shelly coat on the Armadillo. The fur is often divided. by distinct ridges, as in the Dog and Horse, on the latter of which, as well as on the Hog, it is elongated into mane. In aquatic quadrupeds, the hair is altogether wanting, lest it should absorb the wet, except in such as are sometimes obliged to live on shore.*

The food also, wherewith they are supplied, affords cause for much admiration. Many, such as the Horse, Cow, Elephant, Rhinoceros, &c. live on vegetables; all the Feline tribe are beasts of prey, as well as a multitude of others, such as the Wolf, the Fox, the Weasel, the Ferret, and numbers more; others again feed upon fruit, grain, and herbs, and amongst these are found the Squirrel, the Rat, the Mouse, the Hare, the Rabbit, &c. But to enumerate all were vain; the vast field of interest presented to you, cannot be done justice to by me, though I introduce the subject to your notice, and would observe that the supply of food allotted to all is "so adjusted that the general harmony, course, and happiness of creation are never disturbed ;" and it is well observed, that such is the fitting balance, that the husbandman frequently injures himself by destroying those, which, on a partial view, he thinks injurious to him. Thus, farmers destroy Moles, because the hillocks they make break the level surface; but they have found Worms so much increase where the race of these animals is extinct, that they often regret they molested them.

They subsist on worms, insects, snails, frogs, and larvæ. Toads also are found to keep down Ants; Mice increase in barns wherein Owls have been shot. The blue Jay was at one time destroyed in America, on account of the peas;

*Sharon Turner, vol. i. p. 366.

but the Pea Grub, which it principally fed on, became so destructive, that the mistake was quickly discovered. A gentleman shot a Magpie in order to save his cherries; but found on examining the bird, that its craw was full of the large blue Bottle Fly, that destroys and taints meat.* Thus, my dear young friends, the consuming animals, the degree of their consumption, and the species consumed, are so precisely adapted to each other, that neither deficiency or exuberance appears, while the appointed operations of nature are uninterrupted. Man, by interfering, may alter the provided equilibrium, and where he does so, he suffers from his injudicious interposition, or too covetous anxiety.†

Here we must take leave of the Animal Creation, a subject scarcely glanced at, replete with interest, abounding with instruction, but on which so much has been written by those who are supereminently qualified for the task, that lest I may be considered prolix, I refrain from adding more; but if you search deeper into it, you will find that there are many qualities which we share in common with the inferior animals. In some the acuteness of the senses is far superior to us; their instinct often appears to amount to reason, and they exhibit an intelligence, affection, industry, and courage worthy of imitation and praise; and he is wise who profits by the many lessons they can unwittingly give, and imitates the brute creation in the virtues they exercise amongst themselves. The Sacred Pages often send us to them for instruction; and upon examination you will find "no book more accurate than the Bible on this interesting subject, so far as the sublime design admits." + Ibid. p. 371.

*Sharon Turner, vol. i. p. 370.

CHAPTER VII.

Work of the Sixth Day continued-Amphibious Animals-Frogs and Toads-Lizards-Crocodiles - Alligators-Iguanas-Chameleons—

Sirens.

UPON referring to the verse we have been hitherto considering, we discover our subject is yet incomplete; another class of animals remains to be noticed, before we turn to the "creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." The creatures to whom I wish you now to direct your attention are very distinct from the figures, limbs, and functions of the other quadrupeds, yet they are associated with them in various ways. For instance, they have a heart and blood, not the warm red fluid you are acquainted with, but a cold, pale one: they breathe, but their inspirations are so long between, that no beast or bird could imitate them. They require less food, and can remain a long time without any. Linnæus divided them into two orders; viz. Reptiles with feet, and Serpents without, and these again he subdivided into twelve genera; but as we cannot enter far into a consideration of the subject, it will suit us better to take a passing notice of the principal characters of the two orders as

laid down by that able naturalist.

The first and most

obvious class of amphibious animals are the Frogs and Toads. With these creatures you are so familiar that you may deem it irrelevant to notice them; but even these possess their interest, and discover sagacities and feelings like those of other animals. At the first sight of these creatures you are perhaps unable to observe the difference between them, but the following are the distinguishing characteristics: "The frog moves by leaping, the toad crawls along the ground."* A female frog produces 6 to 1100 eggs at a time. After the first four hours they begin to enlarge and grow lighter, which causes them to mount to the surface of the water. On the twenty-first day they open a little on one side, and a part of the tail peeps out, which daily becomes more distinct. The thirty-ninth day the little animals begin to move; in two days more they appear more lively; the next, i. e. the forty-second day, they become tadpoles; in three days more two little fringes, that serve as fins beneath the head, show themselves; in four days from that period they are much more perfect, and feed greedily upon the pond weeds. When ninety-two days old, two small feet are seen, and the head assumes a form. In five days more, teeth appear, and the hinder legs are completely formed. At the end of six or eight hours the tail drops off, and the animal is perfect.†

The frog generally lives on land; but if the weather is cold and frosty it lies in the bottom of the pools, where it enjoys warmer temperature. As it is torpid during the winter, it requires no food, which consists of insects of all kinds. There are several descriptions of * Buffon, vol. ii. p. 229.

† Abridged from Buffon.

this animal, each possessing qualities peculiar to itself. The Pearly Frog of Brazil is distinguished for its beauty, the body being strewed all over with small grains of a pale red colour resembling pearls.* The Indians of South America pluck off the feathers of the rustling parroquets, and rub the skin with the blood of the Red Tree Frog. Strange to say, after this operation the new feathers grow red or yellow instead of green as before.†

But the most extraordinary property in the nature of frogs is that of having the power of swallowing fire. This has been proved by several travelers, one of whom says, that "smoking in company with several persons, one of them let fall some burning tobacco from his pipe, which was instantly swallowed by a land-frog squatting close by: it was then offered a bit of lighted charcoal, which it swallowed immediately; and it was proved by repeated experiments that it devoured whatever burning substances came within its reach."

The Toad has been domesticated, and even rendered familiar; for though considered venomous, it is, on the contrary, perfectly harmless, seeking for hidden retreats from the multitude of its enemies. Many persons are not aware of their value in their gardens, stoves and hotbeds, where the number of slugs, snails, and destructive insects they consume is immense. Ignorance united to prejudice always produces injurious effects, and consequently this inoffensive animal is chopped by the gardener's spade, or beaten flat by stones, everywhere treated as a loathed and hateful species: but that it is capable of attachment has been proved beyond a

*Sharon Turner, vol. i. p. 423.

+ La Cepede, p. 270.

Catesby's Carolina, vol. ii. p. 69.