jjgi. account of the agatiu'e. 249 



Sir, To the Editor of the Bee. 



i TRANSCRIBED the following article from a London perio- 

 dical publication that was stifled in its craddle, after a few 

 numbers only had been publiflied. As it has never per- 

 haps been seen by any of your readers, and was doubtlefs 

 unknown to your correspondent, & young observer, when he 

 wrote the account of the baya, vol. viii. p. 18. it may be 

 considered as a proper companion for that article. Wifh- 

 ing succefs to your laudable undertaking, I am, Sir, your 

 humble servant, An old book worm. 



Account of the agamee, a singular bird. 



Nothing tends so much to demonstrate the immense 

 distance there is between man in a savage state, and man 

 in a state of society, as the conquests which the latter has 

 made over the wild animals. He is aided by the dog on num- 

 'berlefs occasions ; the horse, the ox, the afs. the camel, 

 the rein deer, the lama, become his servants, and enable 

 him to transport burdens which his own strength never 

 could have mastered. He rears, under his own eye, fowls, 

 turkies, geese, ducks, pheasants, and peacocks ; he has do- 

 ■mesticated pigeons, and made the bees themselves gather 

 stores for his use. The savage pays little attention to 

 these acquisitions, insomuch that there are few cases in 

 which he has attempted to make any of the animals mini- 

 ster by their labour to his wants, still fewer in which he 

 has thought of making them contribute to his pleasures 

 or amusements. 



Man is formed for society ; he is therefore most highly 

 pleased with those of his own species who seem to be 

 most sensibly touched with those marks of attention which 

 indicate a partiality for him ; and he never fails to be par- 



VOL. X. II I 



