the evening, it had sunk half an inch lower; and in another day, the work was completed, and the bird covered. M. Gleditsch continued to add other small dead animals, which were all sooner or later buried ; and the result of his experiment was, that in fifty days four beetles had interred, in the very small space of earth allotted to them, twelve carcasses: viz., four frogs, three small birds, two fishes, one mole, and two grasshoppers, besides the entrails of a fish, and two morsels of the lungs of an ox.

The QUEEN BEETLE is about one inch and a quarter in length; she carries by her side two brilliant lamps, which she lights up at pleasure with the solar phosphorus furnished her by nature. These lamps do not flash and glimmer like those of the fire-fly, but give as steady a light as that of gas, exhibiting two glowing spheres as large as a minute pearl, which affords light enough, in the darkest night, to enable one to read by them. queen beetle is found only in tropical climates.

THE EARWIG.

The

Baron de Geer, a famous Swedish naturalist, gives us the following: "About the end of March I found an earwig brooding over her eggs in a small cell, scooped out in a garden border. In order to watch her proceedings, I removed the eggs into my study, placing them upon fresh earth under a bell-glass. The careful mother soon scooped out a fresh cell, and collected the scattered eggs with great care to the little nest, placing herself over them, to prevent the too rapid evaporation of the moisture. When the earth began to dry up, she dug the cell gradually deeper, till

at length she got almost out of view. At last, the cell became too dry, and she removed the eggs to the edge of the glass, where some of the moisture had condensed. Upon observing this, I dropped some water into the abandoned cell, and the mother soon after removed the eggs there. Her subsequent proceedings were no less interesting; but I regret to add that, during my absence, the bell-glass was removed, and the earwig escaped with her eggs."

THE CRICKET.

Mr. Southey describes the perilous situation of a ship sailing to Brazil, which was saved from shipwreck by the singing of a ground cricket. "Three days they stood towards land. A soldier, who had set out in ill health, had brought a ground cricket with him from Cadiz, thinking to be amused by the insect's voice; but it had been silent the whole distance, to his no small disappointment. Now, on the fourth morning, the grillo had begun to ring its shrill rattle, scenting the land. Such was the miserable watch that had been kept, that, upon looking out at this warning, they perceived high rocks within bowshot, against which, had it not been for the insect, they must inevitably have been lost. They had just time to drop anchor. From hence they coasted along, the grillo singing every night as if it had been on shore, till they reached the Islands of St. Catalina."

In China, the people take as much pleasure in cricket fights as the Spaniards do in bull fights. Two crickets are pitted against each other, and crowds of people gather round, to witness the combat. The insects rush at each other with great fury; and the spectators, high

and low, rich and poor, seem to experience the most lively sensations of delight.

THE LOCUST.

In July, 1827, the Russian General Cobley had a grand battle with the locusts, on his estate of Coblewka, along the borders of the Sea of Oschakoff. The locusts were marching in twenty-four columns, and were destroying all the crops. General Cobley collected the peasants on his estate, and from all the neighboring country, amounting to five hundred persons. They were armed with pitchforks, spades, drums, and bells; and, thus equipped, they commenced their march against the invaders. They soon compelled them to retreat, and pursued them incessantly towards the sea, where they were forced to jump into the water, and were drowned. Three days afterwards, the sea-shore was covered with the dead locusts, cast up by the waves; the air was infected by a fetid exhalation, and great numbers of poisoned fish were cast up by the waves on the strand. It is probable that the fish had fed on the locusts.

THE ANT.

Anecdotes. In tracing the designs of the cells and galleries, each ant appears to follow its own fancy. A want of accordance must therefore frequently take place at the point where their works join; but they never appear to be embarrassed by any difficulties of this kind. An instance is related, in which two opposite walls were made, of such different elevations, that the ceiling of the one, if continued, would not have reached above

half way of the height of the other. An experienced ant, arriving at the spot, seemed struck with the defect, immediately destroyed the lower ceiling, built up the wall to the proper height, and formed a new ceiling with the materials of the former.

In the "Transactions of the French Academy," an account is given of an ant, that was taken from a hill, and thrown upon a heap of corn. It seemed attentively to survey this treasure, and then hastened back to its former abode, where it communicated intelligence of the land of plenty; for an immense host of its brethren quickly made their appearance, and commenced carrying off the grain.

M. Homberg informs us that, in Surinam, there is a species of ant called by the natives the visiting ant. These animals march in large troops, with the same order and precision as do a regularly-constituted army. They are welcome visitors to the natives, on account of their power of exterminating rats, mice, and other noxious animals, with which that country abounds. No sooner do they appear, than all the coffers, chests of drawers, and locked-up places in the house, are thrown open for them, when they immediately commence their work of destruction of animal life, as if commissioned by nature for that purpose. The only regret of the natives is, that they pay their visits but once in three or four years.

Two ants meeting on a path across a gravel-walk, one going to and the other from the nest, stop, touch each other's antennæ, and appear to hold a conversation. One would almost fancy that one was communicating to the other the best place for foraging.

THE CATERPILLAR

A curious species of manufacture was contrived by an officer of engineers residing at Munich. It consisted of lace veils, with open patterns on them, made entirely by caterpillars. Having made a paste of the leaves of the plant on which the insect feeds, he spread it thinly over a stone, or other flat substance, of the required size. He then, with a camel's hair pencil dipped in olive oil, drew a pattern he wished the insects to leave open. This stone was then placed in an inclined position, and a number of caterpillars were placed at the bottom. A peculiar species was chosen, which spins a strong web, and the animals commenced at the bottom, eating and spinning their way up to the top, carefully avoiding every part touched by the oil, but devouring every other part of the paste. The extreme lightness of these veils, combined with their strength, is surprising.

THE BUTTERFLY.

In June, 1826, a column of butterflies, from ten to fifteen feet broad, was seen to pass over Neufchatel, in Switzerland; the passage lasted upwards of two hours, without any interruption, from the moment when the insects were observed.

THE MOTH.

A moth was once caught, at Arracan, which measured ten inches from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other, both being variegated with the brightest colors.