374 THE HARMONIES OF NATURE. 



hunter for the purpose of diverting his attention from her 

 young ; then the she-buffalo will rush at the tiger, and baffle 

 the monster by the fury of her onset. 



The marine tribes are no less distinguished for parental 

 affection than the land quadrupeds. The females of the Arctic 

 walrus, if attacked on the ice, always first secure the safety of 

 their young by casting them into the sea, and then, return- 

 ing to their enemy, give vent to their rage. The Greenland 

 whale is extremely attached to her young, and often rushes into 

 the most imminent danger, and even upon certain death, to 

 rescue or defend it. The whalers take advantage of this affec- 

 tionate attachment, and strike with the harpoon the young 

 whale, quite sure that the mother will before long approach for 

 the purpose of saving her offspring, but too frequently, in fact, 

 to perish with it. 



The affection of the female opossum and of the other mar- 

 supial quadrupeds is aided by the pouch which Nature has so 

 curiously contrived within herself. Here the young which, 

 when first born, are in a very undeveloped state, being minute, 

 blind, naked, and shapeless remain constantly adhering to the 

 teats, which their mouth is just large enough to embrace, for 

 fifty days, until they have attained the size of a mouse, at 

 which period their eyes are opened, and their bodies are covered 

 with hair. They may now be seen venturing occasionally from 

 their hiding-place, which, however, still continues to afford 

 them nourishment and shelter; there they find a warm bed 

 during the cold nights ; there, when they are hungry and thirsty, 

 they seek the sources of refreshment ; there they fly, as into a 

 harbour of refuge, at the least apprehension of danger. 

 . Our admiration increases when we come to examine more 

 closely the beautiful harmony between the structure of the 

 mother and that of her new-born offspring a harmony designed 

 with especial reference to each other's peculiar condition, and 

 thus affording the most conclusive evidence of Creative fore- 

 sight. 



Although the new-born opossum or kangaroo is enabled by 

 the muscular power of its lips to grasp and adhere firmly to the 

 nipple, it seems to be unable to draw sustenance therefrom by 

 its own unaided efforts. The mother is therefore provided with 

 the peculiar adaptation of a muscle to the mammary gland, for 



