NATURAL HISTORY. 169 



struments like them : and at other times the 

 insects did show men how to make some 

 things. I will tell you of one which I think 

 of just now. The city of London, in Eng- 

 land, is on the river Thames. Some time 

 since a plan was adopted to make what is 

 called a tunnel under the river. This tunnel 

 is a road dug out of the earth, under the bot- 

 tom of the river, across it ; and of course to 

 keep the water from pressing in the earth as 

 fast as it was hollowed out, it was propped up 

 by walls built on each side, \vith a very strong 

 arch at the top. The work has now stopped ; 

 but about half of it was made. In building 

 this arched road under the water, the work- 

 men used what they called a shield, to keep 

 the water from coming through upon them : 

 and the gentleman who invented it, says that 

 he first thought of it, from examining a little 

 animal named Taret, which will bore holes in 

 large pieces of timber under the water. This 

 little animal has upon its head a kind of 

 shield, by which it keeps off the force of the 

 water, and works without being disturbed. 

 So here was a case in which the insect taught 

 the man." 



" Uncle Philip, that gentleman was a sensi- 



p 



