with us: the Yellow-Hammer, the Chaffinch, the Crow, the Raven, the
Sparrow, the Wren, the Partridge, the Robin, and the Fieldfare, are the
principal. Most of the others either retire to some invisible resort,
or leave us entirely. Some kinds of birds, without taking any high
flight, or setting off in troops, draw gradually towards the south, to
seek those seeds and fruits which are most congenial to their taste;
but they speedily return. Others, which are termed “birds of passage,”
collect at certain seasons in large flocks, and fly off to other
climates; they even cross the seas, and make excursions of a surprising
length. The best known birds of this description are, the Quail, the
Swallow, the Wild-Duck, the Plover, the Snipe, and the Crane, with some
others, which subsist on worms. In spring, the Cranes pass from Africa
into Europe, in order to enjoy a more temperate climate. They migrate
in flocks like clouds; and sometimes, their strength being nearly
exhausted, alight on ships, and are taken without any difficulty.
Swallows act in a different way: while some continue in Europe, and
seclude themselves from our view as already observed, others cross the
seas. Wild-Ducks and Cranes also repair at the approach of winter to
milder climates. They all assemble on a certain day, and take their
flight together. They commonly arrange themselves in two lines, united
in one point like an inverted ʌ, with a bird at the head,
and others following in the lines: whose beaks always rest on the tails
of those preceding. The leader holds only a temporary commission:
and having relinquished his charge, rests himself, and is replaced
by another. But all birds of passage do not take their departure in
flocks: for there are some which travel alone; and others with their
females and young. It has been computed that they may easily go 200
miles in six hours each day, supposing they can take rest at intervals,
or during the night. According to this calculation, they may pass from
our climates to the Equinoctial line in seven or eight days! This
conjecture has been verified; for Swallows have been seen on the coast
of Senegal on the 9th of October, which was eight or nine days after
their leaving Europe.
These migrations are wonderful in every point of view! Doubtless the
difference of heat and cold, and want of food, apprize them of the
necessity of changing their abode. But what reason can be assigned for
their departure at the appointed time, when the season is sufficiently
mild, and food still in abundance, to invite their continuance among
us? How do they know that other climates will afford them necessary
food and warmth? By what operative power are they impelled to make this
exit at the same period, as if preconcerted by mutual agreement? How
can they, notwithstanding the darkness of the nights, the perplexity
of the road, and the remoteness of the countries to which they are
destined, still hold on in a direct course? Nature does not teach them
all this art, industry, and penetration, which so much surprise us: if
we separate nature from its great Author, it is then a word destitute
of meaning.
“Nature is but a name for an effect,
Whose cause is God.”
It is He alone who gives wisdom to the fowls of the air.
God’s superintendence over birds is particularly noticed by our
Saviour. “Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do
they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth
them.” God extends his providential care to all his creatures, not
only to those which are domesticated and receive their supplies from
men, but also to the fowls of the air. By a natural instinct they know
how to select that kind of food which is suitable for aliment, and
where to procure it; but they are without any particular solicitude
and forecast: nor have they need of these, because God takes care to
provide for them. St. Luke mentions the Ravens, which are carniverous
creatures. “Consider,” says he, “the ravens: for they neither sow nor
reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn: and God feedeth them.”
God asks Job, “Who provideth for the raven his food?” There are but
three things which concern such creatures; how their craving appetites
may be satiated, where they may repose, and by what means they may be
protected from the incursions of their enemies: and for all these God
has amply provided. He takes care of their food: “he giveth food to the
young ravens which cry,” and are the most helpless of all creatures.
Naturalists observe, that the Raven exposes her young ones as soon as
they are hatched, leaves them to provide for themselves, and struggle
with hunger as soon as they emerge into life; so they certainly would
perish, if Providence did not interfere in their behalf. But God makes
them his charge, and supplies their voracious cravings in due time,
whether by the insect, the reptile, or the dew from heaven. He protects
their rest, and renders their habitations places of refuge and safety.
“The trees of the Lord are full of sap: the cedars of Lebanon which he
hath planted; where the birds make their nests: as for the Stork, the
fir-trees are her house.”
The meanest classes of sensitive beings are endued with the faculty
of instinct: a sagacity which is neither derived from observation,
nor awaits the finishing hand of experience; which without a tutor
teaches them all necessary skill, and enables them, without a pattern,
to perform every needful operation. And what is more remarkable, it
never misleads them, either into erroneous principles, or pernicious
practices: nor ever fails to aid them in the most nice and difficult of
their undertakings.--The inhabitants of the hive subsist as a regular
community.
----“As _bees_
In Spring-time, when the sun with Taurus rides,
Pour fourth their populous youth about the hive
In clusters; they among fresh dews and flowers
Fly to and fro, or on the smoothed plank,
The suburb of their straw-built citadel,
New rubbed with balm, expatiate and confer
Their state affairs: so thick the aëry crowd
Swarmed and were straitened.”
Their indulgent Creator has given them all implements necessary
either for constructing combs, or composing honey. Bees have each a
portable vessel, in which they bring home their collected sweets: and
have the most commodious storehouses, wherein to deposit them. They
readily distinguish every plant, which affords materials for their
business; and are complete practitioners in the arts of separation
and refinement. Aware that the vernal bloom and summer sun are but
for a season, they improve to the utmost every shining hour, and lay
up a stock sufficient to supply the whole society, till their flowery
harvest shall return.
Insects, which some persons may consider as so many rude scraps of
creation, ought to be classed among the most polished pieces of Divine
workmanship.
----“In the vast and the minute
The unambiguous footsteps of the God,
Who gives its lustre to an insect’s wing,
And wheels his throne upon the rolling worlds.”
“The first state in which insects appear, is that of the _ovum_ or egg;
from the egg is hatched the insect in its larva or caterpillar state.
The larva, or maggot, crawls on many feet, and is extremely voracious,
devouring the herbage, and stripping trees of their leaves. When the
time arrives in which the larva or caterpillar is to change into the
next state, namely, that of chrysalis, or _pupa_, it ceases to feed;
and having placed itself in some quiet situation for the purpose,
lies still for several hours; and then by a kind of laborious effort,
frequently repeated, divests itself of its external skin, or larva
coat, and immediately appears in the very different form of a chrysalis
or _pupa_. From this state emerges, at length, the insect, in its
complete or ultimate form, from which it can never change; nor can it
receive any further increase of growth. This last stage is denominated
_imago_.”
“Waked by his warmer ray, the reptile young
Come winged abroad; by the light air upborne,
Lighter, and full of soul. From every chink,
And secret corner, where they slept away
The wintery storms; or rising from their tombs,
To higher life; by myriads, forth at once,
Swarming they pour; of all the varied hues
Their beauty-beaming parent can disclose.
Ten thousand forms! ten thousand different tribes!
People the blaze.”
Many of them are decked with the richest finery. Their eyes are an
assemblage of microscopes. The common Fly, for instance, perpetually
surrounded with enemies, having neither strength to resist, nor a
retreat to secure herself, has need to be very vigilant, and always
on her guard: but her head is so fixed that she cannot turn it to see
her danger; Providence, therefore, to supply this apparent defect, has
given her more than a legion of eyes, insomuch that a single Fly is
supposed to have no less than eight thousand. Nay, it is asserted that
the common Dragon-fly is furnished with 25,000 of these diminutive
lenses! By the help of this truly amazing apparatus, she sees on every
side, with the utmost ease and speed, though without any motion of the
eye, or inflection of the neck. The dress of insects is a vesture of
resplendent colors, bespangled with an arrangement of the brightest
gems.
“The little _gnat_, in beauties, may compare
With all his rival brothers of the air;
Transparent feathers, purple, green and gold,
His wings, small feet, and gay-fringed tail enfold.
Four sharpened spears his head with weapons arm,
And his pearled eyes with liveliest graces charm.
In down of ev’ry variegated dye
Shines, fluttering soft, the gaudy _butterfly_,
That powder which thy spoiling hand disdains,
The forms of quills and painted plumes contains;
Nor courts can more magnificence express,
In all their blaze of gems and pomp of dress.”
The expansion of their wings displays the finest texture imaginable,
compared to which lawn is as course as sackcloth. The cases, which
inclose their wings, glitter with the finest varnish, are scooped into
ornamental flutings, studded with radiant spots, or pinked with elegant
holes. Not one but is endued with weapons to seize his prey, and
dexterity to escape his foe, to despatch the business of his station,
and enjoy the pleasure of his condition. It is affirmed that the female
of the common house-fly is capable of producing 20 millions 80 thousand
320; hence we cannot wonder at their swarming so much in autumn.
[Our author has devoted very few remarks indeed to
_insects_; yet the history of this class of creatures is as
interesting as any other, and is attracting considerable
attention. Their history is very far from being complete:
their _number_ is not known. They inhabit the air, water, and
earth. This family of creatures is called _insects_, because of
the _articulations_ of the body, so as to appear notched, or
intersected. A brief notice of some of their principal parts
follows, which is chiefly taken from No. VIII, of the Family
Library, published by J. & J. Harper, New-York.
_Mouth._--All insects either _divide_ their food, or _suck_
it. In those which divide their food, the parts of the mouth
are, an upper lip, and an under lip fixed to a piece called the
chin; between these two there are four lateral pieces, two on
each side; the two upper are called mandibles, the two lower,
jaws. The mandibles, or upper jaws cut the food: the lower jaws
divide and masticate it.
The mouth of those insects which suck their food, is
elongated into a tongue or proboscis. This is a tube attached
to the head. In some it is composed of two pieces connected by
a joint; for if it were constantly extended it would be too
much exposed to accidental injuries: therefore, in its indolent
state it is securely doubled up by means of this joint. In
some species, as the butterfly, the proboscis, when not in
use, is coiled up like a watch-spring. In some it is shut up
in a sharp-pointed sheath, which is of firmer texture than the
proboscis, and by which the insect pierces the food, and then
opens it within the wound to allow the proboscis to perform
its office by extracting the juice.
_Antennæ._--These are very slender arms resembling hairs,
which project from the heads of almost all insects. There are
generally two to each insect, which diverge somewhat. The
insects can move them in all directions, and when they are seen
doing this it commonly suggests the idea that these antennæ are
_feelers_. However, their functions are not certainly known:
some suppose them to be organs of sense.
_Eyes._--These are generally found in the head of insects.
Their real number is, usually, two: the surfaces of which are
cut into many small faces; more than seventeen thousand have
been counted in the butterfly. Each face on the insect’s eye is
considered as a crystalline lens, concave within, and convex
without. They have no eye-lids.
_Thorax, or throat._--This is the second division of the
body, and is placed directly behind the head. To the thorax
are attached the wings and legs: commonly three legs on each
side. Two membranes compose the wing, placed one above the
other. Cords, or small nerves, are found in the upper one.
The expansion of the wing is owing, as is supposed, to the
introduction of a fluid, at the will of the insect, into hollow
vessels which are detected in the composition of the wing.
_Abdomen._--This is the third division of the insect, and
is immediately connected with the thorax by articulation: it is
composed of rings from one to fifteen. Most of these rings have
an open pore placed laterally, through which air has access to
the fluids in the body. In some insects the last ring contains
the anus; in others, the organs of generation; or the means of
defence, as a sting.
_Muscles._--These are said to be disposed in bundles, the
fibres of which are not connected by a cellular membrane: they
are fixed to the hard parts, which are to be moved by horny
tendons.
The thorax contains the muscles which move the head up or
down, and those also which move the wings and the feet. In some
the muscles amount to four thousand. The muscular power of
some of these insects is astonishing, as may be known by the
distance they can leap: as the flea, and others, which leap two
hundred times their own length. If man could do this he would
leap at a single effort, more than one thousand feet.
All insects are supposed to have a knotted nervous system.
The knot nearest the head is composed of two lobes, from which
nerves pass to the eyes, antennæ, and mouth.
These are the principal common parts of insects. It would
be a delightful task to enter into a minute description of
their genera, species, habits, modes of life, subsistence,
defence, attack, &c. Only two or three can be noticed, which
must be taken as a specimen of the whole.
_The_ BEE.--This insect has attracted the attention of the
observing in all ages. On a pleasant summer’s day the hive
presents the appearance of a busy, and populous city--the gates
appear to be crowded with many workmen--some going to search
for food, and others returning with it--some building--some
tending the young--some cleansing the dwelling, and others
carrying out the dead, and, apparently, performing some
honorable sepulchral rites, &c.
_The hive._--The interior of a bee-hive is itself a world
of wonders. It is not, as is commonly supposed, the same in
the form of its construction in all hives, it varies according
to circumstances. Yet there are some general principles which
seem to be common to all honeycombs: they do not touch each
other, but always are sufficiently far apart to allow room to
work on the opposite faces of each comb. The combs are placed
vertically in the hive, and each complete comb is composed of
two layers of six-sided cells, united by a common base. These
two layers of six-sided cells are not united by a common base
with a _flat_ bottom to each cell: but the hexagonal tube
terminates at the bottom in a _three-sided pyramidal cavity_.
The angle, formed at the apex of this pyramidal cavity, is
70° 32ʹ--and the angle formed at the base of the hexagonal
tube, or cell, is 109° 28ʹ. By this construction Reaumur has
demonstrated, that the bee has formed his comb on the only plan
which could produce cells of a determinate size, equal and
similar, in the strongest manner, occupying the least space,
and requiring the least quantity of matter.
The wax, out of which the cells are formed, is not the same
simple substance as honey, extracted from the flowers: it seems
to be elaborated by the bees in their bodies, and deposited
under their bellies in the form of scales. It is produced from
a nectar obtained from flowers, which is swallowed by the bee
in the greatest possible quantity, after which the bee hangs
motionless in the hive for twenty-four hours, during which time
the wax is elaborated and deposited under the belly in thin
scales resembling talc.
Some of the cells are filled with honey, and some are found
to contain the young bee in the condition of larva.
The bees which inhabit a hive may be regarded as a
community, which is found to be divided into three classes: the
queen--the males--and the workers, which are of no sex.
_The Queen._--She is the common mother of the hive, and
deposits all the eggs from which the young ones come: she
appears to be in size between the males and workers, but longer
than either.
The attention or reverence, with which the queen-bee is
regarded, is very remarkable. Upon withdrawing the queen from
a hive the workers are thrown into the greatest consternation;
they desist from work, run wildly through the hive, and refuse
all nourishment. This they do for twenty-four hours, after
which time a new queen will be received kindly, if offered
them; but previously, they pay no attention to a strange queen,
though introduced among them.
If no queen can be found, Schirach discovered, and Huber
has confirmed it, _that the bees have power to create a queen_,
in the following manner. They build some _royal_ cells (for
there are different kinds) into which they put the common
worker-worm, i.e. the grub which produces the work-bee, and
feed the insect with royal food, which is more pungent than
the common bee-food; and in a few days they have a queen-bee
produced, instead of a work-bee; then all is well.
The queen is always attended with a train, which wait upon
her, do her homage, caress and feed her, by presenting her
with honey. If they lose their own queen, and a stranger queen
is introduced, after twenty-four hours, they commence their
reverence for the new sovereign by surrounding her, caressing
her, feeding her, and opening a way for her when she moves.
Their devotions to their queen do not cease if she become
sterile, or die. Their veneration and tender attentions appear
to increase towards the dead body of their queen. It is a well
known fact, that the community perishes if they cannot procure
a queen by any means.
_The combats of the queens._--The bees seem to be purely
monarchial in their constitution of government. This will
appear from the following extraordinary facts:
If a strange queen be introduced into the hive where there
is a queen, the working-bees immediately seize upon her, and
detain her a prisoner: as soon as this is done, another party
hastens away to the reigning queen and surround her. They
then force the queens towards each other, in order to make
them decide the sovereignty of the hive in mortal combat. The
conquerer is cheerfully taken for the reigning sovereign.
Nor is it difficult to bring the rival queens to an
engagement: so soon as they recognize each other they rush
furiously to the combat, and the one or the other quickly
inflicts a mortal wound by piercing the belly of the antagonist
between the rings, by means of the sting.
So exclusive is the passion of the queen for sovereignty,
that she puts to death the young queens, so soon as she
ascertains them to be such. This she does even in the cells,
before they have come forth.
_The male bees._--These seem not to have attracted much
interest. They are not very numerous in the hive; generally not
exceeding an hundred or two. They are the largest in size, and
live perfectly idle.
_The working bees._--These, as their name imports, perform
the labors of the hive. The details of their labors cannot be
admitted here.
There is one question, in regard to bees, which
is difficult and curious: their senses. From the best
observations, and experiments, it would seem as if the antennæ,
or feelers, were the principal organs of sense. Upon taking
away the queen, in about an hour some one bee discovers it,
and becomes instantly agitated, and runs furiously about the
hive: the first companion he meets they cross their feelers
mutually, the discoverer giving his neighbor a gentle tap with
the feeler, and he in turn commences running furiously about
the hive, communicating the intelligence in a similar manner;
until the whole hive is in an uproar.
Huber introduced a queen to a hive, after twenty-four hours
absence of their own queen. The working bees which were nearest
immediately approached and touched her with their feelers, and
passing their trunks over every part of her body, gave her
honey. Then these gave place to others which treated her in
a similar manner; and all, with a vibration of their wings,
arranged themselves around their new sovereign.
From some experiments of Huber, it seems that the antennæ,
or feelers of bees are the organs of communication. He thinks
they have no organ for hearing. Their power of vision is very
clear and strong. Anciently, in New-England, the honey-hunters
are said to have found the nest of wild bees in the following
manner: they placed a plate of honey in the woods, and when
the bees came to get it, they caught two or three of them,
the bee-hunter would let one go, and observe his course, by a
pocket compass, as he flew to the nest: he would then walk off
at a right angle a few hundred yards, and let another bee go,
and observe the course: the angle, or point at which these two
lines, described by the flights of the bees, met, the hunter
knew to be the place where the bee-nest was.
The manner in which bees take their rest is a matter of
curiosity. Some attach themselves to a part of the hive, by
their fore-feet, and extend their hind-feet down: the next
bee by his fore-feet takes hold of the hind-feet of the first
bee, and thus suspends himself; others attach themselves in
like manner, until they form clusters, or festoons. In this
condition they take their rest.
It will be interesting to learn something of the _sting_ of
the bee. It is situated in the lower end of the ringed-body:
it is composed of three parts: the sheath, and two darts which
are enclosed in it, very small and penetrating. The darts are
barbed. When the bee strikes with its sting, the sharp and hard
point of the hollow sheath strikes and penetrates first, and
the two darts are immediately thrust into the incision made by
the sheath; and at the same time the bee injects a poisonous
liquor into the wound, which causes the pain and inflammation.
In some instances the sting is struck in so deeply the bee
cannot extricate it: in that case the wound is more painful,
but the loss proves fatal to the bee.
Destructive combats frequently take place between different
hives; and many perish on both sides. Occasionally single
combats, or duels, take place, which always prove fatal to
one or the other. Instances are known, in which the bees
of one hive plunder the bees of another. In this case a
battle generally ensues. And what is more astonishing still,
sometimes the hive-bees will, five or six of them, surround an
_humble-bee_, and rob him of his honey, as he is returning home
of an evening. Indeed a whole volume might be written, and the
natural history of the bee not be exhausted.
ANTS.--This insect has justly rivalled the bee in the
admiration of the philosopher, and, on some accounts, is
considered a more interesting creature. The instinct of this
creature does not appear so strikingly as that of the bee:
but it exhibits other and higher qualities, approaching to
the cardinal virtues of man: such as love, courage, patience,
perseverance, &c. The proof of all these will be found in the
few brief remarks which follow.
There are various kinds of ants: the fallow ant; the
sanguine ant; the legionary ant; the white ant, &c. There are
some traits common to all: They live in communities; build
cities, or ant-hills; and are divided into general classes,
with their appropriate grades and employments, somewhat similar
to bees; there are males, females, and neuters, or workers.
They also resemble the bees in their respect for their
matrons or queens; though they differ in this respect; they
admit of the presence of an indefinite number of queens, which
produces no ill consequences whatever. They all are equally
caressed, and attended.
There is a very marked difference between the ant and bee.
The queens, or matrons of the bees remain in their respective
hives, and their presence is necessary to the industry and
contentment of the communities. But the matrons or queens of
the ants act differently. The male and female ants have wings;
the neuters or workers have not. These generally swarm together
between July and September. They rise from the ant-hill
together, in immense numbers; sometimes the ants of a whole
district collect together and rise in the air, and seem only to
be sporting; but at this time the females become fecundated.
The quantity of ants with wings is so great sometimes, as, says
Dr. Bromley, to form a column on the water five or six miles
long, eight or ten feet broad, and six inches deep, when they
happened to fall into the river.
In this general destruction of the winged ants, some
females escape, which quickly divest themselves of their wings,
form an ant-hill, and found a new colony by depositing their
eggs in it.
It is also well ascertained that the working ants do not
permit all the females or queens to escape, but detain some as
prisoners, by cropping their wings. They pay every attention
to these royal prisoners guarding them diligently, and feeding
them liberally. When these females drop their eggs, the workers
take them up carefully, and deposit them in their proper places.
These are some of the principal traits common to the ant
tribe. A few brief remarks may be made on the principal species.
_The fallow ant._--The wars of this insect is the principal
thing which can be noticed here. We have a minute detail, of
one long and disastrous battle, by Huber. This battle took
place between the inhabitants of two neighboring ant-hills:
they met half way: the battle was commenced by single
combatants; then they fought in pairs on elevated ground; and
finally the battle became general. The attack is generally made
by seizing each other by the mandibles, and rearing up on their
hind feet so as to bring their abdomens forward, from which
they eject a pungent poison upon their adversaries, in order to
destroy them. This circumstance gives rise to a pungent smell
on the spot. During the combat they are frequently grappled so
closely together as to fall on their sides; and others coming
to their assistance the group is locked fast in the struggle.
During the action some are found leading away prisoners;
others going as couriers to bring fresh troops to the fight,
and some in the immediate vicinity of the hills keeping guard,
and transacting the common business of the community.
The battle occupied a space of about three feet square,
and lasted until the approach of night: then each party
retired; but was on the spot next morning at dawn of day, and
re-commenced the battle with greater fury, and carnage. It
finally terminated without subverting either republic.
It was very remarkable, says Huber, that these ants, in
promiscuous combat, should know their own party. In a few
cases, for a moment, friends assailed, but rectified the error,
instantly, by caressing.
_The legionary ant._ Though the natural history of this
insect, throughout, is very interesting, there is place for but
one principal fact: i.e. their practice of making the _formica
fusca_, or negro ant, a slave. This curious fact was first
discovered by Huber, and has since been confirmed by Latreille,
and is now admitted readily by naturalists.
A campaign, for the purpose of procuring slaves, was
observed closely by Huber on the 17th of June, 1804. The column
was first seen crossing the road, being about ten inches long
and four broad. He followed them until they approached the
nest of the negro ant. The centinels on duty gave the alarm,
and the ants rushed out, and made a spirited resistance to
the invaders, but were finally driven into their house. The
legionary ants then rushed forward, attacked the hill, and
took the little city by assault. They remained in it but a few
minutes, and returned, each one carrying in his mouth a larva,
or young negro ant, and scampered home in confusion.
They never take the old ants captive, but the young, in a
state of infancy, and thus raise them in a state of slavery.
The consequence is that they are submissive and affectionate,
and perform with cheerfulness and fidelity all the domestic
duties of a legionary city. They provide house and food for
their masters, attend them, and serve them in every possible
way.
_The sanguine ant_ is also a slave dealer, and in the same
manner as the legionary. Nor is the negro ant the only victim:
the _mining ant_ is also reduced to a state of slavery by the
legionary, and sanguine ants.
There remains to be stated another circumstance connected
with the natural history of ants, which would scarcely be
credited, were it not tested by such names as Linnæus, Huber,
and Latreille: that is, _they keep milch-cows_. There are
certain insects, from which they extract a sweet saccharine
fluid for food, as we do milk from cows. The principal insects
which are thus used, are the plant-louse, and the gall-insect.
Linnæus, and after him other naturalists, call these insects
the _milch-cows of the ants_.
The fluid issues from the body of the insect through little
tubes placed above the abdomen on either side. When no ants are
present the plant-lice emit this liquor from their bodies by a
jerking motion: when they are in attendance they suck the juice
with great avidity. But what is still more astonishing, the
ants compel their milch-cattle to yield their milk, by gently
patting them on each side with their antennæ, or feelers. This
is properly milking them.
In addition to this the ants take care to appropriate
these milch-cattle to themselves, by collecting them in herds,
guarding and feeding them. They sometimes make an enclosure
around them, or around the tree or plant on which they find
them, and thus secure them. Some herds are owned in common by
the ant-hill; and others appear to belong to individuals.
The _yellow ant_ is known to remove these plant-lice from
the plants, and domesticate them in their hillocks for service
in winter.
In conclusion, in regard to ants we may mention their
ravages committed on property. In the East and West Indies
they are very destructive. They undermine houses in such a
manner as to cause them to fall. Some species will devour the
wood of a building of small size, in a single night. And it is
remarkable that they make their ravages _internally_. One would
not observe that they had assailed a beam of timber, unless he
should take means to examine its interior. They will devour
even the exterior of the timber when they have first coated
it over with mud or clay in order to conceal their work. They
devour furniture of all kinds, and completely consume the trees
which fall in some countries. The extent of the damage which
they can do, is incalculable.
These remarks will show what interest the natural history
of insects can inspire. It is not permitted to extend the
subject further in a note.]
The distinction between _clean_ and _unclean_ Fowls, made in the
Scriptures, serves to point out the difference between the two classes
of _saints_ and _sinners_ among the human race. Those Fowls were
accounted clean, which are gentle in their nature, as the Dove, and
musical in their notes, as the Lark; which qualifications are not
to be found among birds of prey, as the Ostrich, Eagle, Vulture,
Hawk, Cormorant, Raven, Owl, Bat, &c. All these, so far as their
instincts and properties are discovered to us, agree so well with
the different characters of men, to whom in Scripture they have a
symbolical allusion, that none but the infinitely wise Creator could
have distinguished and applied their several peculiarities with so much
simplicity, brevity, and propriety.
Several of the unclean Fowls feed on filth and dead carcases; whose
“young ones” also “suck up blood, and where the slain are, there
are they.” Dr. Buchanan, when at the distance of fifty miles from
Juggernaut, says, “We know that we are approaching Juggernaut, by the
human bones which we have seen for several days strewed by the way.
The Vultures seem to live here on human prey: they exhibit a shocking
_tameness_. The obscene animals will not leave the body sometimes till
we come close to them. Yesterday a woman devoted herself to the idol:
this morning, as I passed the place of skulls, nothing remained of her
but her bones.” The unrenewed nature of man is no more offended with
evil, than a vulture is with human flesh, or a crow is with carrion, on
which it feeds with delight.
The unclean Fowls persecute and devour those of a more gentle nature.
The Eagle, נשר _nesher_, is from _nasher_ to _lacerate_, _cut_, or
_tear to pieces_; hence the _Eagle_, a most rapacious bird of prey,
has its name from tearing the flesh of animals it feeds on: and for
this purpose, birds of prey have, in general, strong crooked talons and
a hooked beak. The Eagle is a cruel bird, exceedingly ravenous, and
almost insatiable. This propensity in birds of prey to seize, tear,
and devour, is expressive of the violent and malevolent dispositions
of some persons, who hate and endeavor to injure those who live in
the fear of God, and keep his commandments. Such were the heathens,
whom St. Paul has described as “cruel” and “unmerciful, full of envy,
murder, and debate,” given up to the vilest passions, and all the
uncleanness of “dead works.”
The want of _natural affection_, and a _right understanding_ of Divine
things, among ungodly persons, is strikingly exhibited in the character
of the Ostrich. This foolish bird, though it has wings, is not able
to raise itself from the earth, and is void of that instinctive
tenderness, which other creatures feel for their offspring: “which
leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in the dust, and
forgetteth that the foot may crash them, or that the wild beast, may
break them. She is hardened against her young ones, as though they
were not hers; her labor is in vain without fear; because God hath
deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.”
The Ostrich lays from thirty to fifty eggs, not placed, like those of
some other birds, upon trees, or in the clefts of rocks, but in the
sand, forgetting the danger to which they are exposed from the feet of
travellers or wild beasts. On the most trivial occasion, she forsakes
her eggs, or her young ones, to which, perhaps, she never returns;
or, if she does, it may be too late, either to restore life to the
one, or preserve the lives of the other. The prophet, applying this
want of affection, says, “The daughter of my people is cruel, like the
Ostriches in the wilderness.” She is likewise inconsiderate and foolish
in her private capacity, says Dr. Shaw, particularly in her choice of
food, which is frequently highly detrimental and pernicious to her; for
she swallows every thing greedily and indiscriminately, whether it be
pieces of rags, leather, wood, stone, or even iron. To secure herself,
she will thrust her head into the shrubs, though her body, which, when
standing upright, is from six to eight feet in height, from the top of
the head to the ground, be exposed. She has a little head, and scarcely
any brain: hence historians tell us, that the emperor Heliogabalus,
to gratify his luxurious taste, together with other delicacies, such
as the combs of Cocks, the tongues of Pheasants and Nightingales, the
eggs of Partridges, the heads of Parrots and Peacocks, the brains of
Thrushes, had likewise served up to him, at one entertainment, the
heads of six hundred Ostriches for the sake of the brains; because,
being so very small, a less number would not have been sufficient to
make a dish. What an affecting emblematical representation is this
singular bird of the moral qualifications and habits of ignorant and
wicked men! not to mention the superstitious practice of offering
children to Moloch and other diabolical deities; the custom of exposing
new-born infants in the woods to perish with hunger, or be devoured by
wild beasts; a practice still tolerated among the idolaters of China.
The heathen, who “did not like to retain God in their knowledge,
but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was
darkened,” were in this respect, symbolically represented by the tribe
of Owls and Bats, and other birds of night, all of which the law
pronounced to be unclean. In the Owl we have a striking image of the
sceptic, who loves darkness rather than light, and is more proud of
his artificial ignorance than any man ought to be of the most useful
knowledge: who could never find Divine truth, because he never loved
it; as the Owl is offended with that glory which the sun diffuses over
the natural creation. As the day has no charms for the Owl, so revealed
religion has nothing wise or wonderful in its nature and design with
the unbelieving philosopher; who brings with him to the word of God all
that prejudice with which the Owl flies out of its retreat into the
sun-shine. Yet he has his admirers; as the hooting of the Owl is music
in the ears of another of the same species. This emblematical bird,
when exposed to the light of the sun against his will, lets down a
conspicuous membrane over his eyes, to guard them from the inconvenient
splendor of the orb of day; as the infidel draws a dark veil of evil
reasonings and blasphemous objections over his heart, to intercept and
weaken the effulgent rays of heavenly truth. The Owl has a natural
aversion from the light; and if he breaks through his ordinary rule,
and settled habit, so as to appear in the day-time, he is pursued and
reprimanded by other birds, as one that is a disgrace to their kind.
But the birds which thus express their indignation against the Owl,
never kill him, being unarmed and inoffensive in their nature.[156]
So an infidel should not be put to death for his detestable and
demoralizing principles; but all Christians should agree in giving
public notice of him, and showing the world what he is. For internal
realities do not always comport with external appearances. The outward
appearance of the Owl seems to promise a great degree of gravity and
wisdom, while its principles and manners are opposite to the common
sense of other birds, and its office in the creation reduces it to
the rank of a common mouse-trap. So the philosophers it represented
made a pompous display of reason and learning, all of which, so far
as they applied these to divinity, were no better than ignorance and
folly. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools;” and by
an unaccountable fatality chose this very bird as the emblem of their
wisdom; which was accordingly held in great veneration at Athens, the
principal seat of heathen learning, as the symbol of Minerva, the
tutelar goddess of that city.
The Bat is a sort of monster, partaking of the nature of both a
bird and a beast, having feet or claws growing out of its pinions,
and contradicts the general order of nature by creeping with the
instruments of its flight. What a contrast between this creature and
the Lark!
“Up-springs the Lark,
Shrill-voiced and loud, the messenger of morn;
Ere yet the shadows fly, he, mounted, sings
Amid the dawning clouds, and from their haunts
Calls up the tuneful nations.”
Nothing can be more pleasing, observes Goldsmith, than to see the Lark
warbling upon the wing; raising its note as it soars, till it seems
lost in the immense heights above us; the note continuing, the bird
itself unseen; to see it then descending with a swell as it comes from
the clouds, yet sinking by degrees as it approaches its nest, the spot
where all its affections are centered--the spot which has prompted
all this joy. While the Lark thus mounts on triumphant wings, soaring
up into the heavens with a song of praise to its Creator, this little
black animal lies sleeping in holes and cracks of decayed edifices;
and if disturbed by any accident, drops down and crawls upon the
earth. When darkness prevails, it comes forth from its concealment
to haunt the cemeteries of the dead, and desolate places; as if it
purposely avoided the society of all cheerful birds, and took a delight
in associating with Owls and Beetles in dark and solitary abodes.
“The bat is called עטלף _âtalaph_,” according to Parkhurst, “from עט
_ât_ to _fly_, and עלף _âlaph_, _darkness_ or _obscurity_, because
it flies about in the _dusk of the evening_, and in the _night_; so
the Septuagint νυκτερις, from νυξ, the _night_, and the Vulgate,
_vespertilio_, from _vesper_, the evening.”
These birds of the night but too appropriately symbolize with persons
who love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.
Dr. Shaw, speaking of Ostriches, says, “In the lonesome part of the
night they frequently make a very doleful and hideous noise, sometimes
resembling the roar of the Lion; at other times the hoarser voices of
other quadrupeds, particularly the Bull or Ox.” He adds, “I have often
heard them groan as if in the greatest agonies.” Thus--
“The slaves of excess, Their senses to please,
Whole nights can bestow,
And on in a circle of riot they go;
Poor prodigals, they The night into day
By revellings turn,
And all the restraints of sobriety scorn.
The drunkards proclaim At midnight their shame,
Their sacrifice bring,
And loud to the praise of _their_ master they sing:
The hellish desires Which satan inspires,
In sonnets they breathe,
And shouting descend to the regions of death.”
* * * * *
Footnotes - Chapter VI
[141] The great Greenland Whale is a large, heavy animal,
usually found from sixty to seventy feet long. The head alone
is equal to a third of its bulk; and the cleft of the mouth
is above twenty feet long. The upper jaw is furnished with
barbs, that lie like the pipes of an organ, the greatest in
the middle, and the smallest on the sides; these compose the
whale-bone, the longest spars of which are found to be not less
than eighteen feet. The fins on each side are from five to
eight feet, consisting of bones and muscles, and sufficiently
strong to give speed and activity to the great mass of body
which they move. The tail is about twenty-four feet broad; and,
when the fish is on one side, its blow is tremendous. The skin
is smooth and black, and in some places dappled with white and
yellow: which, running over the surface, have a very beautiful
effect. The outward or scarf skin is no thicker than parchment;
but this removed, the real skin appears of about an inch thick,
and covers the fat or blubber that lies beneath: this is from
eight to twelve inches in thickness; and, when the fish is in
health, of a beautiful yellow. The muscles lie beneath: and
these, like the flesh of quadrupeds, are very red and tough.
[142] A variety of opinions we meet with concerning the
_whale_ which swallowed Jonah, and in whose belly he was _three
days and three nights_. The following is offered by Dr. A.
Clarke. “That a fish of the _shark_ kind, and not a _whale_,
is here meant, _Bochart_ has abundantly proved, vol. iii, col.
742, &c, edit, Leyd. 1692. It is well known, that the throat
of a whale is capable of admitting little more than the _arm_
of an ordinary man; but many of the shark species can swallow
a whole man; and men have been found whole in the stomachs of
several. Every natural history abounds with facts of this kind.
Besides, the shark is a native of the _Mediterranean Sea_, in
which Jonah was sailing, when swallowed by what the Hebrew
terms דג גדול _dog gadol, a great fish_; but every body knows
that _whales_ are no produce of the Mediterranean Sea, though
some have been by _accident_ found there, as in most parts of
the maritime world: but let them be found where they may, there
is none of them found capable of swallowing a man.”
[143] The _Torpedo_ is formidable, being well known by
the effect it produces when touched: but the manner of its
operating is to this hour a mystery to mankind. Such is the
unaccountable power it possesses, that, the instant it is
touched, it benumbs not only the hand and arm, but sometimes
also the whole body. The shock received, by all accounts, much
resembles the stroke of an electrical machine; being sudden,
tingling, and painful. “The instant,” says Kemfer, “I touched
it with my hand, I felt a terrible numbness in my arm, and as
far up as the shoulder. Even if one tread on it with the shoe
on, it affects not only the leg, but the whole thigh. Those who
touch it with the foot, are seized with a stronger palpitation
than even those who touch it with the hand. This numbness bears
no resemblance to that which we feel when a nerve is a long
time pressed, and the foot is said to be asleep: it rather
appears like a sudden vapor, which, passing through the pores
in an instant, penetrates to the very springs of life; whence
it diffuses itself over the whole body, and gives real pain.
The nerves are so affected, that the person struck imagines
all the bones of his body, and particularly those of the limb
that received the blow, are driven out of joint. All this
is accompanied with an universal tremor, a sickness of the
stomach, a general convulsion, and a total suspension of the
faculties of the mind.”
We are in possession of some facts which relate to the
manner of its acting. Reaumur, who made several trials on
this animal, has at least convinced the world that it is not
necessarily, but by an effort, that the Torpedo benumbs the
hand of him that touches it. He tried several times, and could
easily tell when the fish intended the stroke, and when it
would continue harmless. Always before the fish meditated
the stroke, it flattened the back, raised the head and the
tail; and then by a violent contraction in the opposite side,
struck with its back against the pressing finger; while the
body, which before was flat, became humped and round. The
most probable solution of this phenomenon is, that it depends
on electricity. When the fish is dead, the whole power is
destroyed, and it may be handled, or eaten with perfect
security.
[144] A large herring-fishery is carried on at Douglas, in
the Isle of Man. Herrings are so abundant in the neighborhood
of Gottenburgh, that 200,000 barrels, on an average, are salted
there every year, and about 400,000 are employed in making
train oil. Besides these, 50,000 barrels are consumed fresh in
the country, or sent to Denmark. Allowing 1,200 fish to each
barrel, in this district alone, about 780,000,000 of herrings
are caught in a season. In the year 1776, 56,000 barrels were
sent to Ireland, and thence exported to the West Indies.
[145] The Indians of Jamaica and Cuba (says Oviedo) go a
fishing with the Remora, or Sucking-Fish, which they employ as
falconers employ hawks.--This fish, which is not above a span
long, is kept for the purpose, and regularly fed. The owner,
on a calm morning, carries it out to sea, secured to his canoe
by a small but strong line, many fathoms in length; and the
moment the creature sees a fish in the water, though at a great
distance, it darts away with the swiftness of an arrow, and
soon fastens upon it. The Indian, in the mean time, loosens
and lets go the line, which is provided with a buoy that keeps
on the surface of the sea, and serves to mark the course which
the Remora has taken, and pursues it in his canoe until he
conceives his game to be nearly exhausted and run down: he
then, taking up the buoy, gradually draws the line towards the
shore; the Remora still adhering with inflexible tenacity to
its prey; and it is with great difficulty that he is made to
quit this hold. By this method (adds Oviedo) I have known a
turtle caught, of a bulk and weight which no single man could
support.--Edward’s West Indies, vol. i. p. 100.
[146] A species of sea turtle, weighing 840 lb. was
harpooned and caught on the 27th of September, 1811, off Sandy
Hook, near New-York. It measured three feet two inches round
the neck, was seven feet long, eight feet in circumference,
and seven feet and a half from the extremity of one fin to the
other: of a coal black color, with five black ridges on the
back resembling the sturgeon. It is said to be a trunk turtle,
a native of the East Indies, and was the first ever seen in
the American seas. The proprietor of a museum purchased it for
fifty dollars.
[147] Sir W. Jones, when in India, formed en acquaintance
with an intelligent and respectable Brahmin. The religion of
these men permits them not to destroy life, nor to swallow any
creature which has possessed it; and so strict are some, that
in the season when insects abound, they cover their mouths and
nostrils, and sweep the ground on which they walk with a soft
broom, that they may not tread on them. Sir William had a solar
microscope sent from England, and showing it to his Hindoo
friend, demonstrated the impossibility of his eating even fruit
and vegetables without swallowing the animalcules which adhere
to them. The Brahmin was astonished and seemed gratified; but
begged importunately for the microscope, _so_ importunately,
that, at length, Sir William reluctantly resigned it to
him. A momentary gleam of joy flashed across the Brahmin’s
countenance; and, grasping the instrument, he immediately
descended from the viranda, where they were conversing, into
the garden, when, seizing a stone, he instantly smashed it to
pieces. On assigning his reason for this act, which he did a
few days afterwards, when his friend’s anger had subsided, he
said, “Oh that I had remained in that happy state of ignorance
wherein you first found me! Yet will I confess, that, as
my knowledge increased, so did my pleasure, until I beheld
the last wonders of the microscope. From that moment I have
been tormented by doubt, and perplexed by mystery: my mind,
overwhelmed by chaotic confusion, knows not where to rest,
nor how to extricate itself from such a maze. I am miserable,
and must continue so to be, until I enter on another stage of
existence. I am a solitary individual, among fifty millions of
people, all educated in the same belief with myself, all happy
in their ignorance! So may they ever remain! I shall keep the
secret within my own bosom, where it will corrode my peace, and
break my rest; but I shall have some satisfaction in knowing
that I alone feel those pangs which, had I not destroyed
the instrument, might have been extensively communicated,
and rendered thousands miserable! Forgive me, my valuable
friend, and, oh, _convey no more implements of knowledge and
destruction_!” These religious prejudices, which cannot bear
the light of sound philosophy, we perceive to be the results of
lamentable ignorance and degrading superstitions, and it may
be hoped will soon be removed by the cultivation of science,
and especially the dissemination of the Scriptures. The
missionaries now in the East will certainly be of very singular
use to the natives.
[148] M. de Saussure, in a letter to Bonnet, says,
“Infusion-animalcules multiply by continued divisions and
sub-divisions. Those roundish or oval animalcules that have
no beak or hook on the fore part of their bodies, divide
transversely. A kind of stricture of strangulation begins about
the middle of the body, which gradually increases, till the
two parts adhere by a small thread only. Then both parts make
repeated efforts, till the division is completed. For some time
after separation, the two animals remain in seemingly torpid
state. They afterwards begin to swim about briskly. Each part
is only one half the size of the whole: but they soon acquire
the magnitude peculiar to the species, and multiply by similar
divisions. To obviate every doubt, I put a single animalcule
into a drop of water, which split before my eyes. Next day, I
had five; the day after, sixty; and, on the third day, their
number was so great, that it was impossible to count them.”--La
Palingenesie Philosophique, par C. Bonnet, tom. i. pp. 428, 429.
[149] See Bryant’s Observations upon the Plagues inflicted
upon the Egyptians, Part I.
[150] See Jones’s Disquisition concerning clean and unclean
Animals.
[151] Nicholas, in his voyage to New-Zealand, vol. i, p.
334, says, “The morning of the 10th of January, 1815, was
announced to our enraptured ears by the swelling notes of the
woodland choristers, and never either before or since did I
hear such delightful harmony. Rising together at an early hour,
we fancied ourselves for the moment in some enchanted ground,
while the forest seemed to ring with the mellow warblings of
nature, and a thousand feathered songsters poured their soft
throats in responsive melody. There was, however, one bird that
was distinguished from all the rest, as well by the compass and
variety of its notes, as by their incomparable sweetness. This
bird, which has been brought to Port Jackson, and highly prized
there, is called by the colonists the _organ-bird_, and is, I
believe, peculiar to New-Zealand: the notes of the Nightingale,
however exquisite, are, in my opinion, much inferior to the
song of this bird; and I never thought before that either the
grove or forest could boast of such a vocal treasure.”
[152] A Martin recently fixed her nest directly over
the window of the Inn at Rampside, in Low Farnes. After her
young were hatched, she became a very troublesome visitant,
by throwing the cleansing of her nest upon the window. The
servant-maid, with more attention to cleanliness than humanity,
removed the little inconvenience by destroying the nest with
a broom. The young birds of course fell to the ground; in
the mean time the parents collected a great number of their
own species, who quickly built a second nest, sufficiently
commodious for the reception of the distressed family, and the
young were safely conveyed to their new lodgings by the parents
and their assistants.
[153] Dr. Edmonston, in his view of the Zetland islands,
says, “The white-tailed Eagle, or Erne, boldly attacks fishes
of the largest size. Several desperate combats have been
witnessed between this bird and the Halibut. The former strikes
his claws into the fish with all his force, determined not to
relinquish his hold, and, although but rarely, is sometimes
drowned in the attempt to carry off his prize. When he has
overcome the Halibut, he raises one of his wings, which serves
as a sail, and if favored by the wind, in that attitude drifts
towards the land. The moment he touches the shore, he begins to
eat out and disengage his claws; but if discovered before this
can be effected he falls an easy prey to the first assailant.”
[154] Bellonius says, “The Storks come to Egypt in such
abundance, that the fields and meadows, are white with them.
Yet the Egyptians are not displeased with this sight; as frogs
are generated in such numbers there, that did not the Storks
devour them, they would over-run every thing. Besides, they
also catch and eat Serpents. Between Belha and Gaza, the fields
of Palestine are often desert on account of the abundance of
Mice and Rats; and were they not destroyed by the Falcons that
come here by instinct, the inhabitants could have no harvest.”
[155] Dr. Edmonston says:--“The crows generally appear in
pairs, even during winter, except when attracted to a spot
in search of food, or when they assemble for the purpose
of holding what is called the _Crow’s court_. This latter
institution exhibits a curious fact in their history. Numbers
are seen to assemble on a particular hill or field, from many
different points. On some occasions the meeting does not appear
to be complete before the expiration of a day or two. As soon
as all the deputies have arrived, a very general noise and
croaking ensue, and, shortly after, the whole fall upon one or
two individuals, whom they persecute and beat until they kill
them. When this has been accomplished, they quietly disperse.”
On the subject of Gulls, Dr. Edmonston says:--“In the
affectionate care of their offspring, these Gulls display great
sagacity and even foresight. When the cradle at Noss is about
to be slung, the gulls, aware of the approaching capture of
their young, are unremitting in their efforts to carry them
off. From the first moment that they observe preparations
making to enter the holm, they become noisy and restless,
---- ‘and chide, exhort, command,
Or push them off,’
so that if bad weather delay the arranging of the cradle,
but for a few days, scarcely any are left to be taken away.
“This bird is a great enemy to the fowler, by intimating
to other birds his approach. One of them is an inseparable
attendant on the _Scarfs_, when they assemble on the rocks
for the purpose of drying and resting themselves; and they
seem sensible of the good offices of this voluntary guardian,
by quietly receiving it among them, and obeying its friendly
admonitions.--On the approach of a person from the shore, or
of a boat, the Gull having first testified marks of anxiety
and apprehension, flies off before either have approached
within gunshot, and all the Scarfs, except those who are young
and inexperienced, follow. It not merely contents itself with
giving them warning in due time, but urges their departure by
repeated calls, and sits down in the water, at a considerable
distance from the spot from which it fled, as if intending
to point out the place where they may consider themselves in
safety; and they generally all repair to the same place. To
the Seal this bird is of essential service. These animals
frequently lie upon the rocks for hours in succession, and so
well acquainted are some sportsmen with their haunts, that they
raise small bulwarks, or _rests_, to conceal their approach,
or wait their arrival behind a rock. The Gull, however,
frustrates all these precautions, by first flying over the head
of the hunter, and then screaming close to the Seal; and, when
the latter is not disposed to avail himself at once of this
friendly intimation, I have known them _strike him on the head_
with their feet. As soon as he slips into the water they appear
to be perfectly satisfied, as if they then conceived him in a
situation to protect himself.
“The Gull seems to consider itself the natural guardian of
the coast. If it spies a person at a distance, walking in a
cautious manner, in the neighborhood of any bird, it instantly
repairs to the spot, and by a keen acute cry, different from
the common note, endeavors to inform it of the approaching
danger. Ducks and Curlews know the hint quite well, and almost
always take advantage of it, and fly off long before the fowler
can arrive within gun-shot of them. On these occasions it often
comes with a sweep, as if intending to strike the person,
who by that means is kept in a state of constant alarm and
irritation; but if it do not immediately fly off, after having
succeeded in accomplishing the object of its mission, this
officious interference not unfrequently draws the vengeance of
the fowler on itself, and it falls the victim of its own good
intentions. This Gull is not satisfied with having alarmed
birds on any particular occasion. It does indeed fly to a
distance and sit down, but after its anxiety has been once
roused, it never loses sight of the fowler, but follows him at
a distance wherever he goes, and unless by pretended inactivity
the sportsman can quiet the apprehension of his enemy, it is
in vain to think of getting within reach of any bird that is
naturally shy and of a timid disposition. The scream of this
bird is peculiarly wild, and indicative of anxious impatience.”
[156] Hasselquist, speaking of the _Strix Orientalis_,
or Oriental Owl, says, “It is of the size of the common owl,
living in the ruins of old deserted houses of Egypt and Syria;
and sometimes in inhabited houses. The Arab in Egypt calls it
_Massasa_, the Syrians _Bana_. It is very ravenous in Syria,
and in the evenings, if the windows be left open, it flies into
houses, _and kills infants_, unless they are carefully watched;
wherefore the women are much afraid of it.”--Travels, p. 196.
* * * * *