INHABITANTS OF THE AIR AND WATER. 141 LETTER IX. And God said, let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of Heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.-Genesis i. 20-22. MY DEAR CHILDREN, THOUGH the sun has shone with brightness and glory on all the newly created beauty of the third day; yet still, up to the morning of the fifth, all was hushed and silent; life had indeed pervaded the vegetable world, yet still it was inanimate; but now the creative word has gone forth, "Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly in the open firmament of heaven." Instantly birds of every wing lighted on the trees of Eden, and the air became vocal with their song; while the great whales and fish sported in the deep. We can have no conception of the exceeding joy and happiness that must have accompanied this fifth day's creation; the Lord himself, in his controversy with Job, briefly refers to it: "Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings towards the south? gavest thou the goodly wings to the peacock,* or wings and feathers to the ostrich? What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and the rider." Purpose and design mark the whole character of the Lord's creation, and this is strikingly manifest in these allusions. The first birds and fishes did not pass through the weakness * See the marginal reading, Job xxxix. 13. of early life, as all future generations, but came at once into a state of perfect existence. The All was in peace in Eden, for sin had not entered. eagle and the lark soared on high in happy company, and the dove lighted on the same branch; no discord existed then, but all was uninterrupted joy. The sun had opened the flowers of the third day, and perfectly matured the fruit of the varied trees; and now birds of the most dazzling plumage, and sweetest melody, sang in their branches; every bird we now see had its first parent IN EDEN; and the same is also true of the fishes OF THE DEEP, for the scriptures record no creation either before or since the thorn, indeed, excepted. But now the shades of even drew in, and by an instinctive call, (wearied with the ceaseless flight of their first day's existence,) the feathered tribe seek repose,—again creation is at rest. But let us now, my beloved children, consider the mercies of this day, for they are indeed great and manifold. Though man has not called into immediate servitude the fowl of the air, and the fish of the deep, yoking the ostrich to his chariot, and the whale to his ships, as he has the animals of the sixth day; yet both kingdoms come to him in untold blessings, for not only do they supply him with food in boundless varieties, but they also minister to his comfort in many other ways. I will just enumerate a few :— Before the illumining property of gas was applied to light our streets, and great places of resort, OIL, both sperm and common, was in general use; and it was the " great whale" of two different species that supplied both, as I shall show you when we come to this part of the subject. Large fleets go out annually to procure this valuable commodity. But the whale also aids us in other ways; that tough, and yet elastic bone, which bears the name of whalebone, comes from this fish, singular fringed plates of it hanging down from the upper jaw. The uses of whalebone are various; light, strong, and elastic, it answers admirably for umbrellas, etc.; and then, by a fine pro THE USES OF BIRDS. 143 cess, shavings are peeled from it, and made into plat, which is manufactured into hats and bonnets of most durable texture. And as to the birds, their feathers are useful to us in two different ways. First, for beds and pillows; and then the larger feathers of the wings for writing; for though steel pens have increased to the enormous consumption of some thousands of tons annually, yet still the good old quill cannot be equalled by the most laboured attempt of art, though, in justice to our manufacturers, it must be allowed, that the flexibility and softness of these steel pens are wonderful; but the quill seems nature's pen, and the steel that of art. I have remarked above, my dear children, that man has not enlisted the bird or fish into servitude, but there are some few exceptions to this rule; some hundreds of years since, before gunpowder was in common use, the falcon and the hawk were trained in England and Europe to take game; and so greatly did this custom prevail, that one of the highest officers of the palace was called the Grand Falconer; but it was a cruel sport, though then even ladies of rank much enjoyed it. In our day, also, the carrier pigeons have been employed on any great occasion, when swiftness was needed to carry letters; but the journey is so uncertain, that this plan is rarely used; and now, in this age of wonderful invention, the electro-telegraphic communication seems to leave all other means behind. There is something very interesting connected with the flight of the raven and the dove, in the history of Noah, after the ark rested on Ararat. The raven, it is said, was first sent out; and went and returned, and went again, going and returning until the waters were dried up. Seven days elapsed, and Noah sent out the dove, but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and was taken in: again seven days elapsed, and Noah sent forth the dove, and lo! in the evening it returned with an olive leaf plucked off; so Noah knew that the waters had abated. I do not attempt to unfold these scriptures, but it is a fact of great interest, that a tradition seems to prevail among many nations that the dove is the emblem of mercy, and the olive-branch a |