Museum of Wonders, or Curiosities of the World

A cabinet of curiosities in book form, 1890: monsters of the ancient world, wild animals, queer wanderers in the vasty deep, famous inventions and sublime scenery — assembled to astonish the young and, the preface admits, their elders too.

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Ada Louise Martin

AB The wasp is a paper-maker, and he that the least possible amount of material makes his paper out of materials that is formed into the largest spaces with the no other paper-maker would use. If ever least waste of room. you should examine a wasp's nest, you will find it all made of paper.

The caterpillar is a silk-spinner, and far before all other spinners in creation.

The fire-fly and the glow-worm are For the richest dresses that we see we lamp-lighters. are indebted to the silk-worm. Thus the The bee is a professor of geometry, for smallest creatures are always busy and he constructs his cells so scientifically each has its work and mission. ** ** *

Ada Louise Martin — from Museum of Wonders (1900)
that float about in the water, wonders of the sea. Poets have sung of
that float about in the water, wonders of the sea. Poets have sung of

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