24 PLEASURES AND ADVANTAGES OF 



for certain, that uses will not be assigned to such 

 things as now appear unprofitable ; that constant 

 improvements are being made in the arts by the 

 aid of knowledge, which, but a short time before, 

 was thought to have been unavailable to such ends ; 

 that the knowleds!:e of these thino;s abstracted from 

 their applicability to our purposes in life, cannot but 

 furnish an innocent and agreeable^relaxation, and 

 that it must of necessity be a satisfaction to trace 

 out those links in nature which have been yet neg- 

 lected. 



For my part, I cannot but think it is quite as com- 

 mendable to employ the mind in learning the habits 

 and economies of our native birds, or in searching for 

 the minute but beautiful shells which lay hidden in 

 the moss of our hedges, and in tracing out their va- 

 rieties, and gradual progression in size; as in adorn- 

 ing our gardens witli rich exotic plants, in laying 

 out our pleasure grounds tastefully, or in stocking 

 fish ponds, and dog kennels ; and surely no one 

 will aftirm that a person, even if he were a madman, 

 seated with a microscope, poring for a whole day 

 over the beauties of the little Helix aculeata, is not 

 more innocently and better occupied than the fash- 

 ionist, the scandal-bearer, or the tippler. 



Natural History, if more difi'used in the world, 

 would necessarily protect many animals which 

 are now consigned to destruction for imaginary 

 faults, and for imaginary interference with our de- 

 signs. It is not cruelty which puts to death the 

 poor toad, and innocuous snake — but ignorance : 

 it is not cruelty which accuses the squirrel and 

 hedgehog of crimes which they are not able to com- 

 mit, and condemns them to the same fate ; — the owl, 

 the woodpecker and tomtit, are murdered with re- 

 lentless hnnd ; they fall the victims of guilty igno- 

 rance. Natural History is of use in gardening, it 

 brings us acquainted with rare and beautiful plants ; 

 we learn how to dissipate qualities in vegetables, 

 which otherwise would prevent their being employed 



