198 SCRIPTURE NATURAL HISTORY 



any idea of imperfection as to the skill of the Artist, must, from 

 what they make to appear, inspire the attentive observer with very 

 different emotions, and force him to exclaim, 



' Thyself, how wond'rous then! ' 



The beauty and symmetry of some of these minute objects, so 

 viewed, arq surprising indeed. What a metamorphosis do they 

 seem to undergo under the magic-working glass ! Creatures that 

 before seemed small and despicable, now ' appear the pride of na- 

 ture, wherein she has bestowed more nice and delicate art, and dis- 

 played more profusely the rich embroidery and elegant beauties 

 and garniture of colors, than in any of the larger species of animals.' 

 Even the dust that adheres to the butterfly's wing, and to which it 

 owes the beautiful tints and variegated hues that adorn it, is said to 

 be an innumerable collection of extremely small feathers, as perfect 

 in the structure and symmetry of the arrangement, as they are beau- 

 tiful in the coloring. 



But this is not all. The veiy circumstances adduced as marks 

 of imperfection in the insect tribes ; viz. their being enabled to Jive 

 for some time after being deprived of those organs necessary to life 

 in the higher ranks, and their amazing numbers, ought rather to be 

 considered as arguments to the contrary. The former is no doubt 

 essentially necessary to the preservation of a species exposed to so 

 many casualties as those in particular who live on blood, and can- 

 not, therefore, partake of a meal, without giving their enemies no- 

 tice of their presence; and the latter, to prevent the extinction of a 

 short-lived race, which come into existence at a time when there 

 are so many open mouths ready to devour them. 



Without these two characteristic distinctions of the insect tribes, 

 although they may be deemed imperfections by the more imperfect 

 powers of short-sighted mortals, it is probable that, long ere now, 

 some of those exquisite pieces of nature's workmanship must have 

 disappeared from the creation, and, for want of those connecting 

 links, the whole beautiful fabric of the universe must have fallen to 

 decay. For, trifling as some of these minute or imperceptible ob- 

 jects may appear, the language of philosophy is 



' Each crawling insect holds a rank 

 Important in the plan of HIM who framed 

 This scale of beings ; holds a rank, which, lost, 

 Would break the chain, and leave a gap 

 That Nature's self would rue.' 



Instead, therefore, of having the presumption to stigmatize, in 

 the most remote degree, this particular order of the creatures of 

 the Almighty, as affording evidences of imperfection, let us rather, 

 from similar considerations, adopt the words of the more judicious 

 Swammerdam : After an attentive examination,' says he, * of the 

 nature and anatomy of the smallest as well as the largest animals, 

 I cannot help allowing the least, an equal or perhaps a superior 

 degree of dignity. If, while we dissect with care the larger ani- 



