He then attempted to name the different ftripes: the feveral ftripes of white he uniformly, and without hefitation, called white: the four black ftripes he was deceived in, for three of them he thought brown, though they were exactly of the fame fhade with the other, which he properly called black. He fpoke, however, with diffidence as to all thofe ftripes; and it must be owned, the black was not very diftinct the light green he called yellow; but he was not very pofitive: he faid, "I think this is what you call yellow." The middie ftripe, which had a flight tinge of red, he called a fort of blue. But he was moft of all deceived by the orange colour; of this he fpoke very confidently, faying, "This is the colour of grats; this is green." I also fhewed him a great variety of ribbons, the colour of which he fometimes named rightJy, and fometimes as differently as poffible from the true colours. I asked him, whether he imagined it poffible for all the various colours he faw, to be mere difference of light and fhade; whether he thought they could be various degrees between white and black; and that all colours could be compofed of these two mixtures only With fome hefitation he replied, no, he did imagine there was fome other difference. I could not conveniently procure from this perfon an account in writing; but I have given his own words, having fet them down in writing immediately. Befides, as this converfation happened only the 10th of last month, it is ftill fresh in my memory. I have endeavoured to give a faithful account DEAR SIR, Sept. 16, 1776. Read Dec. 19, 1776. after an abfence of five years from it, I will endeavour to give you a fhort account of my expedition into Africa, which I undertook foon af ter parting with you at the Cape of Good-Hope. The voyage round the world, of which I fhared the perils and pleasures with you, had only made me more eager to continue my rambles in queft of new difcoveries. I fet out therefore from the neighbourhood of the Cape-town in the beginning of August 1775, with no other company than the fon of the Dutch Lieutenant Emelman, who had formerly accompanied my learned friend Dr. Thunberg on a fimilar journey, and fome Hottentots who took care of my oxen. Bmy native country The first misfortune I met with was the lofs of the thermometer which you had left me, and which broke before I had reached the hot bath. miles, where we had greater sport than any German prince could ever boaft of. On that route I penetrated farther into the country than any of my predeceffors, having gone one hundred miles beyond the laft Chriftian's or Dutchman's hut, into the diftrict of the Yellow or (as they are vulgarly called) Chinese Hottentots. bath. This was only a prelude to greater diftreffes. The drought was fo violent this year, that the like had not been experienced in the colony within the memory of man, and it obliged the inhabitants to leave their country-feats. A great part of their cattle perished for want of grafs and water, and I have frequently fuffered the moft raging thirft in the hot defarts The great buffaloes which inwhich I traversed; but I was too habit the wilds of Africa, do not well feasoned during the voyage to appear to me to differ in any redread the hardships of a fcanty fpect from the North American fubfiftence, the fatigues of travel- Bifon, although I have feen great ling, or the power of the climate. numbers of them. I have likewife The moft fenfible misfortune which found a fpecies of pole-cat on that the dry feafon brought along with continent, which Linnæus calls Viit, was the defolation of the vege- verra Putorius, contrary to M. De table kingdom. Far from being Buffon's opinion, who feems to fo fortunate as Dr. Thunberg, who confine this animal and its species has added above a thousand species to America. By the fea-fide I was to the Flora Capenfis, I found every fortunate enough to catch a Manathing burnt up, and only in the tee alive, notwithstanding the diffithickest forefts met with fome pe- culty which must attend the caprennial plants which were new to ture of fuch an unwieldy animal. me, and which, upon a revifal of There I likewife faw fome iflands, that gentleman's herbal, I believe on which I was told an English are likewife unknown to him. Of hip had been loft. These I fufthefe I propose to fend you fpeci- pected at firft to be the Doddingtons; mens as foon as I can find time to but afterwards had reafon to doubt bring my collection into fome it, thofe islands being fuppofed to lie kind of order. On the other hand, in a more foutherly latitude. I have been fortunate with animals, and especially in the clafs of quadrupeds. I shall not fpeak of lions and other beafts of prey, which I have frequently feen in broad daylight, and heard roaring about me at night, though they never ventured to attack our cattle. But it was chiefly among the antelopes and animals of that fort that I hunted. Mr. Emelman and myfelf, with nine hottentots, a waggon drawn by feveral pairs of oxen, and feveral hunting horfes, happily traversed a defart of fifty I have had opportunities of making many curious and valuable obfervations relative to the different tribes of Hottentots, their economy, hunting-matches, and other cuftoms; an account of which, together with fome remarks on the natural history of the elephant, the rhinoceros, and other animals, I intend to prepare for the prefs. I am poffeffed of an accurate map of that part of Africa which I have vifited, containing all the hills, together with the fmalleft rivulets, as far as the Bay de la Goa, which, I think, I think, will be a great addition to the work. I only regret that I was not able to draw the objects of natural hiftory, and have an hundred times wished that your sơn had been with me for this purpofe. that account, and the annexed drawing, worthy the attention of the Royal Society, I fhould be greatly flattered if you would do me the honour to lay it before that learned body. With the greatest esteem I remain, &c. Cuculus Indicator. As I had been upwards of nine months on this journey, at my return to the Cape I found that my acquaintance had given up all hopes The Hiftory of the Honey-Guide, or of feeing me again, having had no tidings of me for fo'long a space of time. Notwithstanding the many dangers to which I had been expofed on this expedition, I affure you I was greatly tempted to flay another year, in hopes of being more fuccefsful in botanical diicoveries. However, the profpect of fecuring the fpoils which I had collected, prevailed on me to relinquish that fcheme. Indeed 1 little thought at that time, that the greatest danger awaited my collection in Sweden. A few days ago a great part of it has been damaged here by fire, which has been particularly fatal to my ftuffed birds, having deftroyed fome which were not yet defcribed. As I am well acquainted with the pleafure which every new difcovery in the hiftory of nature gives you, I take this early opportunity of expreffing the readinefs with which I wish to contribute to your fatisfaction, and have fubjoined to this letter an account of a curious bird, a fpecies of Cuckow, which I have faved out of the fire. I only beg that you will confider it as an earnest of more important communications, as foon as the hurry of my affairs will permit me to bring my papers into order. In the mean time if you fhould think THIS curious fpecies of Cuckow is found at a confiderable distance from the Cape of Good Hope, in the interior parts of Africa, being entirely unknown at that fettlement. The first place where I heard of it was in a wood, called the Groot Vaader's Bosch, the Grand Father's Wood, fituated in a defart near the river which the Hotlentots call T'kaut'kai. The Dutch fettlers thereabouts have given this bird the name of Henig-wyzer, or Honey-guide, from its quality of difcovering wild-honey to travellers. Its colour has nothing striking or beautiful, as will appear from the defcription and drawing annexed; and its fize is confiderably smaller than that of our Cuckow in Europe but in return, the instinct which prompts it to feek its food in a fingular manner, is truly admirable. Not only the Dutch and Hottentots, but likewise a species of quadruped, which the Dutch name a Ratel *, are frequently conducted to wild bee-hives by this bird, which as it were pilots them to the very spot. The honey be ing its favourite food, its own intereft prompts it to be inftrumental in robbing the hive, as fome ícraps are commonly left for its fupport. * Probably a new fpecies of badger The The morning and evening are its times of feeding, and it is then heard calling in a fhrill tone, cherr, cherr, which the honey-hunters carefully attend to as the fummons to the chace. From time to time they answer with a foft whistle, which the bird hearing, always continues its note. As foon as they are in fight of each other, the bird gradually futters towards the place where the hive is fituated, continually repeating its former call of cherr, cherr: nay, if it fhould happen to have gained a confiderable way before the men (who may eafily be hindered in the purfuit by bushes, rivers, and the like) it returns to them again, and redoubles its note, as if to reproach them with their inactivity. At laft the bird is obferved to hover for a few moments over a certain fpot, and then filently retiring to a neighbouring bath or other refting-place, the hunters are fure of finding the bees neft in that identical fpot, whether it be in a tree, or in the crevice of a rock, or (as is most commonly the cafe) in the earth. Whilft the hunters are bufy in taking the honey, the bird is feen looking on attentively to what is going forward, and waiting for its share of the fpoil. The bee-hunters never fail to leave a fmall portion for their conductor, but commonly take care not to leave fo much as would fatisfy its hunger. The bird's appetite being only whetted by this parfimony, it is obliged to commit a fecond treafon, by discovering another beesneft, in hopes of a better falary. It is further obferved, that the nearer the bird approaches the hidden hive, the more frequently it repeats its call, and feems more impatient. I have had frequent opportunities of feeing this bird, and have been witnefs of the deftruction of feveral republics of bees, by means of its treachery. I had however but two opportunities of fhooting it, which I did to the great indignation of my Hottentots. From thofe fpecimens (both of which are fuppofed to be females) I have made the fubfequent defcription. The inhabitants in general accufe the fame bird of fometimes conducting its followers where wild beafts and venomous ferpents have their places of abode: this however I never had an opportunity of afcertaining myself; but am apt to believe fuch cafes to be accidental, when dangerous animals happen to be in the neighbourhood of a beesneft. Whilft I ftaid in the interior parts of Africa, a neft was fhewn to me, which fome peasants affured me was the net of a Honeyguide. It was woven of flender filaments or fibres of bark, in the form of a bottle. The neck and opening hung downwards, and a ftring in an arched fhape was fufpended across the opening, faftened by the two ends, perhaps for the bird to perch upon. Defcriptio Cuculi Indicatoris. ROSTRUM craffiufculum, verfas bafin fufcum, apice luteum. Angulus oris ufque infra oculos extenfus. Nares poftremæ ad bafin rofiri, fupreme vicinæ ut carinula dorfali faltem feparerentur, oblonge, Gula, Jugulum, Pectus, fordidè alba, cum aliquo virore vix notabili in pectore. Dorfum et Uropygium ferrugineogrifea. Abdomen, Criffumque alba. Femora tecta pennis albis, macula longitudinali nigra notatis. Alarum tedrices fuperiores omnes grifeo-fufcæ, exceptis fummis aliquot quæ flavis apicibus formant maculam flavam in humeris, exiguam, et a plumis fcapularibus fæpe tectam. Tectrices infra alam albidæ, harum fupremæ ex albido nigroque maculatæ. Remiges omnes fupra fufci, primarii octo, fecundarii fex, fubtus cinereo-fufci. Alula grifeo-fufcæ. Cauda cuneiformis, retricibus duodecim harum duæ intermediæ longiores anguftiores, fupra et infra æruginofo-fufcæ; proximæ dua fuliginofæ, margine interi ore albicantes; duæ utrinque his proximæ, alba, apice fufcæ, et exterius ad bafin macula nigra notatæ; extima utrinque reliquis brevior, alba, apice fufca, macula nigra vix ulla ad bafin Ale complicatæ caudæ partem quar tam attingunt. Longitude ab apice roftri ad extre mum caudæ circiter feptem uncias pedis Anglicani explet. Roftrum a bafi fuperiore ad apicem femunciale, An Account of the late Earthquake; by Dr. Percival of Manchester. N tember, at 11 o'clock in the Sunday, the 14th of Sepforenoon, a fevere fhock of an earthquake was felt here, which extended itself through a circuit of more than 300 miles. The morning was unclouded and fe rene, the wind was eafterly, but fuddenly veered into the oppofite quarter, about the time of the earthquake; and the air was temperately warm, without any fulphureous, or other offenfive vapours. The Summer has been cold and wet; but towards the end of Auguft, the weather changed, and has continued dry and pleasant, with few intermilions to the prefent time September 26, 1777. The Aurora Borealis has not often appeared, and storms of thunder and lightning have been uncommonly rare. Two months ago, a water-fpout is faid to have fallen near Huddersfield, a town in Yorkshire, between twenty and thirty miles diftant from Manchefter. During the fpace of three weeks before the earthquake, vegetation was obferved to be uncommonly vigorous. On the Saturday preceding it, an electrical machine collected more fire than it had ever been known to do before. Different churches in this town feem to have been very differently affected by the fhock. St. John's church |