EGYPTIANA.

THE PYRAMIDS.

THE period at which the Great Pyramids were erected, (says Mr. J. Conder,) is a point which has occupied much learned discussion. By Perizonius and others, the workmen are supposed to have been Israelites; and Dr. Clarke has contended for the strange notion, that the pyramid of Cheops was built to receive the body of the patriarch Joseph. Diodorus and Pliny confess, that every thing relating to their origin is uncertain; and the Arabian writers solve the mystery by informing us, that they were built before the Deluge. Others, on the contrary, are for assigning them a date, which, in speaking of Egypt, might almost be termed modern. Homer mentions Thebes and its hundred gates, but has not noticed the pyramids. Is it probable, (it has been asked,) that he would have omitted to speak of them, if they had been erected in his time? In confirmation of this view, it may be remark ed, that Herodotus believed them to have been built only twelve generations before the time of Cambyses. Cheops, the builder of the largest pyramid, is stated to have flourished nearly a hundred years before Homer; but Asychis, the successor of Mycerinus, is said to have reigned about 815 years before Christ, which date, if correct, would require the reign of Cheops to be brought down much later. Upon the whole, the most probable opinion is that which assigns them to a period between 1000 and 800 years B.C.

The absence of hieroglyphical inscriptions in these stupendous structures, has been accounted for on the supposition, that the founders were of a foreign and obtrusive dynasty, hostile to the religion of their subjects, and that the priests refused to record their names in the sacred character. In that case, however, it might have been expected, that there would be found, if not hieroglyphic inscriptions, some records in a different character. It cannot be supposed that a dynasty of sovereigns who could command such architects, were at any loss for secretaries. Herodotus, in fact, refers to an inscription engraved on the pyramid of Cheops, which, he says, was in Egyptian characters; but it has been doubted whether he means hieroglyphics. Dr. Hales supposes them to have been alphabetic characters; if so, they would not be the less curious. Ibn Haukal speaks of Syrian and Greek inscriptions, which covered some part of the pyramids: the latter were probably of a late date, and might have been written by Greeks who visited these monuments. On the other hand, Abdallatif states, that he sảȧw a prodigious number of hieroglyphical inscriptions on the two great pyramids; as many as, if copied, would fill, perhaps, ten thousand volumes. Other Ara. Q z

bic writers, prior to Abdallatif, have also mentioned the hieroglyphics on the pyramids. Dr. Richardson thinks, that Abdallatif may be understood as referring to the inscriptions in the chambers, cut out of the rocks on which the pyramids are built, which are exceedingly numerous. There is now no appearance whatever that the pyramid of Cheops was ever coated; and the fact has been doubted. Yet Herodotus states that it was coated and finished in the highest style, and describes the process by which it was accomplished, from the summit downwards. This statement is corroborated by Pliny, Abdallatif, and others; and Dr. Richardson suggests that the removal of the coating by the Saracens may account for the great damage sustained by the steps all round: while the rolling down of the immense stones from the top, may have occasioned the middle of the steps to be more injured than the angles.

The removal of the coating would account for the absence of the hieroglyphics. Yet, among the pyramids of Sakhara and Dahshour, there is one on which the covering is pretty entire, but no inscription has been found upon it. In one of these pyramids, however, which was opened at the expense of Baron Von Minutoli, in 1821, the door of one chamber is stated to be bordered with hieroglyphics in relief, and over another are hieroglyphics traced in black. The walls are covered with a kind of mosaic, consisting of convex pieces of green porcelain ingeniously fixed in stucco. An immense quantity of fragments of marble and alabaster vases lay scattered in the passages and chambers, proving that the pyramid had been previously opened by violence, and by a different entrance. The richly gilded skull, hands, and feet of a mummy, supposed to be those of the monarch, were obtained from this pyramid; also the well-preserved head of a sacred vulture; but, unfortunately, many valuable articles were stolen by the workmen on the first opening of the pyramid. The largest of the chambers, the walls of which were blackened by the smoke of torches, contained, (says Baron Von Minutoli,) instead of a sarcophagus, a small sanctuary, formed of several blocks of stone placed one upon another; into this a man could easily enter, and from which the voice of the oracle was, probably, made to issue. This idea, if well founded, would certainly tend to throw a new light upon the design of these mysterious labyrinths; as it would indicate that, like the cave of Trophonius, the pyramidal sepulchre at Telmessus, and the Kassr-el-Keroun near Lake Moris, they had been made subservient to the purposes of oracular jugglery. It deserves in this point of view to be investigated, whether the peculiar construction of the chambers and passages be connected with any acoustic phenomena. The custom

of combining the temple and the tomb, is known to have prevailed very extensively among the ancients. By this means, a greater degree of respect was secured towards the places where the dead were deposited. In general, the temple or fane was erected on the summit of the tumulus, or over the sepulchre. This is the case with the Mexican teocallies, which exhibit so striking an affinity to the pyramids of the Old Continent. But sometimes, the taphos itself was the temple. With a view either to enhance the sacredness of the sepulchre, or to turn to account the superstitious reverence for the depositories of the dead, the pyramids then, like the cave, the catacomb, and the tumulus, may have been applied to various, secondary objects. The tomb has been alternately applied, by the wily tyrant or more crafty priest, to the widely different purposes of the fortress, the prison, the sanctuary, the treasury, the observatory, and the oracular shrine. Still, under every modification, its ostensible object has been the same-to provide a habitation for the immortal dead.

In the pyramids of Djizeh, there is one circumstance by which, as works of art, they are peculiarly distinguished, but which makes, perhaps, somewhat against their remote antiquity; and that is, the very superior style in which the materials are put together. The joinings and polish of the granite casings in the interior, (says Dr. Richardson,) equally manifest the eminent skill of the artist, and the great perfection that his art had attained. Many a structure must have been erected, before an architect could have been capable of constructing these. The manner in which the materials are put together, is as different from the construction of the temples or any other building in Egypt, as a Roman wall is from a Grecian one. The sarcophagi are also different in size, form, cutting, and workmanship. The body of the pyramid throughout is of the most substantial description. Not a stone has slipped from its place; it stands, with the security of a mountain, the most indestructible pile that human ingenuity ever reared. After visiting the pyramids, I was determined, (says Hasselquist,) to know whether stones alone must satisfy my curiosity, and if a burning sand had excluded every thing that had life from this place. If I had not searched attentively, I should certainly have been of this opinion, and have confirmed what I was told in Cairo,-that no living creature, much less a plant, was to be found near the pyramids. The earth is of such a nature here that, to many persons, it would appear a miracle, if any animal or plant could find nourishment or sustenance. I found, however, both :-one single plant, the gum succory, (chondrilla juncea ;) of animals, the little lizard, running in numbers on the sand.

But what most pleased me was the lion-ant, (hemerobius formica leo,) which insects have a republic of their own. They run by hundreds in the sand, each holding stone, sand, or bits of rotten wood, between their curious jaws or maxillæ, and hastening with them to the dwellings they had made in the sand. I saw numbers of this insect's nests. They were thrown up in tufts in the sand, about the bigness of the two fists, and somewhat depressed at the top. In the middle of this depression, was a little hole, about the bigness of a small pipe-stem, through which the ants went in and out. I attacked them within their intrenchments, in the hope of seeing the internal construction of their nests; but I was deceived, and only demolished their outworks, from which went a private passage so artfully conducted, that it was in vain to endeavour to come at their innermost dwelling. All the architecture, magnificence, and expense, that shine in the Pyramids, cannot give a contemplater of Nature such ideas as are excited by the art of these little creatures. W.G.C.

The Naturalist.

ZOOLOGICAL GLEANINGS.

FEW birds are more attached to mankind, more docile in a domesticated state, more

sensible to attractions and the want of them, or more intellectual, than the agami, or trumpeter-bird of Guiana. It is among birds, in some measure, the counterpart of the dog among quadrupeds. Like the latter, it is obedient to the voice of its master, follows or precedes him on a journey, quits him with regret, and hails his return with gladness. In several districts, it is intrusted with the charge of the poultry, and even of the sheep, which it conducts home every evening.

One day, an eagle was observed frequently to dart towards the Missouri, and then to rise again. His evolutions attracting attention, it was observed that he was endeavouring to take a wild goose, which had alighted in the river, and which dived to avoid him; but, on rising to get breath, was again attacked, and had again to dive, in order to save himself. The chase had continued in

this way some time, the goose apparently yielding, when it suddenly turned and made to the shore of Colonel Pot's farm, where two men were at work. It there landed, and walking leisurely up to the men, permitted itself to be taken by them without an effort to escape. It appeared extremely exhausted.

A short time since, Mr. Staveley, of Clifton, Yorkshire, was almost invariably accompanied by a gander belonging to Mr. Cass, a farmer residing in that township. The bird, every morning about five o'clock, came from its own domicile to Mr. Staveley's residence,

and, by its cackling noise, called the old gentleman up. It then accompanied him in his rambles during the day, and was frequently to be seen in the busy streets, close at his heels, utterly heedless of the throng around, and the crowds of children by which the pair were often accompanied. When Mr. Staveley sat down to rest himself, which he was frequently obliged to do, from his age and infirmities, the gander immediately sat down at his feet. There were several places at which the old gentleman' had been in the habit of resting; and just before he arrived at them, his feathered companion starting off, arrived at the spot a little before him. If any one molested the old gentleman, the gander chattered, and tried to bite the intruder. If Mr. S. went into a public-house, it entered also, if permitted; and stood behind him while he drank his glass of ale, sometimes partaking of the refreshing beverage: if not permitted to enter the house, it remained at the door till Mr. Staveley came.

out.

In the vicinity of Canton, but more especially about Whampoa, may be seen numbers of the duck-boats, used by the owners and their families as well as for their numerous feathered charge. The birds inhabit the hold of the buat, and the keeper, the upper accommodations of the vessel. These boats are most abundant about the rice-fields, near the river, soon after the harvest has been gathered in. The owner of the boat moves it about from place to place, according to the opportunities that may be offered to him of feeding his flock. On the arrival of the boat at the appointed spot, by a signal of a whistle, the flock cross a board placed for their accommodation, and then ramble about for food, till their keeper considers they have had enough, when a signal is made for the return of the birds; immediately upon hearing which, they congregate and re-enter the boat. The first duck that enters is rewarded with some paddy, and the last is whipped for being dilatory; so that it is curious to see the late birds, as if aware of the fate that awaits them, making efforts to fly over the backs of others, to prevent being

the last of the flock.

top of a tree in a plantation belonging to Mr. T. Walker, Park-gate Pilkington, Lancashire. Knowing that it was near a thrush nest, which contained several, half-fledged, young ones, some workmen began to watch its movements, which were speedily directed towards that object. When the daw arrived at the nest, it seized one of the young ones, which it carried to the top of a tree, and then to its nest, which was in one of the chimneys of a house, situated at a short distance. Upon inspection, the thrush-nest was found empty.

Some years since, a gentleman at St. Albans, observed a number of martens darting with great violence and noise at a nest under some eaves, which attack they maintained for a considerable time; at length it subsided, and the birds forsook the building. Two or three days elapsed, when, reflecting on the singularity of the circumstance, his curiosity prompted him to examine the nest. which had been so violently besieged a few days previously; and, much to his astonishment, he discovered that it was entirely blocked up, and a male and female sparrow, with several young ones, dead within it. The sparrows, it appears, had taken possession of the nest, and the martens had avenged the usurpation by destroying them.

A bird was lately caught in a singular manner, upon a beech-tree, at Wester-Plean. It was found suspended by the foot, from the under side of a leaf: how long it had remained in this position was not known; but, judging from its exhausted appearance, it was supposed to have been there a considerable time. On bending the branch, to ascertain the cause of this novel trap, it was found that the foot had got entangled in the cocoon of a moth. There was likewise on the same leaf, a glutinous matter, to which several aphides adhered. This was probably the bait that allured the bird into the snare.

Besides a singular elegance of form and beauty of plumage, (says Mr. Fothergill,) the eye of the common lapwing is peculiarly soft and expressive; it is large, black, and full of lustre, rolling, as it seems to do, in liquid gems of dew. Having shot a bird of this beautiful species, I found, on taking it up, that it was not dead, but had a wound in its

A jackdaw was one day observed at the

stained the whiteness of its feathers. As I held up the hapless bird in my hand, hundreds of its companions hovered round my head, uttering continued shrieks of distress, and, by their plaintive cries, appeared to bemoan its fate; whilst the wounded bird continually moaned, with a kind of inward, wailing note, expressive of the keenest anguish, and raising its drooping head, turned towards the wound on its breast, which it touched with its bill, and then looked up in

my face, with an expression I shall never forget.

The hearing of birds, so necessary for escape from danger, as well as indicating the neighbourhood of their prey, (says a recent writer,) is scarcely less perfect in many species than their sight; yet the external ear, which is essential for producing distinctness of sound, (as the organ is formed in quadrupeds and man,) would obstruct their rapid progress through the air, and be inconvenient in other respects. This appendage is, therefore, withheld; but it is amply compensated by a peculiarity in the external struca circumstance which indicates the never-failing resources of the Creator. This may be considered as a slight, and, perhaps, a trifling change; but it acquires importance as being one of an infinite variety of beneficent contrivances for the comfort and happiness of the different tribes of animals wisely adapted to the peculiarities of their condition.

ture:

FISH AND SNIPES.

W.G.C.

Ir is a curious fact, (says a recent writer,) that the small fish, gudgeons, roach, dace, and perch, of the rivers tributary to the Yare, disappear altogether about the month of October; and are seldom seen or caught, till the May following: they are even then few in number, and small in size; about June, they increase, and by August the rivers are crowded with full and frequent shoals. Where do these tribes hide themselves during the winter? If it be said in deep holes, this does not appear to be the case, except perhaps with the largest fish. The smallest disappear nearly altogether from the sight and search of man. A second problem is where do these vast beds or tribes of eels inhabit, which, from unexplained cause, descend with the floods from July to November? As many as one hundred stone weight have been often caught in nets in one night at a single mill, and half the quantity for one or two succeeding nights, in number, probably, from three to four thousand on the first, and half as many on the subsequent nights. They not only migrate in immense shoals, but at a very swift rate. It was ascertained some years ago by the capture of an eel at one mill, which, after it was marked, was released, and recaptured at the next, that it traversed about three miles in fifteen minutes; yet fishermen never either observe or catch any number indicating the presence of such vast abundance.*

some

The appearance and departure of the snipe form another object of inquiry to sportsman and naturalist. In 1802, a gentleman, living in the neighbourhood of Norwich made the

* See Mirror, vol. xxvi., p. 150 and 170.

following observations upon this subject:that they first appeared in considerable numbers early in September, and again took their departure in a day or two. They were then in flocks; and, in the language of snipeshooters, lay very light. In October, their presence and dispersion were more general; for a frost sent them away, and they were seen no more till February or March. A few remained in the spring ditches. Their return is retarded, or accelerated, by a backward, or a forward spring. Sometimes, they come in small numbers from the 10th to the 17th of February, but those on the coast are the first that disappear. In March, they are abundant; but the most curious fact is the coincidence of their appearance with certain marsh flowers: the viola odorata, or March violet, will be found in flower very soon after the period of their first arrival; and when the ranunculus ficaria, or pilewort, expands its leaves, (though there be the difference in some seasons, of fifteen days in this phenomenon,) the snipes will then be found in the greatest numbers. They, therefore, migrate by the calendar of nature; and temperature has clearly something to do with their travels, either in the production of their food, or through some other instinct. Since these observations were noted, a great alteration has been made in the state of the marsh country, by drainage. Bogs, which would then scarcely carry a snipe, are now trodden by oxen of fifty stone, and their bellowing is heard where only the boom of the bittern used to shake the echoing marsh. But the snipes still appear and disappear, though, perhaps, with a difference as to time, stay, and numbers. A few years since, the quantity was unusually great. In August, they were in some places abundant, and from the 1st to the 10th of December, superabundant everywhere: during those ten days from one to 2,000 couple were killed in Norfolk, and this, of course, bore a very small proportion to their entire numbers. All the marshes in the neighbourhood of the coast, from Happisburgh to Yarmouth, and along the course of the north river, and all the marshes on the borders of the Yare and Waveney, swarmed. On the eleventh, they literally disappeared. On the twelfth, where two days previous they were found by hundreds, not ten couple could be seen. The birds were unusually large and fine in condition. From whence do these birds come? and whither do they go so suddenly? The domestic breed in the adjoining marshes will, perhaps, account for their ap pearance in August, while those in October and December seem to be supplied from abroad. But, again, where were they on the 12th of December? and what is the natural cause that instigates these rapid changes of their habitations? They cannot easily remove to any great distance previous to their