KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



233 



NOTICE. 



All the numbers of this Journal are in print ; and 

 may be had from No. I. inclusive, price 3d. each. Also, 

 Parts I to 9, price Is. Id. each; post-free, Is. 4d. 



As due notice was given to our Subscribers, early in 

 June last, to complete their Sets without delay, it is 

 hoped they have done so, as the Stock is now made up 

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 The price of the first two Quarterly, and the first Half- 

 yearly Volumes, will remain as before— until December 



2Gth. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Communications Received. — Philos.— Bombyx Atlas. 

 J. M.— H. H.-J. M. J.— 0.— Verax.— J. C. E.— W. S. 

 — Geraloine.— Dahlia. 



To Correspondents. — As we always print one Dumber 

 of the Journal in advance, such of our Correspondents 

 as may not receive replies to their questions in the cur- 

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 gotten. We pay marked attenton to all favors. 



KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 

 Saturday, October 9, 1852. 



As the seasons advance, we find many 

 new beauties brought under our view. The 

 flowers have faded, truly : the leaves are 

 changing their colors ; the gardens are be- 

 coming ragged : — 



" All that's bright must fade, 

 The brightest still the fleetest." 

 But how wonderful the varieties of Nature ! 

 How does each several object she unfolds to 

 the eye, win our heart ! We gaze in mute 

 wonder at our great Creator's power, and are 

 lost in admiration and praise of his goodness 

 to his creatures. 



Just now, we could easily fill one entire 

 number of our Journal, by recording what 

 we have lately noticed with reference to the 

 insect world. Marvellous indeed are the in- 

 stincts that guide some of these little crea- 

 tures in their movements ! We will not, 

 however, encroach unduly on our columns, 

 by dwelling on this at any lengtfy to-day. 

 Still we must direct attention to the opera- 

 tions of the Garden Spider. 

 _t;;Our young friends will do well to rise 

 betimes, all this month ; and to go out early 

 into the garden, if they have one — if not, 

 into the garden of some friend. Here they 

 will readily perceive very many webs sus- 

 pended to the trees — not webs similar to 

 those of the common house spider, but a 

 wide-spread, noble domain, adapted for the 

 habitation of its own clever architect. The 

 mode of constructing these dwellings is 

 such, that no words of ours could attempt 

 to describe it in adequate terms of praise. 

 Never did any man of science act upon more 

 sure principles ; never did he examine his 

 work as it proceeded more carefully ; never 

 did he perfect his structure with more con- 

 summate skill and evident " design." 



The morning sun, at this season, gives 

 peculiar facilities for making careful exami- 



nation of these wonderful structures. Its 

 golden rays fall so as to throw up the work- 

 man's operations ; bringing them into full 

 relief. The mechanical precision with 

 which every distance between the meshes 

 is observed ; the careful rivettings of each 

 several joint, (what we should term " tying 

 them in a knot '•) ; the correct adjustment of 

 every minute part of the building, (strength 

 and solidity being carefully, sedulously 

 studied throughout) ; and the situation 

 selected for " transacting business " — all 

 claim our unbounded admiration. Let us 

 again say, that everybody who has a heart 

 capable of feeling, and of loving God, should 

 make a point of witnessing this, and other 

 similar wonders of nature at this season. 



We have given the barest outline of our 

 thoughts on this subject. The little archi- 

 tect himself should be carefully, narrowly 

 watched, for an entire day. His stratagems 

 to secure his prey ; his mode of conquering a 

 powerful enemy ; the concealment of his 

 person ; and his thorough knowledge of the 

 "whole art of war " — in this closely re- 

 sembling our own much-lamented Arthur, 

 Duke of Wellington (who had no equal in 

 the field) — these, we say — and how many 

 hundred other skilful manoeuvres of his ? — 

 are deserving of unremitting attention. The 

 garden, during this month, is indeed a world 

 of living wonders. 



In another part of our Journal will be 

 found a very graphic and interesting account 

 of the " Lion Ant." This, being from the 

 pen of our noble ally, Bombyx Atlas, will 

 be read with intense interest. He, like our- 

 self, loves to write about what he has seen. 

 Therefore is it, that his remarks carry with 

 them such a perpetual freshness. 



We hardly need point out to our readers, 

 the striking proof which this creature exhi- 

 bits of its instinct arising from a Great First 

 Cause, whose intelligence has foreseen and 

 ordained everything that was necessary for 

 the preservation and well-being of such an 

 animal. The skill which it evinces, iswotfthe 

 fruit of experience and of exercise. It ori- 

 ginated with its existence. Its instinct is 

 proportioned to its wants and its require- 

 ments. Nature never errs. 



Lovers of nature, who so dwell on these 

 minute beauties of the insect world, may be 

 derided by the silly and the ignorant ; but 

 we are proud to call the society of such men 

 a little heaven upon earth. We are not a 

 little pleased to have assisted in the creation 

 of a better feeling in society connected with 

 these matters. People who have hitherto 

 boasted that they did not know a rose tree 

 from a gooseberry bush, are beginning to 

 grow ashamed of such a confession. They 

 are gradually inclining to the belief, that 

 there really is no great degradation in know- 



