bruary, 1809, when a Boy in the Service of Mr. W. NEWMAN, miller, at Leybourne, near MALLING, went into a Field, called the Forty Acres, and saw a number of Rooks on the Ground, very close together. He made a Noise to drive them away, but they did not appear alarmed; he threw Snow-balls to make them rise, still they remained. Surprised at this apparent Indifference, he went in among thein, and actually picked up Twenty-seven Rooks; and also in several parts of the same Field, Ninety Larks, a Pheasant, and a Buzzard Hawk. The Cause of the Inactivity of the Birds, was a thing of rare Occurrence in this Climate; a heavy Rain fell on the Thursday Afternoon, which, freezing as it came down, so completely glazed over the Bodies of the Birds, that they were fettered in a Coat of Ice, and completely deprived of the Power of Motion. Several of the Larks were dead, having perished from the Intenseness of the Cold. The Buzzard Hawk being strong, struggled hard for his Liberty, broke his icy Fetters, and effected his Escape.

Crow.

These Lines, on the Election of Mr. CROW, to be CoRONER for KENT, convey a PUN on the NAME, that has Truth to establish the Point of it.

One Voter to another said,

The Choice, the COUNTY now has made,

For Wisdom sure will mark us;

The WORLD, unanimous, allow,
No Candidate can match a CROW,

To sit upon a CARCASE.

Rook.

The AIR GUN, which is sometimes employed in the Shooting of Rooks and Rabbits, has been proved to possess the Powers of Execution, after the AIR has been long remaining in the Ball or Magazine. AIR preserves its Elasticity, though retained in a compressed State, for any Duration. Some PHILOSOPHERS Contend, that the Spring of the AIR may be so disturbed, by violent Pressure, as to require some time to recover its natural Tone; and Dr. HALES would infer, from a Number of Experiments, that the Elasticity of the AIR, might be actually destroyed. But other AUTHORS have manifested, that the expansive, projectile Force of the AIR, has been preserved for many Years, to its original Extent. ROBERVAL, having let his AIR-GUN remain charged, for the Space of sixteen Years, found, on discharging it, that the AIR's elastic Force, was not at all abated.

May, 1808, Two WHITE Rooks, were taken from the Rookery of Mr. CURTIS, near CAMBRIDGE, they have no black Feathers, their Legs and Beak are also wHITE; it was laughingly said, the Owner might make a Fortune, by shewing them at NEWMARKET.

A Gentleman of ORMSKIRK, has a Snow white Starling, which was taken in the Lordship of Halsall; and, what is more extraordinary, a black Skylark, which was taken out of a Nest, in the same Lordship.

As a Close to our Description of the feathered Race, and

admitting all that may be alleged, as to the following Recital being, a MUNCHAUSEN, we shall notice the FRAGMENTS, that have been discovered of a Species of Birds, now extinct. We have known exhibited in the METROPOLIS, a Skeleton of the MAMMOTH *, a BEAST of Dimensions far beyond those of any QUADRUPED, now in Existence, and of whose Powers, no adequate Ideas, can of course be ascertained. The Narrative of this Bird's Size, is equally, if not more gigantic, and reminds us of the Roc, whose massy Eggs, and stupendous Strength, the ARABIAN NIGHTS, have frequently pourtrayed, particularly in that Part, which records the Voyages, of SINBAD, the Sailor.

"M. HENDERSTROM has discovered, in that Part of the RUSSIAN Dominions, which he calls NEW SIBERIA, the Claws of a Bird, measuring EACH A YARD IN LENGTH, and the YAKUTS assured him, they had often in their hunting Excursions, met with Skeletons, and even Feathers of this Bird, the Quills of which, were large enough to admit a MAN'S FIST." This is the strongest Fact which has yet appeared, in Support of the almost universal Tradition, that the EARTH was formerly inhabited by a Race of GIANTS. For though MEN, not exceeding ourselves in

In 1810, a MAMMOTH, in a State of perfect Preservation, was found near Yakoutska, on the Borders of the Frozen Ocean. Part of the Flesh, the Tusks, Ears, and Tail, had been cut off by the Natives; but the Skeleton has been carried to PETERSBURGH, a Distance of 6,875 Miles. The Head weighs Four hundred and s xty pounds. The Horns are Nine and a half feet long, and weigh Four hundred pounds. The Height of the Back is Ten and a half Feet, and the length Sixteen and a half Feet; the Bristles of the Back, were of a reddish Colour, and many of them measured, full two Feet four inches.

Stature, might have defended themselves against the Megatherion, they would have been helpless, against Birds of Prey, of THIS MAGNITUDE.

There is a Passage, in the Viage de las Goletas Mexicana y Sutil, which gives some Reason, for supposing that this Bird is not extinct. A Chief at NOOTKA, where the Image of a large Bird, seemed to be held in some degree of Veneration, drew such a Monster, with the additional Monstrosity, of two Horns upon its Head, carrying away a WHALE in its Talons, and he affirmed, that he had SEEN a Bird of that Kind, pounce upon a WHALE, and fly off with it. The SPANIARDS observed, He must have been Dreaming, but he insisted upon the literal TRUTH, of what he had related. SUAVUK, is the Name of this Bird. In this incredulous AGE, I suppose, most Persons will agree with the SPANIARDS, in their Disbelief, and even the Probability, that TETACUS'S WHALE, may have been a Porpoise, will not bring the Story, within the Limits of their Credulity. But whether we have really found HENDERSTROM'S Bird at NOOTKA, or not, no Person after perusing the following Extract, from COOKE's first Voyage, will deny, or doubt, that we have discovered something like his Nest, in NEW HOLLAND." At two in the Afternoon, we set out from Lizard Island, to return to the Ship, (then lying in Endeavour River), and in our way, landed upon the low sandy Island with Trees upon it, which we had remarked in our going out. Upon this Island, we saw an incredible Number of Birds, chiefly Sea fowl; we found also the Nest of an Eagle with young ones, which we killed: and the NEST of some other Bird, we knew not what, of a most enormous Size: it was built with Sticks upon the Ground, and was no less, than SIX AND TWENTY FEET IN CIRCUMFERENCE, and TWO FEET EIGHT INCHES HIGH." Book 3, chap. 5.

This NEST, is not exactly proportioned, to the SIBERIAN CLAW, yet a Bird of correspondent Bulk, would be as able to carry off a Porpoise, as the common Eagle is, to fly away with a Lamb. Endeavour River, is unluckily too far from BOTANY BAY, for a Party to go there, BIRDS-N ESTING *.

Dog.

To the natural History of the Dogs used

• For the Preservation of BIRDS, Sir ASHTON LEVER gives these Directions. LARGE BIRDS, should be carefully skinned, the Head, Tail, and Feet, left entire, the Skin may then be either put into a Vessel of Spirits, or rubbed well on the inside, with the following Mixture: "One pound of Salt, four Ounces of Alum, and two Ounces of Pepper, pounded together." SMALL BIRDS, may be thus treated, "take out the Entrails, open a Passage to the Brain, which should be scooped out through the Mouth; introduce into the Cavities of the Skull, and the whole Body, some of the above Mixture, putting it also through the Gullet, and entire length of the Neck, hang the Bird in a cool airy Place, first by the Feet, that the Body may be impregnated by the Salts, and afterwards by a Thread, through the under Mandible of the Bill, till it appears to be sweet, then expose it in the Sun, or near a Fire: after it is well dried, clean out what remains loose of the Mixture, and fill the Cavity of the Body with Wool, Oakum, or any soft Substance." The sooner this Method is applied after the Bird is killed, the better; in forwarding them to any Distance when fresh killed, for their being preserved, Tow should be put into the Mouth, and upon every Wound, to prevent the Feathers being soiled, and the Bird should be wrapped smooth at full length in Paper, and packed close in a Box; if sent from far, the Entrails should be extracted, and the Hollow filled with Tow dipt in Rum, or other Spirits.