ng;, crying, and
vomiting; or, like an immense whale in the arctic circle, blowing after
it has been struck with several harpoons."

_Bees in Mourning._

A correspondent in _Loudon's Magazine of Natural History_, states that
in the neighbourhood of Coventry, there is a superstitious belief, that
in the event of the death of any of the family, it is necessary to
inform the bees of the circumstance, otherwise they will desert the
hive, and seek out other quarters.

_Rare Insects._

There exists in Livonia, a very rare insect, which is not met with in
more northern countries, and whose existence was for a long time
considered doubtful, called the _Furia Infernalis._ It is so small that
it is very difficult to distinguish it by the naked eye; and its sting
produces a swelling, which, unless a proper remedy be applied, proves
mortal.

During the hay harvest, other insects named _Meggar,_ occasion great
injury both to men and beasts. They are of the size of a grain of sand.
At sunset they appear in great numbers, descend in a perpendicular line,
pierce the strongest linen, and cause an itching, and pustules, which if
scratched, become dangerous. Cattle, which breathe these insects, are
attacked with swellings in the throat, which destroy them, unless
promptly relieved.

* * * * *

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS

* * * * *

MEN AND MONKEYS.

Monkeys are certainly, there is no denying it, very like men; and, what
is worse, men are still more like monkeys. Many worthy people, who have
a high respect for what they choose to call the Dignity of Human Nature,
are much distressed by this similitude, approaching in many cases to
absolute identity; and some of them have written books of considerable
erudition and ingenuity, to prove that a man is not a monkey; nay, not
so much as even an ape; but truth compels us to confess, that their
speculations have been far from carrying conviction to our minds. All
such inquirers, from Aristotle to Smellie, principally insist on two
great leading distinctions--speech and reason. But it is obvious to the
meanest capacity, that monkeys have both speech and reason. They have a
language of their own, which, though not so capacious as the Greek, is
much more so than the Hottentottish; and as for reason, no man of a
truly philosophical genius ever saw a monkey crack a nut, without
perceiving that the creature possesses that end