250 OFFICE IN NATUEE. 



of the dove are taken for the wings of the angels of mercy. It is 

 evident, however, that the constant association of the tribe with 

 gloom and darkness, with crumbling ruins and dismal caverns, 

 and their frequent occurrence amongst the abodes of the dead, 

 have all contributed to give strength and permanence to these 

 feelings, and to render the entire race the objects of special 

 aversion to the majority of mankind. 



And yet, with the exception of some of the larger kinds, which 

 were utterly unknown until long after these feelings were current, 

 the whole tribe is not only innocent and harmless, but the means 

 of positive good. They check and keep under the teeming abun- 

 dance of insect life, and thus tend to preserve that balance of 

 nature which the Creator has rendered indispensable to the sus- 

 tentation and enjoyment of the various races of his dependent 

 creatures. 



