which, in the dark, fhines like a candle; and on each fide of the head, near the eyes, is a prominent, globular, luminous body, in fize about one third larger than a muftard-feed. Each of thefe bodies is like a living ftar, emitting a bright, and not fmall light, fince two or three of thefe animals, put into a glafs veffel, afford light fufficient to read, without difficulty, if placed clofe to the book. When the fly is dead, thefe bodies will ftill afford confiderable light, though it is lefs vivid than before; and if bruifed, and rubbed over the hands or face, they become luminous in the dark, like a board fmeared with English Phofphorus. They have a reddish brown, or chefnut colour, and live in rotten trees in the day, but are always abroad in the night.

The other kind are not more than half as large as the former, and their light proceeds from under their wings, and is feen only when they are elevated, like fparks of fire, appearing and difappearing at every fecond. Of thefe the air is full in the night, though they are never feen in the day. They are common not only in the fouthern but northern parts of America, during the fummer.

An account of an Italian that di-
gefted Stones.
From Grainger's
Biographical Hiftory.

HE following ftrange account is given us of this perfon, by Mr. Boyle, and a much stranger by Dr. Bulwer; I fhall tranfcribe them both: "Not long ago there "was here in England, a private "foldier, very famous for digeft

"ing of ftones; and a very inqui "fitive man affures me, that he "knew him familiarly, and had "the curiofity to keep in his com"pany for twenty-four hours to"gether, to watch him; and not

only obferved, that he eat no"thing but ftones in that time, "but alfo that his groffer excre"ment confifted chiefly of a fandy "fubftance, as if the devoured "ftones had been in his body dif "folved, and crumbled into fand." --Boyle's "Exp. Philo." Par. II. Effay III. p. 86.

Dr. Bulwer fays, he "faw the "man, and that he was an Italian, "Francis Battalia by name; at "that time about thirty years of 66 age; and that he was born with "two ftones in one hand, and one "in the other; which the child "took for its firft nourishment, Ti upon the phyficians advice: and "afterwards, nothing else but "three or four pebbles in a spoon "once in twenty-four hours, and "a draught of beer after them; "and in the interim, now and then "a pipe of tobacco; for he had "been a foldier in Ireland, at the

Surprising as this account may feem, every doubt that may arife on it seems to be removed, by the following late and extraordinary inftance, taken from the learned Father Pau

his life he was a fisherman; and when he was no longer able to follow that occupation he went begg ing about Bolton, and other places in Yorkshire. He died in December, 1670, and lies buried at Bolton; where, in 1743, a monument was erected to his memory. He was the oldeft man of the poft-diluvians, of whom we have any credible

account.

Some account of the Lemming, which infects Norway, and fome other of the northern countries.

MRS.

the fame.

RS. Mary Davis, of Great Saughall, near Chester, anno 1668; ætatis 74. When he was twenty-eight years of age, an excrefcence grew upon her head, like to a wen, which continued thirty years and then grew into two horns. There is a print of this woman in Dr. Charles Leigh's "Natural Hiftory of Lancashire, Cheshire, "and the Peak in Derbyfhire;" 1700; fol. tab. VII. The infcription fignifies, that her portrait was taken in 1668, in the feventy-fecond year of her age; that the excrefcence continued thirty-two years before it grew into horns: that after four years fhe caft them; then grew two more; and in about four years fhe caft these alfo: that the horns which were upon her head in 1668, were of four years growth, and were then loofe. Her picture, and one of her horns, are in Afh. mole's Museum.

In the university library at Edinburgh is preferved a horn, which was cut from the head of Elizabeth Love, in the fiftieth year of her age.

It

grew three inches above her ear, and was growing feven years.

along the ground, and devouring every thing that is green, like a peftilence. Some flocks of them march from the Kolen, through Nordland and Finmark, to the western ocean, which they enter, and, after having fwam about for fome time, perifh. Other bodies take their route through Swedish Lapland to the Sinus Bothnicus, where they are drowned in the fame manner. They advance in a direct line; and if they are obliged to go round a large ftone, or rock, they feck their former line of direction, in which they proceed. If they are oppofed by the peafants, they will fland and bark at them: nevertheless, great numbers of them are deftroyed and eaten by the Lapland dogs. If a boat happens to be in their way, lying in a river or creek which they intend to pass, they march in at one end or fide of the veffel, and out at the other. The appearance of thefe vermin is looked upon as an omen of a bad harveft, and heretofore there was a form of exorcifm used against them by the Romish clergy: but if they prognofticate a fcanty crop, they make amends in occafioning a good hunting feafon; for they are fol

lowed

"HE first letter, after menTHE tioning feveral rarities of the county of Burgundy, (as long grottoes abounding with a variety of particular congelations; a hole upon a fmall height, where there is often but a drop of water, but from whence, three or four times in a year, a torrent gushes that lays a very confiderable tract of land under water; falt-pits, admirable caves, and many other curiofities); proceeds to the defcription of the ice-houfe, which is within five leagues of Befançon.

It is a great cavern hollowed in a mountain, which is covered with oak and other large trees: the entrance refembles the gate of a city; the arch is raised very high; one can fee clearly in all parts of it, and the interior is a fpacious faloon, the flooring of cryftal. There is often ice in it to the depth of four feet, and fome great pieces befides, which hang from the vault in form of feftoons.

In winter, this cave is filled with thick vapours; a fmall rivulet runs in its bottom; and it is remarked, fince fome of the trees have been cut away from its en

.

trance, the ice has not been in fuch plenty for fome time past.

The fecond letter, received fome time after by the academy, confirmed the account of the first. This was written by the Abbot Nicaife, fpecifying that there was a concourfe of people there from all parts, with waggons and mules to carry away the provifions of ice to all parts of the province, and yet the ftore of ice was far from being any way exhaufted; for one day, in the midft of fummer, produced more than could be carried off in eight days.

This letter further fays, that the entrance of this grotto is upon the ridge of a pretty high mountain; that it is twenty paces in breadth, covering a defcent of the fame breadth, and is about three hundred paces in length; that the mouth of the grotto, at the bottom of this avenue, is twice as high and as broad as the largest city gate; and that the grotto itself, which is thirty-five paces broad, and fixty long, is covered with a kind of vaulted roof upwards of fixty feet high. This prodigious quantity of ice is formed out of a rivulet, that flows in a part of the grotto. In fummer it is frozen, and runs in winter; and, in its bottom, are found ftones perfectly resembling the peels of candied citrons.

The Abbot, who wrote this letter, went himself in perfon to exa mine the grotto, with feveral others in company. Having obferved that there was a mift in it, he was affured, that it was an infallible fign of its raining the next day, which accordingly happened. The neighbouring peafants feldom fail to confult this fingular kind of almanack,

to

to know what fort of weather they fhall have; and they regulate their work accordingly.

An account of Old Thomas Parr, and of the diffection of his body after his death; from a manufcript of the famous Dr. Harvey, who difcovered the circulation of the blood.

TH

HOMAS PARR was a poor countryman of Shropfhire, whence he was brought up to London by the right hon. Thomas earl of Arundel and Surrey, and died after he had out-lived nine princes, in the tenth year of the tenth of them, at the age of 152 years and nine months.

Being opened after his death (ann. 1635, Nov. 16) his body was found very fiefhy, his breaft hairy, his genitals unimpaired, ferving not a little to confirm the report of his having undergone public cenfures for his incontinency; efpecially feeing that after that time, viz. at the age of 120 years, he married a widow, who owned, cum cum ipfa rem habuife, ut alii mariti folent; et ufque ad 12 annos retroaltos folitum cum ea congreffum frequentafe. Further, that he had a large breaft, lungs not fungous, but fticking to his ribs, and diftended with much blood; a lividnefs in his face, as he had a difficulty of breathing a little before his death, and a long-lafting warmth in his arm-pits and breaft after it, (which fign, together with others, were fo evident in his body, as they ufe to be on thofe that die by fuffocation). His heart was great, thick, fibrous, and fat. The blood in the heart blackish and diluted. The cartilages VOL. XII.

of the fternum not more bony than in others, but flexile and foft. His vifcera were found and strong, efpecially the ftomach; and it was obferved of him, that he used to eat often by night and day, though coarfe bread, finall beer, and whey ; contented with old cheefe, milk, and, which is more remarkable, that he did eat at midnight, a little be- " fore he died. His kidneys covered with fat and pretty found; only on the interior furface of them were found fome aqueous or ferous abfceffes, whereof one was near the bignefs of a hen-egg, with a yellowilh water in it, having made a roundish cavity, impreffed on that kidney: whence fome thought it came, that a little before his death a fuppref fion of urine had befallen him: though others were of opinion, that his urine was fuppreffed upon the regurgitation of all the ferofity into his lungs. Not the leaft appearance there was of any ftony matter, either in the kidneys or bladder.

His bowels were alfo found, a little whitish without. His fpleen very little, hardly equalling the bignefs of one kidney. In fhort, all his inward parts appeared fo healthy, that if he had not changed his diet and air, he might perhaps have lived a good while longer.

The caufe of his death was imputed chiefly to the change of food and air; forafmuch as coming out of a clear, thin, and free air, he came into the thick air of London; and after a conftant, plain, and homely country diet, he was taken into a fplendid family, where he fed high, and drank plentifully of the belt wines, whereupon the na. tural functions of the parts of his body were over-charged, his lungs obftructed, and the habit of the

H

whole