"And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind" (Gen. i, 12). "And the evening and the morning were the third day" (i, 13). "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day" (i, 16). "And the evening and the morning were the fourth day" (i, 19). The Bible states that the earth was covered with vegetation, that grass and herbs and trees flourished without the heat and light of the sun. Science denies it. "Cursed is the ground for thy sake.... Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee" (Gen. iii, 17, 18). Thorns and thistles are represented as resulting from a curse. They are no more the result of a curse than are grapes and corn. "And again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; and the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off" (Gen. viii, 10, 11). Hebrew commentators state that it was a fresh olive leaf. The Bible writer supposes that the earth could be submerged for nearly a year without the vegetable kingdom being destroyed. Had this deluge really occurred, all vegetation, save, perhaps, a few aquatic plants, would have died. "He planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it" (Is. xliv, 14). Not in Western Asia, for the tree does not grow there. Bible commentators believe that the pine is meant. The authors of Genesis (xxx, 37) and Ezekiel (xxxi, 8) both mention the chestnut-tree. But it is admitted that the chestnut did not grow where they stated. Referring to this error, Smith's Bible Dictionary says: "The 'plane-tree' ought probably to have been substituted. The context of the passages where the word occurs indicates some tree which thrives best in low and rather moist situations, whereas the chestnut-tree is a tree which prefers dry and hilly ground." "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John xii, 24). If it die it bringeth forth no fruit. Zoology. "Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of everything that creepeth upon the earth, there went in two and two [or by sevens of clean according to another account] unto Noah into the ark" (Gen. vii, 8, 9). The animal kingdom, including insects, etc., comprises more than 1,000,000 species. According to the Bible, two or more of every species from every clime--polar animals accustomed to a temperature of fifty degrees below zero, and tropical, to one hundred degrees above--were brought together and preserved for a year in an ark. If the teachings of Natural History be true, this Bible story is false. The Bible pronounces unclean and unfit for food the following animals: "The camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof" (Lev. xi, 4). "The coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof" (xi, v).