^ HUMBLE CREATURES. 



respecting the worm or the fly, as to how they are 

 formed^ for what useful ends they have been created^ 

 and what place they occupy in the realms of Nature; — 

 as though the works of man were entitled to a prior 

 place in our thoughts to those of our Creator ! 



Not only, however, do these humble creatures 

 merit our attention on the ground that they rank 

 amongst the valuable works of Nature, but also as 

 affording useful lessons in the education of our 

 minds ; for unless we carefully examine and endea- 

 vour to comprehend the character and attributes of 

 the lower animals, we remain children in the know- 

 ledge of Nature. 



The rich coat of the leopard, the beautiful and 

 variegated plumage of the bird of paradise, the sweet 

 note of the nightingale, and the graceful form and 

 movements of the gazelle, all delight the senses, but 

 tend little towards the elevation of the intellect. 

 These afford gratification alike to the savage, the 

 child, and the educated man — perhaps in a less degree 

 to the last than to either of the former ; but when we 

 come to examine those creatures that offer no such 

 attractions to the superficial observer, we find them 

 to be so wisely constituted, and to possess such in- 

 teresting appliances by which they perform their 

 natural functions, that we begin to wonder how it is 

 we should have remained so long in ignorance of 

 their remarkable properties. We find ourselves in a 

 new world, and the objects contained therein, at the 

 same time that they impart sensations quite as plea- 



