THE MOTHER'S SOLACE. "Of such is the kingdom of God.”—Mark. x. 14. Deem not, that since its race was run So quickly upon earth, In vain thy darling little one Partook of mortal birth. Nor think, because thy joy is flown, Thy babe, if it could whisper NOW, 'Twould tell thee, to be born below, And then so SOON ascend, Is, first, a moment's pain to know, 'Twould tell thee, that it did not breathe The breath of life to die; But lived and died to wear a wreath Yea, rather, to go up and take Its part in songs of love, And sweeter, louder, still to make The harmony above. Then dry fond mother, dry the tear, Think, rather, it alighted here THE NATURALIST. No. VIII.-AUGUST. "By ceaseless action all that is subsists. Constant rotation of th'unwearied wheel That nature rides upon, maintains her health, Her beauty, her fertility. She dreads An instant's pause, and lives but while she moves. HE eighth month of the Julian year received, from the Emperor Augustus, the name of AUGUST,* in memory of certain victories which he had gained. It had previously borne the name of sextilis, being the sixth from March, with which month the Romans had antiently begun their computation. We have observed, in a former number, that many singing-birds, as the thrush, the blackbird, the woodlark, the willow wren, become silent about Midsummer, and resume their notes in September. The naturalist of Selborne remarks that " August is by much the most mute month the spring, summer, and autumn through ;" and he adds the conjecture, that "birds are perhaps induced to sing again in autumn, because the temperature of that season resembles that of spring." Be that as it may, "the feathered choir" is obviously less full in August than in any other month, the months of winter being excepted: "No blackbird whistles from the thorny brake, Swallows and many other birds of passage begin, towards the end of this month, to congregate, with a view to the undertaking of their * The mean temperature of this month is but little lower than that of July. Hot nights are frequent; and the action of the sun's rays is assisted by the radiation from the warm earth, which, now, throws back into the air a portion of the heat received from the sun; instead of absorbing it, as in spring. It is observed, that, during the greatest heats of summer east and south-east winds prevail. There is usually much less rain in August than in July. migrations; although their actual departure does not take place till September. "Warn'd of approaching Winter, gather'd play The capability possessed by birds of performing with astonishing swiftness flights of vast length, is proved by numerous well-ascertained facts. M. Audubon, the celebrated ornithologist, has related, that he himself has shot the American passenger pigeon, at a distance of eight hundred miles from land; and yet, on dissection, has found its stomach full of FRESH rice,—a circumstance which proves, that the rice, which was thus unchanged by the digestive process, must have been swallowed not many hours before death. A sparrow has been known to fly at a rate of not less than thirty miles in an hour; and various experiments have shewn, that the common Kite (Falco milorus) can fly, with ease, from the farthest extremity of Scotland to the Land's End, in a single day. The Nightingale, and some other birds of passage, which fly much less swiftly, can easily reach the south of Europe or the north of Africa within a few days. While, however, those birds which affect a warm climate leave our shores to take up with their young, their temporary abode in more southern latitudes, there are others which arrive from the far north to pay us a winter visit. Among these may be mentioned the Mountain Finch (Fringilla montifringilla); the Crossbeak (Loxia curvirostra); the Sanderling (Calidris arenaria); and some few others. Butterflies are still abundant. The small white Garden Butterfly (Pontia Rapa), of which there are several broods during the summer and autumn, may now be seen congregating in crowds around the margins of ponds, or other moist places. The scarce Copper Butterfly Lycana Virgauræ), although, as its name imports rarely to be met with, is occasionally seen during this month; as is also, the Purpleedged Copper Butterfly, (Lycana Chryseis); which is likewise a -ery scarce insect in Britain. The Brown Hair Streak Butterfly (Thecla Betulæ) appears about the beginning of this month, but is met with in England, only or chiefly, in the woods of the Southern counties. The Painted Lady, (Cynthia Cardui) is a beautiful insect, with rich carmine wings, irregularly marked with black; and like the greater part of the more splendid butterflies, is scarce in the northern parts of Britain. The Scarce Clouded Yellow Butterfly, (Colias Europome), is a fine and very scarce insect, with wings of a sulphur colour, bordered by a deep black margin. It flies with great swiftness, and appears to be unknown in the northern counties of England. The colours of the wings of butterflies are produced, as it is well known, by the minute plumes, often of the most gorgeous tints, with which their surface is clothed. These plumes, or as they are called by some naturalists, scales-are of a texture so delicate, that the slightest touch will brush them off; and they are so minute, that, when viewed without the aid of a microscope, they appear like a fine powder. Their numbers almost defy calculation. Upwards of four hundred thousand have been counted on the wings of a moth h; and each square inch of a butterfly's wing is supposed to contain nearly two thousand. These plumes, or scales being rubbed off, the wings of these insects exhibit the appearance of a flexible, very thin, and transparent membrane, and when examined with a highly magnifying microscope, indented marks, corresponding with the arrangement of the feathery covering, are clearly visible. Flies now infest houses, often, in very troublesome numbers. Thorough ventilation is the most effective preventive of this nuisance. Multitudes of gnats and other insects, are observed about this season, to swarm in habitations situated in the narrow streets of cities, or in the vicinity of stagnant pools, or ill-drained lands, and they may generally be considered as indicating the presence of an atmosphere generally unwholesome, and likely to predispose to various diseases, those who are exposed to its influence. Few persons who are in the habit of taking early walks in the bright mornings of summer, can fail to observe the fine net-work of silvery threads, which,-bedewed with moisture, and sparkling in the sunshine, clings to almost every bush. This net-work, like the spiders which weave it, is of various kinds; but by far the most beautiful are those webs which are found among shrubs and hedges; and which are composed of a number of concentric circles, intersected by regular radii, like the spokes of a wheel. In consequence of the beautiful regularity of their work, the insects which weave those delicate webs, have acquired the name of GEOMETRIC SPIDERS. The process of weaving these curious webs, and also the mode in which they are used by the insects which form them, may be seen by any observant lover of natural history; and excepting, perhaps, THE BEE, there are few insects which, better than the numerous varieties of THE SPIDER, will re ay the careful and accurate observation of the naturalist. Of garden plants in flower, there are still many; but the variety and splendor of the tints of midsummer have departed. It is said, how truly we know not, that by stripping, early in spring, some of the buds from roses and other flowering shrubs, an autumnal bloom may be secured. The indigenous field flowers in bloom, are still very numerous. Less rich and showy than the cultivated ornaments of the garden, these lowly flowers have always found favour in the sight of the genuine lover of nature's beauties; and especially in that of our flower-loving poets. "They are graceful, bending, fragile things, And many a tale have taught, To the patient and the humble heart, "Wild flowers, wild flowers, what can ye give?— A whisper of TRUTH to every one, Who deemeth his hope and his joy both gone. He looketh with love-much more on ye, Who must live through a long eternity! Yes; this is our lesson-no life-track is dead, If light from HIM upon it be shed; Then banish thy fears; thy sad thoughts yield To the MORAL told by THE FLOWERS OF THE FIELD."* In pasture grounds, patches of grass in seed, may now be frequently observed, untouched by cattle. It is remarked, that annual or biennial plants when in flower or seed, are almost universally avoided by animals; and, that, of plants in this condition, not even the voracious snail or slug will touch a leaf. This is properly regarded as a wise provision of nature, for the protecting and perfecting of a sufficient quantity of seed for the production of the succeeding crop. * Vide Poems by Isabella Caulton. |