60 



EYE. 



ceases, the animal withdraws it into a little cell, where 

 it rests till its use is again required. 



B. A pair of goggles, and a pocket to keep them 

 in ! If this be not design, it would be difficult to say 

 what would be so. 



A. Many birds have a similar security. The eye 

 of the mole, which has to work its way under ground, 

 is singularly suited to the habits of this animal. Ev- 

 ery thing about the construction of this little creature, 

 seems to decide that it must dig the earth and live in 

 the ground. The form of the feet, for example, is 

 like that of so many shovels. Unless the eye, there- 

 fore, were adapted to such a mode of life, the situ- 

 ation of the animal would be truly unfortunate. This 

 adaptation exists. " The eyes of this little pioneer 

 are scarcely larger than the head of a pin, and are, 

 besides, sunk down very deeply into the skull. To 

 shelter them still farther, the eyebrows, if so they 

 may be termed, not only cover the eyes, but present 

 a considerably large prominence, or cushion to any 

 sharp or protruding substance which might push 

 against them. In short, the eye of a mole looks like 

 a pin hole in a piece of velvet." 



The eyes of animals which catch their food by 

 night, such as the cat, owl, he, possess a faculty not 

 given to those of other species, viz., of closing the 

 pupil entirely. By this means, they are able to favox 

 their eyes in a bright sun, and avoid the glare which 

 must needs be painful to such eyes as theirs, which 

 have to be made very delicate and sensitive to see in 

 the dark ; besides, the glare must injure the delicacy 



