OF NATURAL HISTORY. 399 



Uire, fays Haflelquift, is of a fingular benefit to that country. 

 It eats up all the dung and off-falls in the towns, and the car- 

 caffes of camels, horfes, afTes, &c. in the fields, which, if not 

 quickly devoured, would, in that warm climate, by their pu- 

 trefcency, be produdtive of difeafe and death to the inhabi- 

 tants. Putrid carcaiTes, in all countries, are both offenfive 

 to the noftrils and hurtful to health. But Nature, by various 

 inftruments, foon removes the evil. An animal no fooner 

 dies, than, in a very fliort time, he is confumed by bears, 

 wolves, foxes, dogs, and ravens. In fituations where thefe 

 animals dare not approach, as in the vicinity of towns and 

 villages, a dead horfe, in a few days, is devoured by myriads 

 of maggots. In the uncultivated parts of America, ferpents 

 and fnakes of different kinds abound. After it was difcov-- 

 ed that fwine greedily devoured ferpents, hogs were uni- 

 formly kept by all new fettlers. Caterpillars are deflru£tive 

 to the leaves and fruits of plants. Their numbers and va- 

 rieties are immenfe. But their devaftations are checked by 

 many enemies. Without a profufion of caterpillars, moft of 

 the fmaller birds, efpecially when young, could not be fup- 

 ported. By devouring the caterpillars, thefe birds preferve 

 the fruits of the earth from total deftrudlion. Mr. Bradley, 

 in his general treatife of hufbandry and gardening, has pub- 

 lifhed a letter, in which the author oppofes the common 

 opinion, that birds, and particularly fparrows, do much mif- 

 chief in our gardens and fields. The fact is admitted. But 

 the great utility of thefe birds is overlooked : For this author 

 proves, that they are much more ufeful than noxious. He 

 ihows, that a pair of fparrows, during the time they have 

 their young to feed, deftroy, every week, 3360 caterpillars. 

 This calculation he founded upon adfual obfervation. He 

 difcovered that the two parents carried to the nefl 40 cater- 

 pillars in an hour. He then fuppofes, which is a moderate 

 fuppofition, that the fparrows enter the neft only 1 2 houi;s 



