466 
-vered with hair, may be protruded to a 
- eonfiderable length. Finally, the habits 
of the oryéteropus refemble thofe of the 
animals to which it approaches the mott ; 
it does not climb trees, but lives under 
the earth like the tatous, it feeds like them 
on roots, but alfo it hunts after anthills, 
like the myrmecophaet. : Its fnout termi- 
nates in a blunt callous, a chara&ter which 
is peculiar to it. Itmay be diftinguithed 
m the works of’ naturaliits by the follow- 
ing defeription. | 
ORYCTEROPUWS. Molar teeth (fix) with 
flat vertices; the body covered with 
hair. . 
Ozs. The oryéteropus, as appears 
from the preceding, conneéts the tatous 
with the myrmecophagi and with the 
pangolin, manis L. The large foffile 
fpecies found in Paraguay, for which Ci- 
tizen CuUVIER has eftablifned a new ge- 
nus, under the name of: meégaterium, is 
intermediate between the floth and the 
myrmecophagus ; and laftly, the aftonifh- 
ing animal of New Holland, covered with 
briftles like the porcupine, fupported by 
very fhort legs, and ot very fingular con- 
formation, and with a head round at the 
occiput, terminating in a {nout, without 
teeth, very flender, long, and cylindrical, 
and defcribed by Mr. GEORGE SHAW 
under the name of myrmecophaga aculecta, 
appears to have very ttriking relations to 
the pangolin and the ory€teropus ; from 
hence it follows, that in conlequence of 
thefe important acquifitions, we cught 
for the future to count in the number of 
our natural orders, that of the eden- 
tated, or edented, confitting of the fol- 
lowing genera: dafipus, orycieropus myr- 
mecophoga, and aculeata, manis, myrmeco- 
phaga, megatcrium et bradypus. 
The following obfervations on the me- 
thod of obtaining pure baryte, and on the 
properties of that earth, are by Citizens 
Fourcroy and VauQUELINe If {ome 
cryftallized mitrate of baryte be put into 
a retort and heated till no more gas be 
difengaged, there will remain at the bot- 
tem ot the retort a very pulverulent 
grey matter; this is the baryte in its 
higheft decree of purity. In this ftate, 
this earth has a fharp and burning tafte ; 
if mixed with a little water, it will boil, 
emit much caloric, and cryftallizein ccol- 
ing. Cold water diffolves 0,05 of its 
weight, and hot watero,s50. On cooling, 
it depofits tranfparent/four fided prifmatic 
cryftals, which efflorefce in the air and 
the remainder forms a pellicle on the fur- 
face of the liquor, by combining with 
carbonig acid. . 
| Foreign Literary Intelligence. 
[Dec, 
Thefe properties, and many others cel- 
leéted by Citizens Fourcroy and Vau- 
UELIN, feem to aflimilate to baryte, 
the new earth difcovered by KLAPROTH, 
and called /frontzamte. But among the 
differences which Citizen PELLETIER has 
jately found between them, fhould be 
noticed the poifonous properties of the 
baryte which the ftrontianite does not 
partake of, and the red colour which 
the muriate of ftrontian gives to the flame 
of alkoho!, in which it has been diffolved. 
The NaTuRAL History Society 
OF Paris, which in the firft years of the 
. republic fo eminently diftinguifhed itfelf 
above the other literary aflociations by its 
ditribution of prizes and the eftablith- 
ment of public lectures, after the publi- 
cation of a folio volume of its memoirs 
entitled «« Aée de la Socteté de Hiftaire 
Natureliz,’ fank for fome time into a 
ftate of ‘debility. This was owing to 
the abfence of fome of its moft a€tive 
members in the expedition difpatched 
in fearch of the unfortunate La Peroufe, 
and of others who expetéted to vifit 
India in the train of Buonaparte. The 
fociety however has of late been newly 
organized, and will probably foon refume 
all its former aétivity. It is now com- 
pofed of honorary aflociates and ordinary 
members: the communications of the 
former are gratuitous, but each of the 
latter is expected at leaft once in a year 
to furnifh a paper. The aéting commit- 
tee confilts of fix members, Juffieu, La- 
marck, Hauy, Fourcroy, Defontaine, and 
Lacepede, to whom are added a like 
number of affociates, Ventenat, Brogi- 
nard, Leliere, Vauquelin, Celfe, and Mil- 
lin: the celebrated Cuvier is feeretary. 
A volume of its memoirs is in the prefs, | 
and will fhortly make its appearance. 
Don Jofeph Canga Arguelles and his 
brother. Don Barnabas, are about to 
publith a tranflation of Pindar in Spanifh 
verfe, 
The wanton devaftations that have 
been committed fince the period of the 
revolution in the National forefts of 
France, are of fuch ferious importance as 
to have long ago attra¢ted the notice of 
feveral of the provincial focieties, and at 
length of the National Inftitute. A re- 
port has been publifhed on this very in- 
terefting fubjeét, in anfwer to a memoir 
in the tranfaCtions of the focietyof Rouen, 
relative to the management of foreft lands, 
from which it-appears that the deficiency 
of fuel is already feverely felt, and well- 
grounded apprehenfions are entertained of 
the impofMibjlity of fupplying with native 
timber 
