Mr. Klein gives much the same account of those of Poland and Prussia.

20. Rails and Gallinules.-Every species of these two genera continues with us the whole year; the land rail excepted, which is not seen here in winter. It likewise continues in Ireland only during the summer-months, when they are very numerous, as Mr. Smith tells us, in the History of Waterford, p. 336. Great numbers appear in Anglesea the latter end of May; it is supposed they pass over from Ireland, the passage between the two islands being but small. As we have instances of these birds lighting on ships in the Channel and the Bay of Biscay, we may conjecture their winter-quarters to be in Spain.

Fin-footed Water-Birds.

21. Phalaropes.-Visit us but seldom; their breeding-place is Lapland, and other arctic regions.

22. Grebes.-The great crested grebe, the black and white grebe, and the little grebe, breed with us, and never migrate; the others visit us accidentally, and breed in Lapland.

Web-footed Birds.

23. Avoset.-Breed near Fossdike, in Lincolnshire, but quit their quarters in winter. They are then shot in different parts of the kingdom, which they visit, not regularly but accidentally.

24. Auks and Guillemots.—The great auk or penguin sometimes breeds in St. Kilda. The auk, the guillemot, and puffin, inhabit most of the maritime cliffs of Great Britain, in amazing numbers during summer. The black guillemot breeds in the Bass Isle, and in St. Kilda, and sometimes in Llandidno rocks. We are at a loss for the breeding-place of the other species; neither can we be very certain of the winter residence of any of them, excepting of the lesser guillemot and black-billed auk, which, during winter, visit in vast flocks the Frith of Forth.

25. Divers.-These chiefly breed in the lakes of Sweden and Lapland, and in some countries near the pole ; but some of the red-throated divers, the northern and the imber, may breed in the north of Scotland and its isles.

26. Terns.-Every species breeds here; but leaves us in the winter.

27. Petrels.-The fulmar breeds in the isle of St. Kilda, and continues there the whole year except September and part of October. The shearwater visits the Isle of Man in April; breeds there; and, leaving it in August or the beginning of September, disperses over all parts of the Atlantic ocean. The stormfinch, is seen at all distances from land, on the same vast watery tract; nor is ever found near the shore, except by some very rare accident, unless in the breeding season. Mr. Pennant found it on some lit.

tle rocky isles on the north of Skye. It also breeds on St. Kilda. He also suspects that it nestles on the Blasquet Isles, off Kerry, and that it is the gourder of Mr. Smith.

28. Mergansers.-This whole genus is mentioned among the birds that fill the Lapland lakes during summer. Mr. Pennant has seen the young of the red-breasted in the north of Scotland: a few of these, and perhaps of the goosanders, may breed there.

29. Ducks. Of the numerous species that form this genus, we know of few that breed here: the swan and goose, the shield-duck, the eider-duck, a few shovellers, garganies, and teals, and a very small portion of the wild ducks.

The rest contribute to form that amazing multitude of water. fowl that annually repairs from most parts of Europe to the woods and lakes of Lapland, and other arctic regions, there to perform the functions of incubation and nutrition in full security. They and their young quit their retreat in September, and disperse them. selves over Europe. With us they make their appearance the beginning of October; circulate first round our shores; and, when compelled by severe frost, betake themselves to our lakes and rivers. Of the web.footed fowl, there are some of hardier consti. tutions than others: these endure the ordinary winters of the more northern countries; but when the cold reigns there with more than common rigour, they repair for shelter to these kingdoms: this regulates the appearance of some of the diver kind, as also of the wild swans, the swallow-tailed shield-duck, and the different sorts of goosanders which then visit our coasts. Barentz found the barnacles with their nests in great numbers in Nova Zembla. (Collect. Voy. Dutch East India Company, 8vo. 1703, p. 19.) Clusius, in his Exot. 368, also observes, that the Dutch discovered them on the rocks of that country, and in Waygait Straits. They, as well as the other species of wild geese, go very far north to breed, as appears from the histories of Greenland and Spitzbergen, by Egede

and Crantz. These birds seem to make Iceland a resting-place, as Horrebow observes: a few continue there to breed, but only visit that island in the spring, and after a short stay, retire still further north.

30. Corvorants.-The corvorant and shag breed on most of our high rocks; the gannet in some of the Scotch isles, and on the coast of Kerry; the two first continue on our shores the whole year. The gannet disperses itself all round the seas of Great Britain, in pursuit of the herring and pilchard, and even as far as the Tagus, to prey on the sardina.

But of the numerous species of fowl here enumerated, it may be observed how very few entrust themselves to us in the breeding season, and what a distant flight they make to perform the first great dictate of nature.

There seems to be scarcely any but what we have traced to Lapland, a country of lakes, rivers, swamps, and alps, covered with thick and gloomy forests, that afford shelter during summer to these fowls, which in winter disperse over the greatest part of Europe. In those arctic regions, by reason of the thickness of the woods, the ground remains moist and penetrable to the woodcocks, and other slender-billed fowl; and for the web-footed birds, the waters afford larves innumerable of the tormenting gnat. The days there are long; and the beautiful meteorous nights indulge them with every opportunity of collecting so minute a food, whilst mankind is very sparingly scattered over that vast northern waste.

Why then should Linnæus, the great explorer of these rude de. serts, be amazed at the myriads of water-fowl that migrated with him out of Lapland? which exceeded in multitude the army of Xerxes; covering for eight whole days and nights, the surface of the river Calix! His partial observation as a botanist, would confine their food to the vegetable kingdom, almost denied tothe Lapland waters; inattentive to a more plenteous table of insect food, which the all-bountiful Creator had spread for them in the wilder. ness. It may be remarked, that the lakes of mountainous rocky countries in general, are destitute of plants: few or none are seen on those of Switzerland; and Linnæus makes the same observation in respect to those of Lapland, having during his whole tour, discovered only a single specimen of a lemma trisulca, or ivy-leaved duck's meat, Flora Lap. No. 470; a few of the scirpus lacustris, or bullrush, No. 18; the alopecurus geniculatus, or flote foxtail

grass, No. 38; and the ranunculus aquatilis, No. 234; which are all he enumerates in his Prolegomena to that excellent performance.

[Pantologia. Barrington.

CHAP. VII.

QUADRUPEDS AND

OTHER ANIMALS THAT SUCKLE THEIR YOUNG.

Mammalia.-LINN.

SECTION I.

Orang-Otang.

Simia Troglodytes.-LINN.

Of these singular animals, the species which has most excited the

The orang

attention of mankind is the orang-otang; or, as it is sometimes called, the satyr, great ape, or man of the woods. It is a native of the warmer parts of Africa and India, as well as of some of the Indian islands, where it resides principally in woods, and is supposed to feed, like most others of this genus, on fruits. otang appears to admit of considerable variety in point of colour, size, and proportions; and there is reason to believe, that, in reality, there may be two or three kinds, which, though nearly ap proximated as to general similitude, are yet specifically distinct. The specimens imported into Europe have rarely exceeded the height of two or three feet, and were supposed to be young ani. mals; but it is said that the full-grown ones are, at least, six feet in height. The general colour seems to be dusky or brown; in some ferruginous or reddish brown, and in others coal-black, with the skin itself white. The face is bare; the ears, hands, and feet nearly similar to the human, and the whole appearance such as to exhibit the most striking approximation to the human figure. The likeness, however, is only a general one, and the structure of the hands and feet, when examined with anatomical exactness, seems to prove, in the opinion of those most capable of judging with accu. racy on the subject, that the animal was principally designed by

nature for the quadrupedal manner of walking, and not for an upright posture, which is only occasionally assumed, and which, in those exhibited to the public, is, perhaps, rather owing to instruction than truly natural. The Count de Buffon, indeed, makes it one of the distinctive characters of the real or proper apes (among which the orang-otang is the chief), to walk erect on two legs only; and it must be granted, that these animals support an upright po. sition much more easily and readily than most other quadrupeds, and may probably be very often seen in this attitude even in a state

of nature.

The manners of the orang-otang, when in captivity, are gentle, and perfectly void of that disgusting ferocity so conspicuous in some of the larger baboons and monkies. The orang-otang is mild and docile, and may be taught to perform, with dexterity, a variety of actions in domestic life. Thus it has been seen sitting at table, and, in its manner of feeding and general behaviour, to imitate the company in which it was placed: to pour out tea, and drink it without aukwardness or constraint; to prepare its bed with exactness, and compose itself to sleep in a proper manner. Such are the actions recorded of one which was exhibited in London, in the year 1738; and the Count de Buffon relates nearly similar particulars of that which he saw at Paris. Dr. Tyson, who, about the close of the last century, gave a very exact descripton of a young orang-otang, then exhibited in the metropolis, assures us, that, in many of its actions, it seemed to display a very high degree of sagacity, and was of a disposition uncommonly gentle; "the most gentle and loving creature that could be. Those that he knew a ship-board be would come and embrace with the greatest tenderness, opening their bosoms, and clasping his hands about them; and, as I was informed, though there were monkies aboard, yet it was observed be would never associate with them, and, as if nothing akin to them, would always avoid their company."

But however docile and gentle when taken young, and instructed in its behaviour, it is said to be possessed of great ferocity in its native state, and is considered as a dangerous animal, capable of readily overpowering the strongest man. Its swiftness is equal to its strength, and for this reason it is but rarely to be obtained in its full-grown state; the young alone being taken.

[Shaw.