NO TWO ANIMALS ALIKE. 335 



be in its talons, and the rending of destruction in its 

 beak ; that its eyes would be piercing, and its aim 

 certain, even when it rushed like a thunderbolt from 

 the upper regions of the sky the scourge and terror 

 of all the beings to be produced by the other eggs 

 of the collection. So, also, if he were told that the 

 production of another egg would, without any ex- 

 ternal cause which man could discover (except a 

 cause presumed from the fact), make the two hemi- 

 spheres of the earth resound with its songs, alter- 

 nately in the opposite seasons of the year : or, that 

 it were to pass away to a far distant country, without 

 chart of the way, and without guide ; and thence 

 return with the return of the spring, to build its house 

 under the eaves, to produce a new succession of 

 eggs, to toil on the wing the livelong summer-day 

 in catching flies for the nourishment of its young ; 

 and then, at the appointed time, again take its de- 

 parture, again to return the harbinger and the pledge 

 of summer: if he were told of that for the first 

 time, he would abandon any of the ordinary matters 

 about which men busy themselves so much, and take 

 a long pilgrimage to see the wonderful creature, so 

 that he might have fame and credit among his neigh- 

 bours, as the fortunate traveller who had seen with 

 his eyes the very wonder of the world. 



That, however, is only a little portion of what the 

 animal world has to disclose, not to our laborious 

 search, but of itself, of its own accord, if we would 

 but be attentive and mark the disclosure. The 

 general characters of the animal world are as nume- 

 rous as the races, and the particular ones are as 

 varied as the individuals, so that the transition from 

 any one to any other one has the charm of novelty. 

 Animals, from the greater number of functions that 

 they perform, and the greater energy and celerity 

 of their performance, have far more character than 

 plants ; and though the character does not perhaps 

 admit of so great a change in the individual, it ie far 



