The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-07-18
Animated Nature.
gTUCLIOLUM.

Throughout all the created univers e, ami
mated beings are plentifully distributed
They exist in countless numbers both visible
| and in invisible to the unasssted eye, a.
| most everywhere in earth sea and air.
| Biologists tell us, that the quantity of fossil
| remains is so great, that with the exception
| Of few Of the metals and older rocks, there
is probably not particle of matter on the
surface of tho globe that has not at some
time formed part of a living creature; in
some instances their shells are formed SO re-
| markably minute that forty millions of them
would not make thimtle full.
In small stagnant pool which in sum-
mer is covered by green scum there are
more microscopic animalcul9 than there are
human beings on the earth.
In size they vary from the animalculum
ten thousand times smaller than mite to
q whale.
Their forms are as various as the animals
themselves, some are formed like rays pro-
| ceeding from a centre; others consist Of .
number of joints or rings, either soft or
hard; some are of q soft texture possessing
no skeleton, these are generally ceased in :
| shell; some have . full internal skeleton
Joined to . back bone Their clothing diff.
fers in many respects, both As to hardness,
cover and general formation; some are COW
cred with prickles; others with scales some
with stout and firm armor; others with
shells and some with skin only.
Their sensitive organs are differently con-
structed, some have no eyes others have
them placed in front so that they can look
directly ahead; others have them SO placed
that they can observe nearly 4 whole hemis-
pherc without turning the head others can
protrude and retract them at pleasure some
have two lenses; while others have over
twenty thousand.
Some species have their ears fenced and
guarded from external injury; while others
have them large and erect and open. They
breathe in various ways, some through the
gills; some through the mouth and others
through organs placed in various parts. Of
the body.
Their blood circulatcs in different ways,
some have only one, while others have nu-
merous hearts and from one to three ven
tricles. They move their bodies over the
surface Of the earth by numerous Methods,
one walks on two legs; another by over two
thousand some transport themselves from
place to place, by climbing their webs: one
glides over the ground by a sinuous motion
on scales; others swim through the water
by means of their tails and fms; others 60
through the air by means of four wings,
and some swim through it at the astonishing
rate of over fifty feet per second, by means
Of two
We find every creature has the best pos
sible form for its peculiar mode of living.
We can scarcely begin to comprehend
their number, for there are over 100000 diff
feren species, and there has been seen Of one
kind, at once over 800, COO, 600, then if we
make the suppostion that all belonging to
this species were visible and multiply their
number by the number Of species, we would
have 800, 600, ,00O, 600 900 as the number Of
beings existing on the Garth then as one Of
the planets is 1900 times larger than the
earth it must be capable of sustaining no.
000, 900. .000, ,000,0 then if We go on thro'
with only the known planets and their seek
ondaries, we would have so great number
that We could no more comprehend it than
finite can comprehend infinite :; if such be
the number and multiplicity of ideas evinc-
ed in their construction; what must their
constructor be?