the appearance of comfort and luxury which he witnessed at the residence of a country gentleman. Nor were our cottage gardens overlooked by him. He had evidently seen nothing like them; and confessed that the fondness of the English of all classes for flowers must be unbounded: and so it is. It is one of the characteristics of our country, and long may it remain so. In ev'ry scene thy hands have dress'd, In ev'ry note that swells the gale, Or tuneful stream that cheers the vale, A voice is heard of praise and love. MISS WILLIAMS. THERE are many facts in the economy of nature which are truly surprising, and which serve to prove with what tenderness, care, and wisdom everything has been either created or regulated. An instance of this may be shewn with respect to the nests of some of those birds which build on slender branches of trees, or amongst reeds and rushes, where their nests would be liable to be much blown about and shaken. In this case the birds have had a peculiar instinct implanted in them of bending in, or rather of making a sort of rim round the upper part of the nest. But for this foresight and peculiar architecture, it is evident that the eggs would roll out of the nest when the branches were much agitated in high winds. This apparently trifling fact shews how beautifully and delightfully Almighty God has attended to the well-being of His creatures. Nothing has been overlooked. Even in the structure of its nest, the little bird has been taught to make it of the size exactly necessary to contain the future young, and to line it, as the case may require, either with the warmest feathers, or with hair or cobwebs. The small fan-tailed fly-catcher of Australia makes its elegant little nest on the slender stalk of a tree. It resembles a wine glass in shape, without the bottom part, and the stem is fastened to a lower stalk, thus preserving a due balance. It is outwardly matted together with the webs of spiders, which not only serve to envelope the nest, but are also employed to strengthen its attachment to the branch on which it is constructed. The whole is woven together with exquisite skill. This also is the case with some of the nests of the humming-bird, where the use of the rim is very appa rent. If writers on natural history, who make their remarks on animals as they see them in a state of captivity, could watch them in their native haunts, much that has been said of them would have been omitted. In some instances the wisdom of the Great Creator has been called in question, as if everything that He had made was not perfect, and afforded proofs of infinite wisdom. Buffon, and · some other naturalists have described the Sloth, for instance, as an unhappy, miserable animal, almost incapable of crawling on the earth, shedding tears instead of defending itself, and so imperfectly formed as to require two days to enable it to ascend a tree. But what a different account do those give of it, who have seen it in the localities to which it has been assigned by Providence. Instead of being the helpless animal that has been described, it is, on the contrary, wonderfully adapted from its formation and habits for the mode of life it was destined to lead. Nor are we to suppose that this animal has not his full share of enjoyment, as compared with that of other quadrupeds. The sloth may be called a tree animal, with quite as much propriety as the horse or cow may be called terrestrial animals. When this fact is known, and the anatomy of the sloth examined with reference to it, we shall find that nothing can be more perfect than its organization. It lives on trees, and dies on trees, nor is it necessary to descend them to procure water, as it does not require any. Its legs are extremely muscular, and are perfectly capable of supporting the weight of the animal. In suspending itself from branches of trees, all the four legs are used, and this is evidently its natural position. In moving from tree to tree, also, the body always hangs downwards. When in search of food, or of its own species, the sloth can shew considerable activity. So careful has Providence been of the preservation of this harmless, and apparently defenceless animal, that its fur is of the same colour This as the moss on the trees on which it lives. circumstance must render it difficult to be seen in the dense forests which it inhabits. Nor is this a solitary instance of the peculiar care of a benevolent Creator for His creatures. When birds have been found on little rocky islands, where no fresh water whatever is to be met with. the bills of the birds are all strong, enabling them to squeeze the juice from berries into the mouths of their young, and thus to supply the want of water. If we examine and enquire into the recent discoveries of plants and animals in Australia, we shall find much that is new to us, but all beautifully organized and arranged, and affording proofs of the inexhaustible power of Almighty God. These discoveries are bursting upon us day after day, surprising us with wonder at their novelty, and exciting our curiosity to discover the cause of their peculiar formation. Migratory animals are well adapted by their peculiar habits and shapes for the task which has been allotted them. When the annual great migration of Storks takes place in the Archipelago, those young ones which are not able to fly are placed on the backs of the old birds. The Quail would appear to be incapable of a long migration, but it flies near the ground, and seldom * An active and intelligent naturalist, Mr. Mummery, of Mar N |