greater probability that our statements will be regarded with suspicion, and ourselves with dislike. The world will be apt to conclude, and not without some reason, that a person who is so much occupied in censuring others, cannot have much time to bestow upon selfexamination; and it is not unlikely that the world may perform for him the duty that he has so much neglected. "He never has a good word to say of any one," is, indeed, an observation frequently applied to an industrious fault-finder; and the conclusion to which it leads is generally considered unfavourable to himself. As, besides, a censorious judgment is often too hastily formed, and consequently unfounded, the expression of it may be highly injurious to the feelings or the prospects of our neighbour; and this consideration also should seriously incline us to the indulgence of charitable sentiments towards him.

But, above all, the severity with which the Great Author of our religion has, on various occasions, reproved the habit of judging our brother in a rash and uncharitable spirit, shows how strongly it must stand opposed to those virtues which constitute a truly Christian character; while the solemn warning conveyed in the words now before us, 66 Judge not, that ye be not judged," is equally instructive as to the ultimate consequences which may result from its indulgence.

EXERCISES.

7.

1. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. 2. Honour yourself, and you will be honoured. 3. Do as you would be done by. 4. Listen not to all that is spoken. 5. Avoid extremes. 6. Deliberate slowly, execute promptly. Never put off till to-morrow what can be done to-day. 8. Nip sin in the bud. 9. Be just before you are generous. 10. Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth. 11. Use pleasures moderately. 12. Condemn no man unheard.

SECTION IV.

SUBJECTS FROM NATURE.

1. Write a short illustration of the following Adaptations.

MODEL.-The Eyelids.

Nature, in all its aspects, presents the most ample evidence of design, or adaptation of means to accomplish a certain end; but the most striking examples, perhaps, are to be found in the structure of the human frame. The more we contemplate the functions and uses of any part of it, the more we must admire and reverence the wisdom as well as the beneficence of the Creator. Let us examine, in illustration of these remarks, the various instances of contrivance and adaptation in the Eyelids.

The office of these "fringéd curtains of the eye" being the protection of that wonderful organ from injury, we at once perceive that, in form, and in every other respect, they are perfectly adapted to their intended functions. When open, they are disposed in folds, which expand in such a manner as to envelop the eye completely when shut. They may thus, in point of design, be compared to window curtains, capable of being opened and closed at pleasure. The skin with which the eyelids are covered is unusually fine, thereby yielding with great facility to their almost incessant motion, which, again, is effected by means of certain muscles with which they are provided. The eyelids cover the eye during sleep, and at all times prevent it from being irritated or injured by particles flying about in the air. Closing with extraordinary rapidity, they protect it from any sudden glare of light; and their habitual and regular motions preserve it from the effects of continual exposure to the air. The necessity of such preservation will be sufficiently ap

parent, if we consider the extreme delicacy of the organ of vision. As it is also sometimes necessary to moderate light which may be too brilliant, without entirely excluding it, the contraction of the eyelids enables us to admit just so much as may be necessary without being injurious. When, on the other hand, there is a deficiency of light, we separate them in such a manner as to admit as much of it as possible into the organ of vision. Those beautiful appendages, the eyelashes, are believed to assist in protecting the eye from the small particles of dust that float in the air.

If, in addition to the individual or distinctive character of any organ or member of the body, we take into consideration the nerves, the vessels, the tissues, the membranes, and all the astonishing apparatus with which every part of the living structure is furnished, we can scarcely conceive it possible for human ingenuity to discover, in any instance, all the purposes intended, and all the ends fulfilled. Galen, the celebrated physician, is said to have been so entirely overwhelmed by the innumerable marks of design he discovered in the human skeleton, as to renounce infidelity for ever; but it is not unreasonable to suppose that a scrutiny of any single organ would have led to the same result.

EXERCISES.

8. The 10. The

1. The Hand. 2. The Spine. 3. A Joint. 4. The Trunk of the Elephant. 5. The Feet of Quadrupeds. 6. The Feet of Birds. 7. The Teeth of Quadrupeds. Bills of Birds. 9. The Covering of Animals. Structure of Birds for Flight. 11. Adaptation in Plants, 12. The Principle of Gravitation as an Adaptation.

2. Write a short illustration of the following examples of Instinct.

MODEL.-Nests of Birds.

The principle of instinct is more or less an attribute of all animated beings, and, under whatever circum

stances it may be exerted, is a subject replete with wonder. What reflecting mind, for example, can remain unmoved with surprise, on beholding the worm or the spider, acting under one of the simplest impulses of this faculty, counterfeit death when pressed by danger, in order to save itself from destruction? Ascending from those instances which regard merely the preservation of the individual, and contemplating the subject in its higher aspects, we are overwhelmed with the endless examples of instinctive foresight and ingenuity exhibited by the various orders of the animal kingdom. It would be difficult, perhaps vain, to claim pre-eminence for any particular kind. Without forgetting, therefore, that the beaver, the bee, or the ant, may have as strong a title as any others to our admiration, we shall view the preceding reflections with reference to the instinct of the feathered tribe, as displayed in the fabrication of their nests.

A great variety of material is employed by the different species of birds in the construction of their habitations. All the kingdoms of nature are laid under a wide range of contribution by these winged artificers, the substances employed usually varying with the habits of the bird and the form and situation of the nest. Of the intuitive wisdom exerted in the structure of these fabrics, we shall confine ourselves to a few of the most striking examples.

The swallow, whose preference for the abodes of men, as well as its elegance of form and gracefulness of evolution in flight, render it so general a favourite, exhibits, in the erection of its "straw-built shed,” a degree of prudence and foresight which it is equally pleasing and instructive to observe. Its nest, commonly built under the eaves of a house, or in the corner of a window, is constructed of mud, rendered tenacious by being mixed with straw; and in order that it may not fall by its own weight before it has had time to harden and adhere firmly to the wall, the bird builds only a certain portion every morning until it is completed,

the remainder of the day being devoted to food and amusement. The woodpecker, remarkable for its prodigious power in stripping trees of their bark, provides itself with a habitation by scooping a hole out of the solid body of a tree, from two to five feet deep, and as circular as if drawn with a pair of compasses. It has generally a winding direction, as a protection from the weather. Such as fix their residence among men have been observed, when thus hewing out their nest, to remove the chips and rubbish to a distance from the tree on which they were occupied, in order to conceal their operations as much as possible. A certain class

The

of birds, among which the bullfinch and some others are comprehended, have been denominated Basketmakers on account of the character of their nests. The most curious and interesting examples of this description of bird-architecture are furnished by those species which hang their nests from the branches of trees-a precaution evidently adopted for the purpose of defeating the attempts of the snake and other enemies upon their offspring. The invasion of these nests is rendered more difficult by the entrance being always from below, and frequently through a long narrow passage, projecting exactly like the tube of a chemist's retort. form of the nest is spherical, and the whole fabric, elegantly woven of a species of tough grass, presents an example of ingenuity, which, to adopt the language of the naturalist who describes it, "is calculated to excite the highest admiration." But still more surprising is the skill displayed by those feathered artists that have been denominated Tailor Birds. The species that is found in Hindostan gathers cotton from the shrub, and then spinning it into thread with its feet, sews the leaves neatly together, as with a needle, for the purpose of concealing its nest. Without multiplying examples further than merely to allude to the Feltmakers, which actually form a fine cloth out of the wool, moss, spider's-web, and other substances of which their nests are composed, we shall leave it to the poet to