it may be fufficient to give only a Hint of these Things, which more properly belong to another Place. Thus hath the indulgent Creator furnish'd the whole animal World with convenient, fuitable Cloathing. II. Let us in the next Place take a fhort View of the Garniture (q), and Beauty thereof. And here we fhall thus far, at least, defcry it to be beautiful; that it is compleat and workman-like. Even the Cloathing of the moft fordid Animals, thofe. that are the leaft beautified with Colours, or ra ther whofe Cloathing may regrate the Eye (r); yet when we come ftrictly to view them, and feriously confider the nice Mechanism of one Part, the admirable Texture of another, and the exact Symmetry of the Whole; we difcern fuch Strokes of inimitable Skill, fuch incomparable Curiofity, that we may fay with Solomon, Eccl. iii. 11. [God] hath made every Thing beautiful in his Time. But for a farther Demonftration, of the fupereminent Dexterity of his almighty Hand, he hath been pleas'd, as it were on Purpose, to give furprizing Beauties to divers Kinds of Animals. What radiant Colours are many of them, particularly fome Birds and Infects (), bedeck'd with! What a prodi (q) Ariftotle, in his Hift. Anim. 1 3. c. 12. names several Rivers, that by being drank of, change the Colour of the Hair. (r) For an Example; Let us take the Cloathing of the Tortoife and Viper; because, by an incurious View, it rather regrateth, than pleafeth the Eye: But yet, by an accurate Survey, we find the Shells of the Former, and the Scales of the Latter, to be a curious Piece of Mechanifm, neatly made; and fo compleatly, and well put, and tack'd together, as to exceed any human Compofures: Of the Latter see more in Book IX. Chap. 1. Note (c). () It would be endless to enter into the Particulars of the beautiful Birds and Infects of our European Parts; but efpecially those inhabiting the Countries between the Tropicks, a prodigious Combination is there often of these, yea, how nice an Air frequently of meaner Colours (t), as to captivate the Eye of all Beholders, and exceed the Dexterity of the most exquifite Pencil to copy? And now, when we thus find a whole World of Animals, cloathed in the wifeft Manner, the most fuitable to the Element in which they live, the Place in which they refide, and their State and Occafions there; when thofe that are able to shift for themselves, are left to their own Difcretion and Diligence, but the Helpless well accouter'd and provided for; when fuch incomparable Strokes of Aft and Workmanship appear in all, and such inimitable Glories and Beauties in the Cloathing of others; who can, without the greatest Obftinacy and Prejudice, deny this to be GOD's Handy-work? The gaudy, or even the meaneft Apparel which Man provideth for himself, we readily enough own to be the Contrivance, the Work of Man: And fhall we deny the Cloathing of all the Animal World befides (which infinitely furpaffeth all the Robes of earthly Majefty; fhall we, dare we, deny that) to be the Work of any Thing less than of an infinite, intelligent Being, whofe Art and Power are equal to fuch glorious Work! which are obferved as much to exceed our Birds in their Colours, as ours do theirs in their Singing. (t) The Wryneck, at a Distance, is a Bird of mean Colour; neither are indeed its Colours radiant, or beautiful, fingly confidered: But when it is in the Hand we fee its light and darker Colours fo curioufly mixed together, as to give the Bird a furprizing Beauty. The fame is alfo obfervable in mány Infects, particularly of the Phalana-kind. CHA P. XIII. Of the Houfes and Habitation of Animals. Having in the laft Chapter, as briefly as well I could, furveyed the Cloathing of Animals, I fhall in this take a View of their Houfes, Nefts, their Cells and Habitations; another Thing no lefs neceffary to their Well-being than the laft; and in which the Great Creator hath likewife fignalized his Care and Skill, by giving Animals an architectonick Faculty, to build themselves convenient Places of Retirement, in which to repofe and fecure themfelves, and to nurfe up their Young, And here, as before, we may confider the cafe of Man, and that of the irrational Animals. Man having (as I faid) the Gift of Reafon and Understanding, is able to fhift for himself, to contrive and build, as his Pleasure leads him, and his Abilities will admit of. From the meaneft Huts and Cottages, he can erect himself ftately Buildings, bedeck them with exquifite Arts of Architecture, Painting, and other Garniture, ennoble them, and render them delightful with pleasant Gardens, Fountains, Avenues, and what not? For Man therefore the Creator hath abundantly provided in this refpect, by giving him an Ability to help himself. And a wife Provifion this is, inafmuch as it is an excellent Exercife of the Wit, the Ingenuity, the Industry and Care of Man. But fince Ingenuity, without Materials, would be fruitless, the Materials therefore which the Creator hath provided the World with, for this very Service of Building, deferves our Notice. The great great Varieties of Trees (a), Earth, Stones and Plants, answering every Occafion and Purpose of Man for this Ufe, in all Ages and Places all the World over, is a great Act of the Creator's Goodnefs; as manifefting, that fince he has left Man to fhift for himself, it should not be without fufficient Help to enable him to do fo, if he would but make ufe of them, and the Senfe and Reafon which God hath given him. Thus fufficient Provifion is made for the Habitation of Man. And no lefs fhall we find is made for the rest of the Creatures; who although they want the Power of Reason to vary their Methods, and cannot add to, or diminish from, or any way make Improvements upon their natural Way; yet we find that natural Inftinct, which the Creator's infinite Understanding hath imprinted in them, to be abun dantly fufficient, nay, in all Probability, the very beft or only Method they can take, or that can be invented for the refpective Ufe and Purpose of each peculiar Species of Animals (b). If fome Creatures make their Nefts in Houfes, fome in Trees, (a) Dant utile lignum Navigiis Pinos, domibus Cedrofque, Cupreffofque : Virg. Georg. 1. 2. carm. 442, (b) See Chap. 15. and Book VIII. Chap. 6. fome in Shrubs, fome in the Earth (c), fome in Stone, fome in the Waters, fome here, and fome there, or have none at all; yet we find, that that Place, that Method of Nidification doth abundantly anfwer the Creatures Ufe and Occafions. They can there fufficiently and well repofe, and fecure themfelves, lay, and breed up their Young. We are lo far from difcovering any Inconvenience in any of their respective Ways, from perceiving any Lofs befal the Species, any decay, any perishing of their Young, that in all Probability, on the (c) Many of the Vefpe-Ichneumones are remarkable enough for their Nidification and Provifion for their Young. Thofe that build in Earth (who commonly have golden and black Rings round their Alvi) having lined the little Cells, they have perforated, lay therein their Eggs, and then carry into them Maggots from the Leaves of Trees, and feal them up · clofe and neatly. And another Ichneumon, more of the VeSpa than Mu/ca-Ichneumon Kind (having a little Sting in its Tail, of a black Colour) gave me the Pleasure, one Summer, of feeing it build its Neft in a little Hole in my Study-Window. This Cell was coated about with an odoriferous, refihous Gum, collected, I fuppofe, from fome Fir-Trees near; after which it laid two Eggs (I think the Number was) and then carried in divers Maggots, fome bigger than it felf. Thefe it very fagacioufly fealed close up into the Neft, leaving them there doubtlefs, partly to affift the Incubation; and efpecially for Food to the future Young when hatched. Of this Artifice of these Ichneumons, Ariftotle himself takes Notice, (but I believe he was scarce aware of the Eggs fealed up with the Spiders). Οι 3 Σφήκες Ιχνούμονες καλέμθμοι, &c. As to the Vefpe, called Ichneumones, (less than others) they kill Spiders, and carry them into their Holes, and having fealed them up with Dirt, they therein hatch, and produce those of the fame Kind. Hift. Anim. 1. 5. C. 20. To what hath been faid about these Ichneumon Wafps. I fhall add one Obfervation more, concerning the providential Structure of their Mouth in every of their Tribes, viz., their Jaws are not only very ftrong, but nicely fized, curved and placed for gnawing and fcraping thofe compleat little Holes they perforate in Earth, Wood, yea in Stone it self. |