About two thousand years ago, our fathers were wont to dip their
arrows and spears in the poison of the viper, as the barbarous natives
of New Zealand do at this day.
arrows and spears in the poison of the viper, as the barbarous natives
of New Zealand do at this day.
Childrens - The Creation
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THE CREATION.
natives, with spears, knowing his vulnerable parts, soon dispatch him.
When taken by nets, he breaks the first or second; but by this time
he is weakened, and is easily made captive. Thus man here also has
dominion; and this monster of the rivers becomes his prey.
The Alligator. This is the crocodile of the New World. The
natives call it " Lagarto;" and some Englishmen put the article to it,
and it became " a lagarto;" and thus the origin of the word Alligator.
They are less than the crocodile of the Old World. Their teeth are
as white as ivory; and their flesh is very nutritious: so much so, that
in some districts, it is the natives' chief subsistence. Sometimes,
armed with a double knife, the Indians will attack the Alligator in
his own place of resort.
The Common Guana. This is a most useful animal in the way of
food. The natives of the Bahama Islands feed entirely on it, and
catch it with wonderful adroitness. --This animal, like the whole of
the family, is very fond of music. This the Indian knows; and when
he sees his prey, he commences whistling. This charms the Guana,
who lets him approach, and tickle him with a switch, with which the
animal is so much delighted, that not until it is too late, he finds that,
amid the sweetest sounds there is death. How forcible is that word
in Prov. ix. 15, 17.
This animal is found in the East and West Indies. In length it is
about four or five feet. The tail is long and round: the back serrated:
the colour green. It has a large pouch under its chin, which is
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capable of great distension. Their eggs, which are about the size of
pigeons', are considered better than those of a hen.
The Salamander. This singular animal, for a long time, was sup-
posed to be proof against fire, and even to have the power to extin-
guish it . The ancients called it " the daughter of fire, with a body
of ice. " Thus, offices for insurance against fire, and fire-engines too,
have taken this little lizard as an emblem. But naturalists have
satisfactorily ascertained, that fire would act upon it as upon other
animal substances; and also, that it is harmless and innoxious. It is
found in Germany, Italy, and France. Its general length is about
half a foot; but it is sometimes much larger. It is easily distinguished
by its short cylindrical tail, and its deep black colour, variegated with
bright orange spots. It brings forth its young alive, the eggs being
hatched within the parent animal.
The Chameleon. This peculiarly singular little creature is a native
of India, Africa, and some of the warmer parts of Spain and Portugal.
Its usual length is ten inches, and its tail the same length.
This animal is perfectly innoxious, and feeds almost entirely upon
insects, which its tongue is wonderfully formed to take, being long
and furnished with a glutinous tip. This it darts out in an instant,
and the prey adheres to it. It lives generally in trees, for which its
feet are wonderfully fitted, having five toes, united three and two; but
the chief singularity of the chameleon is its power to change its
colour at will. There is a long, but very interesting account in the
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THE CREATION.
book I have before referred to -- Bingley's Animal Biography,
vol. iii. p. 63. The cause of the change of colour seems to depend
on its blood, (which is of a violet blue,) and the coats of the vessels,
which are yellow. *
Thus, when the animal is well fed and healthy, the colour of the
blood prevails; and when weak and sickly, the colour of the skin.
Another peculiarity in the chameleon is, that it can look with one of
its eyes forward, and with the other backward. You remember the
tale of the chameleon and the two travellers who were going to fight
about this little animal, one asserting that it was one colour, and the
other a different one. The moral of the tale is excellent--never to
form an opinion without examining both sides; and then to offer it
with modesty and humility.
The Nimble Lizard. This animal is one of the British species. It
is about six inches long, and the tail near twice that length. This is
a most gentle and inoffensive little creature. It is fond of the sun,
and delights in it in spring-time. It is torpid during the winter.
The Watery Lizard. This little creature, like the one just described,
is also perfectly harmless. It frequents the water continually; and
its tail, flattened, acts as an oar and rudder at the same time. It
changes its skin several times in the year.
? There is much variety of opinion on this subject.
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SERPENTIA.
The Serpents. --The rapidity of the motion of this singular order
of beings is amazing; for their deficiency of legs is amply compen-
sated by the muscular power they possess. There are upwards of
240 species, and only forty that have been discovered as poisonous.
All the species change their skins periodically; and in cold and tem-
perate climates they are torpid during the winter. The flesh of
several of these snakes is innoxious, and so is eaten by the natives of
many countries. They bring forth their young by eggs: and some
of them, like the salamander, hatch their young before birth.
The Rattle-Snake Tribe. There are not many species of this
family; but all are furnished with poisonous fangs. The bite, however,
is not in general fatal, unless the animal is exasperated. They give
notice, except in hot weather, of their approach, by the rattle on their
tails, which rattle is composed of hollow membraneous articulations,
that annually increase till they reach to forty.
The Banded Rattle-Snake. This serpent is found in North and
South America; and is usually about five or six feet in length. Its
colour is yellowish brown, with transverse black lines. Both the
jaws are furnished with small sharp teeth, and the upper one has four
large incurvated and pointed fangs; at the base of each is a round
orifice, opening into a hollow, that appears again near the end of the
teeth, in the form of a channel. These teeth may be raised or com-
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THE CREATION.
pressed at pleasure. This dreaded animal, however, happily for man,
is slow in pursuit; and then, again, its rattle and foetid smell give
notice of its near approach; and, moreover, if not attacked by man, it
will seldom attack him.
Some naturalists of America have denied the power of the rattle-
snake to fascinate with its eye; but the proofs of it are incontro-
vertible. Among other facts, you remember our kind friend Mr. W. ,
who related the following account to us of an incident which occurred
to himself not many years since. He was in America; and had gone
out with the view of getting one of these animals as a curiosity. He
soon came upon one that was fast asleep. He stood over its head, and
was just in the act of plunging his sword-stick into it, when in a
moment it opened its fiery eyes on him. No language, he said, could
fully describe their power. He was transfixed to the spot: his body
was covered with a profuse perspiration; and he felt he would have
given worlds to have been on the falls of Niagara--to have fallen back
from those eyes--when, in a moment, by God's mercy, the animal
hearing a rustling near it, glided through the grass, and he saw it no
more. At that time our friend was ignorant of the Lord; but since
then he has learnt who it was that protected him in the hour of
danger.
Rattle-snakes are viviparous. When their young apprehend danger,
they run, like the little chickens, to their best protector; and the
method that nature has provided for their safety is most singular; for
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the mother opens her mouth and swallows them alive, and returns
them again when the danger is over. Of this fact M. de Beauvois
says he was an eye-witness.
The Indians eat the rattle-snake as we do eels.
The Boa Tribe. This race is destitute of venomous fangs: they
never attack but by necessity, and then openly; but the result is
almost always fatal. Three species are found in Asia; the rest on the
new continent.
The Great Boa. This enormous snake is sometimes from forty to
fifty feet long; and its thickness then is that of a moderate sized man.
If shorter, the circumference is less. The colour of the body is a
yellowish grey, variegated with reddish brown, distributed along the
back. It is a native of Africa, India, and the Indian Islands. It
generally lives in most retired places.
The strength of this creature is almost beyond belief. When it
sees its prey, it springs upon it; and by its wonderful power, it
squeezes to a mummy even the body of the buffalo, breaking every
bone in its skin. The following fact is related by a gentleman who
lived some time in America; and illustrates the dread the Indians
have of the Boa. One day he sent a soldier with an Indian to get
game. The Indian, being tired, sat down on what he thought the
trunk of a tree. It was a boa; and the monster beginning to move,
the poor fellow perceived his perilous situation, and dropped down
through fear. The soldier, with great presence of mind, levelled his
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THE CREATION.
piece, and in a few moments the snake waa dead: but alas! on going
to the poor Indian, he found that, overpowered with terror, he had
fallen a victim to his fright. This animal was thirty-six feet long.
The skin was stuffed, and sent to the cabinet of the Prince of
Orange. (Bingley, vol. iii. p. 87. )
But although the boa is so terrific an enemy, yet he never attacks
but when impelled by hunger; and then he so gorges himself, as to
be incapable of moving, and a boy might kill him, if he had courage
to make the attempt
.
The bite of this serpent is not venomous. The natives eat it; and
use its oil for various purposes. One serpent has been known to yield
five gallons.
The Snake Tribe. One-fifth of this tribe, of which there are two
hundred species, is said to be poisonous. These are in general dis-
tinguished from the innoxious ones by their large, flat, and somewhat
heart-shaped heads.
The Common Viper. This poisonous little snake seldom exceeds two
feet in length, and is found all over the old continent. It is not un-
common even in some parts of our own island. It is chiefly dis-
tinguished from the common snake by its darker belly, and by the
head being much thicker than the body. If this snake is trodden
upon, even by accident, it will be sure to bite; and the bite is
poisonous, Its teeth, &c. , by which the poison is conveyed, are
similar to those of the rattle-snake. The most esteemed remedy for
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the viper's bite is salad-oil, rubbed continually over the wounded
part. The viper is the only poisonous snake known in this country.
About two thousand years ago, our fathers were wont to dip their
arrows and spears in the poison of the viper, as the barbarous natives
of New Zealand do at this day.
The Common Snake. These animals are perfectly harmless to man;
and are torpid during winter. They come forth from their hiding-
places when the sun begins to be fervent, and then cast their skins.
Like all this family, they are said to be affected by music.
The common snake feeds on frogs and insects of various kinds,
and is particularly fond of milk. It is said that it will entwine
itself round the cow's legs, and milk them until they bleed.
The Hooded Snake. This is one of the most poisonous of all the
reptile family. It is between three and four feet long, and one inch
thick. The head is small; its hood, which is a loose skin that it can
distend to a great size, reaches about four inches down the body:
when it is going to spring, it puts up this hood and shows its fangs,
and then darts on its prey with great force.
The hooded snake, when despoiled of its fangs, is exhibited in India,
and will move its body as if with pleasure at the sound of the
flageolet.
The Black Snake. This serpent is a native of North America.
It grows to a great length, but has no poisonous qualities. This
animal will glide over the face of the earth as fast as a horse can
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THE CREATION.
gallop; and will also climb trees with great agility in quest of
the tree frog. Its power of fascination is like that of the rattle-
snake. In America it is esteemed much for its cleverness in catching
rats; and also in attacking and destroying the rattle-snake, which it
does by twisting himself round its body. The Americans cherish
the black snake as a friend. It has been seen taking milk out of the
same dish with children.
This closes the account of the Amphibia; and, I think, my dear
children, we have not found them, except the crocodile, rattle-snake,
boa, and hooded-snake, so terrible a family as we thought; but in
many cases have seen them supply man with food. And I may add
what an old sailor told me even yesterday,--that the lizard, if it
sees a man sleeping, and knows of any snake, or beast of prey at
hand, never leaves the man until he has awoke him, by creeping over
his feet or hands. And then the sailor added,--the man knows the
sign, and they both make off together. On this account, he said,
" it is too bad to kill a lizard. " If this be correct, how merciful--
how gracious this provision!
INSECTA*
As on the fifth day, after having contemplated the gigantic whale
--the largest of living things--we were called through all the stages
* See Appendix.
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of the numerous inhabitants of the deep to the countless Animalculae,
some of which we were obliged even to get a microscope to look at;
so now, on the sixth day, having gazed upon the lion and elephant,
and all the wild beasts of the forest, and cattle of the field, we have
come down to the innumerable tribe of insects, some of exquisite
beauty, as the butterfly of South America; some of exceeding value,
as the bee, the silk-worm, and the Spanish fly; some the creatures
of a day, as the ephemera; but all arranged after the most beautiful
order; their wings, eyes, and general structure, all calculated to fill
us with the utmost admiration. Indeed, in all creation, nothing is
more full of interest than the insect tribe.
" Each moss,
Each shell, 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! "
Linnams has beautifully arranged the whole insect tribe into seven
distinct families, giving them their distinctive names from the place
and character of their wings. These names are all formed from the
Greek word for wing (pteron), with the descriptive word added to
it. The following very clear and concise extract will, I am sure,
interest you, as it has me.
The seven orders are as follow:--
1. Coleopterous Insects, (derived from the Greek words holm, a
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THE CREATION.
sheath, and pteron, a wing,) are the beetles, or such as have crusta-
ceous elytra, or shells, which shut together over the more delicate
wings used for flight, and form a longitudinal suture down the back.
Of this order are the chafer tribe, and innumerable others.
2. Hemipterous Insects, (from hemisus, half, and pteron, a wing,)
have their upper wings half crustaceous and half membranaceous,
not divided by a longitudinal suture; but incumbent on, or crossed
over, by each other, as the cockroach, locust, &c.
3. Lepidopterous Insects, (from lepis, a scale, and pteron, a wing. )
All those having four wings covered with fine scales, as the butterflies
and moths.
4. Neuropterous Insects, (from neuron, a nerve, and pteron, a wing,)
have four membranaceous transparent naked wings, in which the mem-
branes cross each other, so as to appear like net-work. The tail has
no sting; but is frequently furnished with appendices, like pincers, by
which the males are distinguished. The common dragon-fly is the
best example that can be brought to illustrate this order; and the
genus phryganea forms an exception with respect to the net-work
appearance of the wings.
5. Hymenopterous Insects, (from umeen, a membrane, and pteron,
a wing. )* The insects belonging to this order have generally four
membranaceous naked wings: the neuters, however, in some of the
? Some derive it from umeen, Hymen; referring to the connexion of the wings
together hy small hooks.
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genera, and in others the males or females, want wings. The wings
do not so much resemble net-work as those of the last order. The
tail, except in the male, is armed with a sting. The bee, the wasp,
and the ant, are of this tribe.
6. Dipterous Insects (from dtploos, double, and pteron, a wing) are
those having only two wings, each of which is furnished, at its root,
with a poise or balancer. The common house-fly and the gnat, are
familiar examples of this order.
7. Apterous Insects, (from a, without, and pteron, a wing. ) This
order contains all such insects as want wings to both sexes, as the
flea, spider, &c. --Bingley, vol. iii. p. 227.
To attempt to go into a full description of this innumerable race
will be impossible; but I will just name the several families, and then
select one or more for special consideration.
1. Coleoptera; comprising the Beetles generally: Leather-eater,
Death-watch, Water-flea, Carrion-beetle, Fire-fly, Water-clock,
Earwig.
Ptinus, the Death-watch. This is a dusky brown little insect, some-
what hairy, about a quarter of an inch long. The noise we sometimes
hear in a room, like the ticking of a clock, arises from this little insect
tapping with its head against the drawer or cupboard where he is
located. Like the call of birds, it is the language of affection.
To the superstitious, however, it, (with a thousand other things,)
is a cause of dread. Hence its name, the Death-watch. But,
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THE CREATION.
beloved children, remember there was one who said, " I have a desire
to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better. " What gave
Paul that peace ? He shall answer the question,--" This is a faithful
saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause
I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all
long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe
on him to life everlasting. " (1 Tim. i. 15,16. )
" Death cannot come to him untimely who is fit to die.
The less of this cold world the more of heaven;
The briefer life the longer immortality. "
2. Hemiptera; comprising the Cockroach, Locust, Grasshopper,
Cricket, Lanthorn-fly, Boat-fly, Water-scorpion, Bug, and Plant-louse.
Gryttus. --The Locust. This most destructive insect feeds almost
entirely on vegetables. It has six legs, as also have all Insects, and
resides principally on the ground.
Syria, Egypt, and Persia, are occasionally visited by these terrible
insects. One of the seven Plagues of Egypt was locusts; and the
destructive army of God, prophesied of in Joel, was the innumerable
hordes of this family; and so, also, in the book of Revelation.
The facts concerning this singular insect are innumerable. I select
two, illustrative of their numbers and devastation. In 1797, Mr.
Barrow, who was in southern Africa, says, that " for two thousand
square miles the whole surface of the ground was literally covered by
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them, and the water of a very wide river was scarcely visible, on
account of the dead carcasses of this innumerable horde, that were
drowned on attempting to come at the reeds that covered it.
In the year 1650 a cloud of locusts was seen to enter Russia,
in three different places, and thence they spread over Poland and
Lithuania, in such astonishing multitudes that the air was darkened,
and the earth covered by their numbers; in some places they lay
dead on the earth to the extent of four feet in depth; in others they
covered the earth as with a black cloth; the trees bent with their
weight, and the damage done by them was beyond computation.
In Africa the natives feed on the locust, and boil them in milk.
Dear children, how thankful we should be that we only know of the
locust by reading, but never, in this country, have experienced its
dreadful ravages.
3. Lepidoptera; comprising the Butterfly, the Hawk-moth,
the Moth. Of this last genus the silk-worm is a species.
Papilio. --The Butterfly. There are countless varieties in this
family; and some, even in our country, of exquisite beauty, but
much more so in South America. Butterflies are produced from
their chrysalids, and appear about April; they flutter around, full of
pleasure and happiness, revelling amid the most beautiful flowers.
About the beginning of May they lay their eggs, and then shortly
after die. The eggs are hatched by the intense summer's heat, in
two or three weeks, and may be seen as little green caterpillars at
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THE CREATION.
that time. They soon cast their first skin, and then the second, and
so on to the sixth; all this is the work of a few days; for in the first
or second week of June they take the chrysalis state, and remain thus
for twenty days, in a death-like sleep, and then emerge from their
prison-house and come forth as butterflies, some in the most dazzling
beauty. I have referred to this in a previous letter, as perhaps the
most beautiful setting forth of the resurrection that can be found in
all the face of nature.
The Silk-worm. This most valuable insect is found in China, on
the mulberry trees. It was brought into Europe so early as the reign
of Justinian, Emperor of Rome; and to it alone are we indebted for
the article which has given it its name. The changes that the silk-
worm passes through ere it reaches the cocoon state, are several. At
its birth it is a little caterpillar, quite black, and the size of an ant;
at the end of eight days it reaches the size of half an inch; it now
sleeps for four days, and on awakening is very hungry, and feeds thus
for five or six days, when a second change or sickness comes on, and
then a third and a fourth; by this time it has reached its full size ;
it now feeds most voraciously for five or six days more, after
which it refuses food, and becomes a transparent yellow colour,
and leaves traces of silk behind it. (This is a joyful sight to the little
proprietors of a few families of this insect, and the intelligence soon
runs through the house. ) These industrious creatures, on this, are
furnished with little brooms or sticks, which they climb, and in five
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days spin their cocoon; and here, hidden from the eye of man, they
commence their work, and spin in forty-five days, round their own
bodies (which have been transformed the while), a most delicate and
beautiful thread of the finest silk; which, in general, measures about
three hundred yards long. The apparatus with which the animal is
furnished for spinning this thread is, first, two long bags that lie above
the intestines, which are filled with a gummy liquid of the colour of
a marigold; secondly, an orifice, through which the little animal draws
out (like a wire drawer) from its bags, two beautiful and fine threads,
which it winds around its body. The cocoons generally are formed
within five days of each other. After the silk is wound off, fifteen or
twenty days elapse, and then the transformed silk-worm breaks the
prison-house, and comes forth a Moth, and in that state lays eggs, and
becomes the founder of another generation.
4. Neuroptera; comprising the Dragon-fly, Day-fly, and the
Lion-ant.
The Ephemera, or Day-flies. These prolific insects are found in
great abundance near waters. They are called, as their name
implies, the " fly of a day. " But perhaps it should be the night-
fly, as very rarely they ever see the day: for they have their
birth, maturity, and death, as I have before said, within the set-
ting and rising of the sun. About Luz, in Carniola, a province
in Germany, we are informed by Scopoli that they are so numerous
in the month of June, that they are used as manure; and if each
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THE CREATION.
natives, with spears, knowing his vulnerable parts, soon dispatch him.
When taken by nets, he breaks the first or second; but by this time
he is weakened, and is easily made captive. Thus man here also has
dominion; and this monster of the rivers becomes his prey.
The Alligator. This is the crocodile of the New World. The
natives call it " Lagarto;" and some Englishmen put the article to it,
and it became " a lagarto;" and thus the origin of the word Alligator.
They are less than the crocodile of the Old World. Their teeth are
as white as ivory; and their flesh is very nutritious: so much so, that
in some districts, it is the natives' chief subsistence. Sometimes,
armed with a double knife, the Indians will attack the Alligator in
his own place of resort.
The Common Guana. This is a most useful animal in the way of
food. The natives of the Bahama Islands feed entirely on it, and
catch it with wonderful adroitness. --This animal, like the whole of
the family, is very fond of music. This the Indian knows; and when
he sees his prey, he commences whistling. This charms the Guana,
who lets him approach, and tickle him with a switch, with which the
animal is so much delighted, that not until it is too late, he finds that,
amid the sweetest sounds there is death. How forcible is that word
in Prov. ix. 15, 17.
This animal is found in the East and West Indies. In length it is
about four or five feet. The tail is long and round: the back serrated:
the colour green. It has a large pouch under its chin, which is
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capable of great distension. Their eggs, which are about the size of
pigeons', are considered better than those of a hen.
The Salamander. This singular animal, for a long time, was sup-
posed to be proof against fire, and even to have the power to extin-
guish it . The ancients called it " the daughter of fire, with a body
of ice. " Thus, offices for insurance against fire, and fire-engines too,
have taken this little lizard as an emblem. But naturalists have
satisfactorily ascertained, that fire would act upon it as upon other
animal substances; and also, that it is harmless and innoxious. It is
found in Germany, Italy, and France. Its general length is about
half a foot; but it is sometimes much larger. It is easily distinguished
by its short cylindrical tail, and its deep black colour, variegated with
bright orange spots. It brings forth its young alive, the eggs being
hatched within the parent animal.
The Chameleon. This peculiarly singular little creature is a native
of India, Africa, and some of the warmer parts of Spain and Portugal.
Its usual length is ten inches, and its tail the same length.
This animal is perfectly innoxious, and feeds almost entirely upon
insects, which its tongue is wonderfully formed to take, being long
and furnished with a glutinous tip. This it darts out in an instant,
and the prey adheres to it. It lives generally in trees, for which its
feet are wonderfully fitted, having five toes, united three and two; but
the chief singularity of the chameleon is its power to change its
colour at will. There is a long, but very interesting account in the
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THE CREATION.
book I have before referred to -- Bingley's Animal Biography,
vol. iii. p. 63. The cause of the change of colour seems to depend
on its blood, (which is of a violet blue,) and the coats of the vessels,
which are yellow. *
Thus, when the animal is well fed and healthy, the colour of the
blood prevails; and when weak and sickly, the colour of the skin.
Another peculiarity in the chameleon is, that it can look with one of
its eyes forward, and with the other backward. You remember the
tale of the chameleon and the two travellers who were going to fight
about this little animal, one asserting that it was one colour, and the
other a different one. The moral of the tale is excellent--never to
form an opinion without examining both sides; and then to offer it
with modesty and humility.
The Nimble Lizard. This animal is one of the British species. It
is about six inches long, and the tail near twice that length. This is
a most gentle and inoffensive little creature. It is fond of the sun,
and delights in it in spring-time. It is torpid during the winter.
The Watery Lizard. This little creature, like the one just described,
is also perfectly harmless. It frequents the water continually; and
its tail, flattened, acts as an oar and rudder at the same time. It
changes its skin several times in the year.
? There is much variety of opinion on this subject.
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SERPENTIA.
The Serpents. --The rapidity of the motion of this singular order
of beings is amazing; for their deficiency of legs is amply compen-
sated by the muscular power they possess. There are upwards of
240 species, and only forty that have been discovered as poisonous.
All the species change their skins periodically; and in cold and tem-
perate climates they are torpid during the winter. The flesh of
several of these snakes is innoxious, and so is eaten by the natives of
many countries. They bring forth their young by eggs: and some
of them, like the salamander, hatch their young before birth.
The Rattle-Snake Tribe. There are not many species of this
family; but all are furnished with poisonous fangs. The bite, however,
is not in general fatal, unless the animal is exasperated. They give
notice, except in hot weather, of their approach, by the rattle on their
tails, which rattle is composed of hollow membraneous articulations,
that annually increase till they reach to forty.
The Banded Rattle-Snake. This serpent is found in North and
South America; and is usually about five or six feet in length. Its
colour is yellowish brown, with transverse black lines. Both the
jaws are furnished with small sharp teeth, and the upper one has four
large incurvated and pointed fangs; at the base of each is a round
orifice, opening into a hollow, that appears again near the end of the
teeth, in the form of a channel. These teeth may be raised or com-
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THE CREATION.
pressed at pleasure. This dreaded animal, however, happily for man,
is slow in pursuit; and then, again, its rattle and foetid smell give
notice of its near approach; and, moreover, if not attacked by man, it
will seldom attack him.
Some naturalists of America have denied the power of the rattle-
snake to fascinate with its eye; but the proofs of it are incontro-
vertible. Among other facts, you remember our kind friend Mr. W. ,
who related the following account to us of an incident which occurred
to himself not many years since. He was in America; and had gone
out with the view of getting one of these animals as a curiosity. He
soon came upon one that was fast asleep. He stood over its head, and
was just in the act of plunging his sword-stick into it, when in a
moment it opened its fiery eyes on him. No language, he said, could
fully describe their power. He was transfixed to the spot: his body
was covered with a profuse perspiration; and he felt he would have
given worlds to have been on the falls of Niagara--to have fallen back
from those eyes--when, in a moment, by God's mercy, the animal
hearing a rustling near it, glided through the grass, and he saw it no
more. At that time our friend was ignorant of the Lord; but since
then he has learnt who it was that protected him in the hour of
danger.
Rattle-snakes are viviparous. When their young apprehend danger,
they run, like the little chickens, to their best protector; and the
method that nature has provided for their safety is most singular; for
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the mother opens her mouth and swallows them alive, and returns
them again when the danger is over. Of this fact M. de Beauvois
says he was an eye-witness.
The Indians eat the rattle-snake as we do eels.
The Boa Tribe. This race is destitute of venomous fangs: they
never attack but by necessity, and then openly; but the result is
almost always fatal. Three species are found in Asia; the rest on the
new continent.
The Great Boa. This enormous snake is sometimes from forty to
fifty feet long; and its thickness then is that of a moderate sized man.
If shorter, the circumference is less. The colour of the body is a
yellowish grey, variegated with reddish brown, distributed along the
back. It is a native of Africa, India, and the Indian Islands. It
generally lives in most retired places.
The strength of this creature is almost beyond belief. When it
sees its prey, it springs upon it; and by its wonderful power, it
squeezes to a mummy even the body of the buffalo, breaking every
bone in its skin. The following fact is related by a gentleman who
lived some time in America; and illustrates the dread the Indians
have of the Boa. One day he sent a soldier with an Indian to get
game. The Indian, being tired, sat down on what he thought the
trunk of a tree. It was a boa; and the monster beginning to move,
the poor fellow perceived his perilous situation, and dropped down
through fear. The soldier, with great presence of mind, levelled his
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THE CREATION.
piece, and in a few moments the snake waa dead: but alas! on going
to the poor Indian, he found that, overpowered with terror, he had
fallen a victim to his fright. This animal was thirty-six feet long.
The skin was stuffed, and sent to the cabinet of the Prince of
Orange. (Bingley, vol. iii. p. 87. )
But although the boa is so terrific an enemy, yet he never attacks
but when impelled by hunger; and then he so gorges himself, as to
be incapable of moving, and a boy might kill him, if he had courage
to make the attempt
.
The bite of this serpent is not venomous. The natives eat it; and
use its oil for various purposes. One serpent has been known to yield
five gallons.
The Snake Tribe. One-fifth of this tribe, of which there are two
hundred species, is said to be poisonous. These are in general dis-
tinguished from the innoxious ones by their large, flat, and somewhat
heart-shaped heads.
The Common Viper. This poisonous little snake seldom exceeds two
feet in length, and is found all over the old continent. It is not un-
common even in some parts of our own island. It is chiefly dis-
tinguished from the common snake by its darker belly, and by the
head being much thicker than the body. If this snake is trodden
upon, even by accident, it will be sure to bite; and the bite is
poisonous, Its teeth, &c. , by which the poison is conveyed, are
similar to those of the rattle-snake. The most esteemed remedy for
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the viper's bite is salad-oil, rubbed continually over the wounded
part. The viper is the only poisonous snake known in this country.
About two thousand years ago, our fathers were wont to dip their
arrows and spears in the poison of the viper, as the barbarous natives
of New Zealand do at this day.
The Common Snake. These animals are perfectly harmless to man;
and are torpid during winter. They come forth from their hiding-
places when the sun begins to be fervent, and then cast their skins.
Like all this family, they are said to be affected by music.
The common snake feeds on frogs and insects of various kinds,
and is particularly fond of milk. It is said that it will entwine
itself round the cow's legs, and milk them until they bleed.
The Hooded Snake. This is one of the most poisonous of all the
reptile family. It is between three and four feet long, and one inch
thick. The head is small; its hood, which is a loose skin that it can
distend to a great size, reaches about four inches down the body:
when it is going to spring, it puts up this hood and shows its fangs,
and then darts on its prey with great force.
The hooded snake, when despoiled of its fangs, is exhibited in India,
and will move its body as if with pleasure at the sound of the
flageolet.
The Black Snake. This serpent is a native of North America.
It grows to a great length, but has no poisonous qualities. This
animal will glide over the face of the earth as fast as a horse can
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THE CREATION.
gallop; and will also climb trees with great agility in quest of
the tree frog. Its power of fascination is like that of the rattle-
snake. In America it is esteemed much for its cleverness in catching
rats; and also in attacking and destroying the rattle-snake, which it
does by twisting himself round its body. The Americans cherish
the black snake as a friend. It has been seen taking milk out of the
same dish with children.
This closes the account of the Amphibia; and, I think, my dear
children, we have not found them, except the crocodile, rattle-snake,
boa, and hooded-snake, so terrible a family as we thought; but in
many cases have seen them supply man with food. And I may add
what an old sailor told me even yesterday,--that the lizard, if it
sees a man sleeping, and knows of any snake, or beast of prey at
hand, never leaves the man until he has awoke him, by creeping over
his feet or hands. And then the sailor added,--the man knows the
sign, and they both make off together. On this account, he said,
" it is too bad to kill a lizard. " If this be correct, how merciful--
how gracious this provision!
INSECTA*
As on the fifth day, after having contemplated the gigantic whale
--the largest of living things--we were called through all the stages
* See Appendix.
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of the numerous inhabitants of the deep to the countless Animalculae,
some of which we were obliged even to get a microscope to look at;
so now, on the sixth day, having gazed upon the lion and elephant,
and all the wild beasts of the forest, and cattle of the field, we have
come down to the innumerable tribe of insects, some of exquisite
beauty, as the butterfly of South America; some of exceeding value,
as the bee, the silk-worm, and the Spanish fly; some the creatures
of a day, as the ephemera; but all arranged after the most beautiful
order; their wings, eyes, and general structure, all calculated to fill
us with the utmost admiration. Indeed, in all creation, nothing is
more full of interest than the insect tribe.
" Each moss,
Each shell, 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! "
Linnams has beautifully arranged the whole insect tribe into seven
distinct families, giving them their distinctive names from the place
and character of their wings. These names are all formed from the
Greek word for wing (pteron), with the descriptive word added to
it. The following very clear and concise extract will, I am sure,
interest you, as it has me.
The seven orders are as follow:--
1. Coleopterous Insects, (derived from the Greek words holm, a
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THE CREATION.
sheath, and pteron, a wing,) are the beetles, or such as have crusta-
ceous elytra, or shells, which shut together over the more delicate
wings used for flight, and form a longitudinal suture down the back.
Of this order are the chafer tribe, and innumerable others.
2. Hemipterous Insects, (from hemisus, half, and pteron, a wing,)
have their upper wings half crustaceous and half membranaceous,
not divided by a longitudinal suture; but incumbent on, or crossed
over, by each other, as the cockroach, locust, &c.
3. Lepidopterous Insects, (from lepis, a scale, and pteron, a wing. )
All those having four wings covered with fine scales, as the butterflies
and moths.
4. Neuropterous Insects, (from neuron, a nerve, and pteron, a wing,)
have four membranaceous transparent naked wings, in which the mem-
branes cross each other, so as to appear like net-work. The tail has
no sting; but is frequently furnished with appendices, like pincers, by
which the males are distinguished. The common dragon-fly is the
best example that can be brought to illustrate this order; and the
genus phryganea forms an exception with respect to the net-work
appearance of the wings.
5. Hymenopterous Insects, (from umeen, a membrane, and pteron,
a wing. )* The insects belonging to this order have generally four
membranaceous naked wings: the neuters, however, in some of the
? Some derive it from umeen, Hymen; referring to the connexion of the wings
together hy small hooks.
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genera, and in others the males or females, want wings. The wings
do not so much resemble net-work as those of the last order. The
tail, except in the male, is armed with a sting. The bee, the wasp,
and the ant, are of this tribe.
6. Dipterous Insects (from dtploos, double, and pteron, a wing) are
those having only two wings, each of which is furnished, at its root,
with a poise or balancer. The common house-fly and the gnat, are
familiar examples of this order.
7. Apterous Insects, (from a, without, and pteron, a wing. ) This
order contains all such insects as want wings to both sexes, as the
flea, spider, &c. --Bingley, vol. iii. p. 227.
To attempt to go into a full description of this innumerable race
will be impossible; but I will just name the several families, and then
select one or more for special consideration.
1. Coleoptera; comprising the Beetles generally: Leather-eater,
Death-watch, Water-flea, Carrion-beetle, Fire-fly, Water-clock,
Earwig.
Ptinus, the Death-watch. This is a dusky brown little insect, some-
what hairy, about a quarter of an inch long. The noise we sometimes
hear in a room, like the ticking of a clock, arises from this little insect
tapping with its head against the drawer or cupboard where he is
located. Like the call of birds, it is the language of affection.
To the superstitious, however, it, (with a thousand other things,)
is a cause of dread. Hence its name, the Death-watch. But,
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THE CREATION.
beloved children, remember there was one who said, " I have a desire
to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better. " What gave
Paul that peace ? He shall answer the question,--" This is a faithful
saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause
I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all
long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe
on him to life everlasting. " (1 Tim. i. 15,16. )
" Death cannot come to him untimely who is fit to die.
The less of this cold world the more of heaven;
The briefer life the longer immortality. "
2. Hemiptera; comprising the Cockroach, Locust, Grasshopper,
Cricket, Lanthorn-fly, Boat-fly, Water-scorpion, Bug, and Plant-louse.
Gryttus. --The Locust. This most destructive insect feeds almost
entirely on vegetables. It has six legs, as also have all Insects, and
resides principally on the ground.
Syria, Egypt, and Persia, are occasionally visited by these terrible
insects. One of the seven Plagues of Egypt was locusts; and the
destructive army of God, prophesied of in Joel, was the innumerable
hordes of this family; and so, also, in the book of Revelation.
The facts concerning this singular insect are innumerable. I select
two, illustrative of their numbers and devastation. In 1797, Mr.
Barrow, who was in southern Africa, says, that " for two thousand
square miles the whole surface of the ground was literally covered by
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them, and the water of a very wide river was scarcely visible, on
account of the dead carcasses of this innumerable horde, that were
drowned on attempting to come at the reeds that covered it.
In the year 1650 a cloud of locusts was seen to enter Russia,
in three different places, and thence they spread over Poland and
Lithuania, in such astonishing multitudes that the air was darkened,
and the earth covered by their numbers; in some places they lay
dead on the earth to the extent of four feet in depth; in others they
covered the earth as with a black cloth; the trees bent with their
weight, and the damage done by them was beyond computation.
In Africa the natives feed on the locust, and boil them in milk.
Dear children, how thankful we should be that we only know of the
locust by reading, but never, in this country, have experienced its
dreadful ravages.
3. Lepidoptera; comprising the Butterfly, the Hawk-moth,
the Moth. Of this last genus the silk-worm is a species.
Papilio. --The Butterfly. There are countless varieties in this
family; and some, even in our country, of exquisite beauty, but
much more so in South America. Butterflies are produced from
their chrysalids, and appear about April; they flutter around, full of
pleasure and happiness, revelling amid the most beautiful flowers.
About the beginning of May they lay their eggs, and then shortly
after die. The eggs are hatched by the intense summer's heat, in
two or three weeks, and may be seen as little green caterpillars at
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THE CREATION.
that time. They soon cast their first skin, and then the second, and
so on to the sixth; all this is the work of a few days; for in the first
or second week of June they take the chrysalis state, and remain thus
for twenty days, in a death-like sleep, and then emerge from their
prison-house and come forth as butterflies, some in the most dazzling
beauty. I have referred to this in a previous letter, as perhaps the
most beautiful setting forth of the resurrection that can be found in
all the face of nature.
The Silk-worm. This most valuable insect is found in China, on
the mulberry trees. It was brought into Europe so early as the reign
of Justinian, Emperor of Rome; and to it alone are we indebted for
the article which has given it its name. The changes that the silk-
worm passes through ere it reaches the cocoon state, are several. At
its birth it is a little caterpillar, quite black, and the size of an ant;
at the end of eight days it reaches the size of half an inch; it now
sleeps for four days, and on awakening is very hungry, and feeds thus
for five or six days, when a second change or sickness comes on, and
then a third and a fourth; by this time it has reached its full size ;
it now feeds most voraciously for five or six days more, after
which it refuses food, and becomes a transparent yellow colour,
and leaves traces of silk behind it. (This is a joyful sight to the little
proprietors of a few families of this insect, and the intelligence soon
runs through the house. ) These industrious creatures, on this, are
furnished with little brooms or sticks, which they climb, and in five
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days spin their cocoon; and here, hidden from the eye of man, they
commence their work, and spin in forty-five days, round their own
bodies (which have been transformed the while), a most delicate and
beautiful thread of the finest silk; which, in general, measures about
three hundred yards long. The apparatus with which the animal is
furnished for spinning this thread is, first, two long bags that lie above
the intestines, which are filled with a gummy liquid of the colour of
a marigold; secondly, an orifice, through which the little animal draws
out (like a wire drawer) from its bags, two beautiful and fine threads,
which it winds around its body. The cocoons generally are formed
within five days of each other. After the silk is wound off, fifteen or
twenty days elapse, and then the transformed silk-worm breaks the
prison-house, and comes forth a Moth, and in that state lays eggs, and
becomes the founder of another generation.
4. Neuroptera; comprising the Dragon-fly, Day-fly, and the
Lion-ant.
The Ephemera, or Day-flies. These prolific insects are found in
great abundance near waters. They are called, as their name
implies, the " fly of a day. " But perhaps it should be the night-
fly, as very rarely they ever see the day: for they have their
birth, maturity, and death, as I have before said, within the set-
ting and rising of the sun. About Luz, in Carniola, a province
in Germany, we are informed by Scopoli that they are so numerous
in the month of June, that they are used as manure; and if each
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