122 STUDY OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



such insects as are injurious to fruit and timber 

 trees ; and none but a country naturalist could write 

 such a book. Scientific learning is not essential to 

 the undertaking, seeing that the insects themselves, 

 if thoroughly well described, could always be named 

 or identified. The same enquiries, directed to those 

 insects which infest our grain or other agricultural 

 produce, as hops, turnips, &c, would be still more 

 beneficial, and might be the cause of preventing, in 

 some instances, great loss, if not total ruin, to indi- 

 viduals. Let it not be said, therefore, that the pur- 

 suits of the country gentleman, who may be attached 

 to natural history, are either trivial or unproductive 

 of real benefit. They embrace, in fact, the in- 

 vestigation of those subjects, which render natural 

 history subservient to the economic purposes of life. 

 And if ever the agricultural world is enlightened on 

 these matters, the information must come from those 

 who study nature in the fields and woods — not in 

 libraries and museums.' 



(68.) To the man of business, confined during the 

 day to the closeness of an office, or harassed by the 

 anxieties of his profession, relaxation is always wel- 

 come ; but it becomes doubly so, when the mind is 

 at the same time instructed and delighted by pleas- 

 ing images. Those who are engaged in business, 

 cannot always enjoy the recreations of the country 

 naturalist, or gratify their love of nature by contem- 

 plating her works in the fields : but no situation 

 precludes the use of books, or the formation of col- 

 lections. Next to the actual sight of foreign countries, 

 and the study of their living productions, nothing 

 brings them before us so completely as the narra- 



