there are men upon the earth.  That is more than 800,000,000- O Lord how manifold are thy works!  The earth is full of thy riches so also is this great and wide sea.

     The link we next meet as we descend along the chain of being towards inanimate matter is the insect tribe and these are very extensive.  It is estimated that not less than 20,000 species exist.  And how numerous particular species as you have all witnessed on many a summer evening when the air for miles around was filled with them.  Among these insects there are not less than 1000 species of what we call butterflies (papilio) and not less than 1500 of what we call millers (Phadena) + you recollect the many accounts in the Scriptures of the ravages of the locust.  This insect constituted one of the plagues of Egypt and the Assyrians by Isaiah & Nahan are compared to locusts because they were so numerous and their march so desolating.  These insects indeed in the eastern world are often so numerous as to hide the light of the sun for several hours and to render it night.  Insects indeed are probably more numerous than any other of the creatures of God.