Perhaps Our Appearance Produces A Similar Feeling
In The Elephant And Other Large Animals.
Where they have been much disturbed,
they certainly look upon us with great distrust, as the horrid biped
that ruins their peace.
In the quietest parts of the forest
there is heard a faint but distinct hum, which tells of insect joy.
One may see many whisking about in the clear sunshine in patches
among the green glancing leaves; but there are invisible myriads
working with never-tiring mandibles on leaves, and stalks,
and beneath the soil. They are all brimful of enjoyment. Indeed,
the universality of organic life may be called a mantle of happy existence
encircling the world, and imparts the idea of its being caused
by the consciousness of our benignant Father's smile
on all the works of His hands.
The birds of the tropics have been described as generally wanting
in power of song. I was decidedly of opinion that this was not applicable
to many parts in Londa, though birds there are remarkably scarce.
Here the chorus, or body of song, was not much smaller in volume
than it is in England. It was not so harmonious, and sounded always
as if the birds were singing in a foreign tongue. Some resemble the lark,
and, indeed, there are several of that family; two have notes not unlike
those of the thrush. One brought the chaffinch to my mind, and another
the robin; but their songs are intermixed with several curious abrupt notes
unlike any thing English.
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