ORDER III.

OPHIDIA,

SERPENTS.

This order of animals is greatly diversified in their size, color, and qualities. Some are but five inches in length, and others reach the enormous extent of thirty feet. Some are inoffensive, and others are in the highest degree venomous. They are in general regarded with horror by mankind, and a universal instinct seems to call upon us to destroy them.

Anecdotes.—Mr. Strohecker, of Pennsylvania, had a daughter three years of age, who, for a number of successive days, was remarked to leave home with a piece of bread in her hand, and go to a considerable distance. The mother's attention was attracted by the circumstance, who desired the father to follow the infant, and observe what she did with the bread. On coming up to her, he found she was busy feeding several snakes called bastard-rattlesnakes. He immediately took the infant away, and proceeded to his house for his gun, and on returning killed two of them at a shot, and another a few days afterwards. The child called these reptiles, in the same manner as chickens are called; and when her father told her she would certainly be bitten by them if she attempted it again, she innocently replied, "No, father, they won't bite me; they only eat the bread I give them."

It has been a common opinion that serpents possess a peculiar power of fascination. This is probably a vulgar error; yet the following story is told of the daughter of a Dutch farmer near Niagara. It was on a warm summer day that she was sent to spread out wet clothes upon some shrubbery near the house. Her mother conceived that she remained longer than was necessary, and seeing her standing unoccupied at some distance, she called to her several times, but no answer was returned. On approaching, she found her daughter pale, motionless, and fixed in an erect posture. The perspiration rolled down her brow, and her hands were clinched convulsively. A large rattlesnake lay on a log opposite the girl, waving his head from side to side, and kept his eyes steadfastly fastened upon her. The mother instantly struck the snake with a stick; and the moment he made off, the girl recovered herself, and burst into tears, but was for some time so weak and agitated that she could not walk home.

ORDER IV.

BATRACHEA,

THE FROG KIND.

THE FROG.

A Thief.—A correspondent of the Penny Magazine, who lived close to the outlet of a small lake, used to bestow a great deal of care and attention upon the rearing of young ducklings; but, after all, he had the mortification to find his efforts fruitless. The old ones would hatch fine healthy broods; but as soon as they were strong enough to waddle to a sedgy stream that issued from the adjoining lake, one or two daily disappeared, to the gentleman's great annoyance. Having suffered these continual depredations for two or three seasons, he one day noticed a nice duckling gradually disappear under the water; but judge of his surprise when he beheld a large bull-frog crawl out upon the prostrate trunk of a tree, with the duckling's feet still protruding from his capacious mouth! The mystery was thus solved; the bull-frogs had swallowed all the young ducks!

Curious.—Some years ago, the city of Metz was afflicted by one among the seven plagues of Egypt, namely, frogs; certain streets were filled with these animals, and no one was able to conjecture from whence they came, until it was explained by a dealer in frogs applying to the tribunals for the recovery of his property. He had shut up about six thousand frogs, designed for food, in a particular place belonging to the fish-market, where they were discovered by some children, who took part away to sell, and on leaving the troughs in the fish-market, forgot to close them. Profiting by the opening thus left, the frogs began to spread themselves in various parts, and even got into some of the neighboring houses, whose inhabitants found much difficulty in ejecting the unwelcome intruders.

An Escape.—A butcher in Glasgow found an ordinary-sized living frog in the stomach of a cow, which he had just killed. When laid down, it was full of spirit, and leaped about the slaughter-house, to the astonishment of a considerable crowd. The cow was killed between three and four o'clock in the afternoon; it was supposed she had swallowed the frog when drinking.

THE TOAD.

Not the least wonderful part of the history of the toad is the circumstance of its being frequently found in the bed of solid rocks, and the internal cavities of trees.

Anecdotes.—We find it mentioned in the "Edinburgh Philosophical Journal," that "a specimen of a toad, which was taken alive from the centre of a solid mass of stone, has been sent to the College Museum of Edinburgh by Lord Duncan." It is mentioned, in the "Transactions of the Academy of Sciences," at Paris, that a live toad was found in the centre of an elm-tree, and another in an oak. Both trees were quite sound, and in a healthy condition. To these facts we may add another: It is related by Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, who is a close observer of nature, that, on his estate in East Lothian, a large toad was found in the heart of a smooth, straight beech-tree, at the height of thirty feet from the ground, where it was confined in a circular hole.

A gentleman who resided at Keswick, England, one evening in the latter end of July, observed a rustling among the strawberries in his garden, and on examining what it was, found that a toad had just seized a field-mouse, which had got on the toad's back, scratching and biting to get released, but in vain. The toad kept his hold, and, as the strength of the mouse failed, he gradually drew the unfortunate little animal into his mouth, and gorged him.

CLASS IV. PISCES ... FISHES.

Fishes are extremely numerous in species, and many of them are little known. They are found in every ocean, sea, lake, or river,—under the dreary skies of the poles, and the burning latitude of the tropics. Being the tenants of an element which excludes them from the familiar observation of man, we have fewer anecdotes of them than of those classes which we have already noticed. We shall therefore only attempt to present a few of the most striking that have come to our notice.

THE MACKEREL.

The mackerel is one of the most voracious of all fishes; and when they get among a shoal of herrings, they make such havoc as frequently to drive it off the coast. Pontoppidan informs us that a sailor, belonging to a ship lying in a harbor of Norway, went into the water to wash himself, when he was suddenly missed by his companions. In the course of a few minutes, however, he was seen on the surface with vast numbers of mackerels fastened to him. The people went to his assistance in a boat, and tore the fishes from him; but it was too late; for he very shortly afterwards expired from the effects of the wounds he had received, and from the loss of blood.

THE SWORD-FISH.

The extraordinary power of this fish is shown by the following statement, from the Penny Magazine: "In repairing his Britannic majesty's ship Leopard, in 1725, on her return from the coast of Guinea, a sword of this fish was found to have gone through the sheathing one inch, next through a three-inch plank, and, beyond that, four inches and a half in the firm timber. It was the opinion of mechanics that it would require nine strokes of a hammer weighing twenty-five pounds to drive an iron bolt, of similar size and form, to the same depth in the hull; yet this was accomplished by a single thrust."

THE PIKE.

Anecdotes.—The rapacity of this fish is notorious. Jesse says, "Out of eight hundred gudgeons, which were brought to me by a Thames fisherman, and which I saw counted into the reservoir,—some few of which, however, died,—there were scarcely any to be seen at the end of three weeks. Indeed, the appetite of one of my pike was almost insatiable. One morning, I threw to him, one after the other, five roach, each about four inches in length. He swallowed four of them, and kept the fifth in his mouth for about a quarter of an hour, when it also disappeared."

The pike is an animal of extraordinary boldness. A few years ago, the head keeper of Richmond Park was washing his hands at the side of a boat, in the great pond, when a pike made a dart at one of his hands, which the keeper suddenly withdrew, otherwise he would have received a severe snap.

Mr. Jesse says, "Fish appear to be capable of entertaining affection for each other. I once caught a female pike during the spawning season, and nothing could drive the male away from the spot at which the female disappeared, whom he had followed to the very edge of the water. A person who had kept two small fish together in a glass, gave one of them away; the other refused to eat, and showed evident symptoms of unhappiness, till his companion was restored to him."

In the year 1497, a pike was caught, in standing water, at Heilbronn, on the Neckar, which had a copper ring round its head; the ring bore the following inscription in Greek: "I am the first fish that was launched into this pond, and was thrown in by Frederick the Second, emperor of the Romans, on the 5th of October, 1230." It appeared, therefore, that the pike was two hundred and fifty-seven years old when thus caught; it weighed three hundred and fifty pounds; and an exact representation of it exists to this day upon one of the gates of Heilbronn.

THE GOLDEN CARP.

This beautiful fish was first introduced into England about the year 1691. It is a native of China, where they are very common in ponds. They are, however, very delicate, and unable to stand the powerful rays of the sun; on which account, in each of the ponds where they are kept, earthenware basins, with holes in them, are placed upside down, so that the fishes may retire under them for shade. In China these fish are taught to rise to the surface of the water, to be fed, at the sound of a bell. In very cold weather, they are frequently taken into the house, to prevent them from being frozen.

There are several varieties of this beautiful fish,—some of them appearing all speckled over with golden dust; others are pure silvery white; some are spotted with red and white; and a fourth variety is black and white, spotted.

Many of these, of a large size, may be seen in the ponds at the royal gardens of the Tuileries, at Paris. They are perfectly tame, and follow individuals round the ponds in hopes of being fed.

THE SALMON.

Some years ago, a herdsman, on a very sultry day in July, while looking for a missing sheep, observed an eagle posted on a bank that overhung a pool. Presently the bird stooped and seized a salmon, and a violent struggle ensued: when the herdsman reached the spot, he found the eagle pulled under water by the strength of the fish; and the calmness of the day, joined to his drenched plumage, rendered him unable to extricate himself. With a stone, the peasant broke the eagle's pinion, and separated the spoiler from his victim, which was dying in his grasp.

THE HERRING.

About fifty years ago, the shoals of herrings came into Loch Urn, Scotland, in such amazing quantities, that, from the narrows to the head, about two miles, it was quite full. So many of them were forced ashore by the pressure, that the beach, for four miles round the head, was covered with them from six to eighteen inches deep; and the ground under water, as far as could be seen, was in the same condition. Indeed, so dense and forcible was the shoal, as to carry before it every other kind of fish; even ground-fish, skate, flounders, and plaice, were driven on shore with the force of the herrings, and perished there.

It is a curious fact, that herrings die the moment they are taken out of the water; whence originated the adage, which is much used, as dead as a herring.

THE SHARK.

This formidable animal is the dread of mankind in the seas where it is found. There is no safety in bathing where this monster abounds.

The late Sir Brooke Watson was at one time swimming at a little distance from a ship, when he observed a shark approaching towards him. Struck with terror at its appearance, he immediately cried out for assistance. A rope was instantly thrown out for him; and even while the men were in the act of pulling him up the ship's side, the shark darted after him, and at a single snap derived him of one leg.

In the West Indies, the negroes have frequently the hardihood to engage the shark in single combat, by diving beneath him, and, in ascending, stab him before he sees where they are. In these combats they frequently conquer this formidable creature; and thus, through courage and tactics, overcome his great strength and ferocity.

INVERTEBRATA.

We come now to the second grand division of the animal kingdom—the Invertebrata Animals—those which, instead of an internal skeleton, have, for the most part, an external shell, or framework, by means of which the fleshy parts are sustained.

CLASS I. MOLLUSCA ... SOFT ANIMALS.

THE SQUID.

There is a singular genus of animals, called Sepia, of which the cuttle-fish is a familiar example. Some of them are of great size, having arms nearly thirty feet in length. We are told of a Sardinian captain, who, while bathing, felt one of his feet in the grasp of a squid; he instantly tried to disengage himself with his other foot, but this limb was immediately seized by another of the monster's arms. He then with his hands endeavored to free himself, but these also, in succession, were firmly grasped by the creature, and the poor man was shortly after found drowned, with all his limbs strongly bound together by the arms and legs of the fish; and it is extraordinary that, where this happened, the water was scarcely four feet deep.

Mr. Beale gives us the following narrative: "While upon the Bonni Islands, searching for shells, I one day saw, towards the surf, a most extraordinary-looking animal, crawling upon the beach. It was creeping on eight soft and flexible legs, and, on seeing me, made every effort to escape. To prevent this, I pressed one of its legs with my foot; but it quickly liberated the member. I then laid hold of it with my hand, and gave it a powerful jerk, which it resisted by clinging with its suckers to the rock; but the moment after, the apparently enraged animal let go its hold, and sprang upon my arm, which I had previously bared to the shoulder, and clinging to it with great force, endeavored to get its beak between its arms in a position to bite.

"A sensation of horror pervaded my whole frame. Its cold, slimy grasp was extremely sickening, and I immediately called to the captain, who accompanied me, and who was at a little distance, to come and release me from my disgusting assailant. He came and set me free, by cutting my tormentor apart with his boat-knife. It must have measured four feet across its extended arms, while its body was not larger than a clinched hand. This was of that species called by whalers 'rock squid.'"

THE NAUTILUS.

In some places, where the sea is not agitated by winds, great numbers of these singular creatures may occasionally be seen sailing and sporting about. Le Vaillant observed several of them on the sea near the Cape of Good Hope; and, as he was desirous of obtaining perfect specimens of the shells, he sent some of his people into the water to catch them; but when the men had got their hands within a certain distance, they always instantly sank, and, with all the art that could be employed, they were not able to lay hold of a single one. The instinct of the animal showed itself superior to all their subtlety; and when their disappointed master called them away from their attempts, they expressed themselves not a little chagrined at being outwitted by a shell-fish.

THE SNAIL.

M. de Martens states that the annual export of snails from Ulm, by the Danube, for the purpose of being used as food in the season of Lent by the convents of Austria, amounted formerly to ten millions of these animals. They were fattened in the gardens in the neighborhood.

Mr. Rowe gives us the following account: "I was at Mr. Haddock's," says he, "in Kent, and was making a little shell-work tower, to stand on a cabinet in a long gallery. Sea-shells running short before I had finished, I recollected having seen some pretty large snails on the chalk hills, and we all went out one evening to pick up some. On our return, I procured a large China basin, and putting a handful or two of them into it, filled it up with boiling water. I poured off the first water, and filled the bowl again. I then carried it into a summer-house in the garden. Next morning, how great was my surprise, on entering the summer-house, to find the poor snails crawling about, some on the edge of the basin, some tumbling over, some on the table, and one or two actually eating paste that was to stick them on! I picked up every snail carefully, and carried them into a field, where I make no doubt that they perfectly recovered from their scalding."

THE OYSTER.

A gentleman who lived at Salisbury, England, used to keep a pet oyster, of the largest and finest breed. He fed it on oatmeal, for which it regularly opened its shell. It also proved itself an excellent mouser, having killed five mice, by crushing the heads of such as, tempted by the meal, had the audacity to intrude their noses within its bivalvular clutches.

A great number of large creeks and rivers wander through the marshes on the seaboard of Georgia. Whenever the tide bends forcibly against the land, the effects are counteracted by the walls of living oysters which grow upon each other from the beds of the rivers to the very verge of the banks. They are in such abundance, that a vessel of a hundred tons might load herself in three times her length. Bunches of them sufficient to fill a bushel are found matted as it were together, and the neighboring inhabitants and laborers light fires upon the marsh grass, roll a bunch of oysters upon it, and then eat them.

THE SCALLOP.

The Great Scallop has the power of progressive motion upon the land, and likewise of swimming on the surface of the water. When it happens to be deserted by the tide, it opens its shell to the full extent, then shuts it with a sudden jerk, often rising five or six inches from the ground. In this manner, it tumbles forward until it regains the water.

When the sea is calm, troops of little fleets of scallops, it is said, are sometimes to be observed swimming on the waves. They elevate one valve above the top of the water, which is used as a kind of sail, while they float on the other, which remains on the surface.

CLASS II. ARTICULATA ... JOINTED ANIMALS.

These animals have not an internal skeleton, like the vertebrata; nor are they wholly destitute of a skeleton, as are the mollusca. The hard parts are external, and the muscles are internal. The class includes red-blooded worms, the crustacea, spiders, and insects.

THE LEECH.

If you ever pass through La Brienne, in France, you will see a man pale, and straight-haired, with a woollen cap on his head, and his legs and arms naked. He walks along the borders of a marsh, among the spots left dry by the surrounding waters, but particularly wherever the vegetation seems to present the subjacent soil undisturbed. This man is a leech-fisher. To see him at a distance,—his hollow aspect, livid lips, and singular gestures,—you would take him for a patient who had left his sick bed in a fit of delirium. If you observe him every now and then raising his legs, and examining them one after another, you might suppose him a fool; but he is an intelligent leech-fisher. The leeches attach themselves to his legs and feet, and as he moves along their haunts, he feels them bite, and gathers them as they cluster round the roots of the bulrushes and sea-weeds.

THE CRAB.

The following incident is from a late English journal: "In the year 1812, a sailor, in company with several persons, at Sunderland, perceived a crab which had wandered to the distance of about three yards from the water-side. An old rat, on the look-out for food, sprang from his lurking-place, and seized the crab, who, in return, raised his forcep-claws, and laid fast hold of the assailant's nose, who hastily retired, squeaking a doleful chant, and much surprised, no doubt, at the reception he had met with.

"The crab retreated as fast as he could towards his own element; but after a short space, the rat renewed the contest, and experienced a second rude embrace from his antagonist. The rat again retreated, but returned again to the attack. After the contest had lasted half an hour, the crab, though much exhausted, had nearly reached the sea, when the rat made a sudden spring, and capsized his antagonist; then, taking advantage of this manœuvre, like a successful general, seized the crab by his hind leg. The crab, however, again made his escape in a most mutilated condition; the rat, however, closely pursuing him, soon dragged him back to his den, where he doubtless regaled his wife and family with his hard-earned prey.

"In the year 1833, as a lady in England was in the act of dressing a crab, she found in its stomach a half guinea, of the reign of George III., worn very thin; but some of the letters were so entire as to enable the reign to be traced."

THE SPIDER.

The celebrated Lewenhoek found by microscopic observation that the threads of the minutest spiders, some of which are not larger than a grain of sand, are so fine that it would take four millions of them to make a thread as thick as a hair of his beard. In the early part of the last century, M. Bon, of Languedoc, fabricated a pair of stockings and a pair of gloves from the threads of spiders. They were nearly as strong as silk, and of a beautiful gray color.

The animal ferocity of spiders makes it impossible to keep them together. M. Bon distributed 4 or 5000 spiders into different cells, putting in each cell about 200, and fed them with flies; but the large ones soon devoured the small ones, and in a short time there were only one or two large ones left in each cell.

To test the ingenuity of the spider, a gentleman frequently placed one on a small upright stick, and surrounded the base with water. After having reconnoitred, and discovered that the ordinary means of escape were cut off, it ascended the stick, and, standing nearly on its head, ejected its long web, which the wind soon carried to some contiguous object: along this the sagacious insect effected its escape—not, however, until it had ascertained, by several exertions of its own strength, that its web was securely attached at the end.

THE SCORPION.

This is one of the largest of the insect tribe, and is not less terrible for its size than its malignity. Its sting, in some countries, is fatal. Volchammer put one of these creatures, and a large spider, into a glass vessel. The latter used all its efforts to entangle the scorpion in its web, which it immediately began to spin; but the scorpion stung its adversary to death; it then cut off all its legs, and sucked out the internal parts at its leisure.

The same naturalist shut up a female scorpion with her young in a glass case. She devoured all but one, which took refuge on the back of its parent, and soon revenged the death of its brethren by killing the old one in its turn.

THE DEATH-WATCH.

This insect makes a ticking noise by beating its head with great force against whatever it happens to stand on. Two of them were kept in a box by a gentleman for three weeks; and he found that, by imitating their note by beating with the point of a pin or nail upon the table, the insect would answer him as many times as he made the sound.

THE GLOWWORM.

The female of this insect is very luminous, and has no wings. The light always becomes brighter when the worm is in motion, and it can withdraw it when it pleases. When the light is most brilliant, it emits a sensible heat. When a glowworm is put into a phial, and this is immersed in water, a beautiful irradiation takes place. If the insect be crushed, and the hands and face rubbed with it, they have a luminous appearance, like that produced by phosphorus.

THE FIRE-FLY.

"I was in the habit," says a writer on the Island of Jamaica, "of enclosing, every night, a dozen or more fire-flies under an inverted glass tumbler on my bedroom table, the light of whose bodies enabled me to read without difficulty. They are about the size of a bee, and perfectly harmless. Their coming forth in more than usual numbers is the certain harbinger of rain; and I have frequently, while travelling, met them in such numbers that, be the night ever so dark, the path was as visible as at noonday."

THE BEETLE.

The following account of the Burying Beetle is given by M. Gleditsch, a foreign naturalist. He often remarked that dead moles, when laid upon the ground, especially if upon loose earth, were almost sure to disappear in the course of two or three days, often of twelve hours. To ascertain the cause, he placed a mole upon one of the beds in his garden. It had vanished by the third morning; and, on digging where it had been laid, he found it buried to the depth of three inches, and under it four beetles, which seemed to have been the agents in this singular inhumation. To determine the point more clearly, he put four of these insects into a glass vessel, half filled with earth, and properly secured, and upon the surface of the earth, two frogs. In less than twelve hours, one of the frogs was interred by two of the beetles; the other two ran about the whole day, as if busied in measuring the dimensions of the remaining corpse, which on the third day was also found buried. He then introduced a dead linnet. A pair of the beetles were soon engaged upon the bird. They began their operations by pushing out the earth from under the body, so as to form a cavity for its reception; and it was curious to see the efforts which the beetles made, by dragging at the feathers of the bird from below, to pull it into its grave. The male, having driven the female away, continued the work alone for five hours. He lifted up the bird, changed its place, turned it, and arranged it in the grave, and from time to time came out of the hole, mounted upon it, and trod it under foot, and then retired below, and pulled it down. At length, apparently wearied with this uninterrupted labor, it came forth, and leaned its head upon the earth beside the bird, without the smallest motion, as if to rest itself, for a full hour, when it again crept under the earth. The next day, in the morning, the bird was an inch and a half under ground, and the trench remained open the whole day, the corpse seeming as if laid out upon a bier, surrounded with a rampart of mould. In the evening, it had sunk half an inch lower; and in another day, the work was completed, and the bird covered. M. Gleditsch continued to add other small dead animals, which were all sooner or later buried; and the result of his experiment was, that in fifty days four beetles had interred, in the very small space of earth allotted to them, twelve carcasses: viz., four frogs, three small birds, two fishes, one mole, and two grasshoppers, besides the entrails of a fish, and two morsels of the lungs of an ox.

The Queen Beetle is about one inch and a quarter in length; she carries by her side two brilliant lamps, which she lights up at pleasure with the solar phosphorus furnished her by nature. These lamps do not flash and glimmer like those of the fire-fly, but give as steady a light as that of gas, exhibiting two glowing spheres as large as a minute pearl, which affords light enough, in the darkest night, to enable one to read by them. The queen beetle is found only in tropical climates.

THE EARWIG.

Baron de Geer, a famous Swedish naturalist, gives us the following: "About the end of March I found an earwig brooding over her eggs in a small cell, scooped out in a garden border. In order to watch her proceedings, I removed the eggs into my study, placing them upon fresh earth under a bell-glass. The careful mother soon scooped out a fresh cell, and collected the scattered eggs with great care to the little nest, placing herself over them, to prevent the too rapid evaporation of the moisture. When the earth began to dry up, she dug the cell gradually deeper, till at length she got almost out of view. At last, the cell became too dry, and she removed the eggs to the edge of the glass, where some of the moisture had condensed. Upon observing this, I dropped some water into the abandoned cell, and the mother soon after removed the eggs there. Her subsequent proceedings were no less interesting; but I regret to add that, during my absence, the bell-glass was removed, and the earwig escaped with her eggs."

THE CRICKET.

Mr. Southey describes the perilous situation of a ship sailing to Brazil, which was saved from shipwreck by the singing of a ground cricket. "Three days they stood towards land. A soldier, who had set out in ill health, had brought a ground cricket with him from Cadiz, thinking to be amused by the insect's voice; but it had been silent the whole distance, to his no small disappointment. Now, on the fourth morning, the grillo had begun to ring its shrill rattle, scenting the land. Such was the miserable watch that had been kept, that, upon looking out at this warning, they perceived high rocks within bowshot, against which, had it not been for the insect, they must inevitably have been lost. They had just time to drop anchor. From hence they coasted along, the grillo singing every night as if it had been on shore, till they reached the Islands of St. Catalina."

In China, the people take as much pleasure in cricket fights as the Spaniards do in bull fights. Two crickets are pitted against each other, and crowds of people gather round, to witness the combat. The insects rush at each other with great fury; and the spectators, high and low, rich and poor, seem to experience the most lively sensations of delight.

THE LOCUST.

In July, 1827, the Russian General Cobley had a grand battle with the locusts, on his estate of Coblewka, along the borders of the Sea of Oschakoff. The locusts were marching in twenty-four columns, and were destroying all the crops. General Cobley collected the peasants on his estate, and from all the neighboring country, amounting to five hundred persons. They were armed with pitchforks, spades, drums, and bells; and, thus equipped, they commenced their march against the invaders. They soon compelled them to retreat, and pursued them incessantly towards the sea, where they were forced to jump into the water, and were drowned. Three days afterwards, the sea-shore was covered with the dead locusts, cast up by the waves; the air was infected by a fetid exhalation, and great numbers of poisoned fish were cast up by the waves on the strand. It is probable that the fish had fed on the locusts.

THE ANT.

Anecdotes.—In tracing the designs of the cells and galleries, each ant appears to follow its own fancy. A want of accordance must therefore frequently take place at the point where their works join; but they never appear to be embarrassed by any difficulties of this kind. An instance is related, in which two opposite walls were made, of such different elevations, that the ceiling of the one, if continued, would not have reached above half way of the height of the other. An experienced ant, arriving at the spot, seemed struck with the defect, immediately destroyed the lower ceiling, built up the wall to the proper height, and formed a new ceiling with the materials of the former.

In the "Transactions of the French Academy," an account is given of an ant, that was taken from a hill, and thrown upon a heap of corn. It seemed attentively to survey this treasure, and then hastened back to its former abode, where it communicated intelligence of the land of plenty; for an immense host of its brethren quickly made their appearance, and commenced carrying off the grain.

M. Homberg informs us that, in Surinam, there is a species of ant called by the natives the visiting ant. These animals march in large troops, with the same order and precision as do a regularly-constituted army. They are welcome visitors to the natives, on account of their power of exterminating rats, mice, and other noxious animals, with which that country abounds. No sooner do they appear, than all the coffers, chests of drawers, and locked-up places in the house, are thrown open for them, when they immediately commence their work of destruction of animal life, as if commissioned by nature for that purpose. The only regret of the natives is, that they pay their visits but once in three or four years.

Two ants meeting on a path across a gravel-walk, one going to and the other from the nest, stop, touch each other's antennæ, and appear to hold a conversation. One would almost fancy that one was communicating to the other the best place for foraging.

THE CATERPILLAR.

A curious species of manufacture was contrived by an officer of engineers residing at Munich. It consisted of lace veils, with open patterns on them, made entirely by caterpillars. Having made a paste of the leaves of the plant on which the insect feeds, he spread it thinly over a stone, or other flat substance, of the required size. He then, with a camel's hair pencil dipped in olive oil, drew a pattern he wished the insects to leave open. This stone was then placed in an inclined position, and a number of caterpillars were placed at the bottom. A peculiar species was chosen, which spins a strong web, and the animals commenced at the bottom, eating and spinning their way up to the top, carefully avoiding every part touched by the oil, but devouring every other part of the paste. The extreme lightness of these veils, combined with their strength, is surprising.

THE BUTTERFLY.

In June, 1826, a column of butterflies, from ten to fifteen feet broad, was seen to pass over Neufchatel, in Switzerland; the passage lasted upwards of two hours, without any interruption, from the moment when the insects were observed.

THE MOTH.

A moth was once caught, at Arracan, which measured ten inches from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other, both being variegated with the brightest colors.

THE SILKWORM.

The great care bestowed upon this creature in China is shown in the following extract from an old work: "The place where their habitation is built must be retired, free from noisome smells, cattle, and all noises; as a noisome smell, or the least fright, makes great impressions upon so tender a breed; even the barking of dogs, and the crowing of cocks are capable of putting them in disorder when they are newly hatched. For the purpose of paying them every attention, an affectionate mother is provided for their wants; she is called Isan-more, mother of the worms. She takes possession of the chamber, but not till she has washed herself, and put on clean clothes which have not the least ill smell; she must not have eaten any thing before, or have handled any wild succory, the smell of which is very prejudicial; she must be clothed in a plain habit without any lining, that she may be more sensible of the warmth of the place, and accordingly increase or lessen the fire; but she must carefully avoid making a smoke, or raising a dust, which would be very offensive to these tender creatures, which must be carefully tended before the first time of casting their slough."

During the first twenty-four hours of the silkworm's existence, the patient Chinese feeds the objects of her care forty-eight times a day; during the second or third day, thirty times; and so on, reducing the number of meals as the worm grows older.

FLIES.

Sir Arthur Young thus speaks of flies in his "Travels through the South of Europe:" "Flies form the most disagreeable circumstance in the southern climates. They are the first torments in Spain, Italy, and the olive districts of France. It is not that they bite, sting, or hurt; but they buzz, tease, and worry: your mouth, eyes, ears, and nose, are full of them; they swarm on every eatable. Fruit, sugar, milk, every thing, is attacked by them in such myriads, that if they were not driven away, by a person who has nothing else to do, to eat a meal is impossible. If I farmed in these countries, I think I should manure four or five acres of land a year with dead flies."

CLASS RADIATA ... RADIATED ANIMALS.

This class embraces those beings which are the lowest in the animal kingdom—those which have the fewest and most imperfect senses. Indeed, some of them so far resemble plants as to make the point of separation between the animal and vegetable kingdoms almost a matter of uncertainty. They are called radiata, because in most of them an arrangement may be traced, in their formation, like that of rays branching out from a centre. Among the creatures of this class are the star-fish, polypus, sea-anemone, and infusoria.

POLYPI.

Captain Basil Hall makes some interesting remarks on the examination of a coral-reef, which is the product of the marine polypi. He observes that, during the different stages of the tide, the changes it undergoes are truly surprising. When the tide has left it for some time, it becomes dry, and appears to be a compact rock, exceedingly hard and rugged; but as the tide rises, and the waves begin to wash over it, the coral worms protrude themselves from holes which before were invisible. These animals are of a great variety of shapes and size, and in such prodigious numbers, that, in a short time, the whole surface of the rock appears to be alive and in motion. The most common worm is in the shape of a star, with arms from four to six inches long, which move in every direction to catch food. Others are so sluggish that they may be taken for pieces of rock, and are of a dark color; others are of a blue or yellow color; while some resemble a lobster in shape.

The Green Polype, or hydra, is found in clear waters, and may generally be seen in great plenty in small ditches and trenches of fields, especially in the months of April and May. It affixes itself to the under parts of leaves, and to the stalks of such vegetables as happen to grow immersed in the same water. The animal consists of a long, tubular body, the head of which is furnished with eight, and sometimes ten long arms, or tentacula, that surround the mouth.

It is of an extremely predacious nature, and feeds on the various species of small worms, and other water animals, that happen to approach. When any animal of this kind passes near the polype, it suddenly catches it with its arms, and, dragging it to its mouth, swallows it by degrees, much in the same manner as a snake swallows a frog. Two of them may sometimes be seen in the act of seizing the same worm at different ends, and dragging it in opposite directions with great force.

When the mouths of both are thus joined together upon one common prey, the largest polype gapes and swallows his antagonist; but, what is more wonderful, the animal thus swallowed seems to be rather a gainer by the misfortune. After it has lain in the conqueror's body for about an hour, it issues unhurt, and often in possession of the prey that had been the original cause of contention. The remains of the animals on which the polype feeds are evacuated at the mouth the only opening in the body. It is capable of swallowing a worm of thrice its own size: this circumstance, though it may appear incredible, is easily understood, when we consider that the body of the polype is extremely extensile, and is dilated, on such occasions, to a surprising degree.

This species are multiplied, for the most part, by a process resembling vegetation—one or two, or even more young ones emerging gradually from the sides of the parent animal; and these young are frequently again prolific before they drop off; so that it is no uncommon thing to see two or three generations at once on the same polype.

THE END.

ADVERTISEMENT—CABINET LIBRARY.

PARLEY'S CABINET LIBRARY,
For Schools and Families.

This work consists of Twenty Volumes, and contains Finger pointing to the right five hundred different subjects, and is illustrated by five hundred Engravings.

Finger pointing to the right It is an entirely original series, recently written and completed by S. G. Goodrich, the author of Peter Parley's Tales.

Finger pointing to the right This is the only library that has been expressly written for a School and Family Library. It is adopted into many of the libraries of the leading schools and seminaries in New England and New York, and has been introduced, in the space of a few months, into more than three thousand families, in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.

The following is a list of the Volumes, each containing about 320 pages, 16mo.:—

Finger pointing to the right These works are designed to exhibit, in a popular form, Select Biographies, Ancient and Modern; the Wonders and Curiosities of History, Nature, Art, Science, and Philosophy, with the Practical Duties of Life.

It cannot be deemed invidious to say, that no similar work has met with equal favor at the hands of the public, as the following testimonials, among many others, will show:—

The Hon. H. G. Otis, of Boston, says,

I view it as the best compendium of useful learning and information, respecting its proposed contents, for the use of young persons and schools, that has fallen within my knowledge. It abounds in illustrations of the history of the world, and the customs and manners of nations, that may be read by general scholars of any age, with pleasure.

The Rev. Dr. Sprague says, Albany,

I regard the Cabinet Library as a most important accession to the means of intellectual and moral culture, especially in respect to the rising generation. But while it is peculiarly adapted to the young, it may be read by persons of any age with both pleasure and profit. To men of business, who have not leisure to read extensively, and indeed to all who would keep up with the times, the work is invaluable. It is also suited to the various members of the family circle, A finger pointing to the right and is among the very best of the libraries for public schools. I learn that it is introduced into the public schools of this city, (Albany,) and various other places, and I cannot doubt that it will ultimately be adopted in our seminaries of learning generally.

Charles Sprague, Esq., of Boston, says,

I have read, with both pleasure and profit, all the numbers of your very instructive Cabinet Library. My friend and namesake, the Rev. Dr. Sprague, has so exactly expressed my opinion of the work, that I need only adopt his language, in recommending it, as I cheerfully do, to the favorable attention of both teachers and learners.

From the Quincy Patriot,

We recommend it (Parley's Cabinet Library) as peculiarly valuable to families. We often see one young man taking precedence of others in the race of life. If we could read his history minutely, we should see the explanation of the case to be, that he had a better head or a better heart than others. Now we know of no works so well calculated to mould the head and heart aright as those of "Peter Parley."

Those parents who wish to have their children "go ahead" in life, should place Parley's Cabinet Library within their reach. We have never seen a work better suited to bestow instruction, or that inculcates truth in a more pleasant fashion.

From the Boston Courier,

They are exceedingly agreeable books, and such as young and old may peruse with pleasure and profit. The moral and religious account to which the author turns every subject must render the work peculiarly suitable to the family and the school library. We cheerfully commend the work to the public as one of sterling value.

From the Boston Atlas,

It is a compact family and school library of substantial reading, which is delightful in point of style, and wholesome in its moral, social, and religious tendency.

From the Boston Post,

We hardly know when we have been better pleased with a publication than this.

From Hunt's Merchant's Magazine,

This work, now complete, is the most elaborate of the works of the author for the young; and we think it quite the best. It is a library of facts, and seems intended to cultivate a taste for this kind of reading. It is said that "truth is stranger than fiction," and no one who has perused these pages can feel any necessity for seeking excitement in the high-wrought pages of romance. Every subject touched by the author seems invested with a lively interest; and even dry statistics are made, like steel beneath the strokes of the flint, to yield sparks calculated to kindle the mind. In treating of the iron manufacture,—a rather hard subject, it would seem,—we are told that, every "working day, fifty millions of nails are made, bought, sold, and used in the United States;" and, in speaking of the manufacture of cotton, we are informed that the Merrimack mills of Lowell alone "spin a thread of sufficient length to belt the world, at the equator, in two hours."

The work was doubtless intended for the young; and we think it quite equal, for this object, to any thing that has been produced; yet it is also suited to the perusal of all classes, especially to men of business, who find little leisure for reading, and who yet are unwilling to be left behind in the great march of knowledge and improvement. As there is now a strong desire, especially among the enlightened friends of education in this state, to have the common schools supplied with suitable books for libraries, we heartily commend this series to the notice of all who are desirous of obtaining books for this object. They are unquestionably among the best that have been prepared for school libraries, being every way attractive and instructive.

No one can fail to be pleased with the simplicity and elegance of the style, and with the vein of cheerfulness, humanity, and morality, which runs through the pages of the volumes. The moral influence of the work, especially upon the young, cannot fail to be in the highest degree effective and salutary.

From the Troy Whig,

They are written in an easy and graceful style, and are compiled from the most authentic sources. They will be found highly attractive to young people of both sexes, and worthy to be read by persons of mature age.

From the Albany Advertiser,

It would be difficult to find any where, in such convenient compass, so much healthy and palatable food for the youthful mind as is furnished by Parley's Cabinet Library.

From the Albany Argus,

We know of no series of volumes on kindred subjects so good as these for parents to put into the hands of their children. It is due not only to the author, who has rendered great service to the cause of American literature, but to the work itself, and to the best interests of the youth of our nation, that these volumes should be scattered all over the land.

From the New England Puritan,

We cordially recommend the work to the perusal of all.

From the Boston Post,

The very best work of its class is Parley's Cabinet Library. It combines a vast deal of useful information, conveyed in an exceedingly interesting style. The beauty of the typographical execution, the cheapness of the volumes, and the great intrinsic merit of their contents, must render the work one of general popularity.

From the Boston Courier,

As we have quoted so largely from Mr. Goodrich's work, we ought to say—what it richly merits—that it is a pleasing and useful series, and that it is calculated not only to instruct and amuse, but to cultivate virtuous and patriotic sentiments. With those who read for mere amusement, it is worthy of attention, for the author has ingeniously contrived to give truth all the charms of fiction.

From the Albany Advertiser,

It ought to be, and no doubt will be, extensively introduced into schools.

From the Bay State Democrat,

The volumes are illustrated with spirited wood engravings, and printed in Dickinson's neatest style. Altogether, they present decidedly the most attractive appearance as to matter and form, of any works we have seen for a long time.

From the Quincy Aurora,

Parley's Cabinet Library is a publication of rare excellence. No writer of the present day invests the themes of which he treats with livelier interest than the well-known Peter Parley. His pen imparts to history and biography the charm of romance; while, at the same time, it unfolds rich and enduring treasures of practical and useful knowledge.

The animal, the mineral, and vegetable kingdoms of nature present, beneath his pencil, the attractions of a grand museum. The publication of his Cabinet Library will accomplish much, in our opinion, to eradicate the eagerness for fiction which engrosses so extensively the public mind. The perusal of these volumes will convince the reader that reality has charms as potent, and far more satisfying than those of the ideal world. We know of no work, comprehended within equal limits, capable of affording richer intellectual banqueting.

From the Boston Traveller,

We deem it but a discharge of our duty to our readers, to urge this valuable series upon their attention. The whole series will cost but a trifle, yet they may and doubtless will be the deciding means of insuring success in life to many a youth who shall enjoy the means of reading them.

From the Boston Recorder,

They are written in a pleasing style, and are enlivened by numerous characteristic anecdotes. The series will form a very valuable library.

From the Boston Post,

It is an admirable publication for the family and school library. Its topics are interesting and important, and presented in a simple but effective style.

From the Boston Atlas,

Parley's Cabinet Library is worthy of all encouragement. It is cheap not only in promise, but in fact. It is also calculated to exercise a wholesome influence. Like every thing from the same author, it strongly inculcates virtue and religion, and at the same time it arrays truth in a guise so comely and attractive, that it is likely to win many votaries of fiction to companionship with it. There is great need of such works at this time.

Whereas, the Board of Education have examined a series of books called "Parley's Cabinet Library," now in course of publication by Samuel G. Goodrich, Esq., (the celebrated Peter Parley,) embracing, in the course of twenty volumes, the various subjects of history, biography, geography, the manners and customs of different nations, the condition of the arts, sciences, &c.; and whereas, this Board are satisfied that the same are highly useful to the young: therefore,

Resolved, that we recommend that the same be procured by trustees for the several school libraries, at the earliest practicable period. A true copy of the minutes,

I. F. Mack, Sup't.