Though one transparent vacancy it seems,
Void of their unseen people.”
CHAPTER XIII.
Conclusion.
I hope my readers are satisfied, by this time, that Inquisitive Jack, in pursuing the study of insects, was not wasting his time. It not only gave him a great deal of pleasure, but he obtained from it much useful information. He went on, from one step to another, until he understood the whole science of insects, which is called Entomology.
But I have told you the story of our curious little friend, not so much to recommend the particular study of insects, as to show the utility of habits of observation and investigation. You have seen, by the story I have told you, that, by means of these habits, Jack not only enjoyed a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction, but that he became a very learned man; but I must tell you, what I have before intimated, that his whole attention was not confined to insects. He observed and investigated plants and flowers, and thus became a botanist. He studied into the habits and nature of birds, and thus became an ornithologist; and, in short, he mastered the whole field of natural history. Perhaps I shall, some time or other, give you an account of his proceedings in relation to some of these matters.
The Close of the Year.
Look at the picture! It is winter—and the old man is toiling through the deep, deep snow. A heavy burthen is on his back; the sky is dark and gloomy; the scene around is desolate and chill. We can easily fancy that the heart of the aged traveller is heavy; that his limbs are weary; that a damp, cold moisture is upon his brow, and an expression of bitterness and sorrow around his lips; yet he plods stoutly on—and why should he not? If he were to despair, he would but make the snow his pillow, and the sleety drift his winding-sheet. Beside, he is not alone. A cheerful friend is with him; a humble one indeed, yet one that will not desert him, whether in sunshine or storm, in summer’s joy or winter’s sorrow.