Of grisly Pluto she the daughter was,
And sad Proserpina the Queen of Hell;
Yet doth she think her peerless worth to pass,
That parentage, with pride so doth she swell,
And thundering Jove that high in heaven doth

dwell;

Like as the fatal raven that in his voice
Carries the dreadful summons of our deaths,
Fiies by the fair Arabian spiceries,
Her pleasant gardens and delightful parts,
Seeming to curse them with his hoarse exclaims;
And yet doth stoop with hungry violence
Upon a piece of hateful carrion.

So wretched man displeased with those delights,
Would yield a quickening savour to his soul,
Pursues with eager and unstanched thirst,
The greedy longings of his loathsome flesh.
G. PEELE.
Man is a little world, and bears the face
And picture of the university;
All but resembleth God, all but this glass,
All but the picture of His majesty.

Man is the little world (so we him call)
The world the little God, God the great all.
BASTARD.

BEAUTY.

Stars fall to fetch fresh light from her rich eyes, Her bright brow drives the sun to clouds beneath, Her hairs reflex, with red streaks paint the skies, Sweet morn and evening dew falls from her breath.

THE SOUL.

The soul a substance and a body is,

NASH.

Which God himself doth in the body make,
Which makes the man; or every man from this
The nature of a man and name doth take.
And though the spirit be to the body knit,
As an apt mean her power to exercise:
Which are life, motion, sense, and will and wit,

Yet she survives, although the body dies.
She is a substance and a real thing,
Which bath itself an actual working might,
Which neither from the senses' power doth
spring,

Nor from the body's humors tempered right.
She is a vine which doth no propping need,
To make her spread herself, or spring upright-
She is a star whose beams do not proceed
From any sun, but from a native light.

DAVIES.

Spirit of Discovery.

Cleanliness of Animals.

IN the Journal of the Royal Institution (No. I.) we find, under the above head, one of the most interesting contributions to Natural History that we have read for a long time it is from the popular pen of Mr. Rennie. One of the ingenious gentleman's illustrations is the grub of the glow-worm, which is furnished with a "caudal instrument," consisting of rays in a circle, one row within the other-which rays can be drawn in, similarly to the horns of the snail. The rays, it appears, are united by a soft, moist, membrane. "It is furnished, moreover, in the interior, with a sort of pocket, of a funnel shape, formed by the converging rays, into which was collected whatever dust or impurities were detached from the body, till it could hold no more, when, by a vermicular movement of the rays, the accumulated pellet was extruded, and placed with great care in some place where it might be out of the way of again soiling the glossy skin of the insect. This skin, if I may so call it, was of a soft, leathery appearance, exhibiting, when magnified, a minute delicate dotting, similar to shagreen; but to the naked eye this was not appa rent." The singular instrument (just described) also assists the animal to walk, and particularly to maintain a position against gravity, which its feet are ill calculated to effect. Mr. Rennie has also established this grub to be a carnivorous feeder; whereas De Geer, Dumeril, and Latreille, either thought its food to be vegetables, or only supposed it to be carnivorous. Mr. Rennie, however, saw the grub in question thrust

its head into a snail; half to the bottom of the shell, which it did not quit till it had devoured the inhabitant. The grub cannot devour one of its victims without being soiled with slime; and accordingly, after every repast, Mr. Rennie observed that it went carefully over its head, neck, and sides, with its cleaning instrument, to free them from slime.

1

Another instance of this remarkable provision occurs in the fern-owl, or night-jar, popularly called the goatsucker, from an erroneous notion that it sucks goats. The bird alluded to has the middle claw cut into serratures, like a saw, or a short-toothed comb. Wilson, the celebrated American ornithologist, describes another-the whip-poor-will: he says "the inner edge of the middle claw is pectinated, and, from the circumstance of its being frequently found with small portions of down adhering to the teeth, is probably employed as a comb, to rid the plumage of its head of vermin, this being the principal, and almost the only part so infested in all birds."

Mr. Rennie also quotes another American bird similarly provided, and mentions the herons, which have the same advantage. Passing over these, we find more familiar illustrations in the cat and the house-fly, both of whom may frequently be seen cleaning themselves with the utmost care. "The chief instrument employed by the cat is her tongue; but when she wishes to trim the parts of her fur which she cannot reach with this, she moistens, with saliva, the soft spongy cushions of her feet, and therewith brushes her head, ears, and face, occasionally extending one or more claws to comb straight any matted hair that the foot-cushion cannot bring smooth, in the same way as she uses her long tusks in the part within her reach.

"The chief and most efficient cleaning instrument of the cat, however, is her tongue, which is constructed somewhat after the manner of a currycomb, or rather of a wool-card, being beset with numerous horny points, bent downwards and backwards, and which serve several important purposes, such as lapping milk, and filing minute portions of meat from bones. But what falls chiefly to be noticed here, is its important use in keeping the fur smooth and clean; and cats are by no means sparing in their labour to effect this. The female cat is still more particular with her kittens than herself, and always employs a considerable portion of her time in licking their fur smooth.

It requires the employment of a microscope of considerable power, to observe the very beautiful structure of the foot of the two-winged flies (Muscida), which still more closely resembles a currycomb, than the tongue of the cat does. This structure was first minutely investigated by Sir Everard Home and Mr. Bauer, in order to explain how these insects can walk upon a perpendicular glass, and can even support themselves against gravity. Of the structure of the foot of flies, considered as an instrument for cleaning, I have not hitherto met with any description in books of natural history, though most people may have remarked flies to be ever and anon brushing their feet upon one another, to rub off the dust, and equally assiduous in cleaning their eyes, head, and corslet with their fore legs, while they brush their wings with their hind legs. In the common blow-fly (Musca carnaria) there are two rounded combs, the inner surface of which is covered with down, to serve the double purpose of a fine brush, and to assist in forming a vacuum when the creature walks on a glass, or on the ceiling of a room. In some species of another family (Tipulida), there are three such combs on each foot. It may be remarked, that the insects in question are pretty thickly covered with hair, and the serratures of the combs are employed to free these from entanglement and from dust. Even the hairs on the legs themselves are used in a similar way; for it may be remarked, that flies not only brush with the extremities of their feet, where the curious currycombs are situated, but frequently employ a great portion of their legs in the same way, particularly for brushing one another.""

Spiders also are furnished with the means of similar combing. But we have quoted enough to stimulate the reader to seek the remainder of Mr. Rennie's paper.

Light of the Glow-worm. THE common doctrine respecting the light of the glow-worm is that it is a lamp, lit up by the female, to direct the darkling flight of the male. This proves to be a fallacy. The author of the Journal of a Naturalist, refining upon this notion, conjectures that the peculiar conformation of the head of the male glow-worm is intended as a converging reflector of the light of the female, "always beneath him on the earth." "As we commonly," he adds, "and with advantage, place our hand over the brow, to obstruct the rays of light falling

from above, which enables us to see clearer an object on the ground, so must the projecting hood of this creature converge the visual rays to a point beneath."

Upon this Mr. Rennie observes, "Un fortunately for this theory, the grubswhich, being in a state of infancy, are therefore incapable of propagating-exhibit a no less brilliant light than the perfect insect. De Geer says the light of the grub was paler, but in the one which I had it was not so. He also re marked the same light in the nymph state, which he describes as 'very lively and brilliant;' and, in this stage of existence, it is still less capable of propagating than in that of larva. Of what use then,' he aks, is the light displayed by the glow-worm? It must serve some purpose yet unknown. The authors who have spoken of the male glowworms say positively that they shine in the dark as well as the females.' These plain facts appear completely to extin guish the poetical theory."

Sharpening a Razor.

MR. KNIGHT, President of the Horticultural Society, has contributed a paper on this subject, which has probably been admitted into the Journal of the Royal Institution, upon the principle set forth in the motto: Illustrans commoda vitæ. The improved apparatus and method are as follow:

"This consists of a cylindrical bar of cast steel, three inches long without its handle, and about one-third of an inch in diameter. It is rendered as smooth as it can readily be made with sand, or, more properly, glass-paper, applied longitudinally; and it is then made perfectly hard. Before it is used, it must be well cleaned, but not brightly polished, and its surface must be smeared over with a mixture of oil and the charcoal of wheat straw, which necessarily contains much siliceous earth in a very finely reduced state.

"In setting a razor, it is my practice to bring its edge (which must not have been previously rounded by the operation of a strop) into contact with the surface of the bar at a greater or less, but always at a very acute angle, by raising the back of the razor more or less, proportionate to the strength which I wish to give to the edge; and I move the razor in a succession of small circles from heel to point, and back again, without any more pressure than the weight of the blade gives, till my object is attained. If the razor has been properly ground and prepared, a very fine

edge will be given in a few seconds; and it may be renewed again, during a very long period, wholly by the same means. I have had the same razor, by way of experiment, in constant use during more than two years and a half; and no visible portion of its metal has, within that period, been worn away, though the edge has remained as fine as I conceive possible; and I have never, at any one time, spent a quarter of a minute in setting it. The excessive smoothness of the edge of razors thus set led me to fear that it would be indolent, comparatively with the serrated edge given by the strop; but this has not in any degree occurred; and therefore I conceive it to be of a kind admirably adapted for surgical purposes, particularly as any requisite degree of strength may be given with great precision. Before using a razor after it has been set, I simply clean it on the palm of my hand, and warm it by dipping it into warm water; but I think the instrument recommended operates best when the temperature of the blade has been previously raised by the aid of warm water."

All our thin-skinned and strong. bearded readers will join with us in thanking Mr. Knight for the pains he has taken upon a subject apparently trifling. Notwithstanding our editorial labours, we are still thin-skinned.

Destructive Fly.

IN some parts of Africa, the elephant and the rhinoceros, in order to protect themselves from flies, roll themselves in mud, so as to form an impenetrable crust upon their skin when it becomes dry. Their most formidable insect pest, according to Bruce, is a fly said to be not larger than a common bee, but more terrible to these two animals than the lion himself. It has no sting, but in sinuates its sucker through the thickest skin-the effects of which are such, that the part not only blisters, but frequently mortifies, and in the end, destroys the animal; but the coating of mud dried over the skin affords them effectual protection, and therefore cannot be justly quoted as an instance of their dirty ha

bits.-Mr. Rennie.

Evaporation Prevented.

ounces of water in an open graduated measure, covered only by a very thin stratum of oil, for upwards of two years, without any sensible diminution."

Gunpowder.

THE English sporting gunpowders have long been an object of desire and emulation in France. Their great superiority for fowling-pieces over the product of the French manufactories is indisputable. Unwilling to ascribe this superiority to any genuine cause, M. Vergnaud, captain of French artillery, in a little work on fulminating powders, lately published, asserts positively, that the English manufacturers of "poudre de chasse" are guilty of the "charlatanisme" of mixing fulminating mercury with it. Dr. Ure has, however, proved the captain's charge to be groundless. The doctor's conclusion is admirable: "The superiority of our sporting gunpowders is due to the same cause as the superiority of our cotton fabrics-the care of our manufacturers in selecting the best materials, and their skill in combining them."

Protraction of Vegetable Life in a dry

state.

In the time of frost, the only precaution necessary is to keep the potatoes in a perfectly dark place for some days after the thaw has commenced. In America, where they are sometimes frozen as hard as stones, they rot if thawed in open day; but if thawed in darkness, they do not rot, and lose very little of their natural odour and properties.

Quassia.

THIS shrub, a native of Surinam, was named in honour of a negro, Quassi, who, Stedman observes, was a drunken

doctor, but had discovered the virtue of the wood in curing the malignant fevers of that hot, marshy country.

Quassia is much used in adulterating porter; so that had Quassi lived in this country, he would probably have taken much of his own physic.

Public Journals.

THE MUSING MUSICIAN.

I BEG leave to present my card, and to solicit the reader's patronage, as a professor of music. Fifty summers and winters have passed over my head. I have not, however, kept time in the orchestra of life-for life may be aptly likened to an orchestra, whose best performance is but an overture, a promise of something to come; a place where the thunder of the drum and the whisper of the flute, the light violin and the heavy violoncello, are by turns uppermost, and whose most complicated harmony may be entirely jarred by the error of one solitary fiddler-a Nero, or a Napoleon;-I have not, I say, taken part in this performance for half a cen tury, without acquiring a certain degree of experience, and picking up a considerable number of axioms which I believe to be incontrovertible. One of these is, that people who go to parties are more unreasonable than the rest of the world; another is, that the man who hath "music in his soul" hath seldom any mercy in it for the musician; a third is, that gentlemen-quadrilles being once started in an assembly-continue dancing for the rest of their lives, until the gout seizes hold of them; and that ladies never do sit down afterwards.

These reflections have been forced upon my mind by a circumstance that occurred the other evening. I was engaged professionally to attend a little party where the mistress of the ceremonies was understood to be an advocate for regular hours, and I accordingly entertained strong hopes of getting home by two or three o'clock. When I entered the room, conceive my dismay and disappointment at beholding, ranged before me, not less than a dozen of the most indefatigable and determined torturers of the fantastic toe that ever danced till seven, drank coffee, and danced again. There were many others scattered about; but the dreadful dozen that formidable twelve-they were the jury by whom my temper was to be tried the signs of the Zodiac through which

I was destined to travel. They were stars that did not think of shining till the morning-planets that would scorn to turn pale tilf daybreak. I read my doom in their eyes-they had dressed for my destruction. Seeing that there was to be no mercy, I made up my mind for mischief. After bowing to the multitude-like one who is brought forth to suffer some dreadful sentence for the benefit of society-(the parallel will not hold good, for I lacked the necessary nightcap--how I longed for it!)

I took my seat with a smiling face and a desponding heart. I was determined to endure calmly. I was quite patientthe very personification of an angler fishing for philosophic consolation.

Dancing commenced. The company proceeded to take their pleasure in pairs, entering the ark of happiness two and two; each fop with a female-I with my piano. What a partner!—and to have it for life, too, as appeared at length to be my lot. I bore my fate with calmness-nay, with contentment; particularly as they commenced with some show of moderation, and allowed me nearly a minute and a half between each quadrille. This playing and purrying with me, however, was only to enable them to devour me at last with the greater relish. They appeared to regard me as a mouse instead of a musician. At least it never seemed to enter into the imagination of anybody that I was anything but a part of the instrument; a piece of mortal machinery, that, when out of order, might be tuned or wound up with wine and water.

The situation of the frog renowned in fable presented itself to my recollection, and I felt that their rapture was to be my ruin. I relieved my mind in some degree from the pressure of sorrow, by inveighing bitterly against the legisla ture, that, while it has provided such appropriate punishments for housebreaking, suffers heart-breaking to be practised with impunity.

It was now long past midnight, and they continued to glide and glisten about the room, with as much vigour and brilliancy as if they had only just commenced. I could read in every face at the termination of a dance," to be continued in our next." Like authors who are paid by the sheet, a conclusion was with them quite out of the question. They appeared insensible to fatigue, and were evidently disposed to dance on for ever. Life in their philosophy seemed so short, but it was hardly worth while to leave off. A quadrille was there pur suit, their occupation- the object they