318 INDEX. 



greatest pest : couples towards spring, and the young found 

 about the beginning of May: generally four or five at a 

 time : description of the mole-hill, in which the female has 

 brought forth her young: is scarcely found, except in cul- 

 tivated countries : the varieties are but few : that of Vir- 

 ginia is black, mixed with a deep purple : that of Poland 

 is white : Agricola says he saw hats made of mole-skins, 

 the finest and most beautiful imaginable, iii. 196. 



Moulting annually suffered by birds: its effects: artificially 

 accelerated, and how: the manner in which nature per- 

 forms the operation, iv. 15. The season commonly obtains 

 from the end of summer to the middle of autumn, 17. 



Mona, the Cephus of the ancients, a monkey of the ancient 

 continent : its description, iii. 317. 



Mongooz, of the maki kind, the last of the monkeys: its des- 

 cription : is a native of Madagascar, iii. 322. 



Monkey, they sometimes fall a prey to the lion in deserts and 

 forests, ii. 407. One general description will not serve for 

 all the animals of the monkey kind, iii. 279. La Condamine 

 asserts it would take up a volume to describe the differences 

 of monkeys found along the river of Amazons : and we are 

 sure that every one of these is different from those on the 

 African coast ; an elaborate description of each must be use- 

 less and tiresome, their numbers being very great, and their 

 differences very trifling ; those of two cantons never found 

 to mix : of all kinds, less than the baboon, have less power 

 of doing mischief, and their ferocity diminishes with their 

 size : do nothing desired without beating : their fears once 

 removed, they are the most insolent, headstrong animals in 

 nature : in their native woods, are the pests of other animals, 

 and the masters of the forest where they reside : the tiger 

 or the lion will not venture to dispute dominion with crea- 

 tures, who, from the tops of trees, with impunity carry on 

 an offensive war, and by their agility escape all pursuit: 

 birds have not less to fear from their continual depredations, 

 such being their petulant delight in mischief, that they fling 

 the eggs against the ground, when wanting appetite to de- 

 vour them : one only animal in the forest ventures to oppose 

 them, that is the serpent : larger snakes often wind up the 

 trees where they reside, and happening to surprise them, 

 sleeping, swallow them whole, before they can make de- 

 fence: they generally inhabit the tops of trees, and the 

 snakes cling to the branches nearer the bottom : in this 

 manner they are near each other, like enemies in the same 

 field of battle : some supposed their vicinity rather argued 

 mutual friendship, 302, &c. Father Labat has seen them 

 playing their gambols upon those branches on which the 

 snakes were reposing, and jumping over them without receiv- 

 ing any injury : they provoke the snake, as the sparrows 



