372 Nolices respecting New Books. 



A stone having been thrown at a lizard, which struck off its , 

 tail } the tail leaped a})out for five minutes, and moved, some- 

 thing like a serpent, to three yards distant. The poor lizard as 

 well as myself stood wondering at this exhibition. The Hotten- 

 tots informed me that, like serpents, after their heads are cut off 

 they live until the going down of the sun. 



The natives have a strange way of getting rid of flies. They 

 rub iriilk over their sheep, find, placing them before the door, 

 drive out the flies: these instantly light upon the sheep, vvhicli 

 are then driven to a distance. 



Sept. 28. — Four scorpions were put into a hole dug in the 

 earth. They soon began to fight The mode was curious. 

 Having two claws like a crab's, with these they attempted to 

 seize each other by the head. When one happened to be thus 

 caught, he seemed sensible of his danger and cried out ; but the 

 other, regardless of his cries, turned round his tail and gave liim 

 one sting. The one that was stung, as if aware of its mortality, 

 resisted no more, but lay down till he died. The other, as 

 if aware of the same thing, gave himself no further trouble. 

 They all had the same method of fighting, and all the vanquished 

 acted in the same maimer. The surviving conqueror was put 

 to death, as too dangerous to be allowed to escape. 



April 21. — On the voyage home crossed the equator, and had 

 an opportunity to see verified Dr. Franklin's assertion, that oil. 

 thrown upon agitated water will smooth it. A South Sea whaler 

 near us pumped out her bilge-water, which was mixed with oil; 

 when the sea for a quarter of a mile behind her became as smooth 

 a3 glass. 



yi practical Treatise on Gas Light ; exhihiting a summary De- 

 scription of the apparatus aid Machinery best calculated for 

 illuminating Streets, Houses, and Manufactories ivith car- 

 Intretted Hydrogen or Coal Gas; ivith Remarks on the Uti- 

 lity, Safety and ger.eral Nature of this new Branch of 

 (Ivil Qilcoiiorny. By Fredrick Accum. 8vo. Ackerman. 

 pp. 200. 



Our readers are of course aware that the rapid increase in 

 price of late years, of the materials for producing light, has given 

 rise to a new and beautiful substitute tor oil, wax, and tallow ; 

 this new method consists in burning the gas obtainable froni 

 common pit-coal by distillation, and the light so obtained is 

 known by the name of Gas Light. 



At an early period in the history of the introduction of tiiis 

 improvement info the British empire, Mr. Accum was caH^d 

 upon to give the aid of his extensive practical knowledge as a 

 chemist, in investigating the ricrits cf the new institution, and 



had 



