fore feet, which supply the place of hands, as in the squir rel: it is about two feet long, and nearly a foot high; its colour is a light brown, the hair of two sorts; the one long and coarse, the other soft, short, and silky; the teeth resemble those of a rat or a squirrel, but are longer, and admirably adapted for cutting timber, or stripping bark; to which purpose they are continually applied.

These animals begin to assemble about the months of June and July to form a society that is to continue for the greatest part of the year. They arrive in numbers from every side, and generally form a company of above two hundred. Their rendezvous is commonly the place where they fix their abode, and this is always by the side of some lake or river, which is made with astonishing ingenuity. Persons who are accustomed to hunt these animals, know perfectly well that green wood is much more acceptable to them than that which is old and dry. Hence they plant a considerable quantity of it round their lodgments; and as they come out to partake of it, they either catch them in snares, or take them by surprise. In winter, when the frosts are very severe, they sometimes break a large hole in the ice; and when the beavers resort hither for the benefit of fresh air, they either kill them with hatchets, or cover the aperture with a large substantial net. After this they undermine and subvert the whole fabric; upon which the beavers flee with the utmost precipitation to the water, and plunging into the opening, fall directly into the net.

Of all the treasures in Natural History with which the new world is gradually enriching our museums, it is probable that none has hitherto been discovered, differing so much, in its general appearance, from every other

known animal, as the duck-billed platypus.-The body is depressed, and has some resemblance to that of an otter in miniature; it is covered with a black soft fur, and is of a dark brown above, and of a ferruginous white beneath; the head is flattish, and the snout so exactly resembles that of some broad-billed species of the duck, that it might easily be mistaken for such: the tail is flat, furry, and in colour like that of the body: the length of the whole animal, from the tip of the beak or snout, to that of the tail, is thirteen inches; of the beak, an inch and a half: the legs are very short, terminating in a broad web, which on the fore feet extends to a considerable distance beyond the claws; but on the hind feet reaches no farther than the roots of the claws. On the upper part of the head, on each side, a little beyond the beak, are situated two oval white spots, in the lower part of each of which are embedded the eyes, or at least the parts allotted to the animal for some kind of vision.

From the general form of this animal, and particularly its bill and webbed feet, we naturally conclude, that it resides in watery situations; that it has the habit of digging or burrowing in the banks of rivers, or under ground; and that its food consists of aquatic plants and animals.

THIS animal is a native of the interior parts of India. It seems to be of a middle nature, between the cow and the deer, and carries the appearance of both in its form: in size, it is as much smaller than the one, as it is larger than

the other; its body, horns, and tail, are not unlike those of a bull: and the head, neck, and legs, are similar to those of a deer. The colour, in general, is ash or grey, from a mixture of black hairs and white; all along the ridge or edge of the neck, the hair is blacker, longer, and more erect, making a short, thin, and upright mane, reaching down to the rump; its horns are seven inches long, six inches round at the root, tapering by degrees, and terminating in a blunt point: the ears are large and beautiful, seven inches in length, and spread to a considerable breadth; they are white on the edge and on the inside, except where two black bands mark the hollow of the ear with a zebra-like variety. The height of this animal at the shoulder, is four feet one inch; behind the loins, it only measures four feet.

The female differs considerably from the male, both in height and thickness, and is much smaller; in shape and colour it very much resembles a deer, and has no horns; she has four nipples, and is supposed to go nine months with young: she has commonly one at a birth, and sometimes two. These animals are frequently brought from the interior parts of Asia, as rare and valuable presents to the nabobs and other great men, at our settlements in India.

NATURAL HISTORY

OF

BIRDS.

NATURALISTS have divided birds into six classes, viz. the rapacious, the pie, the poultry, the sparrow, the duck, and the crane kind; the four first, comprehending the various kinds of land birds; the two last, those that belong to the water.

Such is the division of Linnæus, with respect to this class of animals; and at first sight it appears natural and comprehensive: but should the young student enter deeper into this naturalist's plan, he would find birds the most unlike in nature thrown into the same class. We shall therefore endeavour to observe a more natural method; and, keeping the general division in view, enter into some description of such birds as are most noted, or most worthy of observation.

Under one class or another, as they may be treated, the reader will probably find all the species; and when the leader of any tribe is described and its history given, it will convey a very tolerable idea of all the varieties contained under it.

By the rapacious kind, is to be understood that class of carnivorous fowl that subsist by rapine. They are distinguished by their beak, which is hooked, strong, and notched at the point; by their legs, which are short, muscular, and adapted for the purposes of tearing; by their talons, which are sharp and crooked; by their flesh, which is impure; and by their manners, which are fierce and cruel.-But, however, before we enter into a systematical detail, we beg leave to give the history of three or four birds which do not well arrange in any system; as, from their size, and their incapacity of flying, they lead a life materially differing from the rest of the feathered creation. The foremost of these are

IN taking a survey of the feathered tribe, the first animal that demands our attention seems to unite in itself the class of quadrupeds with that of birds, and to form a connecting link in the great chain of animated nature. In appearance it resembles the camel; it is covered with a plumage more like hair than feathers; and its internal parts bear as near a similitude to those of the quadruped as of the bird creation.

The ostrich is generally seven feet high, from the top of the head to the ground, but from the back it is only four; so that the head and neck are above three feet long. From the top of the head to the rump, when the neck is stretched out in a right line, the length is six feet, and that of the tail about a foot more. One of the wings, when stretched out, is about three feet; and at the end of each wing there is a kind of spur, almost like the quill of the porcupine. The plumage is generally black and white; the upper part of the head and neck are covered with fine white hair, and in some places there are small tufts of it, which grow from a single shaft, about the thick