OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



395 



rHat period, the ftorks refort thither in immenfe multitudes, and de- 

 vour the ferpents, frogs, and mice, which, without this dreadful car- 

 nage, would be highly noxious to the inhabitants. Belon, a mod 

 ingenious and faithful French naturalift, remarks, that, in many 

 places, the land could not be inhabited, if the ftorks did not deflroy 

 the amazing numbers of mice which frequently appear in Paleftine, 

 and other parts of the Eaft bordering upon Egypt. The Egyptian 

 vulture, fays Haflelquift, is of fingular benefit to that country. It 

 eats up all the dung and off-falls in the towns, and the carcafTes of 

 camels, horfes, affes, &c. in the fields, which, if not quickly devour- 

 ed, would, in that warm climate, by their putrefcency, be produc- 

 tive of difeafe and death to the inhabitants. Putrid carcafTes, in all 

 ecuntries, are both offenfive to the noftrils and hurtful to health. 

 But Nature, by various inftruments, foon removes the evil. An anir 

 mal no fooner dies, than, in a very fhort 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 difcovered that fwine greedily devour- 

 ed ferpents, hogs were uniformly kept by all new fettlers. Cater- 

 pillars are deftruftive to the leaves and fruits of plants. Their num^ 

 bers and varieties 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 fupported. By 

 devouring the caterpillars, thefe birds preferve the fruits of the earth 

 from total deftrudion. Mr Bradley, in his general treatife of huf- 

 bandry and gardening, has puhlifhed a letter, in which the author 

 oppofes the common opinion, that birds, and particularly fpatrows, do 

 much mifchief in our gardens and fields. The fa£l is admitted. But 

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

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



3P2. a., 



