stant danger of being choked. This is a mark of grandeur.The greater the man would seem to be, the larger piece he takes in his mouth; and the more noise he makes in chewing it, the more polite he is thought to be. They have, indeed, a proverb that says, "Beggars and thieves only eat small pieces, or without making a noise." Having dispatched this morsel, which he does very expeditiously, his next neighbour holds forth another cartridge, which goes the same way, so on till he is satified. He never drinks till he has finished eating; and, before he begins, in gratitude to the fair ones that fed him, he makes up two small rolls of the same kind and form; each of his neighbours open their mouths at the same time, while with each hand he puts their portion into their mouths. He then falls to drinking out of a large horn; the ladies eat till they are satisfied, and then all drink together.

All this time the unfortunate victim at the door is bleeding indeed, but bleeding little. As long as they can cut off the flesh from his bones they do not meddle with the thighs, or the parts where the great arteries are. At last they fall upon the thighs likewise; and soon after the animal, bleeding to death, becomes so tough that the cannibals, who have the rest of it to eat, find very hard work to separate the flesh from the bones with their teeth like dogs.

An account of the Rattle-snake and other wonderful reptiles and insects, taken from the Rev. John Wesley's survey of the wisdom of God in creation.

THE poison of the rattle-snake is equally fatal with that of the viper, and more swift in its operation; for it frequently kills within an hour. The snake is in some places 15 feet long. But whenever it moves in order to bite, the tail begins to rattle; and that considerably loud; so that a man, if he has presence of mind, may easily get out of its way. When it kills a hare, he is observed to lick her all over before he takes her into his mouth probably, that having moistened and smoothed her skin, he may the more easily swallow her.

It is very remarkable, that he frequently stays under a tree, on which a bird or squirrel is hopping about, with his mouth wide open. And the event constantly is, the creature in a while drops into it. Sir Hans Sloane thinks, he has wounded it first: and that he then waits under the tree till the poison works, and the animal drops down into the mouth of its executioner.

But this is not the case, as plainly appears, from what many

have been witnesses of. A swallow pursuing his prey, in the air, if he casts his eye on the suake beneath him, waiting with his mouth wide open, alters his course, and flutters over him in the utmost consternation, till sinking gradually lower and lower, he at last drops into his mouth.

To the same purpose is the famous experiment of Dr. Sprenger, mentioned in the Hamburgh magazine. He let loose a mouse on the ground, at a little distance from a common snake. It made a few turns, and squeaked a little, and then ran directly into the mouth of the snake, which all the while lay still, and without motion.

The rattle-snake, being less nimble than others, would find difficulty in getting its prey, were it not for the singular provision made, by the rattle in his tail. When he sees a squirrel or bird on a tree, he gets to the bottom, and shakes this instrument. The creature looking down, sees the terrible eye of the snake bent full upon it. It trembles, and never attempts to escape, but keeps its eye upon the destroyer, till tired with hopping from bough to bough, it falls down, and is devoured. Indeed the same power is in the viper. The field-mice, and other animals, which are its natural food, if they have once seen his eyes, never escape, but either stand still or run into its mouth.

But vipers in general will not eat, after they are under confinement. The viper-catchers throw them together into great bins, where they live many months, though they eat nothing. It is only a female viper, when big with young, that will eat during its confinement. If a mouse be thrown into the bin, at the bottom of which forty or fifty vipers are crawling, among which one is with young, she alone will meddle with it, and she not immediately. The rest pass it by, without any regard, though it be their natural food. But the female, after she has done this several times, will at length begin to eye it. Yet she passes by it again, but soon after stops short, and holding her head facing that of the mouse, seems ready to dart at it, which however she never does, but opens her mouth, and brandishes her tongue. Her eyes having now met those of the mouse, she never looses sight of it more; but they face one another, and the viper advances with her open mouth, nearer and nearer, till without making any leap, she takes in the head, and afterwards the whole body.

A common snake will avoid a man; but a rattle-snake never turns out of the way. His eye has something so terrible in it, that there is no looking steadfastly at him. But he creeps very slow, with his head close to the ground, so that one may easily get out of his way. His leaping is no more than uncoiling himself, so that a man is in no danger, if he is not within the length

of the snake. Neither can he do any harm, unless he first coil, and then uncoil himself; but both these are done in a moment.

The noise they make is not owing as some imagine, to little bones lodged in their tails. But their tail is composed of joints that lap over one another, like a lobster's, and they make that noise by striking them one upon another. This is loudest in fair weather; in rainy weather they make no noise at all. It is remarkable, that whenever a single snake rattles, all that are within hearing rattle in like manner.

Of how extremely penetrating a nature is their poison! A man provoking one of them to bite the edge of his broad-axe, the colour of the steeled part presently changed; and at the first stroke he made with it in his work, the discoloured part broke out leaving a gap in the axe.

A gentleman in Virginia has lately given a particular account of what he felt after being bit by one of them.

Hearing," says he, "a bell upon the top of a steep hill, which I knew to be on one of the cows of the people where I then quartered, I went right up the hill; but near the top my foot slipped, and brought me down upon my knees. Ilaid my hand on a broad stone to stay myself; I suppose the snake lay on the other side, who bit my hand in an instant, then slid under the ground, and sounded his rattles. But I soon found him, crushed his head to pieces with a stone, took him up in my left hand, and ran home, sucking the wound on my right hand, and spitting out the poison. This kept it easy but my tongue and my lips grew stiff and numb, as if they were froze. When I came home one presently ripped a fowl open, and bound it upon my hand. This eased me a little. I kept my elbow bent and my fingers up, which kept the poison from my arm. Another bruised some turmeric, and bound it round my arm, to keep the poison in my hand. This kept my arm easy for some hours; and my hand, though numb, was not much swelled, nor even painful; but about midnight it puffed up on a sudden, and grew furious, till I slit my fingers with a razor. I also slit the back of my hand, and cupped it, and drew out a quart of slimy stuff; yet my arm swelled. Then I got it tied so fast, that it was almost void of feeling, yet would it work, writhe, jump, and twine like a snake, change colours, and be spotted. And the spots moved to and fro upon the arm, which grew painful at the bone. All things were applied for two days which could be thought on; but without effect, till the ashes of white ash-bark, made into a plaister with vinegar, drew out the poison. We then untied the arm; but within two hours all my right side turned black; yet it did not swell, nor pain me. I bled at the mouth soon after, and continued bleeding and feverish four days. The pain raged in my arm, and I was betimes delirious for an hour

or two.

After nine days the fever went ; but my hand and arm were spotted like a snake all the summer. In autum my arm swelled, gathered and burst, so away went poison, spots and all.

"But the most surprising circumstance was my dreams. In all sickness before, these were always pleasant. But now all were horrid. Often I was rolling among old logs; sometimes I was a white oak cut in pieces. Frequently my feet would be growing into two hickory trees: so that it was a terror to me to think of going to sleep."

An account of the Salamander. It is a reptile of the lizard kind.

[By John Wesley, LL. D.]

THE Salamander is supposed to live in fire; but without any ground. It is indeed generally found in the chinks of glasshouses, or near furnaces, where the heat is so great, that no other animal could endure it, without being destroyed in a few minutes. But some years ago the trial was made by several gentlemen, whether it could really live in fire. Some charcoal was kindled, and the animal laid upon the burning coals. Immediately it emitted a blackish liquour, which entirely quenches them. They lighted more coals, and laid it upon them. It quenched them a second time in the same manner. But being presently laid on a fire, it was in a short time burnt to ashes.

An account of the water Salamander.

[By John Wesley, LL. D.]

A particular species of water lizards, abbe Spallanzani terms an AQUATIC SALAMANDER. Yet, he observes, this cannot bear any great degree either of heat or cold. But the most remarkable circumstance relating to it, is, that let its tail, legs or even jaws be cut away, and in a short time they are reproduced.The tail, beside a complete apparatus of nerves, muscles, glands, arteries and veins, has vertebræ of real bone. And their legs do not differ from those of the most perfect animals, in the number of bones, whereof they are composed.

Now, when the legs and tail of this animal are taken away, new vertebræ, new bones are produced: a phenomenon as wonderful as any hitherto known. This takes place in every known

species of salamanders, at any period of their life, on the earth or in the water; and let the length of the divided parts be greater or less. Nor do the constituent parts of the new tail differ from those of the part that was cut, either in number, structure or connection. But a whole year is scarce sufficient to render the new part equal to that which was cut off. Indeed, the regenerating power ceases during the winter half year.

When the part reproduced is cut off, it is succeeded by another, which proceeds in the same manner as the former, and this a second, a third or fourth time: the salamander still forming new parts by the same unalterable laws.

There are in the legs of a salamander ninety and nine bones. In the four regenerated legs there is the same number. The form and internal structure of the reproduced bones, and of the natural are the same. But the colour of the new bones, is somewhat different, and their substance more tender. And all these parts are reproduced in the same manner, and at the same time, whether the creature is fed, or kept fasting.

When their jaws are cut off, the same thing happens. New bones are reproduced, new teeth, new cartilages, veins and arteries. Wesley's survey of the wisdom of God.

An account of the Tarantula, and of the effects of music, in producing a cure upon the person stung.

[By John Wesley, LL. D.]

THE Tarantula is a kind of spider, chiefly found near the city of Tarentum, in Apulia. It is about the size of an acorn, and has eight eyes and eight feet. Its skin is hairy; from its mouth rise two trunks, a little crooked and exceeding sharp. Through these it conveys its poison: they seem likewise to be a kind of moveable nostrils, being in continual motion, especially when it is seeking its food. It is found in other parts of Italy, but is dangerous only in Apulia. And there it does little hurt in the mountains, which are cooler, but chiefly on the plains. Indeed it is not venomous, but in the heat of summer, particularly in the dog days. It is then so enraged as to fly upon any that comes within its reach.

The bite causes a pain, like that of the stinging of a bee. In a few hours the patient feels a numbness, and the part is marked with a strong lived eircle, which soon rises into a painful tumour. A little after he falls into a deep sadness, breathes with much difficulty, his pulse grows feeble and his senses dull. At length