m 



•trieaning: in .Natural HlJ^sryi 



[Nov; 1, 



ivben furprifed in the neft, after they have 

 attained Ibme ftrength, make u bold de- 

 fence, by throwing themfclves on their 

 bicks, and exerting their fliai p beak and 

 talons ag,iinft the hand of the invader. 



Thefe harrier* commit great havoc 

 ahjongft wild ducks and other water- fowl, 

 that breed in the lakes and mountain ri- 

 vulets of Northumberland. They alfo 

 deftroy great quantities cf game j and in 

 the fprmg of the year often pounce upon 

 and devour chicke*is and other young 

 poultry. — IVallii's Natural Hijlatj of Nor- 

 thumberland, vol. I, p. 311. 



THE CROW. 



Crows build in pioJigicus numbeis Jn 

 Fiflmark and other parts of Norway, al- 

 though they are very uncommon bird* in 

 Sweden. They generally take their flight 

 Jn large flock* along the fca-ftiore. Theie 

 birds, through cold and hunger, become 

 very tame in vi'inter j and at that fea ion 

 hover about tiie tents of ihe Laplanders, 

 and fometimes even Venture to come into 

 them, and pick up any fragments of pro- 

 vifion that happen to be within their 

 reach. 



THE Cardinal grosbeak. 

 hoxta Cardinalh of Linn<eus. 



Thefe birds are g^Mt, enemies to the 

 different fpecies of bees, frequently lying 

 inwsitfoi, and devouring them in great 

 numbers, which, in fpite of their ftings, 

 they do without any injury to themfelves. 

 Pro'eflor Ka!m fed a fiaall hiid of this ("pe- 

 des in a cage for five months, with ina'ze 

 and buck-wheat. By its fong ir attraificd 

 others of its fjiecies to the court-yard, and 

 after miizc had been put on theground un- 

 der the window where it was kept, the 

 others came there every day to get their 

 food: on thefe occafions it was very eafy 

 to citch them by means of traps. Some 

 of the birris, eipecioJIy the old ones, botli 

 cocks and htns, died -.vhcn pat into cages. 

 But thofe which could endure the confine- 

 ment, and became docile, luon began to 

 fing with great f«eetners. Their note 

 very much refembles that of the European 

 rightingale, and on account of this agree- 

 able fong they have frequently been (ent 

 in cages in grtat quantities to London. 

 They have fuch ftrength in their bills, 

 that when laid hold of with the hand, 

 th-y <.ften pinch ^o hard at to bring blood. 

 1:1 fpriig they fit warbling on the tops uf 

 toe higheft trees in the wools, in the 

 morting. But in their cases ihey remain 

 quite ftlll for about an hour; the next 

 hour they hop up and down ilnging, and 

 fo ihcy go onalicrnately nearly through 



the whole day.— ATa/w'^ Travels In North 

 America, vol. ii. p. 71. 



MUSK BEETLE, 



Ctrambyx mofchatus of L'tnnaus. 



On holding one of thefe infefls to mir 

 hofe to fitiell at it, the little animal dif- 

 charged into my eve a liquid which had ^ 

 very powerful mufky fcent, and which oc- 

 c^fioned confiderable pain for fome mi- 

 nutes. This property of difch^rging a 

 fluid againft ahy objefl that offend* it, 

 was no doubt intended by nature as a 

 means of defence to the creature againft 

 its enemies, boih of its own and other 

 clalTes. 



Stag beetle, 

 Lucanus cer-vus of Linnaus. 



The (fag-beetle flies abroad in (he even- 

 ings, but always conceals itfelf during 

 the day in old elm ftumps and roots, 6n 

 the leave* of which tree it feeds. I have 

 tieq-.ently found the heads of thefe in- 

 fefts, Ibmetinies to the nnitiber of ten or 

 twelve together, perfed^ly aiive, but the 

 trunks atxl abdomen* were no where to 

 be found ; and occafion'illv I have found 

 the head and trunk together, the abdo- 

 men only being Wanting. How thefe 

 heads and trunk> came to be left alive, 

 and the abdomens carried away, I could 

 never Iktisfiifotily difcover ; bat from 

 what I have often obferved of the man- 

 ners of thefe infefls, I can almoft fuppofe 

 it is done in their battles with each other. 

 They are very fierce creatures when pro- 

 voked, and eafilyable, by means of their 

 powerful jaws, to bite each other afunder. 

 But, in this ca/e, what can become of the 

 abdomens ? I never found ihefe leparate, 

 and the in(t£ts do not devour each other, 

 at leaft their mouths do not appear to be 

 formed for fuch kin.l of food ; and they 

 have been obferved m the ail of eating ve- 

 getable food. If tiie feuaration of their 

 bodies was cccali ned by any bird that 

 fed on them (and I have feen the fpotted 

 fly-catcher, mufcicapa ^rifota of Ltnmeiis, 

 catch one of them whillt flying), we can 

 fcarctrly conceive th.it the head fliould ge- 

 nerally be the only part left, fince the ely- 

 tra would be rejected with an equal, it not 

 grea.ereafethan this, and they are equally 

 indigeftible. 



THE admiral butterfly. 



Papilio atalanta of Linnttus, 

 Thefe mfetls frequently alight in great 

 number* npon the ripe pears which fall 

 off the trees in the autumn. Thefe being 

 foft and mellow, and moreover crufhed by 

 their fall, are eafily penetrated by the 

 long and tender piobofcei of thc-infefts, 



ai^d 



