514 



of 



engage himself. Tlie poor animal, as he 

 looked down upon his perplexing adversary, 

 looked truly piteous and ridiculous, and we 

 began to think that the black would fail in 

 his attempt. 



" The native, however, growing impatient 

 and angry, ascended a step higher, till the 

 very tree bent with his weight. He tried 

 again, and having succeeded in slipping the 

 noose over the monkey's head, immediately 

 twisted the pole so as to tighten the cord. 

 " Me got him rascal," he exclaimed, as he 

 looked downward to see the best way of 

 descending. " Come along, you rascal, come 

 come, come I " he cried, tugging away at the 

 monkey, who seemed unwilling to quit his 

 post. Down they came by degrees, the 

 black cautiously managing his prisoner, 

 every now andj then making faces at him 

 and teasing him, with great apparent de- 

 light and satisfaction to himself. We could 

 not but observe the cautious manner in 

 which be appeared at times to treat the 

 monkey . but this caution we soon perceived 

 was very necessary, for when they had 

 descended to where the tree divided into 

 two branches, the black endeavoured to make 

 the animal pass him, so that he might have 

 better command over him. In so doing the 

 monkey made a spiteful catcli or spring at 

 the native, but which he cleverly avoided 

 by shifting himself to the other branch with 

 great dexterity. At length, however, both 

 the man and the monkey arrived nearly to 

 the bottom of the tree, when the latter, being 

 lowermost, jumped upon the ground, got 

 loose, and having crawled to the nearest tree, 

 commenced ascending again. We seized him 

 by the rump, thoughtless of danger, but soon 

 thought it advisable to quit our hold, when 

 the native, now enraged, sprung to his toma- 

 hawk, and threw it with such force at the 

 unlucky monkey as to knock him clean off 

 the tree. We took the animal to the camp, 

 where it was soon despatched, as we thought, 

 from its pitiful cries, that it was suffering 

 torture from the blow of the tomahawk." 



PHASCOLOMYS. [See WOMBAT.] 



PHASIANELLA. A genus of Mollusca 

 found in South America, India, New Hol- 

 land, the Mediterranean, &c. The head of 

 the animal has two long and round tenta- 

 cula, with eyes on two footstalks ; foot ob- 

 long. The shell is smooth, oval, variegated; 

 aperture entire, oval ; outer lip thin ; inner 

 thin, spread over a portion of the body 



BtTLIMOIBZS I WITH IT8 

 OPKRODI.tJM. 



whorl ; eolumella smooth, rather thickened 

 towards the base ; operculum horny, spiral 



within. The shells composing this genus 

 are richly marked with lines and waves of 

 various and delicate colours. 



PIIASIANHXE. The name of a family 

 of Gallinaceous birds, of which the genus 

 Pliasianus is the type. [See PIIEASAJST.] 



PHASMID^E, or SPECTRE INSECTS. 

 A family of Orthopterous insects, allied to 

 the Mantidce, peculiar to warm climates, 

 and remarkable for their very close re- 

 semblance to the objects in the midst of 

 which they live. Some of them are destitute 

 of wings, and have the appearance of dead 

 twigs ; their legs being extended, and the 

 absence of all motion for a considerable time, 

 favouring the deception : others appear like 

 leaves, &c. Their larvae differ but little from 

 the perfect [insects, except in their colours, 

 and the absence of wings ; and there are 

 several species in which these are never de- 

 veloped. It not unfrequently happens that 

 they lose a limb by violence ; and this is 

 reproduced, provided the complete growth 

 of the animal has not been attained. A 

 species found in the Navigators' Islands, 

 and described by the late Mr. Williams in 

 his admirable ' Missionary Enterprises ' 

 destroys the top of the Cocoa-nut tree, and 

 has been named P. cocophaga from this 

 circumstance. We must refer our readers 

 to the works of Mr. G. R. Gray and of M. 

 De Haan on this singular group of Insects ; 

 we may remark that their eggs are solitary 

 and not enclosed in a case, and that they 

 often resemble small beans or other seeds. 

 [See PHYLLIUM.] 



PHEASANT. (Phasiamis colchicus.') This 

 beautiful Gallinaceous bird derives its origin 

 from Eastern climes, and is said to have 

 been first imported into Europe from the 

 banks of the Phasis, a river of Colchis, in 

 Asia Minor (as its name imports) ; but it 

 has now become so thoroughly naturalized 

 in this country, and indeed in most others 

 where the temperature is not too low for 

 its constitution, and where ordinary care is 

 taken for its preservation, that both here 

 and in many parts of the south of Europe 

 it is well known and highly appreciated. 

 Of all birds, except, perhaps, the Peacock, 

 the Pheasant has the most beautiful and 

 finely variegated plumage. In size the male 

 may be compared witli the domestic Cock. 

 The irides are yellow ; round the eyes is a 

 naked skin, of a beautiful scarlet, with small 

 black specks ; and under each eye is a small 

 patch of short feathers, of a dark glossy 

 purple colour : the upper parts of the head 

 and neck are of a deep purple, with green 

 and blue reflections ; the lower parts of the 

 neck and breast are of reddish chestnut, 

 edged with black, under which appears a 

 transverse golden streak; the whole body, 

 indeed, uniting the finest tints of golden 

 yellow and green with the richest ruby and 

 purple, set off with spots of glossy black. 

 The legs, feet, and toes are horn-coloured. 

 The tail, which is very long and regularly 

 wedge-shaped, partakes of the beautiful co- 

 louring above described ; and the whole bird 

 has an air of great elegance. This brilliant 



