ON HABITS OF OBSERVING. 27 



tion from its young : she came running out of a 

 ditch towards him, and threw herself at his feet, at 

 the same time feigning herself hurt, and uttering a 

 shrieking note as of the most poignant distress. He 

 was touchingly affected by this artful device on the 

 part of the poor bird, serving to show her maternal 

 affection, and anxiety for the safety of her brood. 

 Yet we know this device is always resorted to by the 

 partridge in similar cases ; and the feeling, conse- 

 quently, thereby generated in the breast of the pious 

 observer, is not so much directed to the bird itself, 

 as to that Providence, which by an instinctive im- 

 press teaches the lesson, and guides her as to the 

 exact moment in which it is to be repeated. 



(17.) Before we quit this part of our subject, it 

 may not be improper to make one remark as a cau- 

 tion necessary to be impressed on some observers. 

 Good and excellent as are the feelings towards the 

 Creator, which the study of Nature is calculated to 

 produce within us, we must not attach so much im- 

 portance to them, as may lead to the exclusion of 

 other considerations of far higher and weightier mo- 

 ment. In other words, we must not mistake natural 

 religion for revealed ; nor suppose that the truths, 

 which this last alone can teach us, are to be learnt 

 by the most attentive regard to this lower world and 

 its varied productions. This is a solemn reflection, 

 which it would be out of place to follow far here* 

 And we simply allude to it, from our belief that 

 there are some naturalists, who make their study of 

 the works of the great Creator the whole of their 

 religion, and the sense they thereby attain of His 



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