THE GREAT WATER-BEETLE. 225 



venience, as long as it suits its inclination ; when weary 

 of this place, or its food becoming scarce, it wings its 

 way to another pool, into which it immediately plunges, 

 and recommences its life of rapine. Having deposited 

 its eggs in autumn, we suppose it to die in the winter ; 

 yet many may survive this season, and, arising from the 

 mud in the spring, be undistinguished from the recently 

 perfected larvae. Such little notices and indications of 

 the habits of these obscure creatures, though certainly 

 unimportant, are not perhaps wholly unprofitable ; for 

 we so darkly see our way, and proceed so slowly in ac- 

 quiring intelligence of the paths of nature, that nothing 

 should be considered as beneath regard that we meet 

 with in them, and every advancing step must elevate 

 the mind, as it affords additional knowledge of the 

 solicitude and provision of the great Architect of crea- 

 tion in the appointment and endowment of his crea- 

 tures ; since, though we are very rarely able to compre- 

 hend even the object of existence, we see sufficient to 

 convince us, that such care and such powers were not 

 bestowed except for some wise and good purpose. It 

 seems hardly possible that mankind can ever obtain any- 

 thing approaching to the comprehension of the motives 

 of Providence, because they have not, as far as is ap- 

 parent to us, individual and separate bearings, but are 

 connecting and in concordance with a series of in- 

 fluences, and consequently the whole should be seen, 

 fitly to understand a part ; and this mighty mechanism 

 what human mind can embrace ? Heaven metes out to 

 man by degrees something of its laws and ordinances ; 

 but no life, no period, can exhaust that store of hidden 

 wisdom, by which these mandates have been decreed-, 

 every little transitory view that we obtain should be 

 received with gratitude as an advance in knowledge, a 

 progress in the wisdom of Him who hath ordained all 

 things in truth. 



The eye of the naturalist, prying about in places 

 where those of indifferent persons are rarely fixed, sees 

 many things, that others do not notice, or observe with- 

 out interest, from forming no connexion with any pre- 

 vious subject of pursuit. Few perhaps would stay to 



