1805.] 



Cleanings In Natural Hijiory, 



THE OSTRICH. 



An oftrieh that was kept in ihe Mena- 

 •gerie du Mufeum at Paris, devoured in its 

 food ftones, pieces of metal, and various 

 other things equally indigeftible. This 

 animal wr:is known to take at one time 

 near a pound weight of ilones, pieces of 

 copper and iron. 



In the year 1801, a female oftrich, dur- 

 ing two months, i.iid fix eggs, three of 

 which were without any flieli. One of 

 them, which was perfert, was a» large as 

 thof'i laid by the animals in their native 

 climates, was immediately weighed, and 

 it was found equal to two pounds and 

 fourteen ounces. Two of the eggs were 

 cooked, and they were thought to be pre- 

 ferable in flivour to thofe ot a poultry- 

 hen — La Me/!agerii du Mufeum National 

 iTHiJioire Nciturelle. 



THE MOCKING-EIRO. 



This well-known inhabitant of the 

 woods of North America is faid to be fo 

 fliy, that if any perl'on di('cover its neft, 

 and only look at the egss, it immediately 

 forfakes it. The yoimg ones require 

 greatcare in being bred up in confinement. 

 If they are takeri from the mother, and put 

 info a cage near the place where they are 

 found, fhe feeds them for a few days 5 but 

 feeing no hopes of letting theni at liiierty, 

 file at laft flies entirely away. It often 

 happens that the young ones foon after- 

 wards die, and doubtleis in a great mea- 

 fure from the lofs of their natural food. 

 It is, however, a fuppofition among the 

 the common people, tliat the lall time the 

 mother brings food, fhe finds means to 

 poii'on them, in order the fooner to deli- 

 vei them from from llavery and wretch- 

 ednefs. Thefe birds reruain all fummer 

 in the colonies, but retire in the autumn 

 to the more Ibuthern parts of America, 

 where they pals the winter months. — 

 Kaltni Tra-Vc'ls into North America, 'vol. 

 i. p. aiS. 



THE FLAMINr.O. 



Dampler faw a few flamingos In the 

 C.ipe de Verd Iflandi. He attempted to 

 (hf^ot fome of thtm, but thty were lb fliy 

 and timid that he fotmd this a very diffi- 

 cult thing to do. He informs us, that 

 the fltfh both of the old and young ones 

 was very lean and black, yet that it was 

 gold eating, and iieitlier tailed li(hy, nor 

 was olherwile unpleallint. 



He fays, tliat when many of them are 

 flanding together by the fide of a pond, 

 thty hive very much the appearance, at 

 the di/iarce of half or three quarters of a 

 mile, of a brick wall, f.r their feathers are 



of the co!o'-n- of new rer! bricks, and they 

 often range tliemfeives in Itrait lines. 



The young ones are at firft oi h light 

 grey, and, »s their wing-festhers iprin^ 

 ous they become d.-\rkcr j but tiiey do 

 not attain their proper coiour nor their 

 ufual beauilful fliape till they are at lead 

 ten or eleven months o\i.—Dampier's 

 Fojages, "vol. i. f. 70. 



THE AMERICAN COCK-ROACH. 



Blatta Americana of Liiinaus. 



This, one of the moll loathfome of aJl 

 infecl«, fwarms in moft hot climates in the 

 weftern parts of the world. They are fo 

 flat that they creep into every chelt or 

 drawer where they can find the leait cre- 

 vice. They gnaw woollen clothes of 

 every defcripiion, but efpecially fiich as 

 have had hair powder un them. What is 

 very remarkable, they will not t. uch filk 

 of any kind. They fiequently throw ol? 

 their exterior flcin ; and aster every changs 

 of this they appear fieih and young.— 

 Browne" i Ci-vii and Natural Uifiory of 

 Jamaica, p. 433. 



The Americans know this fpecies by 

 the name of kakl?PHac. It is fometimes 

 brought over alive amongfl clothes or 

 merchandize in vefiels from the Weft In- 

 dies into Europe. In the hcu(es of many 

 parts of America they often commit 

 great depredations, from the immenf.ty 

 of their numbers, in gnawing and de- 

 vouring both clothes and proviiinns, and 

 it is extremely difficult 10 guard agairilt 

 the ravages ot thefe deHiuftive inf<.6fs. — 

 With refpeft to provilions, every thiag 

 •that they run over contrails from them io 

 naufeousa fmell as to render them ftarcely 

 eatable. 



According to the cbfervations of Reau- 

 mur, thefe cock-roachts have a moit for- 

 midable enemy in a large I'pecies vi fphex. 

 He fays, that when one of iheie f heges 

 encounters a cock-roach, it feizes it by 

 the head, pierces its body with its polfon- 

 ou3 fting, and afterwards carries it off 

 into its hole. In this it has depufited iis 

 eggs, and the bodies of the ccck-ioaches 

 fervc the larva, lor food till they are a'jle 

 to attain tiieir wingetl Hale. — Hifhiie Na- 

 turelle dei hifeSies, par T/gw/, <vol. v. p. 



22. 



Whence can the apparently ridiculs.us 

 name of cock- roach be dtrivtd } 



THE AMERICAN LOCUSTS, 



Cicada Seplendecim of Liimatis. 

 A writer in the Pliilofophical Tranfac- 

 tions iclatvs, that, about the middle of 



