_Aerial Voyages of Spiders_.
The number of the aëronautic spiders occasionally suspended in the
atmosphere, says Mr. Murray, I believe to be almost incredible, could
we ascertain their amount. I was walking with a friend on the 9th, and
noticed that there were four of these insects on his hat, at the moment
there were three on my own; and from the rapidity with which they
covered its surface with their threads, I cannot doubt that they are
chiefly concerned in the production of that tissue which intercepts the
dew, and which, illuminated by the morning sun, "glitters with gold,
and with rubies and sapphires." Indeed, I have noticed that, when the
frequent descent of the aëronautic spider was determined, a newly rolled
turnip field was, in a few hours, overspread by a carpet of their
threads. It may be remarked that our little aëronaut is very greedy of
moisture, though abstemious in other respects. Its food is perhaps
peculiar, and only found in the superior regions of the sky. Like the
rest of its tribe, it is doubtless carnivorous, and may subserve some
highly important purpose in the economy of Providence; such, for
instance, as the destruction of that truly formidable, though almost
microscopically minute insect, the Fùria infernàlis, whose wounds are
stated to be mortal. Its existence has been indeed questioned, but by
no means disapproved; that, and some others, injurious to man, or to
the inferior creation, may be its destined prey, and thus our little
aëronaut, unheeded by the common eye, may subserve an important good.
Mr. Bowman, F.L.S. says, "We arrested several of these little aëronauts
in their flight, and placed them on the brass gnomon of the sundial, and
had the gratification to see them prepare for, and recommence, their
aerial voyage. Having crawled about for a short time, to reconnoitre,
they turned their abdomens from the current of air, and elevated them
almost perpendicularly, supporting themselves solely on the claws of
their fore legs, at the same instant shooting out four or five, often
six or eight, extremely fine webs, several yards long, which waved
in the breeze, diverging from each other like a pencil of rays, and
strongly reflecting the sunbeams. After the insects had remained
stationary in this apparently unnatural position for about half a
minute, they sprang off from the stage with considerable agility, and
launched themselves into the air. In a few seconds after they were seen
sailing majestically along, without any apparent effort, their legs
contracted together, and lying perfectly quiet on their backs, suspended
from their silken parachutes, and presenting to the lover of nature a
far more interesting spectacle than the balloon of the philosopher. One
of these natural aëronauts I followed, which, sailing in the sunbeams,
had two distinct and widely diverging fasciculi of webs, and their
position in the air was such, that a line uniting them would have been
at right angles with the direction of the breeze."--_Mag. Natural
History_.
_The Ichneumon Fly_.
There are several species of ichneumon which make thinnings among the
caterpillars of the cabbage butterfly. The process of one species
is this:--while the caterpillar is feeding, the ichneumon fly hovers
over it, and, with its piercer, perforates the fatty part of the
caterpillar's back in many places, and in each deposits an egg, by
means of the two parts of the sheath uniting together, and thus forming
a tube down which the egg is conveyed into the perforation made by the
piercer of the fly. The caterpillar unconscious of what will ensue keeps
feeding on, until it changes into a chrysalis; while in that torpid
state, the eggs of the ichneumon are hatched, and the interior of the
body of the caterpillar serves as food for the caterpillars of the
ichneumon fly. When these have fed their accustomed time, and are about
to change into the pupa state, they, by an instinct given them, attack
the vital part of the caterpillar (a most wonderful economy in nature,
that this process should be delayed until they have no more occasion
for food.) They then spin themselves minute cases within the body of
the caterpillar; and instead of a butterfly coming forth (which, if a
female, would have probably laid six hundred eggs, thus producing as
many caterpillars, whose food would be the cabbage,) a race of these
little ichneumon flies issues forth, ready to perform the task assigned
them, of keeping within due limits those fell destroyers of our
vegetables.--_Mr. Carpenter--in Gill's Repository._
_Hawking_.
Professional falconers have been for many years natives of the village
of _Falconsward_, near Bois le Duc, in Holland. A race of them was
there born and bred, whence supplies have been drawn for the service of
all Europe; but as there has been no sufficient inducement for the young
men to follow the employment of their forefathers, numbers are dead or
worn out; and there only remains John Pells, now in the service of John
Dawson Downes, Esq., of Old Gunton Hill, Suffolk.
The hawks which have been trained for the field, are the slight falcon
and the goshawk, which are the species generally used in falconry. The
former is called a long-winged hawk, or one of the _lure_; the
latter, a short-winged hawk, or one of the _fist_.
The Icelander is the largest hawk that is known, and highly esteemed by
falconers, especially for its great powers and tractable disposition.
The gyr falcon is less than the Icelander, but much larger than the
slight falcon. These powerful birds are flown at herons and hares, and
are the only hawks that are fully a match for the fork-tailed kite. The
merlin and hobby are both small hawks and fit only for small birds, as
the blackbird, &c. The sparrow-hawk may be also trained to hunt; his
flight is rapid for a short distance, kills partridges well in the early
season, and is the best of all for landrails.
The slight falcon takes up his abode every year, from October and
November until the spring, upon Westminster Abbey, and other churches in
the metropolis. This is well known to the London pigeon-fanciers, from
the great havoc they make in their flight.--_Sir John Sebright_
_Technicalities of Science_.
The inutility of science, written in a merely technical form, is well
exemplified in the instance of Cicero. He was advised by his friends not
to write his works on Greek Philosophy in Latin; because those who cared
for it would prefer his work in Greek, and those who did not would read
neither Greek nor Latin. The splendid success of his _De Officiis_,
his _De Finibus_, his _De Natura Deorum_, &c., showed that his
friends were wrong. He persevered in the popular style, and led the
fashion.--_Mag. Nat. Hist._
_Doubtful Discoveries_.
It may serve, in some measure, to confirm M. Dutroehet's recent opinion
of the non-existence of miscroscopic animalcula, that the celebrated
Spallanzani persuaded himself that he could see Animálcula infusòria
which could be seen by nobody else. He attributed his own superiority of
vision, in this respect, to long practice in using the microscope. The
philosopher exulted in his enviable distinction, when a peasant, to whom
he showed his animalcula, could perceive nothing but muddy
water.--_Ibid._
_Faculties of Brutes_.
The dog is the only animal that dreams; and he and the elephant the
only animals that understand looks; the elephant is the only animal
that, besides man, feels _ennui_; the dog, the only quadruped that
has been brought to speak. Leibnitz bears witness to a hound in Saxony,
that could speak distinctly thirty words.--_Medical Gazette._
_Sea Air_.
The atmosphere, in the vicinity of the sea, usually contains a portion
of the muriates over which it has been wafted. It is a curious fact, but
well ascertained, that the air best adapted to vegetables is pernicious
to animal life, and _vice versa._ Now, upon the sea-coast,
accordingly, animals thrive, and vegetables decline.--_Hurwood's
Southern Coast._
* * * * *
Chingford Church.
[Illustration: Chingford Church]
The roof with moss is green, and twines
Dark ivy round the sculptur'd lines.