the examples of this species which we have had an opportunity of noticing in captivity, we never yet saw one that would suffer the approach of strangers to its den without manifesting these tokens of dis. pleasure, while the larger animals of the feline race become accustomed to the public gaze, and indifferent to the gaze of bystanders. The lynx, closely retiring to a corner, and secluding itself as much as possible, surveys the scene around with dislike and suspicion, and if intruded upon more decidedly, betrays the most unequivocal signs of its unbroken and unyielding temper.

to the highest works of art, or the lowliest concerns of common life.

"Say

A bustling traveller at an inn, merely to show that he is a judge of good wine, rings the bell violently, and sends back his decanter, telling the waiter that the wine is as flat as ditch-water. Away goes the waiter, and presently returns with the same liquor in another shaped bottle, assuring the blusterer that he has been to another bin for it; the wine is then pronounced to be what wine ought to be, and is drunk with the consciousness of superior discernment. A Londoner passes through Sheffield, Birmingham, and Coventry, but buys noThe native countries of the lynx are Per-thing. On his return to London, he pursia, India, Turkey, Nubia, and other portions chases, at a high price, a case of razors, a of the East, where it inhabits the wooded set of gilt buttons, and a watch. districts, preying upon birds, monkeys, what you will," says he, "there are no squirrels, and the smaller quadrupeds. It articles in the world like those that are avoids the face of man, but becomes dan- town-made; it's worth while paying a little gerous if hard pressed or wounded. Most more for them." The razors cut well, the of its time is spent among the branches gilt buttons wear capitally, and the watch of the forest, and so subtle is its attack, so goes admirably. The first were made in unperceived its approach, that until the Sheffield, the second in Birmingham, and fatal spring be taken, the victim is uncon- the last in Coventry. scious of his jeopardy. In this manner the splendid peacock, roosting on his perch in the recesses of the wood, or the monkey, sleeping on the bough, is surprised and destroyed. Though the examples which we have seen have been invariably fierce and unmanageable, the lynx appears to have been occasionally rendered tame, and even used for the chase. By the classic poets of antiquity it was allegorically fabled as having been yoked to the car of Bacchus, the conqueror of India. In size, the Persian lynx equals a dog of moderate stature; the tail is short, the general contour light, but vigorous. It may be as well to state, in conclusion, that the fur known in commerce as that of the Lynx, is not procured from the present animal, but from one or two very different species, viz., the Russian lynx, (Felis lynx,) a species also from the north, termed Felis cervaria, and the Canada lynx, (Felis Canadensis,) &c. M.

AFFECTATION OF DISCERNMENT.

WHERE one man can be found possessing judgment and superior discrimination, ten may be seen who lay claim to these qualities without possessing them. Some men, indeed, cannot move without giving themselves airs on account of their supposed shrewdness; and this turn of mind is equally visible, whether exercised in reference

A certain lord was once examining a plate of copper, on which was an engraving, executed by an eminent artist. He took the copper-plate in his hand, admired the freedom, force, and delicacy of the principal figure, which was that of Justice; but, with an air of self-satisfaction, expressed his regret that the artist should have committed such an oversight, as to put the sword into the left hand of the figure instead of the right. "Now here," said he, turning to a beautiful print of the same subject, which happened to be near, "the sword is where it ought to be.' The artist smiled in his sleeve at the simplicity of the peer, and allowed him to depart without telling him that the print which he admired was a proof impression, taken from the very copper-plate he had censured.

An amateur in painting, whose ignorance of the art was equal to the high estimate he had formed of his own discrimination, once had a full opportunity of manifesting his want of discernment: two friends, willing to purchase a laugh at his expense, played off the following stratagem. One of them invited him to inspect an original painting of a warrior. He attended, and believing the performance to be that of one of the olden masters, praised it to the skies. The eye was lit up, he said, with animation; the arm had an expression of power, and the strength and tone of the whole stamped it an original. Before he left the house, the

painting was secretly conveyed to the pre-confined to particular organs, but is dismises of the other friend, and put into an- persed over the whole body. Insects, howother frame. The amateur was decoyed to ever, from the indurated crust with which the place, where, among other paintings, he they are often covered, feel sensibly, it is again saw that of the warrior."O," said probable, only in those parts where the he, with a knowing shake of his head, nerves are exposed, by being covered with when asked if he considered it to be an a thinner epidermis, to external action. original, or a copy, "I have seen too Not that they cannot feel at all in their many paintings to be in doubt a moment covered parts; for as we feel sufficiently for about the matter. There is no fire in the walking, though our feet are covered with eye, no energy in the arm, and a general the thick sole of a boot or shoe, so insects air of feebleness pervades the whole. It is feel sufficiently through the crust of their but a copy, I assure you, and a very indif-legs for all purposes of motion. Besides, ferent one too."

of their combs, their young, their compa- | stretched out in front, as exploring before nions, and also of their queen; all communicated by the sense of feeling.

"To be satisfied on this point, a queen was confined in a glass box, covered within with a grating, which allowed the passage of the antennæ, but was too small for the heads of the bees. We remarked from the first, that the distress commonly following the departure of a queen was not manifested on this occasion. All the bees knew that she was not lost, and when she was restored to them, they seemed to recognise her immediately. The communications of the bees with this queen were made by means of an infinite number of antennæ thrust through the grating, and turning in all directions, plainly indicating that they were occupied with her. She acknowledged the interest they took in her, by always remaining fixed on the grating, and crossing her antenna with those so evidently employed in ascertaining her presence.'

them. As the palpi are attached to the under-jaws and under-lip, we may suppose they are particularly useful to insects in taking their food; and, upon this occasion, I have often observed that they are remarkably active. I have seen byturus tomentosus, a beetle which feeds upon pollen, employ them in opening anthers; and the maxillary pair appear to me to assist the maxillæ in holding the food, while the mandibles are at work upon it.'

The arms or fore-legs of some insects are also organs of active touch, being used for various purposes. By the ephemeræ, which have very short antennæ, the forelegs, when they fly, are extended before the head, parallel with each other and quite united; probably to assist in cutting the air. The trichoptera use their antennæ for the same purpose. Other parts seem to have something to do with the sense we are now considering. The eyes of spiders must be used in planning their frameworks; but they cannot be guided by them in the details, for the spinneret, whence they draw their threads, being situated behind, they must depend, in a great measure, on the tact of this organ for the accuracy of their workmanship. The soft yielding consistency and the papillary form of this wonderful organ, indeed, seems to indicate its being well adapted for an instrument of touch. But the claws themselves must also have this sense in perfection; for

cross lines of a geometric net, the spider always guides the thread from the spinneret by one of its hind-claws, which it cannot possibly see with any one of its eyes, as these are all placed forwards on the head. The exquisite structure of these webs, thus woven as it were in the dark, shows that the sense of touch by which alone it can be accomplished, must be peculiarly delicate.

The palpi or feelers are usually few in number. These organs are small, and generally cylindrical, consisting of from one to six joints, one palpus being implanted in each of the two lower jaws, and the remaining two being attached to the lower lip. The former, or upper pairs, are, in most cases, a joint longer than the under; so as that they may all four, when bent down, reach to the ground at the same time. They are most commonly smooth, and end in a softish point; but in some cases they are covered with hairs. Some have sup-in making the various rays as well as the posed that they are organs of smell and taste; but the most early idea, and that from which they derive their present name, is, that they are organs of active touch; and this seems to be the most correct and probable opinion. Cuvier, himself a host, has embraced this side of the question. The palpi of numerous insects, when they walk, are frequently, or rather without intermission, applied to the surface on which they are moving this may be easily seen by placing one on the hand; which seems to indicate that they are feelers. In the scorpimida they answer the purpose of hands; besides, being usually much shorter than antennæ, they are better calculated to assist an insect in threading the dark and tortuous labyrinths through which it has often to grope its way, and where antennæ cannot be employed. "I have noticed," says an eminent naturalist, that hydrophili, in which genus the palpi are longer than the antennæ, when they swim, have their antennæ folded, while the palpi are

:

Insects are peculiarly sensible to electric changes in the atmosphere. Kirby and Spence tell us, that "when the atmosphere is in a highly electrified state, and a tempest is approaching, insects are usually most abundant in the air, especially towards the evening; and many species may then be taken which are not at other times to be met with: but before the storm comes on, all disappear, and you will scarcely see a single individual upon the wing." They conjecture, that the organs destined for perceiving these electric changes are the antennæ, particularly those furnished with a lateral bristle, and the plumose and pec

tinated ones," from this form seeming to be | tubes, which convey the substances (gas, calculated to act on the electricity and water, ammonia, and tar) produced by moisture of the atmosphere, “which, in cer- the combustion of the coal to reservoirs, tain states and proportions, may certainly in which they become separated, the tar indicate the approach of a tempest, or of and water being condensed, while the gas showers, or a rainy season, and may so passes on to other vessels, in which the affect these organs as to enable the insect preparation is completed. It is passed to make a sure prognostic of any approach- through pure water, and through limeing change; and we know no other organ water, by which it is cleansed of its imthat is so likely to have this power." purities, into the gasometer, in which it remains till wanted for use. This instru

SCRIPTURE EXPLANATIONS. NO. XXVII.

shalt make thee."-Deut. xvi. 21.

ment consists of two parts; a large wooden or iron cistern, open above, partly filled with water, and a large open vessel of iron, or some other substance, which is

"Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God, which thou THE heathen temples in India are al-inverted in the water contained in the most always placed within groves, unless other, and is suspended and balanced by weights playing over pulleys. Then, as they are in towns, and then they are surrounded by high and thick walls. This the gas enters at the bottom of the ciswas the practice in ancient Canaan. The tern, it rises up into, and thus pushes up, reason for placing these resorts of idola- is filled. From this it is let out through the inverted vessel, or gas-holder, till it trous worship amidst secluded places, surrounded by almost impenetrable woods, is tubes, provided with stop-cocks. As soon not easy to be imagined, unless it was to as the cocks are opened, the weight of afford an opportunity for the performance of the gas-holder, tending to sink it in the those horrid rites with which paganism water, forces out the gas it contains. It is then transmitted through small iron abounds in every part of the world. The religion of every dark and barbarous people is, or leaden pipes to the place where it is more or less, bound up with cruel and infa- needed, On an average, a chaldron of mous rites, which even the barbarians them- good Newcastle coal, weighing about selves feel reluctant to exhibit before the light twenty-five hundred weight, will afford of day. Human sacrifices offered to idols eleven thousand cubic feet of gas, each foot are forbidden by the East India Company's of which is equivalent in burning, to the regulations, yet instances are occurring fre- light of a mould candle of six to the quently of persons being offered in sacrifices pound, during the same space of time: to different idols; and especially in those hence, one pound weight of coal will parts of India which are not under the im- afford light equal to such a candle for four hours and a half. mediate control of government. Connected with idolatry are those scenes which the apostle so emphatically calls "the unfruitful works of darkness." "For it is a shame to speak of those things done of them

in secret." Hence the Jews were forbidden

to build their altars near a grove, but in the most public places, that all might witness the solemnities of the true worship, that every temptation to those pollutions induced by our corrupt nature, assisted by darkness and secresy, might be effectually excluded. O Lord, thou art light, and in thee there is no darkness at all.-W. Brown.

GAS.

THE mode of preparation of gas is as follows: large, tight iron vessels, three quarters filled with bituminous coal, are heated in furnaces to a red heat; to the end or open mouth of the vessels containing the coal are tightly fitted iron

The residue of coal, after the gas, tar, &c. are distilled from it, is coke. Yet, although the employment of coal-gas for lighting is a discovery of our times, coke was manufactured upwards of two centuries since, when the gas, &c. were probably lost in the process.

Coke is said

to have been invented in 1627 by John Hacket and Octavian Strada. Evelyn calls it a new project of Sir John Winter. In a newspaper about the middle of the seventeenth century, is the following

advertisement: "There is a sort of fewel made by charking or calcining Newcastle coals, which burns without smoak, without fouling the furniture; and altogether as sweet, and is much more lasting and profitable than wood or charcoal. It kindles suddenly, and is useful either for chambers, roasting of meat, drying of malt or hops, wooll-coming, distilling, preserving, or any such like employment.