd, The quivering nations sport." But we must pass on, Edward, from these general to more particular remarks. The Fifth Class of the Linnean System of Zoology treats of Insects. There are seven orders, the characters of which 347 CLASS V. INSECTA. BEETLES. ARE TAKEN FROM THEIR WINGS. The first order is CoLEOPTERA, or msects which have their wings IN A sheath, as the word means. Beetles, Chafers, Stag Beetles, the Borers, Glow-worms, and Earwigs, with many others, are included in this order. The Scarab^us or Beetle tribe have their antenncB deft like a comb. The fine gauze wing of the beetle is most admirable. "What a tissue of cordage," says Paley, " that is, of muscular tendons, must run in various and complicated, but determinate directions, along this fine surface, in order to enable the animal to gather it up in a precise form, when it desires to place its wings under its shelter, or again to expand their folds when wanted for action ! " This insect usually comes forth in the evening from its subterra- neous abode. Gray includes its noise among the sounds which distinguish the evening — "Now fades the glimmering landscape on the sight, And all the air a solemn stillness holds ; Save where the beetle wheels his drony flight, And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds." 348 ORDER I. COLEOPTERA. CHAFER. There is a great variety among these insects, espe- cially as to their size. They are found not bigger than the head of a pin, and of different dimensions to that of the elephant beetle, which is as large as a man's fist. Some of them come to perfection in a short period ; and others, like the Chafer * require three or four years. We have often talked about the chafer, and I know its history very well. It is not till the end of the fourth year that this insect becomes perfect. All that time it resides in the earth, and undergoes several changes. It has no eyes during this period, neither does it want any. Because it lives in the dark. Bingley has a curi- ous calculation of the number of chafers devoured by a nest of five jays. These, with the old ones, ate about two hundred every day. In three months this would amount to twenty thousand. " But, as the grub continues in the same state for four years, this * Scarabaeus Melolontha. 349 CLASS V. INSECTA. ROSE CHAFER. pair of birds, with their young, without reckoning their descendants after the first year, would destroy as many as eighty thousand grubs. Now, supposing tliat forty thousand of these may be females, and that each female lays, as is the case, about two hundred eggs ; it will appear that no less than eight millions of grubs have been destroyed, or at least prevented from being hatched by this single family of jays." All the produce of the fields would be destroyed by voracious insects, if it were not that the birds devour such multitudes. The Rose Chafer* is of the same tribe as the beetle. It is, perhaps the most beautiful of the British insects. You have often found it on the roses in June. In South America there are some rose chafers which are very splendid. A traveller in Brazil observed two species of the diamond beetle, of the most brilliant hues ; they were hanging in im- * Scarabaeus auratus. 350 ORDER I. COLEOPTERA. BURYING BEETLE. mense clusters on the trees till the branches really bent under their weight. This must have been a fine sight ! It must. The Pill Chafer* is a very remarkable insect. It derives its name from its habit of making pellets or pills of manure, in each of which it deposits an egg. When these are hardened, the male and the female engage in rolling them along to some se- cure place in which they may remain till the young come forth. The feet of the males are in the form of an axe, the better to fit them for their purpose. And, what is singular, these beetles are equally con- cerned for the preservation of all such pellets they may find, whether their own or others. It seems a solicitude that the race may not be- come extinct. The Bur3dng Beetlef is a singular insect. Where- ever they find an animal dead, they "s\dll excavate the * Scarabaeus pilularius. t Necrophorus vespillo. 351 CLASS V. INSECTA. BORERS. ground beneath him, depositing their eggs in the carcass. Thus, in a short time, labouring night and day, they will sink into the earth, and cover it, a bird, mole, or frog, or anything of a moderate size. The great Stag Beetle * is regarded as the largest of the British insects. Its horns or jaws are branch- ing, from whence it derives its name. It is so re- markable, from the jaws being of such a structure, and as red as coral, that it cannot be mistaken. It deposits its eggs on the decayed wood of the willow ; the larvae are six years before they are changed into the perfect insect. I will try to find one of these, and keep it till the creature puts on his horns. Do. The Ptinus or Borer TRiBEf belong to this order. The antennce are nearly of the same thick- ness. When touched, they draw up their legs and feign themselves dead. They bore circular holes in * Lucanus cervus. | Ptinus pectinicornis. 352 ORDER I. COLEOPTERA. DEATH-WATCH. tables and furniture of various kinds, especially of the beech. In these they change into a pupa state, and from thence to a perfect insect. No instrument, however delicate, could bore a hole of the same size with superior neatness. The awl in its jaws must be formed with great skill. I have observed tliese holes ; they are very neatly bored. The Death-watch* is the last insect I will name in this tribe. It is a singular insect and well known, and foolishly dreaded by some on account of its tick- ing noise. Superstitious people have regarded the sound as a presage of death. But what is the noise ? It is the beating of the head of the insect against the wood in which it is concealed, as a call to insects of its own tribe to associate with it. It beats seven, nine, or eleven times in succession. They have been caught, and have been induced to beat at their own- * Ptinus tessalatus. 353 2 A CLASS V. INSECTA. LADY BUG. er's will whenever he chose to beat with the point of a pin on the table near to it. It is very silly to be alarmed by the noise of these little creatures ; for how can they know that anyone is about to die ? Of course they cannot. There are many things which may continually remind us of our mortality, w^ithout taking heed to such strange fancies. The next tribe I shall mention is a very beautiful one — that of the Lady Bug.* Their antenncB is cluh- shaped. The wing-cases are red, and one species is marked with seven black dots, and another with but two.f They live not on peas and turnips, which has been falsely said, but on the aphis or plant-lice alone. They sleep through the winter in retired places, and come abroad again in the fine days of spring. They lay their eggs on trees and plants frequented by the aphis, which the young devour voraciously. It is a fine insect, and does not seem to do any * Coccinella septem-punctata. f Coccinella bi-punctata. 354 ORDER I. COLEOPTERA. GLOW-WORM. harm : as tliey eat tlie aphis they do good ; and they leave plenty of them after all they devour. I wish more of them would come to our rose-trees. The CuRCULio or Weevil tribe belong to this order. The Corn Weevil* makes sad havoc in gran- aries, devouring the very heart of the grain. The Nut species f leaves its egg in the nut, which becomes a maggot, and then a fly. I have often found many in the nuts I have cracked. The pretty Glow-worm J we have so often found on our lawn belongs to this tribe. TTie antennce are thread-shaped and of equal thickness. The head is co- vered by a plate. There are sixty species ; we have but one of them in Britain. It would scarcely have been kno^vn, as it comes out only in the evening, and is of a dark-brown colour, had it not been for its light. It walks abroad principally in the month of June. * Curculio granarius. y Curculio nucum, X Lampyris noctiluca. 356 2 A 2 CLASS V. INSECTA. GLOW-WORM. What is the nature of its light. It is phosphoric^ It arises from spots on the last rings of the body and the tail. Here is actually a wonderful chemical operation, the formation of phos- phorus. But it is lit up as well as made. It is ; and it burns with a mild and steady light, and not in a blaze. But who lights it up ? The hand that formed the insect. But why should it have a Light any more than any other insect ? Can't it see its way ? It is the female which gives the most brilliant light, and she has no wings, but is a mere caterpillar. The light, therefore, of the female insect is a phos- phoric torch to direct the male, which is a ily ; and, of course, wings its way through the air. It would be difficult, then, for them to find each other, if this were not the case. It would. The insect, by the expansion of its body, gives a greater light ; and, by the contraction 356 ORDER I. COLEOPTERA. EARWIG. of it, extinguishes her lamp. She lays many round eggs of the colour of a lemon, which she fastens by a little glue to plants. But there is another insect belonging to this order, against which there is a common and groundless pre- judice. I think I know the insect you refer to ; is it not the Earwig ? * It is. Its antenncB are bristly, and its tail is forked. The leading mark of this order is, that the insects under it have their wings in a sheath ; but has the earwig any wings ? Certainly ; yet I am not surprised at your remark ; few persons know that this is the case. It has very beautiful wings, one of which will nearly spread over the whole insect. But where are they ? Beneath the wing-cases, which are but half the length of the insect; the wings are folded beneath * Forficula auricularia. 357 CLASS V. INSECTA. EARWIG. them in a very wonderful manner — first, as a fan is shut up, and then in two places across, as a fan could not be folded without spoiling it. The earwig is the only insect, I believe, which nourishes its eggs, and superintends the young as a hen does her chickens. But how do you know that she does ? Several very clever naturalists have put them in boxes, and have carefully observed and recorded their habits. I think you told me before, that they do not get into the ear any more than any other insect. They do not ; but they spoil fruit and flowers, es- pecially carnations, of wliich they are very fond. But let us proceed to the second order of the Class of In- sects ; what is it ? Hemiptera, or half-winged insects, as the word means. The insects of this order have their UPPER WINGS HALF CRUSTACEOUS AND HALF MEM- BRANACEOUS. This is a correct view, Edward. This order differs from the last by the wing-case covering only half the 358 ORDER II. HEMIPTERA. MANTIS. body : the covering, too, is not horny, but a kind of thin parchment ; and the margin of the wings entrap each other. I think the Cockroach tribe* belongs to this order. It does. The male is winged, but the female is not. It is a mistake that they will not live where there are crickets ; as they are found together in great numbers. They never appear till the lights are out, and the room is still ; and if anyone brings in a candle, they retreat as fast as they can to their holes. They seem to live in friendship with the crickets. They are very rapacious, and devour bread, leather, woollen, and indeed clothes of almost any description. The Mantis tribe belongs to the order Hemiptera. It is not found in our country. The Africans \dew it wdth much superstition, and never injure it. It looks like a green leaf, flying, walking, or standing still. * Blatta orientalis. 359 CLASS V. INSECTA. LOCUST. It rests often for a long time on its hind legs, with its fore feet together, as if in the act of praying or speak- ing ; hence it has obtained the name of the Orator, or Praying Mantis.* It has a black spot on each of its wings, which are of a lively green. They will not live together, but attack, kill, and devour one another with great fury. This does not much resemble its character, as a creature that prays. Truly it is a most savage insect. They all die in the fall of the year. There is a mantis in the shape of a dry, as well as of a green leaf. A very remark- able and dreadful tribe belongs to this order ; they have, not unfrequently, laid waste a whole country, and devoured every green thing. You mean the Locust f, do you not ? I do. They have been seen in the East, in such incredible numbers as to darken the face of the hea- vens. When they alight on a country in all the • Mantis oratoria. f Gryllus migratorius. ORDER II. HEMIPTERA. LOCUST. beauty of spring, they soon reduce it to the barren aspect of 'Winter. But is there no animal that preys on them ? Flocks of a species of Thrush* follow them, and devour immense numbers. When they are cut off in great multitudes, they emit a horrible stench. But how do you mean ? Why sometimes, happily, a violent gale will di'ive an immense cloud of them into the sea, and they are thro\\Ti by the tide on the shore, and have formed a bank, two, three, or four feet high ; and the air has been infected by them to a great distance. Barrow says, that for two thousand square miles where he was in Africa, the ground was covered with them. The very river was scarcely visible, on account of their carcasses w^hich floated on it. Nothing but the reeds in the river had escaped their voracity. This traveller remarks, that when they attack a field of com, they first pick out every grain before they touch • Turdus gryllovorus. 361 CLASS V. INSECTA. LANTERN-FLY. the leaves and stem. But travellers in South Ame- rica have affirmed, that they devour the whole but the ear, and this they leave quite uninjured. When they settle on the ground at night, which they always do with the setting of the sun, the inhabitants often drive flocks of sheep among them, who trample on and crush them. The Mole-cricket,* which may be termed an insect mole, the House-cricket,f and the Field-cricket, J all belong to this tribe. The Lan- tern-fly TRIBE is also of this order. The great Lantern-fly of Peru § is a splendid insect, nearly four inches long, and six broad. It exhibits almost every variety of colouring. The light it gives is so strong, that anyone may read by it ; and the natives put one or two on a stafi", and they afibrd them suflicient light to guide them through the woods. How I should like to have a few of them ! I %\dsh they were in our country, as well as the glow-worms. Gryllus gryllo-talpa. t Gryllus domesticus. Gryllus carapestris. § Fulgora lanternaria. 362 ORDER II. HEMIPTERA. GRASSHOPPER. It would have been pleasant to have seen so fine a light in our lanes and fields in the evening ; but we are not without our fine sights in Britain. But were you not going to speak of the CiCADiE, or Grasshopper tribe ? I was. They are found in almost every part of the world ; but they are larger, and louder in their song in the warmer climates than they are with us. A traveller in Africa informs us, that he has heard their notes when half-a-mile distant from them ; and one in a room has made so much noise, that the persons present could not hear each other's voices. In Java, there is a grasshop- per wliich makes a sound as loud as a trumpet. A mis- sionary in Otaheite says, in one of his journals, ^' In the course of my ram- ble to-day, I caught 363 CLASS V. INSECTA. GRASSHOPPER. what the natives call a vivi, a giant of a grasshopper, which measured nearly five inches in length. The wings were red, and the body was green." This would form a fine contrast, and the insect would be very beautiful. It would, truly. The common grasshopper is well known. But none of them are of any use, are they ? It is very difficult to say in what way every insect or animal is useful. They furnish, where they are abundant, food for poultry, squirrels, and birds. There is, however, one in China,* which makes wax of a very fine quality, and which is an article of com- merce. These are very beautiful insects ; the cases of their wings are green, with a red margin. They leave a white substance on the trees, which is col- lected in the autumn, and melted down, when it forms white and shining cakes of wax. When mixed with a portion of oil, it is manufactured into candles, * Tettigonia lirabata. 364 ORDER II. HEMIPTERA. APHIS. which are much valued. Sir George Staunton saw many of them ; they were covered with a fine kind of white powder, and were not larger than our common fly. Is it not wonderful that such little creatures can produce anything worthy of the attention of man, or useful to him ? It is ; but their great number makes them of con- sequence. A single thread of hemp can be readily broken ; but, combine a multitude of them, and they will be sufficiently strong to detain one of our largest vessels of war. There is a surprising insect of this tribe, and which is innumerable, of which the ants are very fond ; they make the honey-dew, which they gather ^\ith their spoon-like tongue, and which forms their most agree- able food. You mean the Aphis. I do. We have often talked about them. I know not that I can add to your information on the subject.* * Juv. Nat. 365 CLASS V. INSECTA. APHIS. It is scarcely possible to find a more singular in- sect, I should think. I recollect you remarked, that in the height of summer, when food abounded, they brought forth their young alive ; but that in the au- tumn, when the leaves are decaying, and winter is at hand, they lay eggs, which are hatched in the next spring, as soon as there is anything for the young to eat. This is, indeed, wonderful. It appears, that there are two generations of this insect in spring, five in summer, and three more in autumn. Some of them have delicate and beautiful wings, but many are de- stitute of them. Their eggs are at first green, but soon become black. There is a fly * which deposits its egg in them, and destroys many of them. It is called the Ichneumon of the aphis. Do you know why ? Is it because it destroys the aphis, as the ichneu- mon destroys the eggs and young of the crocodile ? Perhaps so. Ichneumon aphidum. 366 ORDER II. HEMIPTERA. COCHINEAL. And you said they were devoured by the lady- bugs. But they seem so numerous, that all which are destroyed are as nothing to the number which remain. Their amazing increase may, in some measure, be accounted for by the smgular circumstance, that there are nine generations of females ; and in the tenth, only a few males. One young one, shut up by Mr. Bonnet from the moment of its birth, produced ninety -five young ones ! A single aphis, from a cal- culation of Reaumur, may be the living progenitor of 5,904,900,000. No wonder they so abound. Linneus has described thirty-three different species of the aphis; it is, however, not improbable that there are nearly one hundred. I will mention one more insect of this order, which I think you will rea- dily name when I say, that it is used by dyers and painters to produce a beautiful red colour. Certainly ; you refer to the Cochineal insect. I do. The male has two upright wings, but the 367 CLASS V. INSECTA. COCHINEAL. females are without them. It exists, in immense numbers, in the East Indies, and in South America. Mr. Barrow gives the following description of this remarkable insect : — " The cochineal insect of the Brazils is convex, with legs of a clear bright red, both in the male and female ; and the antennae are beadlike. The male is a delicate and beautiful in- sect ; the colour of its body a fine red, nearly resem- bling the pigment usually called red-lake ; the breast is elliptical, and slightly attached to the head. The antennae are above half the length of the body. Two fine white filaments, about three times the length of the insect, which is very small, project from its belly. The \vings are two, erect, and of a faint straw- colour. The back of the female is covered with a white downy substance, resembling cotton. The mouth is situated in the breast, having a brown beak, inclining to a purple tint, that penetrates the plant on which the insect feeds." Immense quantities are annually imported into Eui'ope. Great quantities are produced in different parts of Spain. ORDER II. HEMIPTERA. APHIS, Are there any of this tribe in our country ? They infect our orchards, and are to be found espe- cially on the apple and peach-trees. In the spring, the insect may be seen, by a nice observer, of a whit- ish colour, not larger than a small grain of corn, mo\'ing on the branch of a tree ; and on a speck of this he fastens, as his abode for life, should he not be disturbed. I \\'ish you would show them to me. Surely you must have observed them. In about a month they are as big as a small pea, and they seem as if they were a little red excrescence from the tree. O, I have seen them many times ; are they insects ? I thought it had been a humour coming out of the bark. In about three months each parent is full of eggs, to the number of two or three thousand at least. The mother now dies, but her dead body serves as a covering for her offspring. But are these things really ahve, and of the same order as the cochineal insect ? 369 2 B LINES ON THE WEATHER. They are. I gathered the leaf of a peach-tree last month, on which one had not long fixed his abode. He adhered firmly to the place of his choice, and did not much, as you say, resemble an animal. I put the leaf under a glass, and, as soon as it began to lose its moisture, the insect loosed his hold, and set off to find another and a more suitable residence. But the clouds are gathering ; and mark the swal- lows, how low they fly. We shall have some showers ere long ; we must bend our course homewards. You remind me of Dr. Jenner's lines on the changes of the weather. Can you repeat them ? I think I can ; they are curious : — '* The hollow winds begin to blow, The clouds look black, the glass is low ; The soot falls down, the spaniels sleep, And spiders from their cobwebs creep. Last night the sun went pale to bed, The moon in halos hid her head ; The boding shepherd heaves a sigh, For see, the rainbow spans the sky ; 370 LINES ON THE WEATHER. The walls are damp, the ditches smell, Clos'd is the pink-eyed pimpernel; The squalid toads at dusk were seen Slowly crawling o'er the green ; Loud quack the ducks, the peacocks cry, The distant hills are looking nigh ; And see yon rooks, how odd their flight. They imitate the gliding kite, Or seem precipitate to fall, As if they felt the piercing ball. How restless are the snorting swine. The busy flies disturb the kine ; Low o'er the grass the swallow wings, The cricket, too, how loud she sings ; Puss on the hearth, with velvet paws, Sits wiping o'er her whisker'd jaws. 'Twill surely rain ; I see with sorrow. Our jaunt must be put off to-morrow." zn 2 B 2 WAIL) IE ^Eo BUTTERFLIES HaWKMOTH SILKWORM CLOTHES-MOTH MOTH MOUNTAIN DRAGON-FLY EPHEMERA ANT-LION HORNET WASPS BEES ANTS GADFLIES CRANE-FLIES SPIDERS EARTH-WORMS TAPE-WORM — SLUGS— FLUKE-WORM— A CARIS LEECHES SEA-ANEMONE CUTTLE-FISH — STAR-FISH. Mr. Percy. What is the next order of insects ? Did we finish Hemiptera ? Edward. Yes; the next is Lepidoptera, or the insects which have scaly wings, as the word means. They have four wings, and are covered with SCALES. The order includes all the species of But- terflies ; and how many are there ? About twelve hundred have been noticed in our country ; and there are many more in foreign lands. 372 ORDER III. LEPIDOPTERA. BUTTERFLIES. The variety which God has formed in a single tribe of insects is very wonderful. They all proceed from eggs, do they not ? They do ; these eggs are of every variety of form and colour, and are exceedingly beautiful, as seen through a common glass. And what a variety of po- sitions are they placed in ! and not one of them is deposited anywhere without an obvious reason ; prin- cipally w^here they may be secure, and where their young may find food as soon as they come into exist- ence. And what a variety there is in the caterpillars ! Some are smooth, and others are covered with spines and hairs ; and they exhibit the same variety of co- lour as of shape. Their antennae end in a knob. I think you said they laid two or three hundred eggs. They do. Its tongue or proboscis, you may see, as I have shov^oi you, with the naked eye, wound up like the spring of a watch, in eight rounds ; at the end it is divided into two tubes, by which it gathers its sweet food from the flowers. 373 CLASS V. INSECTA. BUTTERFLIES. How beautiful the wings were which you showed me through the microscope ! What were they like ? A fine leaf covered with little pearls, all admirably fitted together. Your comparison is not amiss, Edward. They do not fly like birds, but in a zig-zag course ; they ascend and descend. It has been supposed they do so to disappoint the aim of the birds. The large White Cabbage - butterfly * is well known. I have often found her eggs and caterpillars in great abundance. But how is it that the willow- butterfly lays its eggs on the willow, and the cab- bage-butterfly on the cabbage ? What I mean is, How is it that they don't mistake ? I don't know ; but, if the cabbage-butterfly should leave her eggs on the vdllow, the young would perish. But why need she trouble herself about that, as she will never know them ? * Papilio brassicae. Juv. Nat. 374 ORDER III. LEPIDOPTERA. BUTTERFLIES. I cannot tell you. It is the will of its Creator. He has made it, though the insect knows nothing of it, to act as it does. And then, why does she fasten them down with glue ? Does she know that they may be driven away by the wind, and destroyed ? Your whys and hows, Edward, effectually puzzle me. The most beautiful of the British butterflies is the Purple Emperor.* Its caterpillar feeds on the oak. It usually, when in its perfect state, takes up its abode on the topmost branch of this tree, when it is not on the mng. The one I caught had beautiful eye-like spots on its wings, which were of a fine browTi colour, mingled with a shining blue, and some gold ; but I know not how to describe it. The hues are so finely blended, that it is difiicult. But it would take a volume to examine this one tribe ; it is so extensive, and so wonderful. Papilio iris. 375 CLASS V. INSECTA. CLOTHES-MOTH. The Sphinx or Hawk-moth tribe * belongs to this order ; it is so named, from its supposed resem- blance to the Egyptian sphinx. I brought you one of these caterpillars ; it was green, with seven purple and white stripes along each side. There was a horn at the end of the body, pointing backwards. It is now in my study, in a pupa state. Should it become perfect, we shall find it a very beautiful in- sect. The Moths belong to this tribe ; and it would require some months to go through their history. The Silkworm f is among the most remarkable and useful of them ; but, as you have watched them so attentively for several seasons, you know all that can be said about them. The Moth tribe have their antenncB thickest near the base. Does not the Clothes-moth belong to this tribe ? It does. With its scizzors-shaped teeth, it makes * Sphinx atropos. f Phalsena inori, 376 ORDER III. LEPIDOPTERA. MOTH. great havoc in any kind of cloth. The smell of the oil of turpentine is death to them. There is a moth in the South Sea Islands, described by the missionaries as very beautiful. It is an inch long, with very full black eyes ; the body and wings are brown, spotted ^vith white. Its proboscis is five times its length. It is very amusing to see with what skill, delicacy, and quickness it collects its food from the flowers by means of this instrument, while it flutters on the wing three inches above their un- touched petals. Mr. Bennet, in his work entitled " Wanderings in New Holland," mentions a mountain called Bugong, or the Moth Mountain,* from the multitudes of that insect which, at certain seasons, are found on its masses of granite. In November, December, and January, the people assemble in crowds to collect them. In order to do so, they make fires under the rocks, the smoke of which brings them do\\Ti in im- * Vol. i. p. 256. 377 CLASS V. INSECTA. DRAGON-FLY. mense quantities, when they are baked on the heated ground. By these means their down and wings are consumed. They are then pounded, and formed into cakes resembling lumps of fat, on which the people live in summer. Moths made into cakes for food ! Who could have even thought of such a thing ! The Neuroptera, or nerve-whiged insects, consti- tute the fourth order of this Class. They have FOUR NET-WORK WINGS, BUT NO STING. The DrA- GON-FLY TRIBE* is a singular one. I was much afraid of it till you told me it had no sting, and would not hurt me. It is armed with two hooks or prongs, which, when folded up, form a kind of mask for its face ; but it readily darts them out to seize on a butterfly, which it soon strips of its fine plumage, and devours. The eyes, you said, resemble a large multiplying glass. * Libellula grandis. 378 ORDER IV. NEUROPTERA. EPHEMERiE. Yes ; it drops its eggs into the water ; they soon become laxvae, and exist in this state for two years, when they creep up the flags, cast off their covering. and live in the air. They are seldom seen abroad but in the warm sunshine. I think the Ephemerae or Day-flies belong to this order. 379 CLASS V. INSECTA. EPHEMERON. They do. Their antenncB are thread-shaped^ they have no tceth^ and their wings are erect. The common Ephemeron* drops about four hundi'ed eggs into the river, or any water ; these soon are transformed into larvae ; in which state they continue three years, when they become flies. They live, T think, but a day, as their name im- ports. They do not live a day ; few, if any, ever see the sun. They become perfect, or enter on their fly state, after the sun sets, and are all dead long before he rises. As they are changed but once in three years into flies, are they numerous ? Numerous beyond description. The air near the rivers on the Continent is more full of them than it is with flakes of snow in winter. Reaumur tells us that he saw the ground covered on the banks of the Seine, with these flies, to a great extent, three and * Ephemera vulgata. 380 ORDER V. HYMENOPTERA. GALL-INSECT. four inches deep. The farmers gather them up in cart-loads as manure. Astonishing ! It is so. The Ant-lion * belongs to this tribe. I believe you know its cunning and rapacity. In its perfect state it is seldom or never found in this coun- tr;)\ The fifth order of Insects is Hymenoptera, or membrane-winged insects ; they have four WINGS, AND THEIR TAILS ARE ARMED WITH A STING. Some of the tribes which belong to it, though small, are formidable creatures. The Gall-insect, the Saw-fly, and the Ichneumon-fly tribes, belong to this order. But Wasps, Bees, and Ants, are the principal insects. And these we have many times noticed in our walks; I suppose because they are so common, and on that account court our attention. f I apprehend so; I will, however, add a few particu- lars of each. * Mymeleon formicarius. See Juv. Nat- t See Juvenile Naturalist. :i8l CLASS V. INSECTA. WASPS. But how is this order distinguished from the last ? Are they not both membrane-winged ? They are ; but those of Hymenoptera have a sting. Such is the Hornet.* They much resemble the wasps in all their habits. The materials of their nests seem to be more coarse, and they do not build beneath the ground. There are various species of wasps. There is one called the Caterpillar Wasp,f because it feeds on that insect; there is another called the Spider Wasp, J because it devours spiders ; and a third species the Fly Wasp,§ because it preys on flies. There are wasps which deposit their eggs in the bodies of other insects, which afford food for their young. The common Wasps || are of three classes, like the bees. The neuters are the smallest, the females are the largest, and the males are of the second size. They construct different-sized cells for each of these classes. Vespa crabro. -f Vespa ammophila. J Vespa pompilus. § Vespa bembex. || Vespa vulgaris. 382 ORDER V. HYMENOPTERA. WASPS. But how can they tell which egg contains a male, or a female, or a neuter, that it may be put into its right place ? I cannot answer your hows, Edward ; it is a fact that they do soi; and this is all we know about it. They all die at the close of the autumn, except a few 383 CLASS V. INSECTA. BEES. females, which pass the winter in a kind of torpor, and perpetuate the race the next season. I need not say anything more at present about the wasp or the '^k -9^ bee, as we have so often noticed their habits and his- tory. But I have thought, that, if the bee were only to 384 ORDER V. HYMENOPTERA. ANTS. make one large vessel it would save them a great deal of trouble, and hold more honey. Yes ; but if the honey were altogether, it would ferment and spoil. And might it not have been better if the bee had not had a sting ? I think not ; the sting is necessary for the protec- tion of its sweet treasure. There are not a few in- sects which would soon devour it, and as fast as it could be gathered, if they could do so with im- punity. In reference to Ants, I will only mention a Httle history related by Mr. Kirby. He says, that Col. Sykes told him that, when he was resident at Poona, in the East, the dessert, consisting of fruits, cakes, and various preserves, always remained on a small side- table in a verandah of the dining-room. To guard against the inroads of the black ant, the legs of the table were immersed in four basins filled with water ; it was also removed an inch from the wall ; and, to keep off the dust, was covered with a 385 2 C CLASS V. INSECTA. GADFLIES. table-cloth. At first the ants did not attempt to cross the water; but, as the strait was only from an inch to an inch and a half, and the sweets tempt- ing, they committed themselves to the deep, and reached the table ; so that hundreds were found on it every morning. At last, the legs of the table were painted just above the water with a circle of turpen- tine. This at first seemed to prove an efiectual bar- rier ; till, after some days, they were found again on the sweetmeats; but no one could tell how they reached the table. Col. Sykes, at length, saw an ant drop from the wall, about a foot from above the table, and then another, and another. Ha\ing as- cended the wall to a certain height, with a slight pres- sure against it, the little creature managed to jerk, and land on the table. How sagacious ! This might be placed, sir, among your remarkable things, with which you have so often instructed and delighted me. The order Diptera have only two wings, as the term imports. The Gadflies belong to this order. 386 ORDER VI. DIPTERA. LONGLEGS. The Ox Gadfly* is well known, and is the largest of the fly tribe among us. It has in its tail a borer composed of tubes which draw out like a telescope ; the last part of it contains a sort of gimblet, by which it bores through the hides of cattle, and deposits its egg, I have seen a whole herd of cows tormented by the fly run round the ground as if they were crazed. So have I ; and they usually take refuge if they can in the water : the fly, it appears, has an antipa- thy to water. But how do the cows know this ? How, indeed, Edward ; I know not. The Crane- fly or Longlegsf belongs to this order. This insect also has a borer, a remarkable instrument, by which it pierces the ground and deposits its eggs. The larvae are often numerous in a pasture, and much in- jure the roots of the grass. Flies and Gnats have * (Estrus bovis. f Tipula oleracea. 387 2 C 2 CLASS V. INSECTA. SPIDERS. already occupied our attention largely.* I do not recollect, however, that we have noticed the Mosqui- TOE TRIBE ; in fact, they are only a larger species of gnat; and, happily, we have none of them in Britain. ApTERA, or INSECTS WITHOUT WINGS, is the last order in this Class. White Ants, Ticks, Mites, and Lice and Fleas, are arranged under this order. And are not Spiders, also ? Yes ; we have often noticed these singular insects. I will add a few particulars. The Garden Spider, f when it finds its web in a morning covered with dew- drops, will go into the midst of it, and, with two or three jerks, will shake them all off. Ths looks like intelligence, does it not ? It is remarkable. Barrow saw, at Batavda, huge spiders which made webs strong enough to catch birds. Their legs are ten inches long, and their claws, which are large and sharp, he says, were often mounted in silver, and used as tooth-picks. * Juv Nat. f Aranea horticula. 388 ORDER VII. APTERA. SPIDERS. What a spider it must be, to catch a bird ! Lieut. Smyth says, that he saw, in his journey from Lima to Para, a gigantic spider's web, suspended GARDEN SPIDER. to the trees of the forest ; it was twenty-five feet in height, and nearly fifty in length ; the threads were 389 CLASS V. INSECTA. SPIDERS. very strong; it had hanging on it the remains of thousands of insects. It appeared to be the habita- tion of a number of spiders, who lived together as a community. There is a spider in Jamaica vv^hich makes a trap- door, moving on a hinge, to its habitation. The door fits in a frame made for its reception. The door is so constructed, as to open to the touch of its owner, and to shut of itself. Within side the door there are many holes, into which, when alarmed, the insect puts it claws, and holds it down. This is very remarkable. A missionary informs us, that there is, in the South Sea Islands, a species of tarantula, a mon- strous kind of spider, which forms a den in the ground, exceedingly smooth within, and well-shaped, and that it forms a trap-door for its entrance. The door is made of different vegetable materials matted together ; it is so hung as to give way readily to the occupant in going out ; and it falls down after him indts place. The edges are curiously fringed with a 390 ORDER I. INTESTINA. WORMS. kiiid of net-work, for ornament or to conceal the ac- cess to the dwelKng. The whole nest displays ex- quisite skill and beauty of contrivance. The more we examine into the works of God, the more astonishing they appear. And so far are we from exhausting the subject, that new fields are con- stantly opening before us. We now enter on the last Class in the system. Do you recollect what it is? Vermes ; there are five orders ; the first is In- testina; it includes animals that are naked and WITHOUT LIMBS. They derive their name from the circumstance, that many of them live in the inside of animals. We will notice the Earth-worm, the Leech, the Tape-worm, Fluke-worm, and Ascaris tribes. Are not all of this Class very insignificant ? They are small but not insignificant. I deem them quite as wonderful, if not more so, than the larger parts of the creation. There is scarcely anything more despised than the common Dew or Earth- 391 CLASS VI. VERMES. WORMS. worm •* but it is a creature formed with consummate skilLf Why they certainly are food for many of the ani- mals ; for the ducks and birds above ground, and for the moles beneath it. They are very dexterous in avoiding their foes. When they feel the ground moved by the mole, they quickly get to the surface, and avoid him. And, if they perceive any danger from above, they are gone in an instant ; and, that they may not fail of finding their holes, they leave the hinder part of their body in them. I have observed this. But do they not do a great deal of mischief? I do not think they do much, if any. It is ob- servable, that the lands which are often inundated, are worth but little ; and it is supposed, that this is because the worms have perished. If so, they do much good. * Lumbricus terrestris. t Juv. Nat. 392 ORDER I. INTESTINA. WORMS. But I have heard, that they eat the young corn. This is not true. The slugs, or snails without any shells, devour much of the produce of the field and garden, but worms do not do so. On the contrary, they manure the ground with the fine earth they throw up around the roots of all kinds of vegetation ; and they loosen and open it, that the rains may easily find a way into it. Is it not wonderful that they can move so fast without wings or feet ? They move by their rings, which are as many as one hundred and forty ; and, on each ring, there are four pair of sharp bristles, which help them much in their movements. They have also a power of casting a slime around them, which renders their path easy. The Tape-worm is a singular animal of this order. They are found in the internal parts of difierent crea- tures. The common Tape-worm* is found in not a few human beings. * Taenia solium. 393 CLASS VI. VERMES. FLUKE-WORM. What size are they ? Of all sizes ; from two feet or less, to ten, twenty, or even fifty feet long. They are composed of an immense number of joints. The body is flat, and the head has four apertures for suction. They are often the ground of very painful disorders. There seems to be a species of worms annoying every class of animals. We are sure that they are found in abundance in beasts, birds, reptiles, and fish. The inhabitants of Sweden and Russia are greatly an- noyed with these worms. How dreadful ! The Fluke-worms* are often found in the livers of almost all animals. Each one is of both sexes. That found in the sheep is well kno^vn. The butcher showed me a sheep's liver which was full of them. They were like flat-fish in mi- niature. A very good comparison, Edward. I think they * Fasciola hepatica. 394 ORDER I. INTESTINA. LEECH. are provided with four orifices for suction ; their eyes are set in a gristly ring. I could scarcely bear to look at them. I do not wonder they make the poor animals ill. Are they not the cause of the rot in sheep ? They are. But how can they get into the inside in this manner ? I know not ; it has been supposed that they swal- low the eggs of the worm with their food or water. The AscARis tribe belong to this order, and are well known. They are often found in great numbers in the internal parts of animals, and are the soui'ces of painful disorders. Do not Leeches belong to this order ? They do, and are very remarkable animals. Some of them bring forth their young alive, and some of them produce eggs ; one egg contains several young ones. There are two species of them, the Horse- leech* and the Leech used for medical purposes, j- * Hirudo sanquisuga. t Hirudo medicinalis. 395 CLASS VI. VERMES. LEECH. I have often examined them. You know some were applied to my head when I was unwell. I ob- served, that they have a round sucker at the end of the tail, by which they adhere to any object. This prevents the leech being carried away by the current. Has this little creature any teeth ? Three gristly ones; through the holes it makes with these it sucks the blood. A large leech will take an ounce of blood. In some countries these creatures are a great pest. In the Island of Ceylon, in the mountains, in the woods and swamps, they are innumerable. They easily pierce the light clothing worn by the inhabit- ants ; and no one can pass through the woods, at some seasons, without being covered with their own blood. Men and horses have been actually killed by them. What a horrible country ! This is not the only spot where they are a great nuisance. The principal surgeon of Napoleon tells us, that, when the French army retreated across the 396 ORDER I. INTESTINA. LEECH. desert from tlie siege of Acre, in the most horrible condition, they found a new enemy ; which, for some time, escaped detection. The soldiers could find only pools of muddy water in their march, at which they eagerly drank, as they were perishing with thirst. The water was full of leeches, which passed into the mouth mthout being perceived. These ani- mals often fixed themselves in the upper part of the throat, from whence it was exceedingly difficult, and even impossible, to dislodge them. Though they were not, when taken into the mouth, tliicker than a horse-hair, when distended wdth blood they were as large as the ordinary leech ; and caused, in every in- stance, very great inconvenience to those who had been so unfortunate as to swallow them; and, in many cases, even death.* A leech will lay about one hundred and fifty eggs. Was not this most calamitous ! It was. But let us advance to the second order * Larrey's Surgical Campaigns. 397 CLASS VI. VERMES. SEA-ANEMONE. in this Class ; it is Mollusca. The animals belong- ing to it are simple or naked, without shells, and are furnished with arms. The larger num- ber of them are found in the sea. The small Grey Slug,* so destructive of vegetation in our gardens and fields, is a tribe of this order ; as is also the Black Snail we see at evening sometimes in our path. Ai'e there not some animal flowers which belong to this order, which are remarkable ? There are ; sucji is the Sea-anemone. f Some of the species are tinged with beautiful colours. Those formed on the rocky coast of Jamaica are de- scribed as very rapacious. Flowers rapacious ! They only appear like flowers ; they are really animals. Though they will live some time without food, yet they vdll devour two muscles at once, with their shells, or swallow a crab entire as large as the * Limax agrestis. f Actinia anemonoides. 398 ORDER I] MOLLUSCA. SEA-ANEMONE. egg of a hen ! A gentleman who was a long time in Barhadoes, gives a description of several species of these animal flowers, which he saw on that island. " At all seasons," he says, " there are seen issuing out of the holes of the rocks, suhstances which look like fine radiated flowers, of a pale yellow, or a bright straw-colour, slightly tinged with green, having a circular border of thick-set petals, about the size of a single garden marigold. I have attempted to pluck one of these from the rock, but never could effect it ; 390 CLASS VI. VERMES. SEA-CARNATION. for, as soon as my fingers came within two or three inches of it, it would immediately contract its yellow border close together, and shrink back into the hole of the rock ; but, if left undisturbed for a few mi- nutes, it would come gradually in sight, expanding, though at first very cautiously, its seeming leaves, till it appeared again in its former bloom. It would, however, again recoil with a surprising quickness when my hand was within a small distance of it. Having tried the same experiment by attempting to touch it with my cane, the efiect was the same." This is, indeed, a most wonderful and curious animal. There are various species of these animal flowers ,,v/A of different shapes. Some seem , '^'1 like a lar^e sun-flower. » ^'^^, But none are found in our ^^^ country, are there ? ^^^^^ Yes, there is one found on the ^%mliih\\^' rocks in many parts of the coast 400 ORDER II. MOLLUSCA. SEA-CARNATIOX. of the south of England, called the Sea-carnation.* I have seen and examined it. "VVhy this seems neither a plant nor an animal. What is the difference between a plant and an animal ? Your question, Edward, seems a plain one, but it is not without its difficulties. Perhaps a conscious- ness of sensation of joy or sorrow may constitute the difference. A vegetable neither feels, tastes, nor smells. If you wound or cut it ever so much, it neither shrinks from your attack nor complains. You see, the animal flower on the rock at Barbadoes crept back into its cavity at the approach of the hand, from which it e\idently apprehended some in- jury, even before it was touched. A mere plant or vegetable would not have done so. The meanest animal may be alarmed by the threats of its enemy ; but the approach of man \^ith a knife or axe gives no • Actinia dianthus. 401 2 D CLASS VI. VERMES. CUTTLE-FISH. concern or trouble to the brocoli, the shrub, or the cedar. Of the Cuttle-fish tribe there are two species. The Officmal Cuttle-fish* is often taken on our coast in the shrimp-nets. It has eight short arms, and two very long ones. Its arms are furnished with suckers, by which it can hold almost anything it pleases. The long arms catch its prey and bring it within the grasp of the shorter. It has a beak like a parrot, and a crop and gizzard like a fowl. Its beak is a formidable one ; T saw it when we were last out fishing, and one was taken in our net. With this beak and its suckers, it will kill and devour the lobster. Will it ? It will, indeed. It has three hearts. How unlike any other creature ! And, you know, it has a bag of black fluid, by * iSepia officiDalis. 402 ORDER II. MOLLUSCA. STAR-FISH. which it can darken the water and conceal itself from its pursuers. The back-bone I have often picked up on tlio coast and used for pounce. Its eggs are in a cluster like a bunch of grapes. In the warmer climates there are several species so large, that their arms are forty or fifty feet long ; and they are then very farmidable. What a monster it must be ! These arms have been sometimes thrown over the canoes of the Indians, and have drawn them under the water. On this account they do not venture out to sea on the coasts where they are found, witli- out an axe to chop them off, should there be occasion for it. No one could bathe on such a coast. Certainly not, with safety. The Star-fish belong to this order. You know I have the Five-rayed Star- fish* in spirits in my study. Its tentacula or arms are * Asterias glacialis. 4»3 2 D 2 GRADATION. innumerable. By these they take their food, and ad- here to any spot they please. Its mouth is in the middle of the under part of the body. It is; and it has five teeth. What an immense variety, and yet what a beautiful gradation there is in all the works of God ; though it is sometimes dif- ficult, from their multiplicity, and from our ignorance of them, to say where one Link of the chain ends and another begins. The bat connects the beasts and the birds. And the polypi, animals and vegetables ; and the sea-anemone, animals and flow^ers. But what I prin- cipally mean is, that there is fine gradation among creatures, from the least to the greatest. Mr. Pope has prettily touched on this subject in his "Essay on Man:"— *' See, through this air, this ocean, and this earth, All matter quick, and bursting into birth ; Above, how high progressive life may go ! Around, how wide, how deep extend below ! 404 GRADATION. Vast chain of being, which from God began, Nature's ethereal, human, angel, man, Beast, bird, fish, insect, what no eye can see, No glass can reach ; from infinite to thee ! From thee to nothing. On superior powers Were we to press, inferior might on ours ; Or in the full creation leave a void. Where, one step broken, the great scale's destroy 'd ; From Nature's chain whatever link you strike. Tenth or ten thousandth, breaks the chain alike." The poet has admirably expressed my sentiment. They are beautiful lines. Mr. Addison has a very fine paper in the Spectator on the same subject. " But rise as high as you will," he remarks, "in the chain of being, there \\dll still be * an infinite gap ' between the highest created being and the Creator." A French wi'iter, from the fact that there is no part of matter which is unpeopled, with which we are acquainted, argues the probability, that every 405 GRADATION. planet, and every part of the universe, is peopled with inhabitants. It seems very likely to be the case. But what, sir, is '^ an infinite gap ?" Now, Edward, you have indeed puzzled me. Ga- briel himself could not answer your question. 406 GENER-N.L KEMARKS — CAMEL's FOOT — DESIGN IN CREATION — INSTINCT BARNACLES SHIP-WORM RAZOR-SHELL COCKLES PEARLS NAUTILUS COWRY SNAILS CORAL PREDICTION. Edward. What was it you said yesterday about the plane-tree ? Was it not one of your remarkable things ? It was; there is growing on the ruins of the monastery of New-abbey, in Galloway, on the top of a wall, a plane-tree twenty feet high. Straightened for nourishment, it directed its roots, several years since, down the side of the wall, till they reached the ground ten feet below ; and every year since it has made vigorous shoots. Is not the time when insects appear remarkable ? 407 GENERAL REMARKS. It is ; if the butterfly should leave its pupa state before there were any flowers, it would perish ; and if the caterpillars should be hatched at the close of the autumn, when the leaves are fading and dying, there would be no food for them. How is it that some plants turn one way and some another ? You showed me, when we were walking in the hop-ground, how the hop-bine ran round the pole from the left to the right; but the bind-weed winds round anything, on the contrary, from right to left ; how is it ? I know not, Edward. Do you see that man yon- der going on the mud-land, as it is low water ? Yes ; and he has a piece of board fastened to the soles of his shoes ; are they not what he calls his mud- pattens ? They are ; his naked foot or shoe would sink into the earth, and he would make no progress ; but now he gets on pretty well, as he has a larger surface than his foot beneath him. So it is with the hoof of 408 GENERAL REMARKS. the camel ; if it were divided it would sink into the sand, and its progress would be slow and weari- some. How suited, then, it is for the deserts it has to tra- verse It is ; the agreement of one thing with another proves design ; and the being and glorious perfec- tions of the Great Designer. The fitness of the camel for going over the deserts ; of light to the eye ; of food to the different animals who are sustained by it ; of the sun to warm and fructify the earth ; and a thousand similar things could never have happened by chance. We see with a pair of eyes ; we speak with a pair of lips; v/e tread on God's earth with a pair of feet ; and could such tilings occur by chance ? Who that ever saw through a pair of spec- tacles, and found one focus answering to the other, supposed they dropped together by accident ? Who- ever saw a pair of scissors and imagined but for a moment that the two parts came together by chance ? 409 CLASS VI. VERMES. BARNACLE. I see everywhere, in the habits and situations of animals, proofs of a Providence. Do not naturalists call this instinct ? Yes ; but I think, with Mr. Addison, that there is nothing more mysterious in nature than this instinct ; ** I look upon it as upon the principal of gravitation in bodies, which is not to be explained by any known qualities inherent in them, nor from any laws of me- chanism ; but, according to the best notions of the greatest philosophers, is an immediate impression from the first Mover, and the divine energy acting in the creatures." But let us go on with our natural history. We begin with the third order, Testacea, or the Shell-fish tribes; they resemble the last, only THEY are covered w^th A SHELL. The tribes under this order are divided into animals which have many, one, or two shells. Among the Multivalves or many shells, is the Barnacle tribe, which are found on the bottoms of ships, and on pieces of floating timber, in profu- 410 ORDER III. TESTACEA. SHIP-WORM. sion. They have five smooth valves, which are yel- lowish on the rims. You have often shown them to me.* Did you not say that, for a long period, they were supposed to grow up into geese ? They were ; and a more ridiculous notion could not well be entertained. The Ship-worm is a species of this tribe. It will attack, bore through, and spoil the stoutest vessels. What, does it eat wood ? No ; it is merely to form a cell for their abode. They have absolutely destroyed not a few bridges and vessels. Some of them bore into stones as well as wood. They cannot live in fresh water. Among the Bivalves or those with two shells, is the Razor- shell TRIBE. f They are found in holes which tliey bore in the mud on the seashore about two feet deep ; they have a curious instrument by which they can ascend or descend as they choose. It does so * Lepas anatifera. 1 Solen siliqua. 411 CLASS VI. VERMES. PEARLS. with remarkable rapidity. A little salt strewed into his hole will bring liim to the surface immediately. It is a most singular creature, but good for food. The Cockle tribe* belong, of course, to the Bi- valves. It does. They are of various sizes, and well known, and valued by some as food. The Oysters,f whose whole history you know, are also among them. There is another Bivalve of great value. We saw a watch at the sale the other day covered with them on the front, where they could be placed, and all over the back of it. You mean pearls, father. I do. But were they real pearls ? I have seen many ar- tificial ones which were formed so well, that I could scarcely distinguish the one from the other. They were real pearls ; and it was a beautiful watch. Cardium edule. t Ostrea edulis. Juv. Nat. 412 ORDER III. TESTACEA. PEARLS. Will you tell me something more about pearls ? Pearls are found in various parts of the world, especially on the coast of Ceylon. Some time since you read an account of this island, and I should think you can give me a good account of this shell- fish, Edward. I recollect that an account of the pearl-fishery forms a principal part of the volume. I passed over that account rather carelessly ; but I recollect that the King of Candia used to ride on the nose of a fine elephant ; that he amused himself, like a great baby, wdth his jewels, and by thro\\'ing rose- water over his courtiers. Had he been always employed so innocently, it would have been well. Indeed it would ; for, if his tea were not sweet enough, or not to his mind in any other way, he would order his attendant to be killed ; and, if his own head ached, he would order the heads of half-a- dozen of his nobles to be cut off. He once, when his prime minister would not come to court, because he knew he should be murdered, seized on his wife and 413 CLASS VI. VERMES. PEARLS. family and killed them all. And one thing was very dreadful ; he compelled the mother to pound to pieces the head of her little babe ! How horrible ! We can never be sufficiently thankful that w^e live under a free and humane go- vernment. And it is pleasant to reflect, that our countrymen dethroned this monster, and prevented his commission of any more cruelties. But I will tell you about the pearl ; the subject is both enter- taining and curious. The pearl is a hard, white, round, and shining ar- ticle. Its natural polish is ^o exquisite, that it does not admit of being heightened. Its substance is composed of one coat of the sliell covering another. The pearl is found in a shell-fish resembling an oyster, and is supposed to be the result of a disease. The best pearls are of a clear and brilliant white ; the small ones are the most numerous, and are called " ounce pearls," because they are sold by the ounce. Some of them are in the shape of a pear, and are used as ornaments for the ear. 414 ORDER III. TESTACEA. PEARLS. But how do they catch the pearl oysters ? This fishery is carried on in the Bay of Condatchy, on the north side of the island, in the straits which separate Ceylon from the main land. It has been found impossible to transplant them from one part of the coast to another. It extends over a range of fourteen banks from twenty to thirty miles long, and from one to two in breadth. The depth of the water is from three to fifteen fathom. The pearl oyster arrives at maturity in seven or eight years, and dies soon after. No pearls are found in any that are not four or five years old, and then they are very small. The pearls are found in the fleshy part of the oyster, near the hinge, and generally in a cluster ; one hun- dred and fifty have been found in one fisli. *' There is, perhaps, no spectacle," says one who had seen it, 'Svhich Ceylon affords more striking to a European, tlian the Bay of Condatchy during the pearl-fishery. Ihis desert and barren spot is, at tliat time, converted into a scene which ex- ceeds in novelty and variety almost anything I ever 415 CLASS VI. VERMES. PEARLS. witnessed. Several thousands of people, of different colours, countries, castes, and occupations, continually passing and repassing in busy crowds ; the vast num- bers of small tents and huts erected on the shore, with a bazaar or market-place before each ; the anxious expecting countenances of the boat-owners, when the boats approach the shore ; and the avidity with which they run to them when they arrive, in hope of a rich cargo ; the vast numbers of jewellers, brokers, merchants, of all colours and all descrip- tions, both natives and foreigners, who are occupied in some way with the pearls ; some separating and as- sorting them ; others weighing and ascertaining their number and value; while others are hawking them about, or dialling or boring them for future use ; all these circumstances tend to impress the mind with the importance of the object which creates the whole scene." What a scene of bustle and animation it must be ! It must, truly. In October the Government give orders to have the banks surveyed, and a report is 416 ORDER III. TESTACEA. PEARLS. made of the quantity and quality of the fish. Then the banks that are to be fislied that year are put up to sale, and are often bought by a black merchant. At other times the authorities fish the banks on their own account, and then they sell the pearls to the merchants. When this is the case, the Go- vernment hire boats. The Dutch generally adopt this plan. The fishing begins in March, and lasts about thirty days. Are many boats employed in the work ? In 1804, there w^ere three hundred, and two divers in each boat. These men have a stone of sixty pounds weight fastened to them, to sink them to their proper depth. Their skill is wonderful; they can pick up the smallest object with their toes as well as with their hands. They fill their basket in about two minutes, and then make a signal to be drawn up. Some have been known to remain under water even five or six minutes. The quantity brought in by the boats, of course, varies from two or three 417 2 E CLASS VI. VERMES. PEARLS. hundred to as many thousands ; and even to twenty or thirty thousand. What a quantity ! When brought to land, they are dried in the sun, and the pearls are picked out of the rubbish. A gentleman who was present at one of these periods, says, that the produce of seventeen thousand oysters did not weigh three-quarters of a pound, and con- tained no perfect pearls, of the second or third order. A pound weight of unsorted pearls is w^orth eighty sovereigns. The annual produce of the fishery varies from one hundred thousand to one hundred and fifty thousand a-year. How I should like to be present at this yearly pearl fishery. You would, I have no doubt ; and though you can swim and dive pretty well, you would, I think, rather be a spectator than an actor in the scene. The di\'ing for the oysters is not in a small degree hazardous. The poor men are often the victims of the ground- shark ; and if they do not lose their lives, which they 418 ORDER III. TESTACEA. NAUTILUS. often do, they not unfrequently lose their limbs, by this rapacious monster. The divers buy charms and insurances from conjurors, against this direful foe ; but of course these are of no avail. Among the univalves, or the one-shelled tribe, is the Nautilus. They are met with in the Mediterra- nean, near the Cape, and in the Indian Ocean. But it is difficult to take them, as they strike their little sail, when approached, in an instant, and sink to the bottom. And T think they can rise as easily. They can ; they have only to exclude the water from their shell, and it becomes lighter than that element, and, of course, rises immediately to the surface. The little creature then erects a small membrane for a sail, and extends its six arms as oars. Our poet Pope says, " Learn of the little Nautilus to sail, Spread the thin oar, and catch the rising gale." 419 2 E 2 CLASS VI. VERMES. COWRY. Of the sliells of one species of nautilus the people of the East make very handsome di'inking-cups. Are there not shells in the East which pass for money ? Yes, the shells of the Cowry*. They are about three-quarters of an inch long, and of a whitish co- lour. They are found chiefly near the Maldive Is- lands, and are sent from thence in great quantities to Bengal and Africa. What is their value ? A rupee is worth about two thousand of them. What is the value of a rupee in oui' money ? About half-a-crown. The Helices or Snails are the last insects we will mention in this order. And we have many times talked about these, as they are so common. f I think you said that the snail has two eyes at the end of its longest horns, and eight teeth. I should not have Zypra?a Moncta. f Juv. Nat 420 ORDER IV. ZOOPHYTES. CORAL. thought that it had any teeth. I heheve then* young are hatched from eggs about as large as peas, and that they have a shell upon their backs. They have the power of repairing their shell when it is injured or broken. You are aware they are eaten in many parts of the Continent. But let us no- tice the fourth order of this class, the Zoophytes or Animal Plants. Among these the coral tribes hold a distinguished place. Are the coral rocks of any great extent ? Certainly ; I recollect one voyager tells us, that the whole surface of the sea, from Sumatra to Ba- tavia, an extent of ninety miles, is broken by in- numerable low islands of coral rock, the greater part covered with wood, and all clothed with the most beau- tiful verdure. How are these trees planted, father ? 421 CLASS VI. VERMES. CORAL. I know not, Edward ; the birds may, perhaps, bring the seeds, and drop them. But it is remarkable that there are no coral islands in the West Indies, or in the vast Atlantic ; though they are so common in the East, and in the Pacific Ocean. The eastern part of the coast of New Holland is girt about with reefs and islands of coral, rising from the depths of the sea like a fortification. But you told me the coral insect did not work higher than the water reached ; how, then, could this be? I know not ; perhaps the water once rose to their height ; or some convulsion heaved them from the vast abyss. Do voyagers say how deep the sea is on that coast ? I think no bottom could be found with a line of one hundred and fifty fathoms ; and yet this feeble and diminutive builder reared its mighty structure from below that depth to the surface of the vast ocean. Are there not several species of coral ? 422 ORDER IV. ZOOPHYTES. CORAL. There are three kinds ; the red, white, and black : the black is the most rare, and, of course, most highly prized. Captain Hall, in his voyage to Loo Choo, gives ns an interesting account of his examination of a coral reef in the different periods of a tide. When the tide has left the reef for some time, it becomes dry, and appears to be like a compact rock, exceedingly hard and ragged ; but as the tide rises, and the waves begin to wash over it, the coral worms protrude them- selves from holes which were before in\'isible. These animals are of a great variety of shapes and sizes ; and in such numbers, that in a short time the whole surface of the rock appears to be alive and in motion. The most common worm is in the form of a star, with arms from four to six inches long, which are moved about with a rapid motion in all directions, probably to catch food. Others are so sluggish, that they may be mistaken for pieces of the rock ; they are generally of a dark colour, and from four to five inches long, and two or three round. 423 CLASS VI. VERMES. CORAL. This account seems to decide the question, whether the coral is an animal or a plant. It does ; and it is wonderful to see how God em- ploys the feeblest, most contemptible, and most im- perfect of the animal tribes which he has formed, in the construction of the most gigantic and durable edifices ; and, by the agency of a mere worm, build- ing up rocks and mountains, that reach from the bot- tom to the surface of the ocean ; or laying the foun- dation of islands and of continents, which are, in future ages, to be the habitations of man. Does the coral branch gain its redness from the polish it receives from the workman ? No; when just taken from the ocean it is of a deeper red than at any time afterwards. It seems to build in ever}^ direction ; lengthways, or upwards, or downwards. It does. And the coral is to the worm as the shell is to the snail, or as the bones are to the animal — the means of its stability. As a builder, the coral insect is of incalculable service. 424 ORDER IV. ZOOPHYTES. CORAL. As a builder ! Yes ; in the great Southern Ocean they have reared island after island ; and some of them are of large di- mensions. From the rocks in the bottom of seas which no human art can fathom, they have built up, inch after inch, till the result of their labours has been magnificent. Will you mention some island which they have built? The large group of the Friendly Islands is of coral origin ; and very many others have been reared by these little worms. One of the missionaries says, the bottom of the sea was brilliantly bestrewed with co- rals, in endless variety of form, and exquisite tints of colouring ; and that millions of beautiful fish were sporting in these sub-marine forests. In another place of his journal he speaks of the islands of Zahaa and Raiatea, as enclosed by a reef of coral rocks from forty to fifty yards in breadth, leaving only some narrow entrances for vessels. Within this amazing mole, there is good and secure 425 CLASS VI. VERMES. CORAL. anchorage ; but without it, the depth is unfathom- able *. Wliy, this is a greater work than the Pl}Tnouth Breakwater. Did not the people on these coral isles offer to their miserable gods human sacrifices ? Yes ; and they practised every kind of abomination : but Christianity has made a vast change. Here is, indeed, a fulfilment of the prediction, " The wilder- ness shall be glad, and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing; they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitations of dragons where each lay, shall be grass, with reeds and rushes. And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the way of holiness ; the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there ; nor any venomous beast shall go up thereon ; but the redeemed shall walk there." Isa. xxxv. * Tyerman's and Bennett's Journal. 42G 'AILW. XEESo CONVERSATION THE POLYPE SPONGE ANIMALCULE PRAISE TO OOU FROM ALL HIS WORKS. Mr. Percy. Did you read the article I lent you on the polype, Edward ? Edward. Yes, father ; but I would rather talk to you on it, as I really think I recollect more what is said in our conversations than what I read in my books. That, I fear, Edward, is for want of proper atten- tion. In a general way, we recollect what we desire to retain. An old miser, though his memory may not be of the strongest kind, never forgets, as I have told you before, where he hides his money. Yet I 427 CONVERSATION. think, that the omission of frequent and familiar con- versation with pupils on important topics is a serious defect in any system of education. I would under- take to impart a knowledge of the leading elements of science and of language in this way, without any books. And this method is so delightful, as there is little or no labour ; and one can ask questions and get things explained, as you know I do. This was the method adopted by Socrates, by far the wisest of the heathen sages. His Memorabilia, you know, is a series of interesting conversations which he held with his pupils. And this plan is as pleasant to the tutor as to the youth who listens to him. I never knew a youth who was treated thus, who did not imbibe a love for knowledge ; a disposi- tion of so much value, that one who has acquired it, will assuredly gain all other things which are es- sential to a good education. This, you know, Ed- ward, I am exceedingly solicitous you should enjoy; as I think there is much truth in the remark of Mr. 428 CONVERSATION. Locke, '' That of all the men we meet with, nine parts in ten are what they are, good or bad, useful or not, according to their education." We might rea- sonably expect that this would be the case from the admonition of the Wise Man, " Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." If the loye and knowledge of the truth are not acquired in early life, they are seldom attained afterwards. We see every day that if men grow up in ignorance and prejudice, their eyes and their ears are often so closed, that they will not give credence to the most unquestionable facts. I recollect you one day remarked, that there was a great conflict in the learned and scientific world be- fore the demonstrations of Newton were admitted to be demonstrations. This is a striking circumstance. And it is not less so, that none of the contemporaries of Harvey, who had reached the age of forty, were able to perceive that he had proved the doctrine of the circulation of the blood. The dispositions and habits which we 429 CLASS VI. VERMES. POLYPES. acquire in education, are, therefore, of the greatest moment. The years of early life, in this point of view, are invaluable. But what do you recollect about the polype ? I recollect many things. It belongs to the genus hydra ; a name given it by Linneus, because, when cut in pieces, the different parts so readily form themselves into perfect animals. It is said that Leuwenhoek was the first person who noticed them. 1 think he was. It is said, in the account I read, that the writer cut one into three parts, and that they became three dif- ferent polypes. He cut one lengthwise; and each side, in the short space of an hour, became a tube ; and, by the close of the day, possessed all the parts of the complete animal. And he turned one inside out like a glove, and it lived and ate its food just the same. Was not this remarkable ? Truly it was. A great philosopher tells us, that when he first saw these wonders, he could scarcely believe his owtl eyes, though he often repeated the 430 ORDER IV. ZOOPHYTES. POLYPES. experiment. Indeed, so extraordinary were these accounts, that the pubKc did not give any credit to them for a long while. At last, when very many persons had examined the subject, and published their testimony, the existence of such a strange crea- ture was at length believed. It is a strange creature ; for its young ones, the account you gave me says, grow out of its sides ; and in autumn it produces eggs in the same places. How strange ! Is there any other animal which does so ? I think not. But you might have added, Edward, that its young grow out of all parts of it; as there is not a single piece of one that will not produce a polype. It is affirmed, sir, that if we cut one do^^'n from the head to the middle, we shall have one with tvvo heads ; and, if we persist in cutting them in the same way, we may have a polype with as many heads as we choose ! This, indeed, proves the propriety of the name of 431 CLASS VI. VERMES. POLYPES. the genus by which Linneus 'distinguished them — the hydra. It does. They have six, twelve, thirteen, or even eighteen arms. Suspended by the arm or tail, they walk with ease on the surface of the water. But are they among the animalcula ? The writer says no- thing about their size ; yet, as he speaks of seeing them by the microscope, I conclude that this must be the case. No, they are not, or they would have been placed in the next order. They much vary in size. When contracted, they ar<^ many of them as big as a grain of sand; some are much smaller; and some are from half- an-inch to an inch and a half long. Their arms are about the length of their body ; but some are longer. A naturalist informs us, that he saw one with nine- teen young ones hanging on it ; the whole group was about an inch broad, and an inch and a half long. The author you lent me says they are transparent ; their skin is covered with little grains like sha- green ; and that they have no appearance of eyes. 432 OEDER IV. ZOOPHYTES. POLYPES. Yet it is difficult to imagine, that it does not really see its prey. He affirms, that it is a mere bag in the form of a tube; that it is a creature without any heart or in- testines ; and that, in fact, its arms and body form but one stomach. And he might have added, that its very young are a part of this same stomach. For, before they drop off from the parent, there is a reciprocal communica- tion of food. The young ones, as soon as they are furnished wdth arms, spread them, and catch the ani- malcula, and communicate the nourishment to the old ones, and these return food in the same way. JIow do you know this ? Why, did you not say that they were transparent ? You may readily see, by aid of the microscope, the food circulating through the arms and the bodies of the old and the young animal. The book affirms, that an old polype ate twelve little bits in one day, and its nineteen young ones devoured twenty. 433 2 F CLASS VI. VERMES. POLYPES. This is a great quandty for such diminudve crea- tures ; hut I can readily believe it; for they are evidently, from what I have seen, very eager after food. The insects they devour must he very tiny ones. Not so tiny, Edward, as you may suppose. A good writer says, on this point, that most of the in- sects on which they feed, bear the same proportion to the mouth of a polype, that an apple of the size of a man's head bears to his mouth. | Is there not a seam or scar in the place where you cut them in two, after the parts have united, and have grown up into separate animals ? No ; it is so perfectly done, that the best glasses cannot discern the place in which they were cut asunder. Will you tell me something more about their feeding ? It seizes a worm the moment it is touched by one of its arms ; and, in conveying it to the mouth, it twists the arm into a spiral, like a cork-screw; by 434 ORDER IV. ZOOPHYTES. POLYPES. which means the insect is brou2fht to the month much sooner than it would be without this artifice. As soon as it touches the lips of the polype, it is killed in an instant ; and, as there is no wound in- flicted, it has been supposed by a powerful poison. ^Vben it has a good meal, it falls into a stupor, just like the snake tribe, of wliich I have often told you. The food is soon broken into bits, and driven back- wards and forwards through the body and the arms, till it is quite dissolved, and disappears. But how do you know this ? I hke to hear you inquire how things are, Edward. I have seen it. If the polypes are fed with coloured food anyone may see it. As an experiment, bits of a red worm, and of a black snail, have been given them ; these have been soon reduced to a pulp, and the black or red fluid has been observed pervading all parts of the animal. This, indeed, makes it plain. Two polypes have sometimes laid hold of one worm, and they have been seen to swallow it till 435 2 F 2 CLASS VI. VERMES. POLYPES. their mouths met, when the worm has broken asun- der. At other times the strongest polype will de- vour the weaker one, and the worm too ! Then they are cannibals, sir ; they devour one another. I do not much like their character, though they are wonderful insects. But though they may swallow each other, life in this case is not destroyed ! Not destroyed, sir ! No ; for after a short imprisonment the polype which has been seized, is set at liberty. The more you say of the polypes, the more won- derful they appear. Pray show me some of them through your microscope. I will as soon as I can procure them. They are seldom found at large in the water; but usually adhering to sticks, plants, or stones. The moment they are disturbed, they contract themselves into a very small compass ; but when put into a glass of water, it will stretch out its arms soon after it is at rest. We cannot, however, see them very distinctly, 436 ORDER IV. ZOOPHYTES. SPONGE. \\-ithout putting tliem into a glass tube under the microscope. Is not the sponge placed in the same class as the polype ? It is ; Sponge is fixed to the rocks, and grows in a variety of forms ; more than fifty species have been noticed ; and ten of them are found around our own coast. The Branched Sponge * is one of these, wliich is very common. It is supposed to be the abode of a jelly kind of animal ; which, by its many mouths or orifices, sucks in and throws out the water, by which means it procures its nourishment. On being torn from the rock on which it grows, the fleshy part soon entirely dies away. The Cock's- comb Sponge f grows somewhat in the shape of a cock's comb, and is found in abundance on the rocks near Hastings. When put into a glass of sea-water, it has been observed to give evident signs of life, by alternately sucking in and squirting out the water. * Spongia oculata. f Spongiu cristata. 437 CLASS VI. VERMES. SPONGE. The Stinging Sponge * is a very singular species. If rubbed on the hand, it will raise blisters on it. It is affirmed, that, if dried in an oven, its power of stinging will be increased. What a boundless variety there is in the works of God! Wliat tongue can declare their extent ! Are they not infinite, father ? They are. But let us talk about t]ie last order, the Animalcula. Are they not those which can only be seen by the microscope ? They are ; and though they cannot be discerned but in this way, they are, perhaps, more remarkable in many points of view, than objects which are \dsible to the naked eye. Do tell me, sir, where they are to be found. Everywhere, Edward, throughout the vast crea- tion. Even the drop of water teems with life. No doubt but there are innumerable myriads which the * Spongia tormeutoza. 438 ORDER V. ANIMALCULA. eye, aided by the best glasses which can be procured, has never seen. The very air we breathe is full of them ; and immense numbers are in everything which we drink. Animalcula are found in all shapes, like the eel, or round, or triangular, or flat; wdth horns and without ; like a bell or a funnel — in endless variety. Some seem to have eyes, and others none. Many have a stomach, and some have forty or fifty ; and the polype appears to have no vessel of this kind. How astonishing is your account of the animalcula ! pray tell me more about them. Their motions, like their shapes, are very various. Some are so slow in their movements, that they make but very little progress : while others are so swift, that it is difficult to get a sight of them. Some have an external air-vessel, by which they rise or sink in the waters as they please. One class have been ob- served, which have a crest on their heads, which they occasionally hoist as a sail.* * Vellela. 43U CLASS VI. VERMES. This is all very surprising, father. But does it not seem wonderful, that God should have created such multitudes of little creatures ? Of what use can they be? There is a beautiful chain, as I have often told you, Edward, in the works of God. He has formed link upon link — one longer than the other — from the most diminutive creature, to the angel who bows and adores in his presence. And, no doubt, many of them serve for food to animals, above, and more im- portant than themselves. But have you seen them, and axe you sure such creatures are in the water ? Yes, Edward; I have seen many of them. We are sure there are animalcula in pure water. Pray tell me, on what do you feed your gold and silver fish? On nothing ; I only give them fresh water every other day. And how long have you had them ? These six months. 440 ORDER V. ANIMALCULA. And can you imagine, that any living creature exists without food ? Certainly not ; your fish must live on the animalcula in the water ; and this is the reason why they want a change of water, because they have devoured all the food which was within their reach. I did not think how my gold fish were fed ; but it must be as you say. There is a class of animalcula which is innumera- ble, and which is eminently beautiful. They are found in the polar circles, and near the equator, illu- minating the whole face of the ocean with their little globes of fire,* It is supposed, that the whales devour immense quantities of these wonderful little creatures. How beautiful the water must appear lit up by them ! Truly, it must be beautiful. I recollect a voy- ager says of them, '' Now there is a scene of unrivalled * Medusa scintillans. 441 CLASS VI. VERMES. splendour and sublimity. The whole ocean is literally bespangled. Notwithstanding the smoothness of the surface, there is a considerable swell of the sea; and, sparkling, as it does, on every part as with fire, the mighty heavings of its bosom are indescribably mag- nificent. It seems as if the sky had fallen to a level with the ship, and all its stars, in tenfold numbers and brilliancy, were rolling about with the undula- tions of the billows. " The horizon in every direction presents a line of uninterrupted light, while the wide space intervening, is one extent of apparent fire. The sides of our vessel appear kindling to a blaze ; the light gleams half way up the rigging, and illumines every object along the whole length of the ship. By throwing any article overboard, there was a fine exliibition of light and colours. A charming efiect was produced by a line, coiled to some length, and then cast into the water at a distance ; and also, by a bucket of water dashed from the side of the vessel. The rudder by its movements created splendid corusca- 442 ORDER V. AMMALCULA. tions at the stern, and a flood of liglit, by which our track was marked far behind us. The smaller fish were distinctly traceable by bright Hnes showing their rapid course ; while, now and then, broad gleamings, extending in every direction, made known the pre- sence of some monster of the deep." What a fine sight it must have been ! Mr. Baker, whose researches on this subject are very interesting, tells us, that he has seen a species of animalcula, millions on millions of wdiicli might be included in a square inch, which were transparent, and of a beautiful green. When they ascended slowly in a body to the surface of the water, their colour was changed into a beautiful sky blue. One column was observed ascending in the jar, and another de- scending ; when they met, the arni}^ which was going up, divided, and made a clear passage for those that were coming down. That was very polite. I think I showed you the little eels the other day, in a drop of vinegar ; did T not ? 443 CLASS VI. VERMES. Yes ; and you said, they had no mouth ; and I could not see any through your microscope ; but how do they take their food ? By absorption ; it finds its way through the pores of their skin ; so, you see, creatures can live and feed without any mouth. The cook showed me a bit of sour paste, one day, which was full of little eels ; but I could see them with the naked eye. I apprehend you could; and each of them has been seen to bring forth more than a hundred young ones alive ! The design of their creation, perhaps, may be, to destroy a substance which was not whole- some, or good for food. God has evidently formed very many creatures for a similar purpose. Will you lend me Baker's work on the microscope ? Certainly ; it is a useful book on the subject. He discovered another of these diminutive animals, which he named the Proteus,* from its many changes. It * Vibrio Proteus, 444 ORDER V. ANIMALCULA. seems, he says, to resemble the snail in colour and substance. Will you mention some of its changes ? Its general shape resembles that of a swan, with a neck three times as long as his body. No eyes are apparent ; and yet the httle creature must see, as it sails about, steering between the others with much dexterity. Among other changes, which have been noticed, it sometimes puts forth a new neck, with a sort of wheel machiner}\ Seeing without eyes ! Why this is like feeding without a mouth ! \Vliat, sir, will you discover next ? Creation is full of wonders, Edward. Swammer- dam, an eminent naturalist, describes one of this diminutive race, which he calls the Water-flea, on which other insects, to its great annoyance, take up their abode. He has seen five or six of them fast- ened to the shell or horns of this flea. Some very common animalcula are in the shape of a globe ; they move up or down, backwards or forwards, swiftly or 445 CLASS VI. VERMES. slowly, in every direction ; oi spin round and lound, as if ou their own axis. Many of tliem c re or- namented with dots, or covered wiJi a land of shagreen. A globe swimming in all directions ; how sin- gular ! ^ Another kind of animalcula has been noticed with net-like arms. These insects are found only in cas- cades, wdiere the water runs very briskly. Plere they stand together on tlnee spikes in their tails, in a large company. When taken out of the water, they spin threads like the spider, on which they suspend them- selves. There is a curious apparatus a'X)und the head ; it has two fans or nets, by which it catches its food. These are s])read out, or drawn in, with the greatest nicety. This insect has two claws at the bottom of these nets, which convej^ whatever is taken to the mouth, with much dexterity. Sometimes the nets are folded iip, and laid by ; and then the little creature appears with a pair of sharp horns. 446 ORDER V. ANIMALCULA. Is it not difficult, sir, to say, wliicli is most wonder- ful — that wliicli we do see with our naked eyes, or that which we cannot see ? It is, indeed, Edward. One is lost when reflecting on the calculations of naturalists ; and they are better founded than we are apt to imagine. Leuwen- lioek affirms his belief, that there were more animal- cula in the milt of a codfish he examined, than there are inhabitants in the whole woild. He placed a hair of his head in his microscope, which appeared an inch broad ; and he says he is certain, that sixty of the spawn of the codfish could readily lie on the diameter of the hair. Plow inexhaustible is that provision which the great Father of all lias j)repared for the innumerable family which lives perpetually on his bounty ! But I will mention one more specimen of the ani- malcula ; and it is as wonderful as any which have been observed. It is the Wheel Insect.* This insect * Yoriicella. 447 CLASS VI. VERMES. is often found in water that stands on the tops of liouses w^hich are covered with lead. It will live, motionless, when perfectly dry, for many months. Being then put into water, it begins to move in a short time ; and soon afterwards it is seen putting out its wheels, and passing rapidly through the water; or, fastening itself by the tail, it employs its wheels in certain revolutions, by which it brings its food to its mouth. The wheels seem to be entire circles, with teeth, like the balance wheel of a watch ; they are transparent, except about the rim or edge. At the least disturbance of the water, they draw in their wheels. Now, though this is a very small insect. Baker remarks, that it is as a whale, compared with multitudes which he has seen. This reminds me, sir, of your remark, that with God the world was but an atom, and an atom is a world. So it is, Edward. If we feel as we ought, what- ever view we take of his works, we shall admire, and love, and praise. But I was g^ing to tell you, that 448 ORDER V. ANIMALCULA. the motions of the heart in this wheel insect, are dis- tinctly to be seen ; and that, as in the larger animals, it has a regular systole, or contraction by which the fluid essential to its life is impelled through its frame, — and a diastole power, by which the heart dilates or opens, and receives it again for the support of Hfe. This wheel insect is the most surprising of them all ; but you did not say, what was the particular use of its wheel. No doubt, it is a power by which it moves ; and, it is supposed, as it often spins round and round on its centre or head, that it thus agitates the water to bring the minute animals on which it feeds, to its mouth, A famous Italian naturalist thus strikingly describes their method of securing their prey. " It's a certain species of whale, which, after having driven a shoal of herrings into a strait, by a blow of its tail produces a whirlpool of vast extent, and great rapidity, which draws the fish into its vortex ; the monster then presents his open mouth, and the fish 449 2 G REFLECTIONS. are thrown into its jaws till it is satisfied ; so, these wheel insects produce a vortex, and in like manner procure their food."* Why, you remind me, sir, of a line in Virgil, where he speaks of comparing great things with small ones, — " Sic parvis componere magna solebam." Your reflection is a very natural one ; these ani- malcula are small things indeed; but not the less wonderful on that account : — ** Some so minute, that, to their fine extreme, The mite a vast leviathan would seem ; That yet of organs, functions, sense partake, Equal with animals of largest make." How large would the eels which are in vinegar, appear in Baker's microscope, sir ? I cannot exactly answer your question, Edward ; * Spallanzani. 450 REFLECTIONS. but he tells us, that the eels in paste, which you have seen, appeared an inch and a half in diameter; and that all their internal structure was visible. And does God take care of, and provide for, such small and inconsiderable creatures ? And does he delight to impart enjoyment on such a diminutive scale ? And can it be that he vrill overlook us ? A very proper, and consolatory^ inquiry, Edward. We are sure that he wdll not. " His tender mercies" are not only extended to the worlds and systems which revolve around his throne, and to the angels who bow in his presence, but to the little worm which leaves its tiny cavern, and lifts its little head, and drinks, delighted, the dew-drop of the morning. Your inquiries remind me of our Lord's argument, by which he encouraged his timid disciples to put their confidence in God. Do you not see, said he, how he feeds the birds of the air, and clothes, with inimitable beauty, the flowers of the field ? And are ye not much better than they ? will he not, therefore, feed and clothe you ? " O ye of little faith ! " 461 2 G 2 PRAISE. How well does it become us to walk abroad in God's great temple, musing on the glorious works of his hands, and admiring his infinite perfections and excellencies ! And, especially, how ought we to make every scene vocal with his praise How ought we to gather up, if I may so speak, the homage of creation, and bear it to the throne of its adorable Creator. How^ ought we individually to exclaim, with the devotional poet — "■ Begin, my soul, the exalted lay. Let each enraptur'd thought obey, And praise the Almighty's name ; Lo, heaven and earth, and seas and skies, In one melodious concert rise, To swell the inspiring theme ! Whate'er a blooming world contains, That wings the air, that skims the plains, United praise bestow ; All creatures sound his awful name To heaven aloud ; and roar acclaim, Ye swelling deeps below. 452 INDEX. Addison quoted A saying of his His opinion of instinct Air, of what composed Bladder Pressure of, on the root of a tree .... Albatross, larger than a swan . Its strange notes . Its eggs .... Alma Perdida, or Lost Soul ; < strange bird of South America Ambergris procured from the sto mach of the whale . American Tapir resembles the ri ver horse . Anecdotes of the Dog Animals, happy, a pleasing sight The most sagacious know not the works of God Live by the death of each other .... Animalcula, innumerable How they change colour Movement of the heart in Lines of Thomson on . Beautifully illuminate ocean PAGE 405 .304 410 47 275 the 45 239 240 ib. 118 113 53 164 138 438 443 450 ib. PAGE Animals and Plants difference between 401 Anemone, Sea; a rapacious insect 396 Angel Shark, a savage fish . 326 Ant-lion 381 Ants, anecdotes of . . 341, 385 Ant-eater, how it takes its prey , 28 Ape 13 Aphis 365 Fecundity . . . 367 Antelopes, different tribes of . 106 Alligators, how they seize cattle when crossing rivers in Mada- gascar 261 Armadillo ; its armour . . 29 Argus, the dog of Ulysses . . 51 Ass, none in England in the reign of Elizabeth . . . .110 Atheist, a task for him . . 207 Auk, Puffin ; its singular beak . 239 Ascaris 395 Atmospheric air . . . .47 Baboon, an object of worship . 18 Banyan 32 Babyroussa Hog ; its singular tusks 115 Badger 72 456 INDEX. PAGE Bat, the link which unites beasts and birds .... 23 Sleeps all the winter . . 25 Multitudes found in an old mansion in Wales . , ib. Bears, sleep in the winter . 72 Basking Shark . . . . S2l Barnacle 410 Being, gradation of . . .404 Beaver 82 Produces castor ... 84 Number of skins sold by the Hudson's Bay Company . ib. Bee, why armed . . . 385 Beetle, wing of the ... 348 The Elephant ... 349 The Burying . . . .351 The Stag .... 352 The Diamond, of Brazil . 350 Birds, nests of . . .127 Eggs of 128 Gizzard of. ... 127 Blackbird 173 Boa, the, kills and devours the stag or buffalo . . . 270 Borer, or Ptinus ... 352 Bowbanded Chetedon . . .333 Breakwater formed by the coral insect 426 Burnett, Bishop, an early riser . 168 Bustards, more scarce than they used to be .... 197 Bullfinch . . . . 176 Butcher-bird, whence its name . 144 Butterflies .... 408 Variety of . . . .372 Eggs of .... 346 Tongue of . . 345, 373 Time of its coming . . 373 Wings of . . . ; 374 Capacity of man Camel Hoof of . 123 92 94 Page Camel, stomachs of . . . 94 Fleetness of . . . .96 The ship of the desert . 95 Candia, King of ; his cruelty . 413 Canary-bird . . . . 180 Carpentero, a singular bird of South America . . . 295 Cassowary 201 Cats 07 Cam eleon, Jackson's account of . 2G5 Carnation, Sea . . . . 401 Carp, tame .... 310,311 Chafer 319 Devoured by the jays . ib. Chaffinch ; its nest . . .177 Chamois 106 Charcoal, mingled with our food . 48 Chalmers quoted . . . 301 Chlorine 48 Chance, nothing formed by . 212 Charles V., anecdotes of . . 310 Christianity ; its introduction into the islands of the Pacific . 426 Climate; suitableness of animals to it, a display of divine wis- dom 211, 212 Cicero, a saying of his . . .185 Civet, the .... 69 Conger-eel, size of . . . 277 Cochineal Insect, Ranow's ac- count of ... . 368, 369 Codfish, where taken, and how . 280 Use of .... 281 Condatchy, scene of the pearl fishery 415 Conder; its rapacity . . 129 Is of use . . . .130 Its quill .... ib. Conscience 302 Pope's lines on . . 303 Conversation . ... 427 Coral, diflTerent kinds . . 423 Appearance of, at different times of the tide . . ib. INDEX. 45' PAGE Coral, breakwater of, Ducies Is- land The Friendly Isles formed from its labours Vast breakwaters formed by this insect at New Hol- land .... At Raiatea No islands of, in the West Indies .... Cockroach, avoids the light Crane-fly Cowper ; his tame hares . Crane, lines on . The gigantic, anecdotes of 203, 204 Contrast between the notes of the peacock and the nightingale . Between the minnow and the whale .... Creeper devours Insects . Crow, found in pairs . Red-legged Canadian .... Cowry, where found Its value .... Covering of animals . Crossbill Cuckoo 422 425 422 425 422 359 387 90 202 295 126, 120 1G2 152 156 156 420 ib. 273 175 158, 159 Crocodile 259 Anecdotes of , . . 260 Curculio, nut insect . . .355 Cuttle-iish, some of vast size . 403 Its beak .... 402 Eggs of ib. Dampier; monkeys he saw in Peru Death-watch .... Design in creation proves a De- signer . . . 207 Distance of the nearest and of the farthest planet from our earth . Distinction between a plant and an animal 401 19 353 409 124 Diver, Northern; its formation suited to its habits . Diver, the Chinese train it to take fish . Divers for pearls often lose their limbs and lives Division of Animal Kingdom . Deer, different species of . Dog, anecdotes of . Of Ulysses . Dormouse .... Dolphin ; its appearance though to portend a storm . Dragon-fly .... Its eyes .... Doree-fish Dog-fish, rapacity of . Ducks How caught in the fens How bred in China . Eagle, the Bearded Bruce's account of one The Golden . Early rising Promotes health . Most great men have risen early .... Lines on . Eider Duck .... Escape from a snake Earth-worm .... Earth, eccentricity of its orbit. Education .... Twofold .... The plan of Socrates Mr. Locke's remarks on Eels Young ones In paste In vinegar .... How they appeared through a microscope . 444 458 INDEX. Eggs of turtle Of codfish Electric Eel . Edward I., how he regulated price offish Earwig, wings of . . , They spoil carnations . Ephemerae Do not live a day . Their immense numbers Elephant; its trunk Where found . How taken and tamed . Account of one . They help each other . Eyes of insects . Of the hen . Human Evening, beautiful lines on Eruption of fish from Mount topaxi .... the Co- page . 258 281 , 277 293 357 358 379 380 381 33 ib ib. 39 41 209 210 301 271 296 Falcon 131 The Secretary . . .132 The Peregrine . . . 139 Feathers, remarks of Paley on. 273, 274 Fishing Frog, voracious and ugly .... 294, 316 Fish, fins of 275 Scales of . . . . 273 Organ of hearing . . . 275 Fieldfares, roost on the ground. 1 72 Four-eyed Loach .... 334 Flat-fish, their eyes ... 285 Flea, the Water . . . .445 Flamingo, a splendid bird . 221, 222 Flukeworm, cause of rot in sheep 394 Flying Scorprena . . . 335 Flying-fish, devoured by the alba- tross 306, 307 Fly-catcher, a mute bird . .180 France, Isle of, abandoned on ac- count of the rats ... 85 Frogs, their changes . . 252 PAGE Frogs, how they take their food . 253 Circulation ofthebloodin one ib. Bull-frogs .... 254 Edible 254 Tongue of . . . 253 Foxes 61 Gad-fly, the Ox, the largest of the fly tribe in Britain . . .386 Its borer .... 387 Giraffe ; interesting account of the taking one by Vaillant . . 104 Geese 227 Solan 228 Glutton, a disgusting animal . 73 Crafty in taking its prey . ib. Gnats 346, 347 God, greatness of . . . 335 Gold-fish, natives of China. 296, 313,314 Grebe 244 Globe Animalcula . . . 445 Gonamy 297 Grampus 120 Glow-worm ; its light phosphoric. 356 How it puts out its light . 357 Great men ; few without some frailty Gap, an infinite, where . . 405 Grasshopper ; a species in Java, whose song is as loud as a trumpet 363 One in China which makes wax 364 Grouse, double their plumage in winter 197 Grossbeak, lives in society . . 176 Gradation, beautiful in the works of God .... 251,404 Gray mentions the hum of the beetle among the signs of even- ing 348 Guinea-pig, very prolific . . 82 Gurnard, Grey and Red . . 293 Gymnotus, or Electric Eel . . 277 NDEX. 459 PAGE Gymnotus; mules and horses have perished by its stroke . . 278 Gulls 232 Guana 262 20 Hake, abounds on the Devon coast Haddock, shoals of . Hand, human . . . . Hares, account of . Harvey Hawkmoth .... Hen Herring, fecundity of Hedgehog .... Heron, voracity of . Hippopotamus Skin, a load for any ox Horns of deer Hornbill, singular beak . Does the office of a cat . Halibut, size of Hornet. . . . . Horned Silure . Hog Horse .... Humming-bird . Whence their name . Account of a nest . Hyena, Mr. Bruce's account one .... . 282 281 . 300 90 . 429 376 . 209 213, 309 206 112 113 98 148 149 286 382 333 114, 115 109 162 163 ib. Ibex Ichneumon Of the aphis Instinct of birds Insects Changes of , 107 366 127 . 339 345, 346 Incapable of being taught . Distinction between and worms .... They hear .... Eyes resemble multiplying glasses .... 342 343 ib. 344 PAGE Insects ; places where they deposit their eggs 346 Variety of . . . . 349 Lines on their sounds . . 347 Islands formed by the coral . 425 Jackdaw, frequents ruins . .155 Jackal 60 Jaguar 67 Jenner ; his lines on the weather. 370 Jerboa, a miniature kangaroo . 89 Jay, beautiful plumage of . . 155 Devours chafers and fruit . ib. Jackson ; his account of camels . 95 Ivory 40 Jugiilares 279 Kangaroos, move fleeter than the greyhound .... 75 A stroke of its tail will break a man's leg . . . ib. Kingfisher .... 161 Kirby, remarkable quotation from 138 Knowledge, how a man may ad- vance in 338 Larks, fine songsters . . .181 Lantern-fly, a beautiful insect . 362 Llamas 96 Numerous .... 97 The camel of South America 96 Lady-bug, eats the aphis . . 354 Lapwing, how it catches the worms 216 La Place proves the stability of the solar system ... 46 Lemur 20 One tamed by Sir W. Jones . 21 Linneus; his parentage . . 1 Poverty 2 Travels .... ib. His escapes .... 4 Honours .... 6 Fame 7 460 INDEX. PAGE Linneus; his vanity . . 7,8 His arrangement of the ani- mal kingdom ... 9 Reply to the King of Spain . 6 His person .... 7 Lizards in Sumatra . . . 263 Lamprey, has from twelve to twenty rows of circular teeth . 327 Leeches ..... 395 In Ceylon . . . .396 In Syria .... 397 Leopards 66 Lions 62, 66 Ling 282 Great quantities exported from Norway ... ib. Loach, Four-eyed . . . 334 Locke,what he says on education 429 Locusts, when dead, emit a dread- ful stench . . . .361 The Thrush . . . ib. Lynx 67 Macauco 22 Mackerel .... 289, 290 Those taken as nothing to those which escape . . 290 Nearly blind in winter . 289 Captures of . . , . ib. Mammalia .... 9 Man ; creation without him an unfinished work . . .11 He alone of all the creatures understands the works of God .... ib. Different tribes of . . .12 Variety in the human coun- tenance .... ib. The value of his soul . . ib. Mantis, a fighting and savage in- sect 360 Magpie ; its nest . . . .156 Manis ; its singular armour . 28 Martin 69 PAGE Marmot, occupies the high cliffs of the Alps .... 85 Matter, no part of it unpeopled . 405 Of no value without mind, 125,302 Mind . . . 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 301 Memory, how to gain a good one .... 77, 78, 79 Miser ; what he rarely forgets . 80 Milton, an early riser Milt of the codfish Moles, on the sight of Monkey, Striated Used for food Object of worship . Price given for the tooth of one .... In Peru .... Mocking-bird, "Wilson's account of Bird of four hundred tongues Morse Deer .... Moor-hen .... More, Sir Thomas, an early riser Morning, lines on the Mole-cricket, an insect mole Mullet .... Moon Musk-deer Musk-rat .... Moth, Clothes . Mountain Ate as food Mountain of limestone ; what it contains . . . . , Mule, famous for climbing moun tains Killed, crossing a stream, by the electric eel . Music of insects Nautilus, where found Use of its shell . Nest of a bird; its wondrous structure .... 166 281 75 16 17 18 18 19 174 175 99 245 168 ib. 362 297 45 97 84 376 377 378 48 110 278 347 419 ib. 127 INDEX. 4G1 Newt, a harmless reptile Nero .... Nightingale Unequalled in song PAGE 264 . 303 183 . 184 Ocean, lit up by animalcula . 441 One thing needful ... 125 Opossum 74 Osprey ; Wilson's account of one . 135 Its claw notched hke a saw . 137 Order of God's works . . 131 Orang-Outang, very unlike to man .... 13, 14, 15 Otters tamed, and taught to catch fish 70, 71 Ostrich ; its eggs . . . .198 Resembles the camel . ib. Its speed . . . .200 Destructive to the corn-fields 199 Oyster, fecundity of . . . 213 Ouzel, the Water . . . .171 Owl 141 Horned ..... ib. The Brown . ~ . . 143 Oxygen gas breathed ... 46 Ounce 66 Parrots move the upper jaw. 145, 146 Paradise, Bird of; how it flies. 157, 158 Partridges 196 Pearls, admitof no higher polish. 414 The fishery for them at Con- datchy, in Ceylon . 415 Pelicans, bill of . 233 Affection of . . . 235 Penguins, easily caught 236 Petrels, used as candles . 238 Peacock 193 Tail of ... . 194 Plaice 287 Perch, singular species . 288 Price of fish regulated by Ed- ward I 293 Pipe-fish 315 Pheasants 195 PAGE Pigeon, the Carrier . . , 186 How taught . . . .187 How far they will go in a day .... ib. Pigeons in the American woods by millions . . .188 Pike, size of . . . 308, 309 Longevity of . . . . 309 Pill-chafer, whence its name . 351 Pilot-fish 332 Pilchards, value of the fishery . 310 Places where animals are found 211,212 Plants purify the air . . .46 Respiration of . . . ib. Plane-tree, singular growth of . 407 Pleasure, lines of Cowper on . 247 Potatoes 48 Pope quoted . . . 131, 304 Prediction, fulfilment of . . 426 Proteus Animalcula . . 444 Porteus, Bishop .... 246 Porcupine; its quills . . 81 Fish 332 Polecat 70 Providence .... 127 Polype, an animal flower How classed .... 432 How produces its young . 433 Power of multiplication . 430 With two heads . . . 431 Their size . . . .432 Skin ib. Formation .... 431 Voracity .... 433 How it takes its prey . . 435 Swallow, but do not devour each other . . . 436 Proboscis of the elephant and fly 345 Praise to God from all his works 298 Ptinus, or Borer . . . 852 Puffin Auk 239 Purple Emperor butterfly . 375 462 NDEX. Rabbits, came originally from Spain Rail, rarely takes wing . Rattlesnakes ; some have forty rattles Rats, fecundity of Rendered the Isle of France uninhabitable . Racoon, will open oysters with its paws . Ravens Age of . . . . 151 Account of two . Razor-shell ; its borer . Reindeer, could not exist out of Lapland .... Lines on Swiftness of the Reid on memory . Remarkable things . Rhinoceros . Skin resists a bullet . What one cost bringing to England . Bruce's account of the cap ture of one Rook ; white one Smells gunpowder Antipathy to the raven Rays RufF and Reeve . Reptiles, hold an important place in God's works Revenue raised from swallows nests Sandpipers, where found . . 215 Salamander, cannot live in fire . 264 Salt, composed of two kinds of poison 47 Salmon, how get up cataracts . 214 Caught by a man on horse- back . . . 305, 306 Scales 273 89 221 268 85 73 149 156 ib. 411 99 100 101 79 209 30 31 Jb. 31,32 153 154 153 326 215 251 305 PAGE Scorprena .... 335 Seals, how taken .... 49 Sea-bear 50 Sea-cock 334 Shrike 144 Serpents 266 Solar system ; its stability . 46 Silkworm . . . . .376 Silure 333 Soles, abound in Torbay Shark ; size, voracity Teeth .... How destroyed by negroes Follows the slave-ships Anecdotes of . 322, Worshipped Smelt Snakes, Common ; harmless Two hundred species . Black Spoonbill . ... Snails ; their teeth . Repair their shells Snipe ; its singular noise . Spermaceti Whale Spiders, gigantic , Seize birds .... Spirit, one, of more value than a dead universe Squirrels 86 Squirrels, abound in America . 87 Sparrow, devours great quantities of insects . . . . 178 Sound, how communicated . 45 Sloth, a wretched animal . 21 Spectacle-snake; an interesting account of one . . • 267 Sponge, the Branched . . 437 The Cock's-comb . . . ib. The Stinging ... 438 Slugs, destructive of vegetation . 393 Surmullet, never found in fresh water 292 How valued by the Romans . ib. 321 320 321 324 323, 330 328, 329 . 306 266 ib. 267 235 420 422 218 . 118 389, 390 302 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY B 000 003 094 . J ^lOSANCElfj^^ ^•OFCAIIFO/?^ ^. 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