I think, will be a great addition to the work. I only regret that I was not able to draw the objects of natural history, and have an hundred times wifhed that your fon had been with me for this purpofc. 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 History 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 ftay another year, in hopes of being more fuccefsful in botanical dilcoveries. However, the profpect of fecuring the fpoils which I had collected, prevailed on me to relinquish that scheme. 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 stuffed 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 readiness 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 thould 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 Bojcb, 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 ftriking or beautiful, as will appear from the defcription and drawing annexed; and its fize is confiderably fmaller than that of our Cuckow in Europe; but in return, the inftin& which prompts it to feek its food in a fingular manner, is truly admirable. Not only the Dutch and Hottentots, but likewife a fpecies 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 scraps 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 thrill 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 flutters 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 easily 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 spot, and then filently retiring to a neighbouring bush or other refting-place, the hunters are fure of finding the bees neft in that identical spot, 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 busy in taking the honey, the bird is feen looking on attentively to what is going forward, and waiting for its fhare of the fpoil. The bee-hunters never fail to leave a fmail portion for their conductor, but commonly take care not to leave so 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 difcovering 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 morễ I have had frequent opportuni- Whilft I ftaid in the interior parts of Africa, a neft was fhewn to me, which fome pealants afured me was the neft 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, fastened by the two ends, perhap, for the bird to perch upon. oblonga, margine prominulo. Pili aliquot ad bafin roftri, præcipuè in mandibulâ inferiore. Lingua plana, fubfagittata. Oculorum irides terrugineo-grifeæ. Palpedra nude, nigræ Pedes nigri, fcanforii. Tibie breves; bus latiufculis. Gula, Jugulum, Pegas, 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 tectrices fuperiores omnes grifeo-fufcæ, exceptis fummis aliquot quæ flavis apicibus formant maculam flavam in humeris, exiguam, et a plumis fcapularibus fæpe tectam. Teatrices infra alam albide, harum fupremæ ex albido nigroque maculata. Remiges omnes fupra fufci, primarit octo, fecundarii fex, fubtus cinereo-fufci. Alule grifco-fufcæ. Cauda cuneiformis, rectricibus duodecim harum duc intermediæ longiores angufliores, fupra et infra æruginofo-fufcæ; proxime duæ fuliginofæ, margine interiore albicantes; duæ utrinque his proxima, alba, apice fufcæ, et exterius ad bafin macula nigra notatæ; extima utrinque reliquis brevior, alba, apice fufca, macula nigra vix ulla ad bafin. Ale complicate caudæ partem quartam attingunt. Longitude a 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 Sunday, the 14th of September, at nt o'clock in the forenoon, a fevere fhock of an earthquake was felt here, which extended itfelf through a circuit of more than 300 miles. The morning was unclouded and ferene, the wind was easterly, but fuddenly veered into the oppofite quarter, about the time of the earthquake; and the air was tem perately warm, without any fulphureous, or other offenfive va pours. The Summer has been cold and wet; but towards the end of Auguft, the weather changed, and has continued dry and pleafant, with few intermifions to the prefent time September 26, 1777. The Aurora Borealis has not often appeared, and ftorms 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 space 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 church was moft, St. Paul's leaft agitated. The former is built of ftone upon a dry rocky foundation; and the galleries are fupported with pillars of caft iron. The latter is a brick building; has a clayey wet foundation, and a common fewer runs under it. Four leaden fpouts alfo, which convey rain from the roof, appear to país into the ground. I fay appear to pass, becaufe at the bottom they are covered with wood, and the clergyman of the church has not yet afcertained the fact. The bell of St. Mary's church was heard to ring during the fhock. An electrical rod paffes through the fteeple, which may perhaps account for this peculiarity. . The hock was trifling at my Country houfe at Hart Hill, which has many high trees about it; whereas it was feverely felt at a gentleman's houfe in the neighbourhood, not fo circumftanced. A noife was antecedent to the concuffion, and gave the alarm to many perfons, who were infenfible of the fhock. It was particularly loud in feveral houfes which have electrical conductors. Few travellers, either on horfeback or in carriages, perceived the earthquake. The paffage boat upon the Duke of Bridgewater's canal was stopped in its courfe, as if it had ftruck upon a cable, or other obstacle. Many perfons feemed to be electrified by the shock; and wandering rheumatic pains fucceeded it. A lady received a fudden ftroke on her head, during the earthquake. She was ftanding in a clofet, on the outfide wall of which, oppofite to her head, a leaden spout terminated, fo as to form an im- I am informed by a gentleman, Thefe facts cannot be explained by any fuppofition of fermentations or explotions in the bowels of the earth, unless they be confidered as agents in the production and accumulation of the electrical fluid: and many of them feem to confirm the theory of Dr. Stuckeley and Signior Beccaria, concerning earthquakes. But in whatever manner fuch awful and tremendous events may be accounted for, the pious philofopher, when he contemplates them, extends his views beyond all fecondary caufes; and directing them to the great Author of the universe, regards the laws of nature only as the exertions of his divine energy. My friend, Dr. Priestley, to whom I have communicated the preceding obfervations, and who is much better acquainted with electricity than I am, feems to be fully fatisfied that the late earthquake is not to be afcribed to any fubterranean caufe. And he is perfuaded that he fhall be able to produce fimilar phænomena, by means of a moft powerful and magnificent electrical machine now in the poffeffion of Lord Shelburne, from which he has feen fparks taken in the open air, at the distance of twenty inches. THO. PERCIVAL. An An Account of the Tenia, or long Tape-Worm, and of the Method of treating it, as practijed at Morat in Switzerland. TH HE Tenia, or löng Tapeworm, on account of its extraordinary fize and the capacity of reproduction, not only excites the moft alarming fymptoms in those whom it infefts, but is also extremely difficult to expel. A method for effecting this purpofe was a few years ago practifed on the continent with fo great fuccefs, by Madame Nouffer, that the king of France was induced to make the acquifition of it for the benefit of the public. Her method of cure confifted in the occafional use of a foup, a clyfter, fpecific, and a purging bolus, which are thus defcribed. No. 1. The Soup. Take a pint and a half of water, two or three ounces of good freth butter, and two ounces of bread cut in thin flices, add to this falt enough to feafon it, and then boil it over the fire to the confiftence of panada. No. 2. The Clyfter. Take a fmall quantity of the leaves of mallows, and boil them in a fufficient quantity of water, mixing with it a little falt, and when trained off, add two ounces of olive oil. No. 3. The Specific. Take two or three drams of the root of the male fern, gathered in autumn, and reduced to a very fine powder, in four or fix ounces of water diftilled from fern, or the flowers of the line tree. It will be right for the patient to drink two or three times of the fame water, rincing his glafs with it, fo that none of the powder may re main either in the glafs or his mouth. No 4. The purgative Bolus. Take of the panacea of mercury fourteen times fublimed, and select refin of fcammony each ten grains; of fresh and good gamboge fix or feven grains; reduce each of thele fubitances feparately into powder, and then mix them with fome conferve into a bolus. With respect to the use of thofe remedies, we meet with the following information. Madame Nouffer requires of her patients no particular preparation till the day before they are to take the remedy. That day they are to avoid all aliment after dinner, till about feven or eight o'clock at night, when they are to take the foup, No. 1; about a quarter of an hour after this, the gives them a bifcuit and a glafs of white wine, either pure or mixed with water; the even gives water alone to thofe who have not been accustomed to wine. If the patient has not been' to fool that day, or is naturally coftive, (which is not ufual however with patients in this way) Madame Nouffer directs the ufe of the clyfter No. 2, after which the patient is to go to bed. Early the next morning, about eight or nine hours after the fupper of the preceding evening, the patient takes the fpecific No. 3, in bed, and to avoid the nausea which this medicine fometimes occafions, it will be right for him to chew lemon or fomething else that is agree. able to him, or he may wafh his mouth with any thing he likes, but he must be careful not to fwallow any thing. He may likewife fmell to vinegar, to check the fickness; but if, notwithstanding all his efforts, the naufea con tinues, |