The common properties of organized bodies constitute the subject of the first chapter. The second contains a very abridged view of the anatomy and physiology of animals, a list of some of the principal works which treat of this department, and a notice of the Linnéan divisions and classes. Separate chapters are next, successively, devoted to the Mammalia, Aves, Amphibia, Pisces, Insecta, and Vermes. Each chapter comprizes, 1. A recital of the common properties and appearances of the tribes belonging to the class; 2. An enumeration of the most distinguished authors who treat of it; 3. The Linnéan distribution of its orders; 4. The characters of the latter; 5. Those of the genera; 6. The names and characters of several of the species, not unfrequently accompanied with useful and interesting remarks, especially when the individuals are natives of Britain. That we may give something like covering to this bare skeleton, we select a few out of many passages which might instruct or amuse our readers: 3. Colymbus Troile. The Scout. The body black; the breast and belly snow-white; the secondary flag-feathers white at the tips. Inhabits the frozen seas of America, Europe, and Asia. B. This bird is called in Scotland the Marrot, in the island of St. Kilda, the Lavie. It appears about the beginning of February, and, in that island, is hailed as the auspicious harbinger of approaching plenty by the inhabitants. A St. Kilda man descends in the night by the help of a rope to the jutting ledge of a precipice, where he fixes himself, and, tying round him a piece of white linen, awaits the arrival of the Lavie: the bird, mistaking the white cloth for a piece of the rock, alights on it, and is immediately caught and dispatched. Sometimes 400 are taken in this way in one night, and, at dawn, the fowler is drawn up. This bird lays but one egg, which is very large; it makes no nest, and the egg has so slender a hold of the rock, that when the birds are surprized, and fly off suddenly, many of them tumble down into the sea. Gen. L. CLUPEA. Head compressed; mouth compressed and denticulated within; the maxillæ unequal, the upper furnished with serrated mystaces; tongue short, rough with teeth turned inwards; eyes middle-sized, round, and marginal; gills internally setaceous; the opercula consisting of 3 or 4 plates, 8 rays in the membrane. Body compressed, elongated, covered with scales; lateral line straight, near, and parallel to the back; the under part of the abdomen forming a serrated ridge; the ventral fins often with nine rays; the cau dal long and forked. 1. Clupea Harengus. The Herring. Without spots; the under jaw the longest. Inhabits the northern European and Atlantic oceans. B. The annual migration of Herrings in spring, from the icy seas where they have passed the winter, to more southern latitudes, has been been called in question by some late Naturalists, who maintain that Herrings, like many other sea fish, frequent the deep seas, and approach the shores and the rough bottoms of the shallower places for the purpose of spawning. This happens at different times, and accordingly Herrings do not all come at the same seasons. In autumn, however, they depart, like other sea and river fishes, and repair to their accustomed haunts. Their food is small fishes and sea worms, particularly a small species of Crab, the Cancer Halecum, which abounds in the Norwegian seas. When the Herrings have fed on this insect, their intestines are found full of a reddish matter, which proceeds from the red ova of the crab. In this situation they do not take salt well, and in the opinion of some are sick at the time. When they are preparing to spawn, nothing is ever found in their stomachs, which is the case likewise with Salmon and other fishes; even some species of Phoca, at breeding time, live for months without almost eating any thing. Herrings are preyed on by various fishes and other animals, such as the Balana Mysticetus, the Delphinus Orca; the sea birds, particularly the Pelecanus bassanus, which attends them in their course from their winter to their summer retreats *; the Larus fuscus, &c. the Salmo Lavaretus and Trutta, &c. The Herring is very prolific, the roe of one containing at least 10,000 ova; accordingly a shoal consists of myriads, and they form a most valuable article of commerce. The Herring is a northern fish, being seldom found farther south than the coast of France. The Pilchard is considered as a variety of the Herring it dif fers in being shorter and in having the body less compressed; its rostrum is shorter and turns up; the under jaw is shorter than the upper; the back more elevated; the belly not so sharp; the dorsal fin is exactly in the centre of gravity; the scales are larger, and adhere more closely. 2. Clupea Sprattus. The Sprat. With 13 rays in the dorsal fin. Inhabits the northern and Mediterranean seas. B. This species is from four to five inches long. It spawns in autumn, when it approaches the shores in swarms innumerable. 3. Clupea Alosa. The Shad. Black spots on the sides; the rostrum bifid. Inhabits the Mediterranean and the northern European, American and Asiatic oceans. B. In May and June the Shad ascends the rivers, and deposits its spawn in rapid streams. In autumn it returns. It is from two to three feet long, lives on worms and insects; it is preyed on by the Siluri, Pikes, and Perches. It is detested by the Russians and the * The Solan geese generally quit the Bass in September or October, to follow the shoal of Herrings which frequent these shores in autumn, and which then proceed southward. But another shoal of Herrings having now for some seasons visited the Frith of Forth and continued the whole winter, great numbers of Solan geese, particu larly, it is said, those of two years old, have remained in the Frith where their favourite food is abundant, and are thus saved the trouble of a six montus migration.' inhabitants of the Wolga, although it is much relished elsewhere, and in India its ova are as highly esteemed, as Caviar is by the Russians. It is covered with large scales which easily come off. The Anchovy. The upper jaw the 4. Clupea Encrasicolus. longest. Inhabits the northern European Ocean, the Atlantic, and Mediterranean. B. The Anchovy is about a span long; it draws near the shores, and lays its spawn from December to March. It formed the best garum, the sauce the Romans were so fond of, and, in the present day, when the head is taken off, and the intestines extracted, it is reckoned a most delicate pickle.' Under the genus Elater, it is observed that Many of the coleopterous insects have a great difficulty in restoring themselves when laid on the back; the apparatus with which the insects of this genus are provided for that purpose, is singular and curious. An elastic spring, or spine, projects from the hinder extremity of the breast, and there is a groove or cavity in the anterior part of the abdomen. When laid on its back, the insect raises and sustains itself on the anterior part of the head and the extremity of the body, by which means the spine is removed from the groove where it is lodged, when in its natural position; then suddenly bending its body, the spine is struck with force, across a small ridge or elevation, into the cavity from whence it was withdrawn; by which shock, the parts of the body before sustained in the air, are so forcibly beat against whatever the insect is laid on, as to cause it to spring or rebound to a considerable distance. The antennæ are lodged in a cavity scooped out of the under side of the head and thorax, probably to preserve them, when the insect falls, after its singular leap. The larvæ live in putrid wood.' Gen. LXVI. APHIS. Rostrum inflected; the vagina with five articulations and a single seta. Antennæ setaceous, longer than the thorax. Wings four, erect, or none at all. Feet formed for walking. The abdomen generally armed with two horns. The insects of this genus are small and defenceless; but very noxious animals; and most remarkable for the singularities in their history and manners. There are many species of the genus, which, for the most part, inhabit particular plants, attaching themselves generally to the young twigs, to the footstalks or leaves, and exhausting the juices, by which means these parts, particularly the leaves, are deformed and destroyed. They exude, partly from the horns on their abdomen, and partly from two orifices at the same place, a sweetish juice which attracts Ants and other inimical insects. There are often in the same species, and even in the same family, individuals with wings and without wings; and that without any respect to the difference of sex. But the males are in general much smaller than the females, and also less numerous. They seldom appear before autumn, when they impregnate their females, who soon thereafter lay eggs or rather a sort of capsules, in which the young Aphides lie, already per fectly fectly formed but do not break their shell till the following spring. When they appear it is very remarkable that they are almost wholly females, with hardly a male to be seen during the whole spring and summer, Notwithstanding this, all these female Aphides, without any communication with a male, are able to propagate their species; and seem to have received the genial influence, not merely for themselves alone, but for their posterity to the ninth generation. During the whole summer they are viviparous, and if a young Aphis is taken, immediately upon exclusion from the mother, and kept apart, it will produce young; which young, if also kept apart, will likewise produce, and so on, without the presence of a male. Towards autumn, however, this singular fructification begins to lose its wonderful effects; the Aphides cease to bring forth females only; males likewise are produced, who immediately celebrate that nuptial rite which is to communicate fertility to the whole female posterity of the following summer. These facts are unquestionable; and the experiments are easily made. Let a person, in summer, take the leaf of a cabbage, which is infected with these minute insects, and he will find on the under surface a number of them together, covered with a sort of powder or whitish down. Upon carefully observing one of the largest, he will not fail, in a short time, to detect it in the act of parturition, when the young may be separated and kept apart on fresh cabbage leaves-Most plants have their peculiar Aphides, but some are found on several plants. The species are with difficulty distinguished, and with still more difficulty defined. Linnæus has described but few, and has contented himself with mentioning the plants on which they are found. It is believed that the following are natives of Britain. 1. Aphis Ribis. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. The Aphis of the red Currant. igustici scotici. The A. of the Lovage. Acgopodi podagrarie The A. of the Bishops-weed. Urticata. The A. of the Nettle. Tibia. The A. of the Lime tree. Juniperi. The A. of the Juniper. Brassica. The A. of the Cabbage. Sonchi. The A. of the Sow-thistle. Cirsti. 24. Aphis Facea. Betula. The A. of the Centaurea jacea. Alni. The A. of the Alder. Fagi. The A. of the Beech tree. Quercus. The A. of the Oak; with a very long proboscis. Pini. The A. of the Scotch Fir. Salicis. The A. of the Willow. Populi. The A. of the leaves of the Aspen. Viburni. The A. of the Way-faring tree. Bursaria. The A. of the Black Poplar. Scabiose. The A. of the Scabious. Gen. LXXIV. EPHEMERA. Palpi four, very short, and filiform. cylindrical, connected with the lip. Two large stemmata above the eyes. very small. Setæ at the tail. Mouth without any mandible. Some The insects of this genus have their name from the shortness of their life after they become perfect, for they have previously lived one, two, or three years in the water as larvæ and pupe. species live only a day, and others, as it is said, only a few hours. The larva have six feet, and six plumated fins on the sides of the abdomen, by which they swim: the pupa differs little, except in having at the thorax the cases which inclose the future wings. When about to undergo the last change, which happens generally about the end of May or beginning of June, the pupa approaches the land, and settles on a dry place; the skin bursts at the head and thorax, and the fly immediately appears with its wings extended, and takes flight. But what distinguishes the Ephemera from all other insects is, that it has still another skin to get rid of. For this purpose it settles on a near object, a wall, or a tree, and this second operation lasts longer than the fist; sometimes it requires several hours, but in some small species only a few minutes, to disen gage the insects from this last covering. A person standing by a pond or brook, in a close evening, in the beginning of June, will soon have his cloaths covered with these exuviæ. The creature being now the perfect insect, hastes away to perform the remaining func |