this arofe when he was about four years old. Having by accident found in the ftreet a child's ftocking, he carried it to a neighbouring houfe to inquire for the owner: he obferved the people called it a red ftocking, though he did not understand why they gave it that denomination, as he himself thought it completely defcribed by being called a stocking. The circumftance, however, remained in his memory, and together with fubfequent obfervations led him to the knowledge of his defect. As the idea of colours is among the first that enters the mind, it may perhaps feem extraordinary that he did not obferve his want of it ftill earlier. This, however, may in fome measure be accounted for from the circumftance of his family being Quakers, among whom a general uniformity of colours is known to prevail.

He obferved alfo that, when young, other children could difcern cherries on a tree by fome pretended difference of colour, though he could only diftinguish them from the leaves by their difference of fize and shape. He obferved alfo, that by means of this difference of colour they could fee the cherries at a greater distance than he could, though he could fee other objects at as great a distance as they; that is, where the fight was not affifted by the colour. Large objects he could fee as well as other perfons; and even the smaller ones if they were not enveloped in other things, as in the cafe of cherries among the leaves.

I believe he could never do more than guefs the name of any colour; yet he could diftinguish white from black, or black from any

light or bright colour. Dove or ftraw-colour he called white, and different colours he frequently called by the fame name: yet he could difcern a difference between them when placed together. In general, colours of an equal degree of brightnefs, however they might otherwife differ, he frequently confounded together. Yet a friped ribbon he could diftinguifh from a plain one; but he could not tell what the colours were with any tolerable exactnefs. Dark colours in general he often mistook for black, but never imagined white to be a dark colour, nor a dark to be a white colour.

He was an intelligent man, and very defirous of understanding the nature of light and colours, for which end he had attended a course of lectures in natural philofophy.

He had two brothers in the fame circumftances as to fight; and two other brothers and fifters who, as well as their parents, had nothing of this defect.

One of the first mentioned brothers, who is now living, is master of a trading veffel belonging to Mary-port. I met with him in December 1776, at Dublin, and took the opportunity of converfing with him. I wifhed to try his capacity to diftinguifh the colours in a prifm, but not having one by me, I asked him, whether he had ever feen a rain-bow? He replied, he had often, and could diftinguish the different colours; meaning only, that it was compofed of different colours, for he could not tell what they were.

I then procured and fhewed him a piece of ribbon he immediately, without any difficulty, pronounced it a ftriped and not a plain ribbon,

He

He then attempted to name the different ftripes: the feveral ftripes of white he uniformly, and without hefitation, called white: the four black ftripes he was deceived in, for three of them he thought brown, though they were exactly of the fame fhade with the other, which he properly called black. He fpoke, however, with diffidence as to all thofe ftripes; and it must be owned, the black was not very diftinet the light green he called yellow; but he was not very pofitive: he faid, "I think this is what you call yellow." The middle ftripe, which had a flight tinge of red, he called a fort of blue. But he was most of all deceived by the

orange colour; of this he spoke very confidently, faying, "This is the colour of grafs; this is green." I alfo fhewed him a great variety of ribbons, the colour of which he fometimes named rightly, and fometimes as differently as poffible from the true colours.

I asked him, whether he imagined it poffible for all the various colours he faw, to be mere difference of light and fhade; whether he thought they could be various degrees between white and black; and that all colours could be compofed of these two mixtures only? With fome hefitation he replied, no, he did imagine there was fome other difference.

I could not conveniently procure from this perfon an account in writing; but I have given his own words, having fet them down in writing immediately. Befides, as this converfation happened only the 10th of laft month, it is ftill fresh in my memory. I have endeavoured to give a faithful account

of this matter,, and not to render it more wonderful than it really is.

It is proper to add, that the experiment of the ftriped ribbon was made in the day-time, and in a good light.

I am SIR, &c.

An Account of a Journey into Africa from the Cape of Good-Hope, and a Defcription of a new Species of Cuckow. By Dr. Andreas Sparrman, of the Royal Academy of Stockholm, in a Letter to Dr. John Reinhold Forster, F. R. S.

From the Philofophical Tranfactions.

DEAR SIR,

Read

Sept. 16, 1776. Gottenburgh. EING returned to

Dec. 19B my native country

1776.

after an abfence of five years from it, I will endeavour to give you a fhort account of my expedition into Africa, which I undertook soon after parting with you at the Cape of Good-Hope. The voyage round the world, of which I fhared the perils and pleasures with you, had only made me more eager to 'continue my rambles in queft of new difcoveries, I fet out therefore from the neighbourhood of the Cape-town in the beginning of Auguft 1775, with no other company than the fon of the Dutch Lieutenant Emelman, who had formerly accompanied my learned friend Dr. Thunberg on a fimilar journey, and fome Hottentots who took care of my oxen.

The firft misfortune I met with was the lofs of the thermometer which you had left me, and which broke before I had reached the hot

bath.

bath. This was only a prelude to greater diftreffes. The drought was fo violent this year, that the like had not been experienced in the colony within the memory of man, and it obliged the inhabitants to leave their country-feats. A great part of their cattle perished for want of grafs and water, and I have frequently fuffered the moft raging thirst in the hot defarts which I traverfed; but I was too well seasoned during the voyage to dread the hardships of a fcanty fubfiftence, the fatigues of travelling, or the power of the climate. The moft fenfible misfortune which the dry feafon brought along with it, was the defolation of the vegetable kingdom. Far from being fo fortunate as Dr. Thunberg, who has added above a thousand species to the Flora Capenfis, I found every thing burnt up, and only in the thickest forefts met with fome perennial plants which were new to me, and which, upon a revifal of that gentleman's herbal, I believe are likewife unknown to him. Of these I propose to fend you fpecimens as foon as I can find time to bring my collection into fome kind of order. On the other hand, I have been fortunate with animals, and especially in the clafs of quadrupeds. I fhall not speak of lions and other beafts of prey, which I have frequently feen in broad daylight, and heard roaring about me at night, though they never ventured to attack our cattle. But it was chiefly among the antelopes and animals of that fort that I hunted. Mr. Emelinan and myfelf, with nine hottentots, a waggon drawn by feveral pairs of oxen, and feveral hunting hories, happily traverfed a defart of fifty

miles, where we had greater fport than any German prince could ever boat of. On that route I penetrated farther into the country than any of my predeceffors, having gone one hundred miles beyond the laft Chriftian's or Dutchman's hut, into the district of the Yellow or (as they are vulgarly called) Chinese Hottentots.

The great buffaloes which inhabit the wilds of Africa, do not appear to me to differ in any refpect from the North American Bifon, although I have feen great numbers of them. I have likewife found a fpecies of pole-cat on that continent which Linnæus calls Viverra Putorius, contrary to M. De Buffon's opinion, who feems to confine this animal and its species to America. By the fea-fide I was fortunate enough to catch a Manatee alive, notwithstanding the difficulty which must attend the capture of fuch an unwieldy animal. There I likewife faw fome iflands, on which I was told an English fhip had been loft. Thefe I fufpected at first to be the Doddingtons; but afterwards had reafon to doubt it, thofe iflands being fuppofed to lie in a more foutherly latitude.

I have had opportunities of making many curious and valuable Obfervations relative to the different tribes of Hottentots, their œconomy, hunting-matches, and other cuftoms; an account of which, together with fome remarks on the natural hiftory of the elephant, the rhinoceros, and other animals, I intend to prepare for the prefs. I am poffeffed of an accurate map of that part of Africa which I have vifited, containing all the hills, together with the smallest rivulets, as far as the Bay de la Goa, which,

I think,

I think, will be a great addition to the work. I only regret that I was not able to draw the objects of natural history, and have an hundred times wished that your fon had been with me for this purpose.

of feeing me again, having had no tidings of me for fo long a space of time. Notwithstanding the many dangers to which I had been expofed on this expedition, I affure you I was greatly tempted to ftay another year, in hopes of bebotanical ing more fuccefsful in difcoveries. However, the profpect of fecuring the fpoils which I had collected, prevailed on me to relinquish that fcheme. Indeed I little thought at that time that the greatest danger awaited my collection in Sweden. A few days ago a great part of it has been damaged here by fire, which has been particularly fatal to my ftuffed birds, having destroyed fome which were not yet defcribed.

As I am well acquainted with the pleasure which every new difcovery in the hiftory of nature gives you, I take this early opportunity of expreffing the readiness with which I wish to contribute to your fatisfaction, and have fubjoined to this letter an account of a curious bird, a fpecies of Cuckow, which I have faved out of the fire. I only beg that you will confider it as an earnest of more important communications, as foon the hurry of my affairs will permit me to bring my papers into order. In the mean time if

you

fhould think

Cuculus Indicator.

THIS curious fpecies of Cuckow is found at a confiderable distance from the Cape of Good Hope, in the interior parts of Africa, being entirely unknown at that fettlement. The first place where I heard of it was in a wood, called the Groot Vaader's Bofch, the Grand Father's Wood, fituated in a defart near the river which the Hottentots call T'kaut'kai. The Dutch fettlers there-abouts have given this bird the name of Honig-wyzer, or Honey-guide, from its quality of difcovering wild-honey to travellers. Its colour has nothing striking or beautiful, as will appear from the defcription and drawing annexed; and its fize is confiderably smaller than that of our Cuckow in Europe but in return, the instinct which prompts it to feek its food in a fingular manner, is truly admirable. Not only the Dutch and Hottentots, but likewise a species of quadruped, which the Dutch name a Ratel*, are frequently conducted to wild bee-hives by this bird, which as it were pilots them to the very fpot. The honey being its favourite food, its on intereft prompts it to be inftrumental in robbing the hive, as fome fcraps are commonly left for its fupport.

The

The morning and evening are its times of feeding, and it is then heard calling in a fhrill tone cherr, cherr, which the honey-hunters carefully attend to as the fummons to the chace. From time to time they anfwer with a foft whiftle, which the bird hearing, always continues its note. As foon as they are in fight of each other, the bird gradually flutters towards the place where the hive is fituated, continually repeating its former call of cherr, cherr: nay, if it fhould happen to have gained a confiderable way before the men (who may easily be hindered in the purfuit by bufhes, rivers, and the like) it returns to them again, and redoubles its note, as if to reproach them with their inactivity. At laft the bird is obferved to hover for a few moments over a cer

tain fpot, and then filently retiring to a neighbouring bush or other refting-place, the hunters are fure of finding the bees neft in that identical fpot, whether it be in a tree, or in the crevice of a rock, or (as is most commonly the cafe) in the earth. Whilft the hunters are bufy in taking the honey, the bird is feen looking on attentively to what is going forward, and waiting for its fhare of the spoil. The bee-hunters never fail to leave a small portion for their conductor, but commonly take care not to leave fo much as would fatisfy its hunger. The bird's appetite being only whetted by this parfimony, it is obliged to commit a fecond treafon, by difcovering another beesneft, in hopes of a better falary. It is further obferved, that the nearer the bird approaches the hidden hive, the more frequently

it repeats its call, and feems more impatient.

I have had frequent opportunities of feeing this bird, and have been witnefs of the deftruction of feveral republicks of bees, by means of its treachery. I had however but two opportunities of shooting it, which I did to the great indignation of my Hottentots. From thofe fpecimens (both of which are fuppofed to be females) I have made the fubfequent defcription. The inhabitants in general accuse the fame bird of fometimes conducting its followers where wild beafts and venomous ferpents have their places of abode: this however I never had an opportunity of afcertaining myfelf; but am apt to believe fuch cafes to be accidental, when dangerous animals happen to be in the neighbourhood of a beesneft.

Whilft I ftaid in the interior parts of Africa, a neft was fhewn to me, which fome peasants affured me was the neft of a Honeyguide. It was woven of flender filaments or fibres of bark, in the form of a bottle, The neck and opening hung downwards, and a ftring in an arched fhape was fufpended acrofs the opening, faftened by the two ends, perhaps for the bird to perch upon.

Defcriptio Cuculi Indicatoris.

ROSTRUM craffiufculum, verfus bafin fufcum, apice luteum.

Angulus oris ufque infra oculos extenfus.

Nares poftremæ ad bafin roftri, fupremæ vicinæ ut carinulâ dorfali faltem feparerentur, oblonga,