218 THE COUNTRY CLERGYMAN. 



' selves, but always from a height which they could 

 'just reach. This fact, which is not, I believe, 

 ' known to naturalists, served to convince me that 

 ' these birds procure their food, probably slugs 

 ( and insects, from the stalks of grass, and also 



* from the seeds of grapes in the same way, and 

 ' that they never look for it on the ground.' 



Dr. Hastings had been mentioning his favourite 

 idea, that upon a careful examination of the works 

 of creation, however minute and insignificant they 

 might appear, and however worthless and even 

 noxious, they would all be found to answer some 

 good and useful purpose. They were then walk- 

 ing across a meadow, the grass of which had been 

 closely eaten by some sheep, with the exception of 

 the stalks or bents, which waved as a gentle breeze 

 passed over them, and glittered when the sun 

 emerged from a fleeting cloud. * What is the use 

 ' of those stalks/ enquired Mr. Hilary, ' for nothing 



* seems to touch them, and therefore they must 



* be useless.' ' 1 am glad that you asked the ques- 

 c tion,' said Dr. Hastings, ' because I think that 

 ' I can give you a satisfactory answer to it. Those 

 ' bents which you seem to think so useless, contain, 

 ' as I can shew you, the seeds of the grass. If cat- 

 ' tie eat them, the seeds would be lost, but by being 

 ' left, the earth is renovated with grasses, and one 

 ' of the most useful plants both to man and beast, 



* is thus preserved by a constant succession. This 



