Milton has represented Adam in Paradise, when arriving at the full perfection of all his senses, as astonished at the glorious appearances of nature,-the heaven, the air, the earth,-together with his own bodily frame,-and led by the contemplation of these to ask whence this wonderful scene arose.

"Oh, then what soul was his, when on the tops

Of the high mountains he beheld the sun

Rise up and bathe the world in light;—he look’d—
Ocean and earth,-the solid frame of earth

And ocean liquid mass, beneath him lay

In gladness and deep joy. The clouds were touch'd,
And in their silent faces did he read
Unutterable love. Sound needed none,
Nor any voice of joy ;—his spirit drank
The spectacle. Sensation, soul, and form
All melted into him ;-they swallow'd up
His animal being;-in them did he live,
And by them did he live;—they were his life.
In such access of mind,—in such high hour
Of visitation from the living God,-

Thought was not ;-in enjoyment it expired.
No thanks he breathed,-he proffered no requests;
Wrapt into still communion that transcends
The imperfect offices of prayer and praise,
His mind was a thanksgiving to the power
That made him ;-it was blessedness and love."

Strange that these wonders have not uniformly the effect of leading man to the contemplation of the Great Cause of all!

To the naturalist who walks abroad, looking through nature up to nature's God, what sources of devout gratification and instruction do such scenes supply!

In nature, from the broad majestic oak

To the green blade that twinkles in the sun,
Prompts with remembrance of a present God."

"The works of the Lord are great, honourable, and glorious, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein."*

• Psalm cxi. 2, 3.

'The

book of nature, as well as that of revelation," says Bishop Watson, "elevates our conceptions and incites our piety; they mutually illustrate each other; they have an equal claim to our regard, for they are both written by the finger of the one eternal and incomprehensible God; to whom be glory for ever.

J

CHAPTER XIV.

ZOOLOGY.-Animals peculiar to America. Their diversity. Number. Indigenous and foreign. Wild and domestic. Insects. Fish. Reptiles. Birds.

The whole animal system of America is equally distinguished with its forms of vegetable life, by variety and profusion.

The zoology of America, indeed, is very peculiar and diversified, differing, as much as its flora and arboreta, in many important respects from that of the Old World. But though like the other continents America is distinguished by zoological peculiarities of its own, determined, perhaps, more or less by its geological aspect, it is yet marked by many of the features that also belong to other parts of the world. Many families of animals are so extensively distributed as to be almost equally characteristic of the most opposite regions.

Of about one thousand three hundred and fifty mammals that have been described and classified, America possesses about five hundred and forty. But, with few exceptions, the new hemisphere, on its discovery, was found remarkably deficient of useful animals. Neither the horse, ox, sheep, hog, nor even the domestic fowls (excepting the turkey, which was originally wild), were seen by Columbus or his contemporaneous discoverers. All the domestic animals have been introduced by European settlers; and some of these have increased to such a degree that they form herds in a wild state, swarming the prairies and other uncultivated tracts.

The most remarkable animals within the boundary of the States are the opossum and the beaver, the racoon, the glutton, and the sloth; the wapeti, or American elk, whose antlers are sometimes seven feet in length; the prong-horned antelope, the ocelot, the lynx, the bison, and the musk ox; with the black, brown, and grisly bear. The last-named of these (ursus ferox) is the most powerful and dangerous wild animal of America, possessing amazing muscular power and extreme tenacity of life. Specimens have been killed and measured which have been found equal to the largest size of the Polar bear, though

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there is much variety in the dimensions of the different individuals. They abound in the Rocky Mountains, and places east of them to six degrees. They secrete themselves in caves, where during winter they remain torpid. They subsist principally on the succulent or edible roots of the wild pine. These animals are of such gigantic size that some of them have been found to weigh 800 lbs.; while the skin of one that was killed by a hunter is said to have measured eight and a half feet in length. The average may be taken at about 500 lbs. weight. The claws, which they have the power of moving independently, cut like a chisel when the animal strikes with them. The tail is so small as to be scarcely visible. Such is its strength, that it has been known to drag easily, and to a considerable distance, the carcase of a bison weighing 1000 lbs. These bears do not hug their victims, but strike them with their terrific paws. When one of these animals sees an object he stands erect upon his hind legs, and generally gazes at it for some minutes. He then, whether it be man or beast, goes straight on towards it regardless of numbers, and will seize it in the midst of an armed batallion.

The following incident in relation to one of the least ferocious of these species of animals, as well as illustrative of life in the backwoods, may not prove uninteresting:

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"A farmer in one of the backwood settlements being engaged, together with one or two assistants, in clearing some additional land on the outskirts of his farm, felled among others a large hollow tree. While standing at the stump of the tree, when his companions proceeded to cut off the branches, he cast a glance into the cavity, and discovered something that had the appearance of a living animal, though from the obscurity of the hollow he could not distinguish the genus to which it belonged, but supposed it to be a racoon, an animal often found in similar situations. He immediately divested himself of some of his clothing, and crawled into the tree with the intention of satisfying his curiosity, and of making a prize of the intruder whoever he might be. He had not advanced far when his progress was obstructed by the animal which disputed his right to enter; and the pressure at length became so great that the farmer was forced to a hasty retreat, which he was not long in effecting; although almost simultaneously with his own exit he perceived a bear of unusually large dimensions forcing his after him in great wrath. The sudden and unexpected appear

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P

ance of so formidable an antagonist disconcerted the farmer
for the moment, so that he did not seize the advantage that
his axe afforded, then lying beside him. But he soon found
that something must be done, and that quickly, in self-defence
at least. Bruin, though still appearing much displeased at his
disturbance by the farmer in his bivouac, seemed disposed to
end the difference by a speedy retreat, and was just about
effecting it when his assailant grappled him round the body
with his arms. The bear became additionally angry at this
unceremonious treatment, and taking advantage of the unguarded
situation of his antagonist, by a desperate movement of his
fore paws, freed himself from the grasp of the courageous
farmer, but, still inclined to leave the field without further con-
troversy, made towards a more secluded and quiet resting-place
and home. The farmer recovering from the fall, and nothing
daunted by the scratches he had received and the evidence he had
acquired of the superior prowess of his adversary, immediately
pursued and overtook him, when the conflict recommenced.
The farmer now a second time grappled the bear round the
body with his arms, as though to detain him until a satisfactory
explanation could be had. This was too much for bruin, and
he began to be in real earnest. Just at this juncture the com-
panions of the farmer, who with a laudable regard for their
own safety had retreated at the onset of the engagement, seeing
the perilous situation of their employer flew to the rescue,
levelling blows at the head of the bear, which soon brought him
to the ground. They almost immediately despatched him, taking
off his scalp as a trophy. He was in good condition, as well
as large in size, weighing between two and three hundred
pounds. The farmer was severely wounded in the affray, but
not dangerously; and he lived many years afterwards to boast
of his exploit.

The black bear, the black and grey wolf, the elk, the moose,
and the deer, the otter, minx, white-fisher, racoon, martin, the
rabbit, with a variety of squirrels, are still abundant in the
regions of the lakes, as also a small species of monkey in some
of the Southern States; but the panther, the grisly bear, the
buffalo-or more properly the bison, and musk ox (bos mos-
chatos), the latter said to be a variety of the English cow, and
used in breeding with European cattle, are found only occasion-
ally in districts where cultivation has extended; while the beaver
has now become almost entirely extinct.