which service the ibis is held in high reverence by the Egyptians.

*

The serpent allé' that flew near Mount Sinai, figured by Belon, was probably one of this ghastly crew of invaders.

And here a word for Herodotus, who has been accused of all sorts of Munchausenisms. It will be generally found, that whatever he says he himself saw, has been corroborated by modern eye-witnesses. In the case of the phoenix, he writes- They say that he has the following contrivance, which, in my opinion, is not credible;' and then he relates the story of the egg of myrrh, and of the son's carrying the father's body into Egypt. Again, he heard of winged serpents, but says he saw the bones of serpents, which he doubtless did; and after describing the black ibis which fights with the serpents, at the conclusion of the chapter he evidently alludes to the report, when he says that the form of the serpent is like that of the water-snake, but that he has wings without feathers, and as like as may be to the wings of a bat.

When we take a glance at the map, and see what an enormous area of African territory is still an undiscovered country, even in this age of enterprise, can we wonder that romance has been busy with the vast and unknown tracts? Many of the animals which are known to us are of extraordinary shape and habits; and it was but the other day that Professor Owen described a new species of anthropoid apes, the Gorilla, more horrible in appearance than any phantom that Fuseli ever imagined. Look at the proportions of the giraffe, with its prehensile tongue, and its mode of progression, by moving two legs on the same side together, so that both feet are off the ground at the same time. But we must not multiply examples which will occur to most of our readers.

* Euterpe, 74.

A few years only have elapsed since the giraffe has been made familiar to modern Europeans, and in no country have so many been kept together as in the British islands. In the Garden of the Zoological Society they have bred regularly and well, and the offspring, with one exception, have lived and thriven. Still there are three huge African forms which have never yet made their appearance in that extensive and noble vivariumthe African elephant, the hippopotamus, and the African rhinoceros, of which last there are several species. By the enterprise of the society, aided by the prudent zeal of Mr. Mitchell, we may soon have the satisfaction or beholding the two first of these gigantic pachyderms in the Garden at the Regent's Park.

And here we cannot but congratulate those who delight in zoology-and who, now-a-days, does not ?— upon the happy change which has passed over that noble and now well-conducted establishment, since Mr. Mitchell, favourably known for his attainments in that branch of science, and gifted with the command of a ready and accurate pencil, has held the office of secretary. A healthy and comfortable air pervades the place. habits of the animals are studied, and confinement made as little irksome as possible. Communications are opened with foreign powers, and new forms continually flow in, consequent upon a wise liberality.

The

I am just returned from visiting the greyhounds about to be sent by the Zoological Society to Abbas Pasha, who has already caused one young hippopotamus to be taken from the White Nile. It is now under the kind care of the Hon. C. A. Murray,† at Cairo, where it safely arrived on the 14th of November last, when it was flou

* March, 1850.

† Zoologists owe a large debt of gratitude to Mr. Murray, for the unwearied activity, tact, skill, and care, which he has exerted to procure curious living animals for this country.

rishing, enjoying a bath of the temperature of the river, and delighting everybody by its amiable and docile qualities. This most valuable gift was accompanied by a fine lioness and a cheetah; and Mr. Murray was further informed, by his Highness the Viceroy of Egypt, that a party of his troops remained out on the White Nile, expressly charged with the duty of securing a young female hippopotamus, destined also for the Society.

If fortune be but propitious-if no casualty should arise to disappoint our hopes-it is not improbable that in the merry month of May, two hippopotami may be presented to the wondering eyes of the visitors to the Regent's Park. The Romans, who saw in their day every known creature that the Old World produced, were made familiar with this uncouth form-this huge incorporation of life-at their shows and shambles of men and beasts, when both fell slaughtered as the crowning excitement of the arena. But no living hippopotamus has as yet been seen on British ground.

The King of Dahomy, the steps of whose throne are formed of the skulls of his enemies, and who commands an army of plump, well-fed Amazons, had never seen a peacock. The Zoological Society, longing for an African elephant, sent over to his majesty a gift of pea-fowl, the cocks having first been shorn of their tail-or rather back-feathers; for the feathers springing from the back arrange themselves into that magnificent iridescent circle, and are supported by the caudal feathers, when Juno's bird shines out in all his splendour, and, as the nursery-maids term it, 'spreads his tail.'

But why dock the peacocks?

Because, if they had been sent with their trains on, they would have presented such a ragged appearance to the royal eyes, after being cooped up on their voyage -to say nothing of the irritation to the system of the

birds themselves from their bedraggled and begrimed plumage, or of the accidents of pitch and tar-that the king might have well questioned the faith of those who had filled his mind with the glories of this recipient of the eyes of Argus, and his blood-drinker might have been called into action. No, the train-feathers were most wisely cut, and, with the birds, a well-executed drawing of a peacock in all its glory was sent, and his majesty was informed, that when they moulted, and the new feathers came to perfection, the effect would be similar to the drawing, but very superior.

With the present, a letter-grandis epistola-was sent, besealed and beribanded, together with a list of the Society from which the present came. His majesty

listened in silence while one name well known to scientific Europe after another was pronounced, and the king made no sign; but when that of Lord Palmerston was enunciated, the royal voice interrupted the recitation of the beadroll with, Ah, I know that man!'

Then the peacocks were paraded, and, even in their curtailed state, admired, and the king gave directions to his Amazons to seek out a wild female elephant, with a young one of an age fit to be separated from the mother; and when they had found her, their orders were to kill the hapless parent and to save the offspring as a gift to the Zoological Society of London.

The lamented death of Mr. Duncan, who, take him all in all, was, perhaps, the very man of all others for keeping up our relations with this grim potentate, may possibly act unfavourably for the interests of the Society, but we have so much confidence in the energy of the management, that we doubt not that this misfortune, great as it is, will not be suffered long to cloud the fair prospects which were opened to the longing eyes of naturalists and the sight-seeing public.

Just look at the announcement which the council of

the Zoological Society have been enabled to make for the current year. They state that they have already received advice of collections of various importance, which are in progress of formation, or already shipped from :

Singapore-by Capt. the Hon. H. Keppel, R.N.

Ceylon-by A. Grant, Esq. M.D., and A. Grace, Esq. Deputy Queen's Advocate.

Bombay-by Alexander Elphinston, Esq., and A. Shaw, Esq. H.E.I.C. Civ. S.

Whydah-by J. Duncan, Esq. H.B. M. Vice-Consul. Sta. Lucia-by Lieutenant Tyler, R.E.

South Carolina-by J. Davis, Esq. M.D.

As long as the president and council do their duty in this way, and consider the instruction and amusement of thousands, as they have done, by lowering the price of admission on Mondays to sixpence, they will receive the support of the public; and they deserve it.

Of the African form of rhinoceros, three species-Rhinoceros bicornis, Rhinoceros keitloa, and Rhinoceros simus-are preserved in the well-arranged zoological collection of the British Museum, which owes so much to the energetic care of Mr. Gray; nor do we despair of seeing some, if not all, of these great pachyderms in life and health in the Regent's Park. Last year the Asiatic rhinoceros (Rhinoceros Indicus) died there, after a healthy existence of fifteen years in the Garden. The cause of death, apparently, was inflammation of the lungs,—a disease which, assisted by the damp and foggy atmosphere arising from the undrained clay soil, carries off so many of the animals confined there. When will the Government take in hand the long-promised work of draining that park? All ye dwellers in that captivating, but during certain months, when moisture is most prevalent dangerous locality, read the well-written and well-considered report of Mr. Donaldson. The com