I
remember
this even
at school: if any boy hurt a red-breast, there was always a host to
take poor Robin's part.
at school: if any boy hurt a red-breast, there was always a host to
take poor Robin's part.
Childrens - The Creation
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THE CREATION.
The Christian is a partaker of the divine nature; and God is love; and
he that bears that name should delight to imitate Him who feedeth
the young ravens when they cry, and openeth his hand and satisfieth
every living thing.
This bird supplies man with the most delicate food; and even the
very look of a farm-yard, with this family about, gives sprightliness
and cheerfulness to all around.
When the breed is good, it is calculated that a hen will lay between
two and three hundred eggs in the year; though she rarely hatches
more than one brood. The egg-shell, being formed of the finest pre-
paration of lime, is used in medicine.
Genus Numidia. --The Guinea Hen. The name of this fowl is
taken from its native country, Guinea, in Africa; though now it is in
a domestic state all over Europe. It is also found in America; but it
is supposed to have been imported there early in the sixteenth century.
It is a beautiful bird, with spotted plumage, rather larger than the
common hen.
Genus Crax. --The Curassow. This bird is nearly as large as a hen
turkey; the bill is black at the point. The head is adorned with a
beautiful feathery crest. The whole body ie jet black--quite glossy.
It frequents the settlements of Berbice and Demarara.
Genus Tetrao. -- The Cock-of-the-wood. This is a very large bird,
weighing at times fourteen pounds. It is common in the Alps,
France, Germany, and the Highlands of Scotland. It feeds princi-
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pally on corn: and, as you may imagine from its size, makes no small
havoc amongst it. The female bird is much smaller than the cock.
They feed also on ants' eggs, and on the cones of the fir.
The Black Cock. This bird, like the cock-of-the-wood, is fond of
woody or mountainous districts. It weighs, when full grown, lour
pounds. It is also called the Black Grouse.
The Moor Fowl. This valuable bird is peculiar to the British Isles,
and weighs from fourteen ounces to a pound.
The Ptarmigan. In these kingdoms, this bird is only found on the
summits of the mountains of Scotland and Cumberland.
The Bustard. This bird is now almost extinct in England. When
full grown the wings expand nine feet; the female is not more than
half the size of the male.
The male has a tuft of feathers about five inches long on the lower
mandible; the head and neck are of the peculiar colour of ashes, the
back is transversely barred with black and rust colour.
These birds used to frequent Salisbury Plain, and other of our large
commons, but now they are rarely seen.
The Partridge. This bird is found in every climate, from the arctic
regions to the tropics; and its plumage is adapted to its country. In
Greenland it is brown in summer, and white in winter. The flesh of
the partridge is delicate and nutritious.
The Quail. This is the smallest bird of this family; but that it is
a bird of passage is singular. It was with this bird that the Lord
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THE CREATION.
miraculously fed the Israelites when they wandered in the wilderness.
(Exod xvi. 13, Numbers xi. 13--32. )
SIXTH ORDER--STRUTHIORES.
Comprising the Ostrich, the Cassowary, the Dodo.
The Ostrich. This is the largest of birds; and seems, from its habits,
to be a link between the quadruped and feathered tribes. When the
ostrich stands erect it is not unlike the camel, appearing nearly as
high as a man on horseback. When the head is extended, from the top
of it to the tail is nearly six feet, and the tail one foot more. The
large " ostrich feathers," are at the extremities of the tail and wings;
for its covering generally is more like hair. It inhabits the regions of
Africa and Asia within the torrid zone. It is adapted in a most
admirable degree to the country it inhabits, as it seldom drinks.
The following passage in Job gives the natural history of the ostrich.
" Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his
dwellings. . . . Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks ? or
wings and feathers unto the ostrich ? Which leaveth her eggs in the
earth, and warmeth them in dust, and forgetteth that the foot may
crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. She is hardened
against her young ones, as though they were not her's: her labour is in
vain without fear; because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither
hath he imparted to her understanding. What time she lifteth up herself
on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider," (Jobxxxix. 6,13--18. )
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The Camicary. This bird in stature is second only to the Ostrich;
it is about five or six feet, at its largest size, from the bill to the
claws. The wings are in a great measure concealed under the
feathers of the back. The cassowary is provided with a kind of
natural helmet of horn, which will resist a heavy blow. Its eye is
also very piercing.
The Emu. This bird is like the cassowary; but is deficient of the
helmet-like knob on its head, just spoken of. New Holland, and all
those vast clusters of islands comprehending the Moluccas, Australia,
&c. , are the home of the emu. It is a gentle bird, and capable of
being tamed.
The Dodo. This bird has not been seen by any person now living;
indeed, some naturalists have doubted if it ever existed. If you look
in the Penny Cyclopaedia, at the article bearing its name, you will
find the subject examined into at great length; and, weighing all the
evidence, it seems conclusive that a very large bird, bearing this name,
was known to the natives of the Mauritius in the early part of the
last century; and also in the one preceding. In the British Museum
there is a foot of a large bird said to be the Dodo; and also a drawing
of the bird itself. And in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford there
is the head of one of the same species; which is the only remains
of a once perfect bird, presented to the Museum in the reign
of Queen Elizabeth. Some of the most learned naturalists of the
present clay have thought, comparing all the evidence together,
l3
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THE CREATION.
that the bird to which these remains belonged, was greater than the
ostrich.
The traditional accounts of the natives of the Mauritius, and the
journals of voyagers, concur in stating, that the Dodo was a bird of
great size, and excellent for food; though, in this last particular, some
of them differ.
SEVENTH ORDER. --PASSERES.
SIXTEEN GENERA. --MANY SPECIES.
Comprising the Thrush, Blackbird, Robin, Sparrow, Fieldfare, Grosbeak, and many
others.
Though this is the least family of the birds of the air, yet is it by
far the most interesting. It is to it that we are indebted for " the
melody of the groves;"--for the blackbird, the thrush, and thousands
of other birds of this family, wake up the morning with the sprightli-
ness of their song; and as the evening shades set in, the pensive
solitary whistle here or there, is in keeping with the quiet calmness of
the time; and when all is hushed and still, how beautiful is the song
of the nightingale to her mate, cheering " the live-long night;" and
though our gardens and orchards may suffer from some of this family,
yet, as has been found, we should suffer far more from their absence;
for fly-catchers and insect and worm-destroyers are of more value to
us than we generally are aware of. This family we will consider in
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? LETTER IX.
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their great divisions. First, those that feed on insects; as the
Thrush, Blackbird, Fly-catcher, &c. Second, those that feed on
grain and fruit; as the Lark, Finches, Bunting, Starling, &c. Third,
those that take their prey flying; as the Swallow, Swift, Goat-
Sucker, &c.
The Thrush. This most delightful songster of our groves is well-
known ; and one never regrets seeing it, except when perched up in a
large basket-cage, with its note dull compared to that sung in freedom.
If birds can be so tamed as to prefer captivity, all is well; but then
the cage door should be opened, to give a reality to the thought. Our
own country affords several species of this family; the two principal
are the Song Thrush and the Misseltoe-bird. The latter is by far the
largest of the two; and has the inner feathers of its wings yellow.
In France the thrush is a bird of passage. The food of this bird is
principally insects and berries. It sings generally on the loftiest
spray of some high tree.
The Blackbird. The plumage of the male bird is a jet black, and
that of the female a dark russet. The note of the blackbird is the
loudest of the wood; and in the distance is beautiful. In the Alps
there is a species that from its colour should be called the White-bird,
its plumage being purely white.
The Redwing. This is a species of Thrush; but the plumage under
the wings is of an orange or dusky red. The red-wing, moreover,
is migratory, and coracsto us about Michaelmas, and leaves in March.
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THE CREATION.
The Fieldfare. This bird is larger than the common thrush, and
generally goes in flocks. The redwing and fieldfare migrate in
company.
The Fly-catcher. This is a sportive little bird, about five inches long.
The head is large, and spotted with black; wings and tail are dusky;
the belly is white. It is a bird of passage, and comes to us in the
Spring, and leaves in September. As its name implies, it feeds on
flies; and this accounts for its migration.
The Lark. This bird belongs to the second division of our family;
and may hardly give place even to the nightingale for the melody of
its song. How often have we watched it together, ascending higher
and higher, until it was scarcely visible; and then marked its delight
as it descended to its loved partner and offspring. How cruel the sport
to invade such domestic happiness! I believe some parents are little
aware how birds'-nesting, as it is called, hardens and debases the
minds of their children. Cruelty to animals is almost invariably either
the forerunner or companion of cruelty to man.
The Cardinal Grosbeak. This American bird is also called the
"Red bird," and the "Virginian Nightingale. " With the most
brilliant plumage, as its name implies, it unites the sweetest song,
emidating, it is said, the nightingale. This bird frequents the cedar
groves of Bermuda, and looks exceedingly rich, darting among the
trees. It is many years since I heard their note, but I never thought
it, however melodious, to reach the song of our native nightingale.
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? LETTER IX.
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The Black Cap. The crown of the head of this little bird is quite
black. This circumstance gave it its appropriate name. It is a bird
of sweet song; so much so, that in Norfolk they call it " the mock
nightingale. "
The Robin Red Breast. This little winter friend gives us song, when
almost all the choir of the woods is silent; and though he is not pro-
tected, as the stork in Holland, by Act of Parliament; yet a sort of
common law seems to pervade all ranks, so that it is high treason
against the feelings of humanity to hurt him.
I remember this even
at school: if any boy hurt a red-breast, there was always a host to
take poor Robin's part. He comes to our windows, and never wants a
friend to provide crumbs for him. The robin seems fond of the
haunts of man; and he in return gives him his protection, without
imprisonment.
The Golden-crested Wren. This is the smallest of our English
birds, weighing not more than twenty-six grains. It has a scarlet
mark on its head, surrounded by a yellow rim. It frequents our
woods, and may be called, from its size and beauty, " the English
Humming Bird. "
The Wheat-ear is only a visitor to our shores, but it stays the early
Spring, Summer, and part of Autumn. Its plumage is of a bluish
grey, and the belly part a yellowish white, tinged with red; the legs,
black. It abounds in Sussex.
The Sparrow. This little friendly bird gives the name to this
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? 2. 30
THE CREATION.
order:--" Passern, the Sparrows. " It has very little fear of man;
and has neither song nor beauty of plumage, and yet its cheerful
chirp on the spray is not without its charm; and though it is a
robber of our gardens, yet it also takes away many of our enemies.
Therefore, whilst we may not bestow the same regard on the sparrow
as on the red-breast, yet we will not despise him, but give him a
few crumbs, when he comes to our doors in the winter's morning:.
It is, my beloved children, such a joyful thing to love to give happi-
ness, even to the least of the irrational creation; and never should
God's children forget (and O that you may be numbered among
them) the double import of our Lord's words, " Are not two sparrows
sold for one farthing, and not one of them shall fall to the ground
without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. Fear ye not, therefore; ye are of more value than
many sparrows. " (Matt. x. 29--31. ) Often, when looking on this
cheerful little bird, does this most beautiful scripture come to my
mind.
The Swallow. This is the third division of this order. Four
species are natives of England; though all of them leave us in
September and October. 1. The House Swallow; 2. the Martin;
3. the Sand Martin; 4. the Swift: to these may be added the
Esculent Swallow; the nests of which bird are imported into China,
to the number of four millions annually; the current price of which
is the weight of the nest in silver.
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The Home Swallow. This species is distinguished by the extreme
forkedness of its tail, and a reddish spot on its forehead. It builds
its nest within the tops of chimneys, and sometimes breeds twice a
year. The common swallow is the harbinger or forerunner of the
whole family; arriving about twenty days before them.
The Martin. This bird is not so large as the swallow, and its
tail is less forked. It builds under the eaves of houses, where the
family dwell as in a fortress: a small aperture just admits the parent
birds to feed their young, and when fledged, they supply them on
the wing, until they can provide for themselves.
The Sand Martin. This species builds its nest, as its name implies,
by the sides of banks, perforating the sand. It is the hist of the
swallow tribe that comes to us, always waiting until the season has
fully set in.
The Swift. This beautiful bird derives its name from its velocity
on the wing. The horse has been known once, for a few seconds,
to go at the rate of a mile in a minute; but the swift travels more
than four times this rate, reaching, with its swiftest wing, 250 miles an
hour. This bird hardly ever rests, excepting during the night, and
while on its nest. Directly the cold sets in, the swift migrates, even
weeks before its companions.
The Esculent or Java Swallow. This interesting little bird is prin-
cipally known in the Indian Archipelago--that amazing cluster of
islands on the Eastern shores of Asia; but it abounds in the island
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THE CREATION.
of Java; and from thence it takes its name. In shape it resembles
our swallow, though less in size. Its plumage is a dark grey, with
the belly white. It is very swift on the wing; but what gives it the
greatest interest is the singular character of its nest. Sir George
Staunton, in his voyage to China, where he was going as English
ambassador, touched at Sumatra, and gives the following most
interesting account of his visit: " In the Cass--a small island near
Sumatra--we found the caverns running horizontally into the side
of the rock. In these were a number of those birds' nests so much
prized by the Chinese epicures. They seemed to be composed of
fine filaments, connected together by a transparent viscous matter,
not unlike what is left by the foam of the sea upon stones, alternately
covered by the tide; or those gelatinous animal substances found
floating on every coast. The nests adhere to each other, and to the
sides of the caverns, mostly in horizontal rows, without any break
or interruption, and at different depths, from 50 to 500 feet. "
Various are the opinions how these wonderful little architects carry
on their work; but the most satisfactory is, that the bird first
partakes of the sea scum above mentioned; and from it, by a
chemical process, which goes on in its inside, it produces a fine
mucilage, which it can draw up at pleasure; and thus by a wonder-
ful instinct it prepares its house from its own body, even as the
spider does his beautiful web, and the silk-worm its costly covering;
and should this little builder have his house in the interior of the
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? LETTER IX.
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island, this presents no difficulty; for he flies with so swift a wing,
that a short hour would take him from any part of Java to the sea
side, when he might lay in a good store, and at his home prepare
his strange material for building. It seems almost incredible, that
some thousands of tons of shipping are employed to carry these nests
to the Chinese markets, to the enormous annual value of 290,000/.
The fine filaments which compose these nests, are something the
consistency of isinglass; and the Chinese are passionately fond of
them, and dissolve them in their soups, &c.
The Goat Sucker. This bird is of the Swallow family, though
larger. It does not stay long in England, coming late and leaving
early. The ancients had an idea that it sucked the goat, and thus
gave it its ungainly name; but the accusation was quite unjust.
EIGHTH ORDER. --COLUMB. E.
TWO GENERA. --SEVERAL SPECIES.
This order is confined to the Dove and Pigeon; and comprises
principally, the Stock Dove, the Pigeon, the Ring Dove, and the
Turtle Dove.
The Stock Dove. From this source have sprung all the varieties of
the pigeon, which are now so numerous. It builds either in the holes
of rocks, or in the hollow of trees.
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THE CREATIOK.
The Pigeon. * This family has branched out into almost endless
variety, the species of which are so well known as hardly to need
description.
The domestic pigeon is wonderfully prolific, for though it lays only
two eggs, yet it breeds every month; and so rapid is the growth of
the young, that it is calculated in four years a single pair will
produce upwards of one hundred thousand. It is not a very un-
common thing to see two families in the same nest; one just bora,
the other ready for flight.
The Ring Dove. A beautiful ring round the neck of this
lovely bird gives it its name. It is the largest of this family
known in our country. They generally fly in flocks, and subsist
on berries. You sometimes see them in cages, but they look
miserable.
The Turtle Dove. This bird is called the pattern of fidelity,
love, and simplicity; and naturalists say, that its attachment to
its mate is such, that if the hawk or kite seizes on one, the
other pines away and dies. You remember how sweetly Cowper
alludes to this in his stanzas on the dove. I quote a few verses
of it:--
" When lightnings flash among the trees,
Or kites are hovering near;
I fear lest thee alone they seize,
And know no other fear.
? See Appendix.
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? LETTER IX.
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" Tis then I feel myself a wife,
And press thy wedded side,
Resolved an union formed for life,
Death only shall divide.
" But oh, if fickle and unchaste,
(Forgive a transient thought,)
Thou couldst become unkind at last,
And scorn thy present lot;
" No need of lightnings from on high,
Or kites with cruel beak,
Denied th' endearments of thine eye,
This widowed heart would break. "
Yes, my beloved children, we may go daily to one part of creation
or another, and get lessons of wisdom. Industry from the ant, (Prov.
xxx. 25;) watchfulness of times from the stork, and crane, and
swallow, (Jer. viii. 7;) and faithfulness from the dove, (Canticles ii.
12--14. )
And now I must conclude this long letter. We have seen the
great sea, wherein are things innumerable. We have watched the
birds of heaven, with their habitations, by the springs and fountains
of waters, and their song among the branches, (Psalm civ. 17--25. )
We have witnessed both elements--the air and the water--sub-
servient to man; and surely the song of the child of God must be,--
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THE CREATION.
" Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy
name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who
forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases: who
crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies. " (Psalm ciii.
1--4. ) That each of you, my beloved children, may be found,
with Daniel, standing in your lot in the end of your days, is the
sincere prayer of
Your ever affectionate Father.
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? THE CREATION.
237
LETTER X.
" AS AN EAGLE STIRRETH UP HER NEST, FLUTTERETH OVER HER YOUNG, SPREADETH
ABROAD HER WINGS, TAKETH THEM, BEARETH THEM ON HER WINGS : SO THE
LORD ALONE DID LEAD HIM, AND THERE WAS NO STRANGE GOD WITH HIM. "--
Deuteronomy xxxii. 11--12.
My dear Children,
I have often remarked to you, when reading the New Testament,
that our blessed Lord almost invariably instructed his disciples, and
the multitude at large, from the circumstances of every day life. It
was not in difficult words, and abstract reasoning; but in the very
plainest language, that he spoke to them; the heart and the conscience,
as well as the understanding, was what he ever appealed to. He
never answered curious inquiries, though he replied to the inquirers;
but this was to direct their eye to one thing alone--their own
salvation. All bore on this, for both by word, as well as by the
sacrifice of the cross, he continually set forth the all-important truth,
that he came to seek and to save that which was lost. Thus, when
the disciples came to him with the inquiry, " Who is the greatest in
the kingdom of heaven? " he took a little child unto him, and set him
in the midst of them, and whilst their eyes, doubtless, were fixed upon
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THE CREATION.
it, he said, " Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven," (Matt. xviii. 3. ) And again, when one came to him with the
word, "Lord, are there few that be saved? " how full of mercy the
reply, "K Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I say unto
you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master
of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to
stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to
us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know not whence ye are. "
(Luke xiii. 24, 25,) So, in like manner, when some one told the Lord
of a cruel act that had just taken place; and that Pilate, while the
Galileans had been sacrificing, had slain some of them, and mingled
their blood with the blood of the sacrifice; how striking was his
reply: " Think ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the
Galileans?
? 222
THE CREATION.
The Christian is a partaker of the divine nature; and God is love; and
he that bears that name should delight to imitate Him who feedeth
the young ravens when they cry, and openeth his hand and satisfieth
every living thing.
This bird supplies man with the most delicate food; and even the
very look of a farm-yard, with this family about, gives sprightliness
and cheerfulness to all around.
When the breed is good, it is calculated that a hen will lay between
two and three hundred eggs in the year; though she rarely hatches
more than one brood. The egg-shell, being formed of the finest pre-
paration of lime, is used in medicine.
Genus Numidia. --The Guinea Hen. The name of this fowl is
taken from its native country, Guinea, in Africa; though now it is in
a domestic state all over Europe. It is also found in America; but it
is supposed to have been imported there early in the sixteenth century.
It is a beautiful bird, with spotted plumage, rather larger than the
common hen.
Genus Crax. --The Curassow. This bird is nearly as large as a hen
turkey; the bill is black at the point. The head is adorned with a
beautiful feathery crest. The whole body ie jet black--quite glossy.
It frequents the settlements of Berbice and Demarara.
Genus Tetrao. -- The Cock-of-the-wood. This is a very large bird,
weighing at times fourteen pounds. It is common in the Alps,
France, Germany, and the Highlands of Scotland. It feeds princi-
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? LETTER IX.
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pally on corn: and, as you may imagine from its size, makes no small
havoc amongst it. The female bird is much smaller than the cock.
They feed also on ants' eggs, and on the cones of the fir.
The Black Cock. This bird, like the cock-of-the-wood, is fond of
woody or mountainous districts. It weighs, when full grown, lour
pounds. It is also called the Black Grouse.
The Moor Fowl. This valuable bird is peculiar to the British Isles,
and weighs from fourteen ounces to a pound.
The Ptarmigan. In these kingdoms, this bird is only found on the
summits of the mountains of Scotland and Cumberland.
The Bustard. This bird is now almost extinct in England. When
full grown the wings expand nine feet; the female is not more than
half the size of the male.
The male has a tuft of feathers about five inches long on the lower
mandible; the head and neck are of the peculiar colour of ashes, the
back is transversely barred with black and rust colour.
These birds used to frequent Salisbury Plain, and other of our large
commons, but now they are rarely seen.
The Partridge. This bird is found in every climate, from the arctic
regions to the tropics; and its plumage is adapted to its country. In
Greenland it is brown in summer, and white in winter. The flesh of
the partridge is delicate and nutritious.
The Quail. This is the smallest bird of this family; but that it is
a bird of passage is singular. It was with this bird that the Lord
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THE CREATION.
miraculously fed the Israelites when they wandered in the wilderness.
(Exod xvi. 13, Numbers xi. 13--32. )
SIXTH ORDER--STRUTHIORES.
Comprising the Ostrich, the Cassowary, the Dodo.
The Ostrich. This is the largest of birds; and seems, from its habits,
to be a link between the quadruped and feathered tribes. When the
ostrich stands erect it is not unlike the camel, appearing nearly as
high as a man on horseback. When the head is extended, from the top
of it to the tail is nearly six feet, and the tail one foot more. The
large " ostrich feathers," are at the extremities of the tail and wings;
for its covering generally is more like hair. It inhabits the regions of
Africa and Asia within the torrid zone. It is adapted in a most
admirable degree to the country it inhabits, as it seldom drinks.
The following passage in Job gives the natural history of the ostrich.
" Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his
dwellings. . . . Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks ? or
wings and feathers unto the ostrich ? Which leaveth her eggs in the
earth, and warmeth them in dust, and forgetteth that the foot may
crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. She is hardened
against her young ones, as though they were not her's: her labour is in
vain without fear; because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither
hath he imparted to her understanding. What time she lifteth up herself
on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider," (Jobxxxix. 6,13--18. )
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The Camicary. This bird in stature is second only to the Ostrich;
it is about five or six feet, at its largest size, from the bill to the
claws. The wings are in a great measure concealed under the
feathers of the back. The cassowary is provided with a kind of
natural helmet of horn, which will resist a heavy blow. Its eye is
also very piercing.
The Emu. This bird is like the cassowary; but is deficient of the
helmet-like knob on its head, just spoken of. New Holland, and all
those vast clusters of islands comprehending the Moluccas, Australia,
&c. , are the home of the emu. It is a gentle bird, and capable of
being tamed.
The Dodo. This bird has not been seen by any person now living;
indeed, some naturalists have doubted if it ever existed. If you look
in the Penny Cyclopaedia, at the article bearing its name, you will
find the subject examined into at great length; and, weighing all the
evidence, it seems conclusive that a very large bird, bearing this name,
was known to the natives of the Mauritius in the early part of the
last century; and also in the one preceding. In the British Museum
there is a foot of a large bird said to be the Dodo; and also a drawing
of the bird itself. And in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford there
is the head of one of the same species; which is the only remains
of a once perfect bird, presented to the Museum in the reign
of Queen Elizabeth. Some of the most learned naturalists of the
present clay have thought, comparing all the evidence together,
l3
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THE CREATION.
that the bird to which these remains belonged, was greater than the
ostrich.
The traditional accounts of the natives of the Mauritius, and the
journals of voyagers, concur in stating, that the Dodo was a bird of
great size, and excellent for food; though, in this last particular, some
of them differ.
SEVENTH ORDER. --PASSERES.
SIXTEEN GENERA. --MANY SPECIES.
Comprising the Thrush, Blackbird, Robin, Sparrow, Fieldfare, Grosbeak, and many
others.
Though this is the least family of the birds of the air, yet is it by
far the most interesting. It is to it that we are indebted for " the
melody of the groves;"--for the blackbird, the thrush, and thousands
of other birds of this family, wake up the morning with the sprightli-
ness of their song; and as the evening shades set in, the pensive
solitary whistle here or there, is in keeping with the quiet calmness of
the time; and when all is hushed and still, how beautiful is the song
of the nightingale to her mate, cheering " the live-long night;" and
though our gardens and orchards may suffer from some of this family,
yet, as has been found, we should suffer far more from their absence;
for fly-catchers and insect and worm-destroyers are of more value to
us than we generally are aware of. This family we will consider in
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their great divisions. First, those that feed on insects; as the
Thrush, Blackbird, Fly-catcher, &c. Second, those that feed on
grain and fruit; as the Lark, Finches, Bunting, Starling, &c. Third,
those that take their prey flying; as the Swallow, Swift, Goat-
Sucker, &c.
The Thrush. This most delightful songster of our groves is well-
known ; and one never regrets seeing it, except when perched up in a
large basket-cage, with its note dull compared to that sung in freedom.
If birds can be so tamed as to prefer captivity, all is well; but then
the cage door should be opened, to give a reality to the thought. Our
own country affords several species of this family; the two principal
are the Song Thrush and the Misseltoe-bird. The latter is by far the
largest of the two; and has the inner feathers of its wings yellow.
In France the thrush is a bird of passage. The food of this bird is
principally insects and berries. It sings generally on the loftiest
spray of some high tree.
The Blackbird. The plumage of the male bird is a jet black, and
that of the female a dark russet. The note of the blackbird is the
loudest of the wood; and in the distance is beautiful. In the Alps
there is a species that from its colour should be called the White-bird,
its plumage being purely white.
The Redwing. This is a species of Thrush; but the plumage under
the wings is of an orange or dusky red. The red-wing, moreover,
is migratory, and coracsto us about Michaelmas, and leaves in March.
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THE CREATION.
The Fieldfare. This bird is larger than the common thrush, and
generally goes in flocks. The redwing and fieldfare migrate in
company.
The Fly-catcher. This is a sportive little bird, about five inches long.
The head is large, and spotted with black; wings and tail are dusky;
the belly is white. It is a bird of passage, and comes to us in the
Spring, and leaves in September. As its name implies, it feeds on
flies; and this accounts for its migration.
The Lark. This bird belongs to the second division of our family;
and may hardly give place even to the nightingale for the melody of
its song. How often have we watched it together, ascending higher
and higher, until it was scarcely visible; and then marked its delight
as it descended to its loved partner and offspring. How cruel the sport
to invade such domestic happiness! I believe some parents are little
aware how birds'-nesting, as it is called, hardens and debases the
minds of their children. Cruelty to animals is almost invariably either
the forerunner or companion of cruelty to man.
The Cardinal Grosbeak. This American bird is also called the
"Red bird," and the "Virginian Nightingale. " With the most
brilliant plumage, as its name implies, it unites the sweetest song,
emidating, it is said, the nightingale. This bird frequents the cedar
groves of Bermuda, and looks exceedingly rich, darting among the
trees. It is many years since I heard their note, but I never thought
it, however melodious, to reach the song of our native nightingale.
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The Black Cap. The crown of the head of this little bird is quite
black. This circumstance gave it its appropriate name. It is a bird
of sweet song; so much so, that in Norfolk they call it " the mock
nightingale. "
The Robin Red Breast. This little winter friend gives us song, when
almost all the choir of the woods is silent; and though he is not pro-
tected, as the stork in Holland, by Act of Parliament; yet a sort of
common law seems to pervade all ranks, so that it is high treason
against the feelings of humanity to hurt him.
I remember this even
at school: if any boy hurt a red-breast, there was always a host to
take poor Robin's part. He comes to our windows, and never wants a
friend to provide crumbs for him. The robin seems fond of the
haunts of man; and he in return gives him his protection, without
imprisonment.
The Golden-crested Wren. This is the smallest of our English
birds, weighing not more than twenty-six grains. It has a scarlet
mark on its head, surrounded by a yellow rim. It frequents our
woods, and may be called, from its size and beauty, " the English
Humming Bird. "
The Wheat-ear is only a visitor to our shores, but it stays the early
Spring, Summer, and part of Autumn. Its plumage is of a bluish
grey, and the belly part a yellowish white, tinged with red; the legs,
black. It abounds in Sussex.
The Sparrow. This little friendly bird gives the name to this
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THE CREATION.
order:--" Passern, the Sparrows. " It has very little fear of man;
and has neither song nor beauty of plumage, and yet its cheerful
chirp on the spray is not without its charm; and though it is a
robber of our gardens, yet it also takes away many of our enemies.
Therefore, whilst we may not bestow the same regard on the sparrow
as on the red-breast, yet we will not despise him, but give him a
few crumbs, when he comes to our doors in the winter's morning:.
It is, my beloved children, such a joyful thing to love to give happi-
ness, even to the least of the irrational creation; and never should
God's children forget (and O that you may be numbered among
them) the double import of our Lord's words, " Are not two sparrows
sold for one farthing, and not one of them shall fall to the ground
without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. Fear ye not, therefore; ye are of more value than
many sparrows. " (Matt. x. 29--31. ) Often, when looking on this
cheerful little bird, does this most beautiful scripture come to my
mind.
The Swallow. This is the third division of this order. Four
species are natives of England; though all of them leave us in
September and October. 1. The House Swallow; 2. the Martin;
3. the Sand Martin; 4. the Swift: to these may be added the
Esculent Swallow; the nests of which bird are imported into China,
to the number of four millions annually; the current price of which
is the weight of the nest in silver.
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The Home Swallow. This species is distinguished by the extreme
forkedness of its tail, and a reddish spot on its forehead. It builds
its nest within the tops of chimneys, and sometimes breeds twice a
year. The common swallow is the harbinger or forerunner of the
whole family; arriving about twenty days before them.
The Martin. This bird is not so large as the swallow, and its
tail is less forked. It builds under the eaves of houses, where the
family dwell as in a fortress: a small aperture just admits the parent
birds to feed their young, and when fledged, they supply them on
the wing, until they can provide for themselves.
The Sand Martin. This species builds its nest, as its name implies,
by the sides of banks, perforating the sand. It is the hist of the
swallow tribe that comes to us, always waiting until the season has
fully set in.
The Swift. This beautiful bird derives its name from its velocity
on the wing. The horse has been known once, for a few seconds,
to go at the rate of a mile in a minute; but the swift travels more
than four times this rate, reaching, with its swiftest wing, 250 miles an
hour. This bird hardly ever rests, excepting during the night, and
while on its nest. Directly the cold sets in, the swift migrates, even
weeks before its companions.
The Esculent or Java Swallow. This interesting little bird is prin-
cipally known in the Indian Archipelago--that amazing cluster of
islands on the Eastern shores of Asia; but it abounds in the island
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THE CREATION.
of Java; and from thence it takes its name. In shape it resembles
our swallow, though less in size. Its plumage is a dark grey, with
the belly white. It is very swift on the wing; but what gives it the
greatest interest is the singular character of its nest. Sir George
Staunton, in his voyage to China, where he was going as English
ambassador, touched at Sumatra, and gives the following most
interesting account of his visit: " In the Cass--a small island near
Sumatra--we found the caverns running horizontally into the side
of the rock. In these were a number of those birds' nests so much
prized by the Chinese epicures. They seemed to be composed of
fine filaments, connected together by a transparent viscous matter,
not unlike what is left by the foam of the sea upon stones, alternately
covered by the tide; or those gelatinous animal substances found
floating on every coast. The nests adhere to each other, and to the
sides of the caverns, mostly in horizontal rows, without any break
or interruption, and at different depths, from 50 to 500 feet. "
Various are the opinions how these wonderful little architects carry
on their work; but the most satisfactory is, that the bird first
partakes of the sea scum above mentioned; and from it, by a
chemical process, which goes on in its inside, it produces a fine
mucilage, which it can draw up at pleasure; and thus by a wonder-
ful instinct it prepares its house from its own body, even as the
spider does his beautiful web, and the silk-worm its costly covering;
and should this little builder have his house in the interior of the
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island, this presents no difficulty; for he flies with so swift a wing,
that a short hour would take him from any part of Java to the sea
side, when he might lay in a good store, and at his home prepare
his strange material for building. It seems almost incredible, that
some thousands of tons of shipping are employed to carry these nests
to the Chinese markets, to the enormous annual value of 290,000/.
The fine filaments which compose these nests, are something the
consistency of isinglass; and the Chinese are passionately fond of
them, and dissolve them in their soups, &c.
The Goat Sucker. This bird is of the Swallow family, though
larger. It does not stay long in England, coming late and leaving
early. The ancients had an idea that it sucked the goat, and thus
gave it its ungainly name; but the accusation was quite unjust.
EIGHTH ORDER. --COLUMB. E.
TWO GENERA. --SEVERAL SPECIES.
This order is confined to the Dove and Pigeon; and comprises
principally, the Stock Dove, the Pigeon, the Ring Dove, and the
Turtle Dove.
The Stock Dove. From this source have sprung all the varieties of
the pigeon, which are now so numerous. It builds either in the holes
of rocks, or in the hollow of trees.
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THE CREATIOK.
The Pigeon. * This family has branched out into almost endless
variety, the species of which are so well known as hardly to need
description.
The domestic pigeon is wonderfully prolific, for though it lays only
two eggs, yet it breeds every month; and so rapid is the growth of
the young, that it is calculated in four years a single pair will
produce upwards of one hundred thousand. It is not a very un-
common thing to see two families in the same nest; one just bora,
the other ready for flight.
The Ring Dove. A beautiful ring round the neck of this
lovely bird gives it its name. It is the largest of this family
known in our country. They generally fly in flocks, and subsist
on berries. You sometimes see them in cages, but they look
miserable.
The Turtle Dove. This bird is called the pattern of fidelity,
love, and simplicity; and naturalists say, that its attachment to
its mate is such, that if the hawk or kite seizes on one, the
other pines away and dies. You remember how sweetly Cowper
alludes to this in his stanzas on the dove. I quote a few verses
of it:--
" When lightnings flash among the trees,
Or kites are hovering near;
I fear lest thee alone they seize,
And know no other fear.
? See Appendix.
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" Tis then I feel myself a wife,
And press thy wedded side,
Resolved an union formed for life,
Death only shall divide.
" But oh, if fickle and unchaste,
(Forgive a transient thought,)
Thou couldst become unkind at last,
And scorn thy present lot;
" No need of lightnings from on high,
Or kites with cruel beak,
Denied th' endearments of thine eye,
This widowed heart would break. "
Yes, my beloved children, we may go daily to one part of creation
or another, and get lessons of wisdom. Industry from the ant, (Prov.
xxx. 25;) watchfulness of times from the stork, and crane, and
swallow, (Jer. viii. 7;) and faithfulness from the dove, (Canticles ii.
12--14. )
And now I must conclude this long letter. We have seen the
great sea, wherein are things innumerable. We have watched the
birds of heaven, with their habitations, by the springs and fountains
of waters, and their song among the branches, (Psalm civ. 17--25. )
We have witnessed both elements--the air and the water--sub-
servient to man; and surely the song of the child of God must be,--
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THE CREATION.
" Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy
name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who
forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases: who
crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies. " (Psalm ciii.
1--4. ) That each of you, my beloved children, may be found,
with Daniel, standing in your lot in the end of your days, is the
sincere prayer of
Your ever affectionate Father.
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237
LETTER X.
" AS AN EAGLE STIRRETH UP HER NEST, FLUTTERETH OVER HER YOUNG, SPREADETH
ABROAD HER WINGS, TAKETH THEM, BEARETH THEM ON HER WINGS : SO THE
LORD ALONE DID LEAD HIM, AND THERE WAS NO STRANGE GOD WITH HIM. "--
Deuteronomy xxxii. 11--12.
My dear Children,
I have often remarked to you, when reading the New Testament,
that our blessed Lord almost invariably instructed his disciples, and
the multitude at large, from the circumstances of every day life. It
was not in difficult words, and abstract reasoning; but in the very
plainest language, that he spoke to them; the heart and the conscience,
as well as the understanding, was what he ever appealed to. He
never answered curious inquiries, though he replied to the inquirers;
but this was to direct their eye to one thing alone--their own
salvation. All bore on this, for both by word, as well as by the
sacrifice of the cross, he continually set forth the all-important truth,
that he came to seek and to save that which was lost. Thus, when
the disciples came to him with the inquiry, " Who is the greatest in
the kingdom of heaven? " he took a little child unto him, and set him
in the midst of them, and whilst their eyes, doubtless, were fixed upon
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THE CREATION.
it, he said, " Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven," (Matt. xviii. 3. ) And again, when one came to him with the
word, "Lord, are there few that be saved? " how full of mercy the
reply, "K Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I say unto
you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master
of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to
stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to
us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know not whence ye are. "
(Luke xiii. 24, 25,) So, in like manner, when some one told the Lord
of a cruel act that had just taken place; and that Pilate, while the
Galileans had been sacrificing, had slain some of them, and mingled
their blood with the blood of the sacrifice; how striking was his
reply: " Think ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the
Galileans?
