1805.] 



gleanings in hfaiural Hlftoryi 



day and night like a (hadow. In vain did 

 he renew every art that had failed him 

 before. His prayers, his tears, his pur- 

 fuit, all were in vain. At length he 

 poured out hii foul in prayer to the deity 

 whom he ferved to turn tlie heart of his 

 cruel tyrant, to make her at length feel the 

 lorce of his paflTion, and fee the barbaiiry 

 of her. own ncgleft. The God heard 

 him, and to grant rhe recjuell of his belov- 

 ed fervant did all that Bicchus could do. 

 The people of Calydon were fuddenly 

 feized with an epidemic phrenzy which 

 raged among thern, and reltmbled in its 

 etfecls the moft viclent paroxyfms of 

 diunlci-n.iefs. Numbers j;eri(hed daily in 

 ruing fits. No cure could be fjund tor 

 ihe dileafe, which iiicreafcd continually 

 both in violence and extent. In this ex- 

 tremity, fuch among the citizens as yet 

 retained the ufe of their real' n confiilied 

 the oiacle by means of their holy duves 

 which they kept in their Itmple, and 

 which were the condanf meflTcngers bc- 

 -twceii thern and the divinity. , Tlie wing- 

 ;«d ambaflTadors began (heir journey 

 through the air, nor rcfted^till they ptrcb- 

 eJ oil the tall o:iks of Dodona. Phcy 

 delivered faithfully the objeCi cf their inil- 

 fion, and foon returned to C-lyd.n wiih 

 theanfw r of Jove, which rtquired that a 

 noble virgin (h"ukl be laciifncd !0 3p|.!cafe 

 the offended deities. The loyclicit maids 

 of the city were aflembled in the temple, 

 ar.d the fatal lot fell on the lovelieft of 

 them all, the cruel Callirhoe. The ap- 

 ITeinted day arrived. The devoted vic- 

 tim was ied befoe the altar of Bacrhjs. 

 As vet it was unknown to all but tliolc in 

 ^hofe prefence the lots hsJ been caft who 

 was the unhappy virgin deftintd to propi- 

 tiate the offended Heavens. It fell to 

 the lot of Coroefus to immolate the vic- 

 tim J but when he approached the altar, a 

 fudden trembling (cizcd on all his frame ; 

 he haftily tore off the white veil which yet 

 concealed the face of his Callirhoe. But 

 the die was caft, and what had b::en done 

 w as n')W irrevi cable. He lilted the fatal 

 knife to (trike, but found it impoflible to 

 execute his purpo'e. At length with one 

 defperate effort he plunged it, not into the 

 hufbm ot hi« C.illii hoe, but his own, aid 

 died inllantly at the feet of her he loved. 

 His tragical end pioUiced the effeft whah 

 all the t-xeitioi.s of h's Me had faiicd to 

 atcomplifti. 'I'he ht-:,it of the virgin was 

 turned, and the object of the CI id being 

 ai-compl.flieil, his aiii^er ceafed. But 

 O^lliihiie did.not long furvive her .^nhappy 

 lever ; iJu- fell into a dec]) melancholy lor 



his death, and thence Info madnefs, anl 

 foon afterwards drowned herfdf in a neigh- 

 bouring fpring, which receive 1 its name 

 from her. 



(To be continued.) 



Far the Monthly Magazine. 



CLEANII«GS in NATURAL HlSTORr. 



No. HI. 



THE RING-OUZEL. 



THIS bird ufually frequents only rocky 

 and mountainoui countries, but it has 

 been known to breed in bu(hes i>n (he fides 

 of a tolerably lleep valley, betwixt Cliplton 

 and Marfton,inNoithainpronfliire. Mor- 

 ton, the hillorian of that coui:ty, mentions 

 having (lio; one of the male birds in the 

 month of April, 1710. On examination 

 of it' gizzard, he f. und th.it it contained 

 the wi-igs and (T»c;Is of beetles, and feve- 

 ral round feeds. The riig-oiizel has a 

 chatteifng note, nat tnuch unlike that of 

 a fiaj-fare. In Oaober, 1710, a hen of 

 this I'pccies wa* fliot at the top of FliiwtH 

 grounds, by Arlington field fide. The- 

 hth was without that ring round it? neck 

 which dilfingiiiuud the c-tk,.aoa from 

 which the bird has its name. — Mortons 

 HijJory nf Northamptonjhii-e, p. 4.15. 



THE CARRiON VLILTURE. 



Vultur aur, of Linuaus. 

 Thefe birds (fays Dampier) are quick 

 enough to difcover ihcir piey. For when 

 we hunt in woods and favanr.alis, as foca 

 as we have kllUtd a beaft, they will im- 

 mediately flock to us from all p.irts,. and 

 in lefs tha 1 an houi 's tihu; there will fome- 

 tiraes be two cr three hundred, though at 

 firlt there was net one to be iiren. I have 

 fometimes admired from vt-hcnce fj majiy 

 could (o fuddenly come, for we never lie 

 above two or three at a place, before thpy 

 adembled to feed on a caicait;, — Dampier^s 

 Voyage to Campeachj, p. 67. 



. THt HEN-rtARRlER. 



Hen-haniers breed annudly on theChe- 

 viot hills, in Northumberland, and on the 

 (hady precipices under the Roman wall, 

 byCra^lake, in the fame rounty. This 

 and the ring- tail aiK certainly the fan.e 

 bird, though tiiey aieftflointo be Itcn 

 together except in the bree !iiig fealoi.. 

 The male, when any peifon approacii'.s 

 the ncit whilft ihe hen is vAiih htr eg^i or 

 you.ng, fijes about apparently in gr«ac 

 anxiety, and utters a harfh an I (ingvij.ir 

 kind of note. The female lays f<ur eg^s 

 ill' the receflcsof the iietpeit, pietipices by 

 lalces ; and on the gioupJ, among htaih, 

 on the Cheviut liilJs. The yoi.iio^ oaes, 



yrr.ea 



