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 proj^rietor 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 he the Centetes setosiis, which appears to be the only species 
introduced into Mauritius. — T. B. 
