Miscellaneous, 75 



of all however are the Burmese, or more correctly the Pegu ponies ; 

 these are universally of the cob make, with great carcase, thick 

 necks and short strong legs ; they are very easy for the saddle, 

 generally ambling, and are very safe, fast and enduring : their great 

 power renders them excellent for four-wheeled carriages ; and it is 

 not uncommon to see one of them 13 hands high draw with ease a 

 carriage that would be a good load for an ordinary horse of 1 5 : their 

 chief defect is their impetuosity, which is excessive. This breed is 

 particularly mindful of ill-treatment, and a person that has once 

 misused one will seldom be able to do anything with him afterwards. 

 They are of various colours, but I never saw a black one : the pre- 

 vailing colour is gray, most beautifully dappled. They all have that 

 peculiar fulness at the throat which belongs to the horses in ancient 

 Grecian sculpture. Mares or stallions of this breed cannot be pro- 

 cured at any price whatever. A captain with whom I am intimate, 

 a proprietor at Moulmein, assures me of this fact, which I have also 

 heard from many others. No bribe would induce a native to expose 

 himself to the certain torture and death that would follow a violation 

 of this law. 



" I am decidedly of opinion that geldings stand work quite as well 

 as entire horses here, and some of those persons most competent to 

 judge concur with me. These Pegu ponies are a striking instance of 

 the fact. 



" I do not know if you are aware of the amazing fecundity of the 

 ' Tanree*,' which is very abundant here. They sometimes produce 

 as many as twenty-two young at a birth ; and from twelve to eighteen 

 is their usual number. Their appearance is much like that of the 

 hedgehog, and like those animals they hybernate in the dry season. 

 As far as I can learn they are altogether insectivorous. They are 

 far from being of so pacific a nature as the hedgehog, for they bite 

 hard and hold on with great tenacity. The female when followed by 

 her young will turn and face a pursuer with angry gruntings till her 

 little ones are in safety. They are a favourite dish with the lower 

 orders here, and are generally split down the back, after being singed 

 like pigs, and are then smoked. They are usually fat, but the only 

 one I ever tasted had a rank flavour that was by no means agreeable. 

 They are not indigenous here, having been introduced from Mada- 

 gascar ; but they are very numerous, notwithstanding their being de- 

 stroyed in immense numbers for food." 



HABITS OF INSECTS. 



Philosophical Hall, Leeds, Dec. 15, 1847. 

 Dear Sir, — I know not whether the two accompanying scraps will 

 be worth a line in the ' Annals of Natural History.' The first is a 

 case affording an illustration of the powers which the Arachnida 

 possess of sustaining life when deprived of food. 



* This must be the Centefes setosus, which appears to be the only species 

 introduced into Mauritius. — T. B. 



