50 THE HEDGE-BANK. 



if they were hollow at the end, they would be too 

 blunt to make a wound readily ; the tube, there- 

 fore, terminates at the side of the fang, at a short 

 distance below its summit, the part above being 

 solid. By this contrivance the point is strong and 

 sharp, while the poison is as effectually introduced 

 into a wound through the side of the weapon as 

 if it proceeded from the end. The reason why 

 the hand is not stung when the leaf of the nettle 

 is grasped boldly is, that all the spikes are crushed 

 and broken without piercing the skin. 



Thus you see that the nettle, despicable as it 

 is in appearance, is furnished with an apparatus 

 which may with truth be called wonderful. So 

 minute, yet so exquisitely contrived ! so simple, 

 yet so perfect ! A wise Creator must indeed have 

 been engaged here ! And the plant itself, seem- 

 ingly so vile and worthless, yet armed at all points 

 with myriads of cunningly wrought poisoned 

 spears, which wound our hands on the slightest 

 touch, and yet are browzed upon by quadrupeds, 

 not only without injury to their tender lips, but, 

 perhaps, affecting them pleasantly ! Whence does 

 the poison come ? How is it that it is so diffe- 

 rent in its nature from the juice found in the 

 rest of the plant ? By what process was it sepa- 

 rated, and who directed that process ? This last 

 question is the only one that I can answer. He 

 who points the lightning He who governs the 

 world Who has fixed in their stations, and directs 

 in their courses the countless hosts of heaven 

 even He, the Almighty and beneficent Creator, 

 condescends to display His skill in the construc- 

 tion of so inconsiderable a thing as the sting of a 

 nettle. How watchful must He then be over the 



