27S thirlwall's Greece. 



extended it must measure considerably more than two inches. It is 

 brown, beautifully marked with yellow, but 1 cannot pretend to deter- 

 mine its species ; for 1 am not entomologist enough to kill it without 

 compunction, and I cannot see the arrangement of its eyes. This may 

 be sufficient to enable some of your members to recognize it; and the 

 appearance to which I allude, I know not how to describe better than 

 to say it exactly resembles what the ladies call " herring-bone stitch," 

 extending about six inches perpendicularly through the centre of the 

 "web — its object 1 presume is to mask the owner of the web, for he takes 

 his position behind it. It is formed 1 doubt not of the same materials as 

 the web itself, but probably from being thicker it looks much whiter and 

 more like silk. This also may be familiar to you ; but I do not remem- 

 ber to have seen it before, and it assuredly is not accidental ; for I find it 

 on three dilTerent webs of the same species of spider. 



THIRLWALL S GREECE. 



" History of Greece. By tJie Right Rev. Connoss Thh'lwall, 

 Lord Bishop of St. David's." 2 Vols. Harpers'' edition. 



Greece, the former home of philosophy and song, consecrated as 

 the cradle of learning, refinement and liberty, is a spot which awakens 

 in the breast of the classical student the most interesting associations. 

 Any thing connected with the land in which Homer sang and Plato rea- 

 soned, where iEschylus charmed his hearers and Demosthenes spoke in 

 strains of resistless eloquence, which 



" Shook the arsenal and fuhnin'd over Greece, 

 To Macedon and xVrtaxerxes throne," 



cannot fail to secure and elicit our sympathy. This interesting country 

 has afforded material for the historic pen of some most gifted writers, 

 yet of all these we know of none that can compare with the work of 

 Bishop Thirlwall. The eagerness with which it has every where been 

 read is a sufficient testimony of the popularity of the author. It has al- 

 ready passed through several editions and has received the general suf- 

 frage of England and the Continent. The American edition is from the 

 press of the Messrs. Harpers, occupying two large octavo volumes. 

 The work is a learned, elaborate and ingenious view of ancient Greece. 

 The author does not give the result of his researches in a simple state- 

 ment, but takes the reader in a manner over the ground, he himself has 

 traveled, before he arrived at his conclusions. To many, some of his 

 cxpoijitionauiay appear heavy, but all aie valuable; if any were omitted 



