fostering power of the elements; toads and frogs lay their spawn in the water; the former producing two long strings, resembling necklaces, formed, as it were, of beads of jet, enclosed in crystal; while those of the latter consist of irregular masses of similar beads. This gelatinous envelope, forms the first nutriment of the embryo.

With regard to the class of fishes, the general object of those that migrate, appears to be the casting of their spawn. It is this, that causes the salmon to leave the sea for the rivers; the herring to travel from the profound depths of the north to our native shores; and the mackerel, on the other hand, to pour from the southern regions towards the north; thus, at the same time, by the fiat of their Maker, contributing to their own means of subsistence, and placing themselves in situations where their fellow inhabitants of the ocean may combine with man in preserving the balance of living beings, by thinning their numbers, which their productive powers would otherwise render overwhelming.

If we rise higher in the scale of vertebrated animals, and direct our attention to birds, what a variety of wonderful instincts and habits meets our view. Some of them take long aerial voyages, steering their course over sea and land with a mysterious precision, and arriving, year by year, after traversing vast spaces and crossing many latitudes, at the very same spot where they commenced their own existence, or gave birth to a former progeny; there they rebuild their decayed nests, deposit and hatch their eggs, tend and nourish their callow brood, teach them to use their wings and select their food, and then, when their young powers are fully developed, lead their course through the air, to those distant lands where new and more ample stores are provided for their subsistence by an All-bountiful Hand. Others, though they seek not to migrate, yet display the wonders of that mysterious Power by which they are guided, in the forethought, not their own, by which they are directed with regard to the structure and situation of their nests. One builds upon the surface of the earth; another under ground or in the sand; some select the chimneys or eaves of

houses for the place of their structures; some retire to caverns and holes; but the great majority erect their temporary dwelling-places in trees and bushes, with singular arts to elude the pursuits of their enemies.

With regard to quadrupeds, as they escape the long process of incubation, which reproduction by means of eggs imposes on birds, and as their young seldom come into the world helpless, or altogether without the power of locomotion, their preparatory actions are less striking, but are yet most carefully adapted to their circumstances. The dormouse, and various other animals of the same genus, make beds of their own hair, to prepare soft and warm retreats for their young, at the bottom of their holes, to which these, and the other burrowing animals retire. The domesticated animals, in general, drop their young without any previous preparation; because they procure their own food without care, and in their bodies is contained a delicious and nourishing fluid, which instinct has at once taught them how to offer, and their offspring how to extract. Beasts of prey, on the other hand, as well as the domestic dog and cat, whose progeny come into the world blind, perform parental duties varied and important, in proportion to the dependence of their offspring on their care. They retire to their dens or lairs, where they tenderly watch over their helpless charge, and, if danger approach, or convenience require, carry them from place to place in their mouths.

All these are instances of an instinct singularly adapted to the situation and wants of the various tribes which are the objects of it; and, both in the complication and the simplicity of its movements, evinces a contriving Mind of never-failing resources. The storge, as the ancients were accustomed to name it, or the natural affection of the parent to its offspring, involved in some of these actions, deserves to be considered in a separate paper.

FOURTH WEEK-FRIDAY.

PARENTAL AFFECTION.

IN former papers, the attention of the reader has been directed to the wonderful provision, which is made for the preservation of the species of many living beings, which never see their progeny. We have seen, however, that there is another class, and it is a very numerous one,-comprehending all the higher orders of animals, the young of which are, for a longer or shorter period, dependent on the fostering care of their elder kindred, which are generally their parents. And in this, as in the former case, the wisdom and benevolence of the Creator are very strikingly displayed; for He providentially inspires the guardians with so strong a desire to discharge their trust with fidelity, that it may well be denominated a passion.

There is, perhaps, no living creature that enters this world in a condition more helpless than man; nor is there any which so tardily attains maturity, in its physical and mental powers. Were the weak and naked infant to be abandoned at its birth, its first breath would soon be succeeded by its last. But it has been ordained that the cries which it emits shall awake in the bosom of the mother, a throb of tender affection, which constrains her irresistibly to devote herself to its nourishment, its protection, and its comfort. In the continued practice of her maternal duties, she experiences a growing and inexpressible delight; and it is mercifully arranged by the Ruler of all, that her affection shall, in general, become more intense, in proportion to the necessity which exists for its exercise. The cripple, the invalid, and the imbecile, are the objects of her peculiar tenderness. That she may minister to their relief and their happiness, she generously abridges her personal indulgences, and her natural portion of rest.

The father participates to a great degree in the paren

tal tenderness of his wife; and, if not utterly debased by corruption, while he fondles and plays with his little ones, his manly heart is softened and improved.

As the young family increases and grows up, its members, if abandoned at so early a stage of their existence, without protection and tuition, would be exposed to inevitable destruction. But their parents are impelled still to watch over them, and, according to their own progress in civilization, to labor with redoubled diligence for their support. If they know what is good, they train them to those arts, and instil in their minds those principles, and that knowledge, which may qualify them to gain their living as they approach maturity, to act their part usefully in society, and to enjoy a happy eternity.

The yearnings of parental love are experienced in every stage of civilization. Superstition and wickedness, no doubt, produce partial exceptions; but these are, by the common voice of humanity, pronounced unnatural; and the parent, when influenced by the unbiassed emotions of his heart, shrinks back with horror at the thought of committing the fruit of his body to the flames or the waves, even for the purpose of appeasing an offended Deity.

Too true it is that there are innumerable instances in which ignorant and depraved men train their children to ruin, by example and by precept; yet even these infatuated wretches are rarely devoid of all instinctive partiality for them. Even when occasional anomalies occur, when the "father and mother forsake" their offspring, "then the Lord will take them up," and supply them with guardians, to fulfil the parental duties. The same providential care is exerted by near relatives, and even by aliens in blood, when the young and helpless are bereft of their natural guardians by death, or by some painful casualty. And it is worthy of remark, that, in such interesting cases, the affection of the substitutes, also, is proportioned to the necessities of their dependents. Even a hireling very soon acquires, for the infant she suckles, a love which may be called maternal. The writer of this could specify more than one instance in which nurses have requested

II.

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VIII.

liberty to retain and rear, at their own expense, the children of aliens committed to their charge by the parochial authorities.

By a modification of the same general law, and for promoting the same benevolent end, the preservation of the species,-relatives and neighbors are inspired with a natural propensity to aid one another in times of difficulty, and unite for mutual defence. This is the spirit of clanship and of patriotism.

Re

Nor is the influence of this law confined to the human race. It extends to all species of animals, not excepting insects, which enter into the world in a state that finds them incapable of catering for their own support. Even the ferocious tiger, and the ravenous vulture, unequivocally manifest the yearnings of strong affection for their young. The mother always, and, in the case of pairing animals, the father frequently, furnishes the food, and warmth, and protection, which are required, with the most disinterested sacrifices of personal rest and comfort. ference has, in the preceding paper, been made to some creatures, which denude themselves of their natural clothing, to secure their offspring from cold, during the more helpless stage of their existence; and the anxiety with which they minister to the wants of their dependents, must excite the admiration of the most casual observer. To take a very familiar instance: Look at that domestic hen, with her little brood of chickens, and see how vigilantly she watches over them, searching out the food convenient for them, where it lies hidden under the rubbish, and, with generous self-denial, restraining her own appetite, that she may relieve their craving wants. See how she bristles up at the approach of a suspected stranger, and what a bold demonstration she makes of courage, which is foreign to her nature when she has no family to defend. Observe how anxiously she recalls her chickens when they heedlessly stray into paths of danger, and with what kind complacency she hides them amongst her feathers. She thus communicates to them, from her own body, that warmth which, in their unfledged state, is necessary for their comfort and vitality. None need be re