410 
others: Ict the following fact suffice. 
That species. of waterefowl called 
moor-hen, is, during the progress of 
incubation; in the habit of uttering a 
frequent, and. plaintive ery; whichis 
pleasing, though mournful: this note — 
serves to betray the otherwise atten- 
live bird into the hands of sauntering 
boys, who. are wandering on the sedgy 
banks of rivers:which they haunt, aud 
where their nests are invariably found. 
It likewise tends to draw the attention 
of its direst enemy, that keen sporting 
animal the water-rat; than whom 
there is not a more active rapacious 
“hunter of prey,” throughout the do- 
mains of every river. During the 
many hours I have sat silent on the 
banks of the Darent, which is an asy- 
Tum for thousands of these noxious 
animals, I have seen them répeatedly, 
on hearing the moor-hen’s pitiful 
plaint from her nest, dash immediately 
into ihe water from the opposite side, 
and, swimming across to the spot, 
immediately dart into the nest, and, 
having scared the mother from her 
eggs or brood, would cither devour the 
former by sucking them on the spot, 
or, seizing hold of a young bird in its 
meuth, would re-plunge with it into 
the water, and carry it across, to be de- 
voured inits own nest. The otter him- 
self is not more bold, quick, or rapa- 
cious, than this spirited animal: he 
will frequently dive and bring up small 
fish, such as gudgeons, minnows, fry, 
&c. and quite in a manner similar to 
the “water-dog,” the otter himself. 
None of the watery tribe, not even the 
largest trout, as he swims across, dare 
attack him, except the larger species 
of pike, who proves an overmatch for 
shim, and draws him, after a skort 
struggle, a shrieking victim, into the 
‘watery guiph, where suffocation pre- 
eludes the exercise. of. his. natural 
powers and courage, It is not uncom- 
mon, in opening a large-sized pike, to 
find one, or sometimes two, water-rats 
4n his. maw; and these fish certainly 
do good in large pools, ponds; and 
rivers, by diminishing the race of such 
depredators as water-rats; for, although 
their natural propensities, cause them 
to, prefer any spot where water is, to 
other places, they are’ great depre- 
dators of all field produce, and their 
disposition for eating is almost un- 
ceasing. ' E,, 8. 
Banks of the Davrent; 
Nov. 17, 1823. 
Water-Rats.—St.Paul, St. Peter, and St. Ananias. 
[Jan. I, 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
LETTER to GAMALIEL 8MITH, ESQ. 
INDICATING some HITHERTO’ UNNO- 
TICED DOCUMENTS, concerning’ S\INT 
PAUL, SAINT PETER, and SAINT 
ANANIAS. DRC ae 
OUR “Not Paul, but Jesus,” has. 
recently ‘passed through my 
hands: it contains strictures somewhat 
harsh, but many important, remarks 
on the early history of the church of 
Christ; and it points out real disso- 
nances between the doctrines of Paul 
and those of the, original disciples of 
Jesus. You have confined, yourself 
to the dissection of scriptural docu- 
menis concerning these personages ; 
but there are three passages in Jose- 
phus which appear to,me to, make 
mention of Paul, of, Peter, and of 
Ananias, and which may assist.in a 
just appreciation of the character, of 
these men. tee 
I. In the Antignities of Josephus 
Xvill. 3. 5. cecurs this paragraph, 
There was a man, a Jew)» wlio: had 
been driven away trom his,own country by 
an accusation laid against hum for trans- 
gressing its laws, and by the fear he was 
under of punishment fox the same, one, in 
all respects a busy-body. .He, then living 
at Rome, there professed to instiuct men 
in the wisdom of the laws of Moses. He 
procured also three other men, entirely of 
the same cliaracter, to be his partnets ; 
and they persuaded Fulviaya lady of the 
highest rank, and one who had embraced 
the Jewish religion, to send purple and 
gold to the temple at Jerusalem... And, 
when they bad gotten, this, they employed 
it for their own use, and spent the money 
themselves, for which purpose it was that 
they had first solicited it., Whereupon 
Tiberius, who bad, been informed.of the 
thing by the husband of Fulvia, (Narcis- 
sus,)* who desired enquiry might be made 
about it, ordered all the Jews. to be 
: banished 
* Be it observed, that Josephus. calls 
the husband. of Fulvia, Saturninus ; but 
this pame must be an error.of the copyist ; 
because, in the preceding paragraph, he 
had related the jhistory. of another Alex- 
andrian, heiress, who had caused the wor- 
shippers of Anubis to be sent out of 
Rome; and her hashand’s name, which 
occurs repeatedly, was Saturninus,, A 
parallelism of name is so improbable, that 
the occurrence in this second paragraph of 
the same name must have been an erfor of 
reminiscence. As the name of any hand- 
some mat may serve to designate the hus- 
‘band of an heiress, I have employed the 
hy pothetical name Narcissus. 
