04 ) 
power as a mysterious one, unfathomable, and given by the cre¬ 
ative Intelligence to birds as a special gift. Concurring thor¬ 
oughly with the spirit of William Cullen Bryant’s beautiful “ Lines 
to a Waterfowl,” I feel that 
“ There is a Power whose care 
Teaches thy way along that pathless coast; 
The desert and illimitable air, 
Lone wandering, but not lost. ” 
Most assuredly do I believe that there is an ineffable Power guid¬ 
ing the solitary bird along his pathless way. But, instead of hold¬ 
ing that the instinct was implanted as an entity by the Almighty, 
in an arbitrary, isolated fashion, I believe that its origin took 
place millions of years ago ; and, in conformity with the laws of 
development, which I see manifested in all other tribes of ani¬ 
mated beings, that it has, by infinitesimally small accretions, 
strengthened and grown into its present maturity. Such a view, 
recognizing as it does the reign of law throughout all creation, 
fills me with thoughts too deep for words, as year by year I gaze 
upon these feathered migrants, and profoundly deepens in my con¬ 
viction, the recognition of a Creator infinitely more wise, infin¬ 
itely more powerful, and infinitely more patient in the develop¬ 
ment of both organic and inorganic nature, than the mind of man 
can conceive.” 
