BEETLES. 23 



generally noxious to man. But even here we find 

 Nature's great doctrine of compensation fully carried 

 out. If we find many genera of insects, (which is the 

 case principally among the noxious Butterflies,) so 

 prolific, that if allowed to increase, they would de- 

 vour all the vegetables on earth, and thus destroy 

 all living beings by famine, we at the same time 

 see how the Great Ruler of Nature has prevented 

 their increase by making them the proper food of 

 others. 



The number of insects which feed on others is 

 immense. But, in spite of the numberless enemies of 

 their own class, they have still others. There are a 

 countless host of insects that often destroy the trees, 

 bushes and vegetables of our gardens, fields and forests, 

 by eating their leaves, and such are very generally 

 despised on that account, much as we may admire 

 their beautiful colours and motions. If we were able, 

 we would destroy them all at once. But we forget 

 that our trees, with all their beautiful foliage, are not 

 more pleasing to us than the feathered warblers that 

 build their nests on the branches, and gladden us with 

 their happy songs. We should take from our groves 

 and forests half their charm if we were to expel our 

 Robins, Thrushes, Mocking-birds, Jays, Orioles, Tana- 

 gres, Finches, Black-birds, Cedar-birds, and many 

 hundred others. And yet, were we to annihilate 



