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sippi, we may observe, at low water, phenomena analogous to those of the drained lakes above-mentioned, but on a grander scale, and extending over areas several hundred miles in length and breadth. When the periodical inundations subside, the river hollows out a channel to the depth of many yards through horizontal beds of clay and sand, the ends of which are seen exposed in perpendicular cliffs. These beds vary in colour, and are occasionaly characterized by containing drift-wood or shells. The shells may belong to species peculiar to the river, but are sometimes those of marine testacea, washed into the mouth of the estuary during storms.

"The annual floods of the Nile in Egypt are well known, and the fertile deposit of mud which they leave on the plains. This mud is stratified; the thin layer thrown down in one season differing slightly in colour from that of a previous year, and being separable from it, as has been observed in excavations at Cairo and other places.

"When beds of sand, clay, and marl, containing shells and vegetable matter, are found arranged in the same manner in the interior of the earth, we ascribe to them a similar origin; and the more we examine their characters in minute detail, the more exact do we find the resemblance. Thus, for example, at various heights and depths in the earth, and often far from seas, lakes, and rivers, we meet with layers of rounded pebbles composed of different rocks mingled together. They are like the pebbles formed in the beds of torrents and rivers, which are carried down into the sea wherever these descend from high grounds bordering a coast. There the gravel is spread out by the waves and currents of the ocean over a considerable space; but during seasons of drought, the torrents and rivers are nearly dry, and have only power to convey fine sand or mud into the sea. Hence, alternate layers of gravel and fine sediment accumulate under water; and such alternations are found by geologists in the interior of every continent.

"If a stratified arrangement, and the rounded forms of pebbles, are alone sufficient to lead us to the conclusion that certain rocks originated under water, this opinion is further confirmed by the distinct and independent evidence of fossils, so abundantly included in the earth's crust."

These things and appearances are familiar to geologists; and so also is the existence of gigantic fossils of extinct species: but every one of our readers may not be aware of the facts stated in our other and final extract, viz. that dwarfish specimens of these gigantic and extinct monsters are still to be met with.

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'For the last twenty years, anatomists have agreed that these extinct Saurians must have inhabited the sea, although no living marine reptile was known. They argued that, as there are now Chelonians, like the tortoise, living in fresh water, and others, as the turtle, frequenting the ocean, so there may have been formerly some Saurians proper to salt, others to fresh water. The recent discovery, however, of a maritime Saurian, has now rendered it unnecessary to speculate on such possibilities. This creature was found in the Galapagos Islands, during the visit of H. M. S. Beagle to that archipelago in 1835; and its habits were then observed by Mr. Darwin. The islands alluded to are situated under the equator, nearly six hundred miles to the westward of the coast of South America. They are volcanic, some of them being three thousand or four

thousand feet high; and one of them, Albemarle Island, seventy-five miles long. The climate is mild, very little rain falls; and, in the whole archipelago, there is only one rill of fresh water that reaches the coast. The soil is for the most part dry and harsh, and the vegetation scanty. The birds, reptiles, plants, and insects, are, with very few exceptions, of species found nowhere else in the world, 'although all partake in their general form of an American character. Of the mammalia, says Mr. Darwin, one species alone appears to be indigenous, namely, a large and peculiar kind of mouse; but the number of lizards, tortoises, and snakes is so great, that it may be called a land of reptiles. The variety, indeed, of species is small; but the individuals of each are in wonderful abundance. There is a turtle, a large tortoise, (Testudo Indicus,) four lizards, and about the same number of snakes, but no frogs or toads. Two of the lizards belong to the family Iguanide of Bell, and to a peculiar genus (Amblyrhynchus) established by that naturalist; and so named from their obtusely truncated head and short snout. Of these lizards, one is terrestrial in its habits, and burrows in the ground, swarming everywhere on the land; having a round tail, and a mouth somewhat resembling in form that of the tortoise. The other is aquatic, and has its tail flattened laterally, for swimming. This marine Saurian,' says Mr. Darwin, is extremely common on all the islands throughout the Archipelago. It lives exclusively on the rocky sea-beaches, and I never saw one even ten yards in-shore. The usual length is about a yard, but there are some even four feet long. It is of a dirty black colour; sluggish in its movements on the land, but, when in the water, it swims with perfect ease and quickness, by a serpentine movement of its body and flattened tail, the legs during this time being motionless, and closely collapsed on its sides. Their limbs and strong claws are admirably adapted for crawling over the rugged and fissured masses of lava which everywhere form the coast. In such situations, a group of six or seven of these hideous reptiles may oftentimes be seen on the black rocks, a few feet above the surf, basking in the sun with outstretched legs."

2

London: Longman.

1838.

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ART. XX.-The Doctor, &c. Vol. V. ONE of the strangest, most whimsical, and clever works that have appeared during the last few years, has at intervals and piece-meal been published according to the above title. It will be seen that the book has now extended to five volumes, and for anything we can tell or perceive it may reach thrice as many more.

In the present portion of the work the parentage and birth of Dr. Dove's celebrated steed Nobs is made the string for exhibiting half-adozen of very distinct literaryqualities, each of which would establish the renown of an author, were it the entire capital with which he traded. The Doctor storms us with quotations, with extracts both in prose and verse from many languages;-he is often grave, and sensible, as well as erudite,-his facetiousness and waggery would make a reputation, his fertility and sound sense come on the reader with surprising force, and not the less that one can never count upon any uniform continuance, save a ceaseless flow of ideas and words that never before were connected and never will be again. Then, we will back him

for easy trifling, for outrageous prejudices, for elegant nonsense, and for quaintness of fabrication, against the lightest or the most bigoted that ever sat down to write.

Having mentioned that a horse is made the text for the greater part of the wisdom, wit, pleasantry, and trifling crowded into the present volume, we shall quote part of the account of the manner in which the foal's name is chosen, a nice dispute having arisen between Nicholas Otley and Barnaby Sutton on the subject. The pretensions of the godfathers are referred to John Atkinson, as umpire, who suggests various methods of coming to a decision.

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Having made them shake hands, and promises to abide by the issue, he went before them to the goal, and got on the other side to give the signal and act as umpire. One!-two-three and away! They were off like race-horses. They jostled midway. It was neck and neck. And each laid his hand at the same moment on the gate. John Atkinson then bethought him that it would be a more sensible way of deciding the dispute, if they were to drink for it, and see who could swallow most ale at the Black Bull, where the current barrel was much to his taste. At the Black Bull, therefore, they met me in the evening. John chalked pint for pint; but, for the sake of good fellowship, he drank pint for pint also the landlord (honest Matthew Sykes) entered into the spirit of the contest, and, when his wife refused to draw any more beer, went for it himself as long as he had a leg to stand on, or a hand to carry the jug, and longer than any one of the party could keep the score. The next day they agreed to settle it by a sober game at Beggar-my-Neighbour. It was a singular game. The cards were dealt with such equality, that after the first round had shewn the respective hands, the ablest calculator would have been doubtful on which side to have betted. Captures were made and remade,—the game had all and more than all its usual ups and downs, and it ended in tyeing the two last cards. Never in any contest had Jupiter held the scales with a more even hand. 'The devil is in the business to be sure,' said Nicholas, let us toss up for it!'

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Done,' said Barnaby; and Nicholas, placing a halfpenny on his thumb-nail, sent it whizzing into the air. Tails!' quoth Barnaby. Tails!' quoth Barnaby. Tis heads,' cried Nicholas, hurrah!' Barnaby stampt with his right foot for vexationlifted his right arm to his head, drew in his breath with one of those sounds which grammarians would class among interjections, if they could express them by letters, and swore that if it had been an honest halfpenny, it would never have served him so! He picked it, and it proved to be a Brummagem of the coarsest and clumsiest kind, with a head on each side. They now agreed that the devil certainly must be in it, and determined to lay the whole case before the doctor."

The Doctor compromises the matter by taking the initials of the disputants, names, and arrives at N. O. B. S.; but this cannot be done or told without a deal of learning to boot.

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Perhaps the doctor remembered Smectymnuus at that time, and the notorious Cabal, and the fanciful etymology that, because news comes from all parts, and the letters N.E.W.S. stand for North, East, West, and South, the word was thence compounded. Perhaps, also, he called to mind that Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon, the famous Maimonides, was called Rambam from the initials of his titles and his names; and that the great

Gustavus Adolphus, when he travelled incognito, assumed the name of M. Gars, being the four initials of his name and title. He certainly did not remember, that in the Dialogue of Solomon and Saturnus the name of Adam is said to have been in like manner derived from the four angels, Archox, Dux, Arocholem, and Minsymbrie. He did not remember this, because he never knew it; this very curious Anglo-Saxon poem existing hitherto only in manuscript."

We opine some of our readers may be ignorant of the nature and the laws of "Beggar-em," and for all such we quote the recipe:

"You take up trick by trick. The trump, as at other games, takes every other suit. If suit is not followed, the leader wins the trick; but if it is, the highest card is the winner. These rules being observed (I

give them because they will not be found in Hoyle) the game is regular, and affords combinations worthy to have exercised the power of that calculating machine of flesh and blood, called Jedediah Buxton."

A funny anecdote illustrates the practice and wager of tossing. "An organist, not without some celebrity in his day (Jeremiah Clark was his name), being hopelessly in love with a very beautiful lady, far above his station in life, determined upon suicide, and walked into the fields to accomplish his purpose. Coming to a retired spot where there was a convenient pond, surrounded with equally convenient trees, he hesitated which to prefer, whether to choose a dry death, or a watery one: perhaps he had never heard of the old riddle concerning Elia Lælia Crispis, which no Edipus has yet solved. But that he might not continue like the ass between two bundles of hay in the sophism, or Mahomet's coffin in the fable, he tossed a halfpenny in the air to decide whether he should hang or drown himself, and the halfpenny stuck edgeways in the dirt. The most determined infidel would at such a moment have felt that this was more than accident. Clark, as may well be supposed, went home again; but the salutary impression did not remain upon his poor disordered mind, and he shot himself soon afterwards."

Take a brief description of knowledge for our last extract:"There is no simple interest in knowledge. Whatever funds you have in that bank, go on increasing by interest upon interest-till the bank fails."

Can any limit be assigned for a writer who can pour out such a variety of ideas and words, and bring the whole range of learning and thought to bear upon Dr. Dove's horse?

ART. XXI.-The Stage; its Character and Influences. By J. STYLES, D.D. 4th Edition revised. London: Ward. 1838. THIS little volume contains a great deal of important truth, most earnestly and ably set forth. Dr. Styles views the Stage according to certain broad and potent principles which have generally been overlooked by its impugners; and even argues that the interests of national liberty may be most injuriously affected by a prevailing passion for theatrical amusements. We are inclined to think, however, that the reverend author carries some of his views too far, or rather abides too exclusively by certain principles ; not perceiving that were the Stage kept under due regulations it might be

purified of some of its dangerous influences; while, as a national engine, it d might be made to create a taste far less hostile to refinement and moralsni than the grovelling waste of time, and the ruffian displays which have been but too justly alleged to the disparagement of the English people, by the and more lively and tasteful inhabitants of the European continent.

ART. XXII.-The Management of Bees, with a Description of the Safety Hive. By S. BAGSTER, Jun. With Forty Illustrative Wood Engravings. 2nd Edition. London: Saunders and Otley. 1838.

A HIGHLY interesting volume upon a subject that is important not only as a branch of rural economy, but as a department of natural history. Mr. Bagster has even rendered it one that must be particularly attractive in the eyes of the tender sex; and to this portion of our readers we heartily recommend the directions given in regard to the prevention of swarming, the perfect inspection of the whole hive, and other delicate and beautiful operations, for which the industrious bee offers so many opportunities.

The following is among the number of wonders related of bees, as verified by recorded experiments and results of investigations in different parts of Europe. Mr. Bagster is speaking of the Queen Bee, and says,

"If the bees are deprived of their queen, and are supplied with comb containing young worker brood only, they will select one or more to be educated as queens; which, by having a royal cell selected for their habitation, and being fed by royal jelly for not more than two days, when they emerge from their pupa state (though if they had remained in the cells which they originally inhabited, they would have turned out workers) will come forth complete queens, with their forms, instincts, and powers of generation entirely different. In order to produce this effect, the grub must not be more than three days old; and this is the age at which accord iug to Schirach, (the first apiarist who called the public attention to this miracle of nature), the bees usually select the larvæ to be royally educated; though it appears from Huber's observations, that a larva two days or even twenty-four hours will do. Their mode of proceeding is described to be as follows:-Having chosen a grub, they remove the inhabitants and their food from two of the cells which join that in which it resides; they next take down the partitions which seperate these three cells, and, leaving the bottoms untouched, raise round the selected worm a cylindrical tube, which follows the horizontal direction of the other cells; but since at the close of the third day of its life its habitation must assume a different form and direction, they, gnaw away the cells below it, using the wax of which they were formed to construct a new pyramidical tube, which they join at right angles to the horizontal one, the diameter of the former diminishing insensibly from its base to its mouth. During the two days which the grub inhabits this cell, like the common royal cells now become vertical, a bee may always be observed with his head plunged into it; and when one quits it another takes its place. These bees keep lengthening the cell as the worm grows older, and duly supply it with food, which they place before its mouth and round its body. The animal, which can only move in a spital direction, keeps incessantly turning to take jelly deposited before it; and thus slowly working downwards arrives insensibly near the orifice of the cell, just at the time that it is ready to assume the pupa, when

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