Outlines of Creation

Thalamifloræ, orders of 171 White Water Lily 171 Poppies, Monkshood 172 Fumitory, Water-cress 173 Helianthemum, Berberry 174 Violet, Sun-dew 175 Milkwort, Bachelor's Buttons 176...

These black spots have a sort of shadowy fringe (_penumbra_) which gives them the appearance of being openings through a luminous surface, discovering a surface less luminous, w...

Another, and the most remote planet in our system, is Neptune, revolving at the immense distance of 2850 millions of miles from the sun, and taking more than 164 years to perfor...

Clouds are amongst the most beautiful as well as useful things in nature, and it is one of the greatest proofs of the active benevolence of God, that all those things which serv...

Fig. 3 represents strata in a state called by geologists "conformable," which name is applied when the strata follow their natural or regular succession, whether this retains it...

During this period, although there were no great disturbances, capable of displacing the strata, yet there appears to have been frequent small eruptions of volcanic matter throu...

It has often been asked, What does man gain by the study of the sciences? Besides the enlarged views which they give him of his Creator's goodness and power, they at this time a...

This is the way in which all rivers and streams are formed. An enormous extent of land thus drained gives rise to thousands of rills, which collect into streams of goodly size,...

The foregoing descriptions refer to the great works of God as seen in those creations which possess not that most wonderful attribute--life. There is no limit in extent, in qual...

The rain falling through the air carries with it a certain amount of carbonic acid and ammonia, which the air always contains, and this is the whole source of the nitrogen which...

Few of this tribe have anything like true woody texture, except their highest order, the ferns, which form some of the most beautiful objects in the vegetable world. Few of the...

The Liliaceæ are a very numerous tribe, including the Lilies, Hyacinths, and Tulips, the Onion, Garlic, Asparagus, the Cape Aloe, Yucca, and many others; they are for the most p...

The Sun-dew is so called from the globules of a sort of viscid liquid excreted by the hairs of this plant while in sunshine, and looking like dew; some species of this order hav...

This order contains some of our finest trees; the Oak, that prince of trees, is of this order. It attains a great age and size, and there are some celebrated specimens existing...

Some of the Infusoria, however, have a far higher organisation, such as the "Rotiferæ," and especially the "wheel animalcule" (fig. 3), which at one time was supposed, absurdly...

"Although this animal be not very tremendous for its size, nor very terrific in its appearance, it is the very same whose ravages have been the theme of naturalists and historia...

The last class of the Articulata, the Arachnida, includes the Spiders, Scorpions, Centipedes, and Millipedes. The Arachnida differ from insects, in having eight or more legs, mo...

Sturgeons (fig. 44) are inhabitants of the northern seas, but are occasionally found in our rivers. They have rows of bony plates imbedded in the skin; they sometimes attain the...

2. The MONOTREMATA includes the Duckbill, called also "Platypus," and "Ornithorynchus paradoxus," (fig. 60), a most singular combination of the forms of the mammal and the bird....

11. The QUADRUMANA (fig. 72), so called from their hind and fore feet both having thumbs, and being developed into hands, includes the Monkeys; they may be divided into two trib...

_Smell._--The interior of the nose is lined by a fine moist membrane, on which the olfactory nerve is distributed. The cause of odour is quite unknown; though, as most volatile...

European 350,000,000 Mongolian 400,000,000 Malay 100,000,000 Telingan 80,000,000 Negro 50,000,000 Ethiopian 10,000,000 Abyssinian 30,000,000 Papuan 3,000,000 Negrillo 3,000,000...