About seventy kinds of plants are mentioned in the Odes, including the bamboo, barley, beans, convolvulus, dodder, dolichos, hemp, indigo, liquorice, melon, millet, peony, pepper, plantain, scallions, sorrel, sowthistle, tribulus, and wheat; about thirty kinds of trees, including the cedar, cherry, chestnut, date, hazel, medlar, mulberry, oak, peach, pear, plum, and willow; about thirty kinds of animals, including the antelope, badger, bear, boar, elephant, fox, leopard, monkey, rat, rhinoceros, tiger, and wolf; about thirty kinds of birds, including the crane, eagle, egret, magpie, oriole, swallow, and wagtail; about ten kinds of fishes, including the barbel, bream, carp, and tench; and about twenty kinds of insects, including the ant, cicada, glow-worm, locust, spider, and wasp. Among the musical instruments of the Odes are found the flute, the drum, the bell, the lute, and the Pandæan pipes; among the metals are gold and iron, with an indirect allusion to silver and copper; and among the arms and munitions of war are bows and arrows, spears, swords, halberds, armour, grappling-hooks, towers on wheels for use against besieged cities, and gags for soldiers’ mouths, to prevent them talking in the ranks on the occasion of night attacks. The idea of a Supreme Being is brought out very fully in the Odes-- “_Great is God, Ruling in majesty._” Also, “_How mighty is God, The Ruler of mankind! How terrible is His majesty!_” He is apparently in the form of man, for in one place we read of His footprint. He hates the oppression of great States, although in another passage we read-- “_Behold Almighty God; Who is there whom He hates?_” He comforts the afflicted. He is free from error. His “Way” is hard to follow. He is offended by sin. He can be appeased by sacrifice:-- “_We fill the sacrificial vessels with offerings, Both the vessels of wood, and those of earthenware. Then when the fragrance is borne on high, God smells the savour and is pleased._” One more quotation, which, in deference to space limits, must be the last, exhibits the husbandman of early China in a very pleasing light:-- “_The clouds form in dense masses, And the rain falls softly down. Oh, may it first water the public lands, And then come to our private fields! Here shall some corn be left standing, Here some sheaves unbound; Here some handfuls shall be dropped, And there some neglected ears; These are for the benefit of the widow._” * * * * * [Sidenote: BOOK OF CHANGES]