THE EDINBURGH 



JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



AND OF 



THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 



N^ 2. 



SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1835. 



ON THE PLEASURES AND ADVANTAGES OF THE STtJDT OF 

 NATURAL HISTORY.* 



" He," says the great Linnaeus, " who does not make himself acquainted with God 

 from the consideration of Nature, will scarcely acquire knowledge of him from any 

 other source ; for, if we have no faith in the things which are seen, how shall we be- 

 lieve those things which are not seen?" 



Natural History, or the study of Nature, may he considered as the parent of natu- 

 ral religion. The history of the world shows, that most nations have had some me- 

 thod of tracing the hand of the Great Author of the universe in his works, and have 

 thence deduced some particular reasons for loving and reverencing him. From the 

 study of Nature we are taught that subhme lesson, inculcated by the rehgion and 

 morahty of every civilized people, and not altogether unfelt even by the untutored 

 savage, namely — to know and acknowledge the divine Author of Nature. 



Without considering, at present, that knowledge of the All- Wise, derived from 

 revelation, we may remark, that those habits of study and reflection, which arise from 

 seeking after the wonders, of what are termed natural ohjectSj directly lead us to ac- 

 quire a knowledge of the Great Being who formed them. As we advance in pursuit 

 of these inquiries, we are led to admire, at every step, the astonishing skill and con- 

 trivance manifested in his works; and we are lost in wonder and admiration of tho 

 superhuman power and wisdom displayed in the general system of the world, and in 

 its various details. 



For these reasons, the knowledge of the Author of Nature, through his works, may 

 be designated the universal religion; just as the love of rectitude — a regard for jus- 

 tice, for temperance, and for truth — may be termed the universal morality. Neither 

 of these interfere with the religion or morality of any particular people. 



This is, then, the first and chief use of the study of Nature. Wc are taught to look 

 from Nature up to Hui who formed the universe, and who imparts the Uving principle 

 even to the lowest degrees of animal and vegetable existence. 



An extensive acquaintance with natural objects, either in individuals or in a na- 

 tion, cannot exist without producing great and corresponding improvements in taste, 

 in literature, and in the elegant arts. A correct knowledge of natural objects will 

 eUcit greater accuracy In the deUneation of them, both in the artist and in the man 

 of letters. It is well known that the pubUc taste is gradually, nay rapidly, improving 

 in respect to painting, sculpture, and architecture ; and no inconsiderable portion of 

 the improvement will be found to be attributable to the more correct representation of 

 natural objects. This improvement has also extended itself to our manufactures, more 

 especially to the figures printed on cotton, paper, and earthenware; the great supe- 

 riority in these is acknowledged chiefly to consist in the more correct imitation of 

 plants, animals, and general scenery. 



With what attractive charms this goodly frame 

 Of Nature touches the consenting hearts 

 Of mortal men ! and what the pleasing stores 

 Which beauteous imitation thence derives 

 To deck the poet's or the painter's toil I 



Akenside. 



What rational pleasure, or instruction, can a reflecting people derive from the repre- 

 sentations of beings, which never had an existence, except in the imaginations of 

 heathen nations? Can there be any really solid taste in admiring a hippogrifi", a pe- 

 gasus, a phoenix, a griffon, a dragon, and fifty more such fictitious animals, which have 

 so long held sway in the ornamental parts of architecture? To the mere student of 

 antiquities, who knows nothing of the beauties of creation, these may call up certain 

 associations, but they are looked at, thrown aside, and treated with contempt by the 

 lover of Nature. As natural history consists in an accxmiulation of facts, and as it 

 is the province and the deUght of the disciples of Nature to trace the true character 

 of e\ery object in Nature; so every thing which is detected as departing from the 

 truth, must create disgust rather than pleasure, in those who are accustomed to search 

 after her beauties. 



The study of mineral substances is of the greatest importance: for we are led by 

 means of them to the improvement of all the useful arts. "What would civilized man 

 be without iron? An acquaintance with the different strata, which compose the crust 

 of the earth, enables us to detect the localities of coal and other useful minerals; and 

 hence the importance of this species of knowledge in working mines and quarriei. A 

 knowledge of geology adds greatly to the interest of the traveller in passing through a 



• The principal part of this article was contributed, several years ago, by a writer 

 in this Journal to Chambers's Edinburgh Journal; and it is inserted here by the kind 

 permission of the proprietors of that deservedly popular periodical. 



country; while we are enabled to learn the past history of the globe from the changes 

 which have evidently taken place on the earth's surface. 



Having thus shown the utility of the study of Nature, we now turn to the pleasure 

 to be derived from a pursuit of it. We must in the first place premise, that we con- 

 sider all knowledge to he pleasure, as well as power ; and that in the pursuit of plea- 

 sure, the reward obtained will be commensurate with the labour bestowed. These 

 are facts which the reason and experience of ages have incontrovertibly estabhshed, 

 and they ought to be treasured up in the mind of every young person, as perpetual 

 incitements to exertion. 



From this, however, we would not wish the young student to imagine, that very 

 great mental exertion is required in the study of natural history; for the very reverse 

 is the fact. The principal thing required is a good memory and a correct eye, both 

 of which can be wonderfully improved by practice. It is the want of attention alone 

 which makes the discrimination of objects appear a difficult task; for no sooner do 

 we become acquainted with the trivial distinctions, than we are surprised to find how 

 easy it is to recollect them ; and things which appeared wrapt in mystery, now be- 

 come obvious and famihai- to us. It- is the mere want of knowledge of the plain and 

 simple means pursued by tho naturalist, that has all along prevented thousands from 

 following this, one of the most delightful and instructive exercises of the reasoning 

 facilities; and, such are the charms which it carries along with it, that almost all who 

 once enter upon the study become enthusiastically devoted to the subject. 



It is our intention to introduce a series of essays, containing elementary instruction 

 in the different departments of the system of Nature, and rendered in language which 

 can be understood by every body. A certain number of technical terms are, how- 

 ever, indispensable; but these can easily be acquired. 



Wc have said, that want of attention alone makes the task of discriminating natu- 

 ral objects difficult, and wc shall illustrate this position by a very simple and famiUar 

 fact. 



There is scarcely a human being who is not acquainted with the general appear- 

 ance of a sheep. We have looked upon hundreds of them hundreds of times, and 

 yet, strange to tell, we have not acquired an intimate knowledge of their appearance ; 

 nor can we discriminate one from another, although they are as unUke each other as 

 are individuals of the human race. Let one be picked out from a flock of five hun- 

 dred, nay, even of one hundred, and let us examine it for half an hour most attentively, 

 and then set it at liberty again amongst its fellows ; the chances are five hundred to one 

 against us, that we shall ever be able again to find out the identical sheep. But let 

 the experiment be tried with a shepherd, and he will, in a few minutes, detect the 

 sheep, although set at Uberty amongst thousands. And the shepherd requires no 

 uncommon sagacity to be able to do so ; for, on the contrai-y, there is scarcely a man 

 exercising the caUing, who will not readily perform this easy task. So it is with the 

 study of Natxire; a little attention and experience will soon render any object familiar 

 and comparatively simple. 



The young student, who aspires to become a zoologist, a botanist, or a geologist, 

 need not, therefore, be discouraged from attempting to obtain his share of the supe- 

 rior deUght which scientific knowledge can afford, by the obstacles which, only in 

 appearance, oppose the acquirement. 



Every step in the pursuit produces a reward and gratification in exact proportion to 

 the diflSculty ; and each advantage, thus gained, produces fresh excitement to proceed 

 in the path of science. Let us draw our illustration from the vegetable kingdom. 

 Every plant, for example, of which we acquire a knowledge by sight and name, so as 

 to be able to recognize it in another locahty, not only gives a distinct pleasure at first, 

 but the pleasure is renewed and increased, when we meet it for the second and third 

 time, probably under very different circumstances, either as relate to ourselves, or to 

 the plant. Thus, even the simple knowledge of the name, which enables us to 

 communicate our ideas, although in an indistinct manner, brings with it sensations of 

 a pleasurable kind, and often proves a source of tho most interesting associations. 

 But the pleasure we derive from a knowledge of the trivial or popular names of plants, 

 becomes greatly enhanced by more extended views regai'ding them, which are not 

 strictly botanical. We are astonished when we study their geological relation in any 

 particular district or coxmtry; their geographical distribution, relatively to the world 

 itself, or their migration from one country to another; their connection with climate; 

 their being domestic plants, which follow man in his improvement and change of soil, 

 or wanderers seeking to inhabit distant regions, formerly uninhabited by their kinds, 

 or by their being social, and living, Uke man, in large communities ; their abundance 

 or rarity; their mode of propagation; their natural enemies, or more kindly friends; 

 and, lastly, their properties, functions, uses, and culture. It is in acquiring a know- 

 ledge of all these that real pleasure is experienced; and, as we acquire this knowledge, 

 our desire to become still farther acquainted with them increases. 



