Father. By means of their tail, by the mo tion of which they push themselves forward Son. Of what use are the fins?

Father. To keep them in equilibrium, or with their belly downward; to turn on either side, or to stop their progress.

Son. By what means do they rise or descend in the water?

Father. They are enabled to do this by a white air-bladder, which they can dilate or contract at pleasure.

Son. How does that occasion their ascent or descent?

Father. Because, in the first case they are lighter than water; and in the latter, heavier. Son. How are they supported?

Father. They eat worms, and flies, and plants. And the large fish feed upon the smaller, of which our bountiful Creator has given such a vast increase, that the spawn of a perch would produce more than twenty-eight thousand. "And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly."

Son. Are there any fish which migrate in

the water, as birds of passage do in the air, at certain seasons?

Father. Yes; such as the sturgeon, salmon, herring, smelt, pilchard, and others--some of which come from the sea into our rivers, and others are found in shoals, in certain parts of the ocean, and at certain times of the year; to which they are, no doubt, led by what we usually term instinct.

Son. What a vast store of provision is here laid up for man!

Father. Thus you see how good and bountiful God is to us- "He has put all things under our feet: all sheep and oxen; yea, and the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the sea. O Lord! our Lord! how excellent is thy name in all the earth!"

DIALOGUE XXII.

OF INSECTS.

Father. LET us now take a view of the smaller part of the living creation. What think you of those called insects?

Son. I cannot say I ever thought much about them.

Father. But we should not overlook any part of God's creation.

Son. Where do insects live?

Father. Every where-in the air, the earth, the water, in wood, in stone, in shells, in mud, and in sand,

Son. On what do they live?

Father. Upon almost every thing-upon flesh, fish, flowers, herbs, filth, and dirty slime, which is often seen upon the water in summer.

Son. What parts of an insect are most to be admired!

Father. Their fine beautiful eyes. their wings, their colour, their offensive and defensive weapons, &c. If you look through a microscope, you will find, that what we thought to be dust on the wings of a butterfly, consists of a number of beautiful feathers, arranged in great order. The legs also of insects are worthy of peculiar attention. Those of a fly, for instance, by which it can walk up a window perpendicularly, or horizontally upon a ceiling. Son. How can they do that?

Father. By means of a glutinous matter, which enables them to keep their hold. But besides this, many bodies which appear plain and smooth to the naked eye, have a roughness, which their small and tender feet can catch hold of.

Son. How are they propagated?

Father. By eggs, which they carefully hide in the most secure places in great quantities. Son. Are not many insects injurious? Father. Some no doubt are. The locust,

caterpillar, and some others. But that these may not be too numerous, great multitudes of them are destroyed by birds. But even caterpillars, which we deem so pernicious, are yet very serviceable. And I doubt not, but many other insects are useful for purposes of which we are ignorant. The several members of this little tribe are (with some few exceptions) very industrious. From the labour of bees we reeeive our honey and our wax the former being lodged in warm apartments of their own forming.

Son. And how can those creatures do what man cannot do? how can they make honey?

Father. By flying abroad, and collecting together the very fine essence of flowers, both of the field and of the garden; which is done by their trunk, with which small tube they suck up the delicious syrup as nature produces it, and then deposit it in cells.

Son. Do they each know their own cell, and keep to that as their constant place of residence?