84 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 



making even His humblest creatures happy ; for no one can 

 look upon a bird pouring out its soul in harmony, without 

 feeling that it is an outburst of gladness and joy. 



F. — That is at least a pleasanter belief than the one 

 which would make the bird a mere machine, and its song 

 the effect of an instinctive impulse, uttered with no more 

 emotion than the ticking of a clock. If this be philosophy, 

 indeed — 



" 'Tis folly to be wise." 



C. — I have noticed some more insects abroad, and within 

 a few days past I have made some captures for my cabinet. 

 About a week ago, I took the Crossline Moth, a rather pretty 

 little Noctua, and the first lepidopterous insect that I have 

 observed, except the Tortrix 1 found in the winter. Yesterday 

 I took two small moths ; one a very little Tinea^ the Striped 

 Feather, the other a plain Tortrix, the Powdered Red. To- 

 day I caught in the house a pretty Tinea, the Pearlhead. 



F, — I saw a butterfly in flight several days ago, but was 

 not near enough to distinguish the species : it w^as probably 

 one of the Commas (GraptaJ. 



C. — Under stones, in the fields, many beetles may now be 

 found, some nearly torpid, but others quite active. I have 

 found two or three species of Carabidce, a little black ChrT/- 

 somela, with scarlet thorax, (Crioceris Collaris?) very com- 

 mon in autumn, and several minute Staphylini (Poederus 

 Riparius), These last form a very pretty microscopic ob- 

 ject : the head, the tip of the abdomen, and the small wing 

 cases, are black, or rather steel-blue, and the thorax, and most 

 of the abdomen, are bright orange. They are very nimble, 

 and have the same habit of turning up the tail as the larger 

 species, the Rove Beetle, &c. 



F. — Let us look into this little pool, and see if we can 



