398] 
my season; but these are, as we 
have seen, the means of floating 
and of navigating. Nature em- 
ploys others with which we are 
not acquainted, for preserving the 
substances of fruits, from the im- 
pressions of the air. For cxample, 
she preserves, through the whole 
winter, many species of apples and 
pears, which have no other cover- 
ing than a pellicle so very thin, 
that it is impossible to determine 
how fine it is. 
Nature has placed other vege- 
tables in humid and dry situations, 
the qualities of which are inexpli- 
cable on the principles of our phy- 
sics, but which admirably harmo- 
nize with the necessities of the men 
who inhabit those places. Along 
the water-side grow the plants and 
the trees which are the dryest, the 
lightest, and, consequently, the 
best adapted for the purpose of 
crossing the stream. Such are 
reeds, which are hollow, and 
rushes which are filled with an in- 
flammable marrow. It requires 
but a very moderate bundle of 
rushes to bear the weight of a very 
heavy man upoa the water. On 
the banks of the lakes ef the north 
are produced those enormeus birch- 
trees, the bark of a single one of 
which is suflicient to form a large 
canoe. This bark is similar to 
Jeather in pliancy, aud so ineorrup. 
tible by humidity, that, in Russia, 
I have seen some of it extrated 
from under the earth which co- 
vered powder magazines, perfe@ly 
sound, though it had lain there 
from the time of Peter the Great. 
Account of the Katusi, a species of 
Gazelle or Antelope. From le 
Vaillant’s Secand Fours ey into the 
Interior of Africa. 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1706, 
THE Kainsi has’ received frort 
the Dutch its name of rock-jumper 
(4/ip-:pringer), merely on account 
of the nimbleness with which it 
bounds from rock to rock ; and in 
faét, of all the gazelle tribe it is 
the most active. It is the size of a 
roebuck of a year old, and has a 
coat of a yellowish grey ; but its 
hair is singular in this respeét, that 
instead of being round, supple, and 
solid, like that of most quadrupeds, 
it is flat, harsh, and so little ad. 
herent to the skin, that the least 
friction causes it to fall off. Hence 
nothing is more easy than to strip 
the animal of hair, dead or alive; 
friction, or even touching the skin, 
is sufficient for the purpose. Of. 
ten have I endeavoured to preserve 
the fur of those which I had killed, 
without being able to effet it: 
notwithstanding all my precautions 
in skinning them, the greatest part 
of the hair fell off. Another par. 
ticularity is the brittleness of the 
hair; which is such that, if a por. 
tion be taken between the fingers, 
and twisted with the other hand, 
the hairs break. This property, 
however, is common to severah 
quadrupeds which live among rocks. 
This gazelle also differs from the 
other species in the form of its 
hoof, which is not pointed like 
theirs, but rounded at the extre. 
mity ; and as it is its custom, in 
leaping or walking, to pinch with 
the point of the hoof without bear. _. 
ing on the heel, it leaves a print 
distinguishable from those of all the 
African antelores. Its flesh is ex- 
quisite, and much in request, es~ 
pecially among the hunters. The 
panthers and leopards are equally 
fond of it. Ihave heard the Hot 
tentots relate that these animals 
unite to hunt the kainsi; and that 
when 
