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tations to live in, or to cultivate the ground for subsistence. They sometines commit dreadful havoc in the fields and gardens of persons who inhabit the countries where they abound.

The different species of monkies are seldom known to intermix or associate together, but each tribe generally inhabits a different quarter. The negroes who have not been taught the use of fire-arms, are said to kill them by shooting them in the face with arrows. But it often happens, when the sapajous are shot, that in the act of falling from the tree they seize hold of a branch with their tai!, and, dying in this situation, continue suspended even for a long time after death. When a monkey of some of the larger species is wounded, the rest will frequently collect together, and with great fury pursue the hunters to their huts or lodgments.

It was formerly supposed, that man was the only animal which could be infected by the small-pox and measles; but it is now ascertained that monkies, kept in houses where these complaints prevail, are also liable to receive the infection.

In the year 1767, the inhabitants of St. Germain-en-Laie, near Paris, were witnesses to a monkey's catching the small-pox, by playing with children who were infected, and the ani mal bore the marks of it for a considerable time afterwards. A circumstance nearly similar was observed also at Paris. M. Paulet, a medical man of some eminence, was called upon, in 1770, to attend a person who had the measles. As the disease was contagious, he requested that every precaution might be taken to prevent it from spreading; and particularly that a monkey, accustomed to play with the children of the house,

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should on no account have any communication with the invalid. The request was made too late. One of the sick person's sisters, and at the same time also the monkey, which had been accustomed to sleep at the foot of her bed, was attacked by the disease. The monkey, in consequence, was treated in the same manner as a human subject. M. Paulet, on examining the state of the animal's pulse, found it so quick that it was is arcely possible to count the pulsations. In the auxillary artery, these were much more sensible than in any other; and he declared that, as nearly as he could count them, they were about five hundred in a minute. We ought to remark, that this monkey was of very low stature, and that, in all animals, the shorter they are the quicker is their puise. These facts, which are well authenticated, sufficiently prove (independently of others) that the small-pox and measles are not diseases entirely confined to the human species; but that animals, as well as men, are liable to receive the infection from them. Numerous instances have occurred of the small-pox being communicated to and from animals. Those from cattle are now well known. A shepherd infected with the small-pox has been known to communicate the disease to his sheep, and these sheep to those of another flock. A horse has been observed to be covered with the pustules of the small-pox. Goats are sometimes attacked by it, and, when this is the case, great numbers generally perish. (See Roder. à Castro, lib. 4. de Meteor. Microc. cap. 6.) This dreadful contagion is likewise frequently known to extend to the flocks of rein deer in Lapland.

Such is a summary of the principal observations that have been transmit

ted

ted to us by different travellers, respecting the manners and habits of life of the animals which constitute this interesting tribe; and from what has been said, it appears that they have a nearer alliance than any other quadruped (in the general conformation of their bodies) to the human race. They, consequently, have the art of imitating human actions better than any others, since they are able use their fore-feet as hands. From the general organization of the monkies, they are likewise capable of an education nearer allied to that of man, than any other animal. Some naturalists have attributed infinitely too much sagacity to them, whilst others have certainly not allowed enough. The monkies seem to do those things which mankind do before their reason is matured by age; and in this respect there is no other quadruped which bears any resemblance to them. Most animals seem at times to be actuated by the spirit of revenge: by the different means that are employed to gratify this passion, we may in a measure judge of the different degrees of their instinct; and every one knows how greatly the monkey exceeds all other brutes in its vindictive malice. There appears, in some measure, an analogy even betwixt the vices (if we may so call them) of the monkies, and the disgusting brutality too often observable in the vicious and degraded part of mankind.

The animals of the monkey tribe differ very essentially from each other in their general manners and habits of life. The oran otan is susceptible of more considerable attainments than any of the others. The short muzzled monkies, with long tails, such as the greater part of the guenons, sapajous, and sagoins, are for

the most part exceedingly tractabic, and receive a certain degree of instruction without much difficulty. But some of the apes, and baboon, with long muzzles, are so savage and ferocious as to be incapable of ary education whatever.

The monkies of the new continent, as might naturally be supposed, differ (at least in some degree) in their babits of life from those of the old world. The Great Author of Nature has assigned to them several characteristics that are peculiar to themselves: such, amongst others, are the situation and separation of the nasal orifices; and the presence of two additional grinders in each jaw. We, likewise, are acquainted with no species of monkey, belonging to the ancient world, that has a preheusile tail, or the bony pouch observable in the throat of the preacher monkey and the arabata, (Simia beelzebul and Simia seniculus of Linnæus).

In some countries, monkies, even in their wild state, are rendered serviceable to mankind. It is said, that in districts where pepper and cocoa grow, the inhabitants, availing themselves of the imitative faculties, and the agility of the monkies, are able to procure an infinitely greater quantity of these articles than they could do by any other means. They mout some of the lowest branches of the trees, break off the extremities where the fruit grows, and then descend and carefully range them together on the ground. The animals afterwards ascend the same trees, strip the branches all the way to the top, and dispose them in a similar manner. After the monkies have gone to rest, the Indians return and carry off the spoil.

In some places it is this inclination to imitate human actions which leads to their destruction. The In

dians carry in their hands vessels filled with water, and rub their faces with it, in the presence of the monkies; then substituting a kind of glue instead of water, leave the vessels behind them, and retire. The observant creatures seize the vessels, and do the same; when the glue, adhering strongly to their hair and eyelids, completely blinds them, and prevents every possibility of their effecting an escape.

In other places, the natives take to the habitations of the monkies a kind of boots, which they put on and pull off their legs several times successively. These are then rubbed over in the inside with a strong glue; and when the monkies attempt to do the same, they are unable to disengage themselves, and, consequently, are caught withous difficulty.

Sometimes the inhabitants carry in their hands a mirror, and appear to amuse themselves by looking at it in different attitudes. In place of these they leave a kind of traps, not unlike the glasses in external appearance, which, when the animals take them up, seize and secure them by the paws. The inhabitants of St. Vincent le Blanc catch monkies in several kinds of traps and snares. Sometimes, when they have caught the young ones, they put them into a cage, and appear to teaze and torment them, in order that they may likewise catch the parents.

The hunters of some countries place near the haunts of monkies vessels containing strong and intoxicating liquors. The animals drink of them, and in a short time become so drunk as to lie down on the spot and fall asleep.

Some of the Indians ascend to the summits of the mountains in which the animals breed, and construct there pile of wood, round the base of VOL. XLIX.

which they spread a quantity of maize. They place on the pile some substance, which, on being exposed to heat, explodes with tremendous noise. This is contrived to explode during the time that the monkies are employed in devouring the maize, and, in the terror and astonishment, the old ani mals scamper off on all sides with the utmost rapidity, leaving their young ones a prey to the hunters.

The dexterity of monkies is such, that, although burthened by their offspring clinging to their backs, they can leap from tree to tree, if the distance is not very great, and secure their hold among the branches with the greatest certainty. When they perceive any person taking aim at them, either with a gun or bow, they cry out and grind their teeth sometimes in the most horrible manner, They are often able to avoid the arrows that are shot at them, and sometimes they even catch them in their hands. When any one of their community is shot, and falls to the ground, all the rest set up a dismal and tremendous howl, which makes all the adjacent mountains and woods resound. If a monkey is wounded, and does not fall, it frequently happens that his companions will seize and carry it off far beyond the reach of their enemy: and miserable is the fate of that hunter who is imprudent enough to venture near their haunts during that same day. When the animals re-ascend the trees, they each carry a stone in their hands, and ge nerally another in their mouths; and, in such case these are thrown at their adversary with a correctness of airu that is truly astonishing.

The inhabitants of several couns tries derive a means of subsistence from the flesh of these animals. We are assured by Condamine, that in

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Cayenue

Cayenne the monkies are the kind of game that is more frequently pursued than any other; and that the Indians of the country bordering on the river of the Amazons are peculiarly fond of their flesh. Their fat is esteemed a sovereign remedy for stiffness in the joints. In the Portuguese settlements, in South America, powdered monkies' bones are considered an excellent sudorific, and likewise as anti-venereal. In the gall-bladder of one or two of the Indian species (but particularly of the doric and wanderu), a kind of gall-stone is sometimes found. These, says Tavernier, the natives have been known to sell for as much as a hundred crowns each. They will not, in general, permit them to be exported out of their country as articles of commerce, but chiefly preserve them as an invaluable present to foreign ambassadors resi ding amongst them. They are considered to possess all the properties that have been attributed to the most precious of the bezoar stones. Christ Church, Feb. 1, 1807..

Ornithology.

In the neighbourhood of Halifax, a great natural ceciosity has excited the admiration of many scores of people, who have gone to see it: it is a white sky-lark! the particular divi sion and tribe of birds to which it be longs, is sufficiently identified by its figure and note. It was last spring taken out of a nest of larks, distinguished from its companions only by its colour. This singular bird has shed its feathers, and is now a shining milk white. It is in the possession of John Whitehead, at Brockwell Bank, on the old road to Rockdale.

Comets.

In the evening of Monday, the 12th inst. the following phenomena were distinctly seen from Stob's Castle, Roxburghshire:

The Comet became visible immediately after twilight, at a considerable elevation in the heavens, nearly due west, and set about one-half past eight o'clock, within a few degrees of northwest.

The nucleus, or star, when viewed through a small telescope, appeared about the size of a star of the first magnitude, but less vivid, and of a pale dusky colour. The atmos phere of the Comet, owing to the limited power of the telescope, was barely perceptible. The tail, daily increasing in magnitude and splen dour, as the Comet approaches the sun, appeared sometipies extremely brilliant, seeming to be a vibration of luminous particles, somewhat resembling the aurora borealis, and at other times almost to disappear. From the arch described by the Comet in the heavens, in the short space of two hours, its velocity must be immense. By the nearest computation which circumstances and situation allowed, supposing the Comet as far distant as the sun, or about 12,000 diameters of the earth, it must be moving in the present stage of its perihelion, at the amazing velocity of nearly a mil lion of miles an hour, or upwards of 16,000 miles a minute! Such astomishing rapidity is indeed almost inconceivable; but the velocity of the Comet, observed at Palermo, in 1770, by Mr. Brydone,' was still more remarkable, which, in 24 hours, described an arch in the heavens of upwards of 50 degrees in length, and was computed by that ingenious gen tleman to be moving at the rate of sixty millions of miles in a day, of upwards

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upwards of 40,000 miles in a minute.

The comets belonging to our solar system are supposed to amount to about 450; but the elements or periodical times of a small number only of these have been precisely calculated. From the many accurate observations made by Sir Isaac Newton, on the great Comet of 1680, they were first discovered to be a kind of planets moving in very eccentric elliptical orbits, and with accelerated velocity as they approach their perihelion. That remarkable Comet was supposed to be the same which had appeared in 1106, in the time of Henry I.-in the year 531, in the consulship of Lampadius-and in the year 44, B. C. before Julius Cæsar was murdered. Its next appearance will be in the year 2255, about four centuries hence.

The Comet which appeared in 1759 was pretty accurately predicted by the learned Dr. Halley, and may again be expected to appear about the year 1835. The best astronomers are generally agreed, that comets are opaque bodies, enlightened by the sun; but the precise nature of their substance, which is capable of sustaining the most violent degrees of beat, cannot be determined by the limited faculties of man. The illustrious Newton calculated, that the heat of the great Comet of 1680, in its near approach

to the sun, must have been 2000 times greater than that of red-hot iron; consequently, if we suppose that Comet to be of the same dimensions with the earth, and to cool no faster than red-hot iron, it would require upwards of a hundred millions of years to cool; and from its periodical revolution in the short space of 575 years, must remain for ever in a state of the most violent ignition.

This Comet, according to Halley, "in passing through its southern node, came within the length of the sun's semidiameter of the earth's orbit."Had the earth been then in that part of her orbit nearest to that node, the mutual gravitation of two such large bodies, with so rapid a motion as that of this Comet, must not only have deranged the plane of the earth's orbit, but by coming in contact with the earth (a circumstance by no means deemed improbable by the most enlightened philosophers), the shock must have reduced this beautiful frame to its original chaos, or transported it beyond the limits of the Georgium Sidus, into the boundless depths of infinite space.

But language sinks beneath contem plation so sublime, and so well calculated to inspire the most awful sentiments of the wisdom, providence, and power, of the Great Creator of the universe!

October 26, 1807.

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