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h
( E C O N O M Y
Thus bountifull nature feeds the fowls of the
air.
T h e Creator has taken no lefs care of fome
amphibious animals, as the fnake
and
frog
kind, which, as they have neither wings to
fly, nor feet to run fwiftly, and commodioufly,
would fcarcely have any means of taking their
prey, were it not that fome animals run, as it
were of their own accord, into their mouths.
When the rattle-fnake a native of America,
with open jaws fixes his eyes on a bird, fly, or
fquirrel, fitting on a tree, they fly down his
throat, being rendered
ftupid,
and giving
themfelves up \ as deftitute of all refuge. On
the other hand we cannot but adore the Cre­
ator's great goodnefs towards man, when we
h
T o which we may add, that many fmall birds feed up­
on the feeds of plantain, particularly linnets. It is generally known that the goldfinch lives upon the feed of thifiles
from which he has its name in Greek, Latin and French.
' How dreadfull this ferpent is to other animals will ap­
pear by an account we have in a treatife intitled, Radix Se­
nega. Where the author Amam. academ. vol. 2. fays, one
of thefe.terrible ferpents got clandeftinely into the houfe of
governor Blake at Cacolina ; where it would have long
laid concealed, had it not been that all the domeftic ani­
mals, as dogs, hogs, turkies and fowls admonilhed the fa­
mily by their unufual eries, equally fhewing their horrror
and conftemation, their hair, briftles and crefts ftanding
up an end.
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