COLLECTIONS AND RECOLLECTIONS. 
189 
ARTICLE XXI. 
COLLECTIONS AND RECOLLECTIONS. 
The Hotel de St. Paul, built by Charles the V. was, as is 
specified in his Royal edict of 1364, intended to be an Hotel of great 
diversions. Like all the Royal Houses in those times, it had large 
towers, such being thought to give an air of dominion to the build¬ 
ing. The gardens instead of yews and lendens, were planted with 
apple, pear, cherry trees, and vines, beside beds of rosemary and la¬ 
vender, peas, and beans, and very large arbours or bowers. The 
inner courts were lined with pigeon-houses, which the king’s tenants 
were obliged to send, and here they were fatted for his table.— La¬ 
dies Mag. 1779. 
The Inhabitants of St. Lucie have lately discovered a most 
singular plant. In a cavern of that isle near the sea is a large basin, 
from twelve to fifteen feet deep, the water of which is very blackish, 
and the bottom composed of rocks. From these, at all times, pro¬ 
ceed certain substances, which present at first sight beautiful flowers 
of a bright shining colour, and pretty nearly resembling our mari¬ 
golds, only that their tint is more lively. These seeming flowers on 
the approach of a hand or instrument retire like a snail out of sight. 
On examining their substance closely, there appear in the middle of 
the disk four brown filaments, resembling spiders’ legs, which move 
round a kind of petals with a brisk and spontaneous motion. These 
legs have pincers to seize their prey; and upon seizing it, the yel¬ 
low petals immediately close so that it cannot escape. Under this 
exterior of a flower is a brown stalk of the bigness of a raven’s quill, 
and which appeared to be the body of some animal. It is probable 
that this strange animal lives on the spawn of fish, and the marine 
insects thrown by the sea into the basin ; it is of that species called 
animal flowers.— -Mag. of Curiosities of Mature and Art, 1825. 
The Largest Bird.— -Temple in his recent travels in Peru, 
states that he shot a Condor, and from notes taken on the spot, gives 
us the following dimensions of its size : When the wings are spread, 
they measure forty feet in extent, from point to point; the feathers 
are twenty feet in extent, and the quill part eight inches in circum¬ 
ference.--- Temples Travels in Peru . 
