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We make use of innumerable productions of the Animal 

 Kingdom, to ornament our person or property. The tusks 

 of the Elephant, and of many other Quadrupeds, supply us 

 with ivory ; Reptiles yield us the tortoise-shell ; Molluscous 

 Animals the China ink; Conchiferous animals the rich 

 pearls of commerce ; and Zoophytes the beautiful red 

 coral. No art can imitate the fleece of the Tiger, or 

 the Leopard, or the Panther, or the Beaver, or the Er- 

 mine, nor the brilliant plumage of the Humming-birds, 

 nor the snow-white down of the Eider, nor the splendid 

 plumes of the Ostrich and the Birds of Paradise. The lustre 

 of the polished Nautilus, the Haliotis, the Turbo, the Os- 

 trea, and many other shells, surpasses that of the precious 

 metals; and no production of human industry equals the 

 rich product of the Silk-worm. Leather, hair, bristles, wool, 

 parchment, bladder, catgut, feathers, quills, down, sha- 

 green, horn, bone, whalebone, spermaceti, tallow, train-oil, 

 wax, honey, lac, cochineal, ivory-black, glue, China-ink, mo- 

 ther-of-pearl, are among the useful substances derived from 

 the Animal Kingdom. Ivory and tortoise-shell are exten- 

 sively used in the arts for ornamental purposes ; the red coral 

 and the sponge form valuable articles of commerce in the 

 East ; houses and pavements are built of madrepores on 

 the shores of the Red Sea and in the Ladrone Islands, and 

 they are also burnt to manure the land. 



We are indebted to the Animal Kingdom for the de- 

 lightful and invigorating amusements of hunting, shooting, 

 and fishing, the pleasures of falconry, and the sanguinary 

 sports of the arena. Menageries have been the delight of 

 princes since the collection formed by Alexander for his 

 master Aristotle at Babylon. We feel an irresistible de- 

 light in watching the interesting habits, or in contemplating 

 the beautiful forms and structure of the lower animals, 

 and from the indications of mind and feeling which accom- 

 pany all their diversified movements, thev are much more 

 calculated to awake our sympathy and engage our affections 

 than the automatic phenomena of plants and minerals. 



