sitting upon the floods, David represents God to us as closing by the application of this power to the salvation of His people. The storm rolls away, and a still small voice is heard. "The Lord will give strength unto His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace." CHAPTER VI. THE INHABITANTS OF THE AIR. "Who can recount what transmigrations there THOMPSON. EAVING now the philosophical and chemical analysis of our atmosphere, let us turn our attention to it in another point of view,-namely, as a vast sphere or world filled with its own inhabitants. We know the air teems with inhabitants, no part of Creation indeed seeming to be destitute of them. Some of them are so small as to be invisible to the naked eye, yet all alike disport themselves in it, many live and die in it, and we have reason to think, derive the highest pleasure from it. Among the chief inhabitants (as we may call them) of the air must be classed birds,-at least they spend a greater portion of their active lives in it than on the earth; and, considering their size and importance, may fairly be considered as the principal inhabitants of the air. Being in it more or less from sunrise to sunset, they may be indeed compared to sailors who pass their lives chiefly at sea; or they may be considered as themselves ships. of the air, continually passing and repassing the ethereal ocean above, their wings the sails and oars, their tail the rudder, their head and breast the prow. There are above three thousand distinct species of these known, besides innumerable varieties of each species. What a vast crowd then have we here of ærial inhabitants, all made with one great design and therefore on the same model as to general shape and form, though differing immensely both in size and peculiarity of construction in other respects, but all intended to sail in the same great sea above, all adapted for rapid motion through it, and with wings to propel them! Birds are, in fact, the fish of the air, even as fish are the birds of the ocean; neither could change places with the other it is true, both being formed with a special reference to the element in which they are to move, but the analogy between them is perfect. The entire construction of the bird. anatomically, indeed, proves this special design in their case the more closely it is examined; certain peculiarities of construction are perceptible, without which, even wings would be useless appendages: they might have them, indeed, but could not use them. Hence the possession of wings by man would be but a small instalment towards his flying; the entire arrangement and structure of his body must likewise be taken into account, and be altered in the same direction. The bony frame of flying birds, for instance, is peculiarly light, when compared with their body, or that of any other animal, and the bones themselves are hollow. The muscles connected with the wings, for the purpose of beating the air downwards (which requires most power), are one-sixth part of the weight of the whole body; whereas, in man, the muscles are not onehundreth part so large proportionally. Air-vessels in the interior enable birds to blow out the hollow parts CHAPTER VI. THE INHABITANTS OF THE AIR. "Who can recount what transmigrations there THOMPSON. EAVING now the philosophical and chemical analysis of our atmosphere, let us turn our attention to it in another point of view,—namely, as a vast sphere or world filled with its own inhabitants. We know the air teems with inhabitants, no part of Creation indeed seeming to be destitute of them. Some of them are so small as to be invisible to the naked eye, yet all alike disport themselves in it, many live and die in it, and we have reason to think, derive the highest pleasure from it. Among the chief inhabitants (as we may call them) of the air must be classed birds,-at least they spend a greater portion of their active lives in it than on the earth; and, considering their size and importance, may fairly be considered as the principal inhabitants of the air. Being in it more or less from sunrise to sunset, they may be indeed compared to sailors who pass their lives chiefly at sca; or they may be considered as themselves ships. of the air, continually passing and repassing the ethereal ocean above, their wings the sails and oars, their tail the rudder, their head and breast the prow. There are above three thousand distinct species of these known, besides innumerable varieties of each species. What a vast crowd then have we here of ærial inhabitants, all made with one great design and therefore on the same model as to general shape and form, though differing immensely both in size and peculiarity of construction in other respects, but all intended to sail in the same great sea above, all adapted for rapid motion through it, and with wings to propel them! Birds are, in fact, the fish of the air, even as fish are the birds of the ocean; neither could change places with the other it is true, both being formed with a special reference to the element in which they are to move, but the analogy between them is perfect. The entire construction of the bird anatomically, indeed, proves this special design in their case the more closely it is examined; certain peculiarities of construction are perceptible, without which, even wings would be useless appendages: they might have them, indeed, but could not use them. Hence the possession of wings by man would be but a small instalment towards his flying; the entire arrangement and structure of his body must likewise be taken into account, and be altered in the same direction. The bony frame of flying birds, for instance, is peculiarly light, when compared with their body, or that of any other animal, and the bones themselves are hollow. The muscles connected with the wings, for the purpose of beating the air downwards (which requires most power), are one-sixth part of the weight of the whole body; whereas, in man, the muscles are not onehundreth part so large proportionally. Air-vessels in the interior enable birds to blow out the hollow parts |