Part 23

The great care bestowed upon this creature in China is shown in the following extract from an old work: "The place where their habitation is built must be retired, free from noisome smells, cattle, and all noises; as a noisome smell, or the least fright, makes great impressions upon so tender a breed; even the barking of dogs, and the crowing of cocks are capable of putting them in disorder when they are newly hatched. For the purpose of paying them every attention, an affectionate mother is provided for their wants; she is called _Isan-more_, mother of the worms. She takes possession of the chamber, but not till she has washed herself, and put on clean clothes which have not the least ill smell; she must not have eaten any thing before, or have handled any wild succory, the smell of which is very prejudicial; she must be clothed in a plain habit without any lining, that she may be more sensible of the warmth of the place, and accordingly increase or lessen the fire; but she must carefully avoid making a smoke, or raising a dust, which would be very offensive to these tender creatures, which must be carefully tended before the first time of casting their slough."

During the first twenty-four hours of the silkworm's existence, the patient Chinese feeds the objects of her care forty-eight times a day; during the second or third day, thirty times; and so on, reducing the number of meals as the worm grows older.

FLIES.

Sir Arthur Young thus speaks of flies in his "Travels through the South of Europe:" "Flies form the most disagreeable circumstance in the southern climates. They are the first torments in Spain, Italy, and the olive districts of France. It is not that they bite, sting, or hurt; but they buzz, tease, and worry: your mouth, eyes, ears, and nose, are full of them; they swarm on every eatable. Fruit, sugar, milk, every thing, is attacked by them in such myriads, that if they were not driven away, by a person who has nothing else to do, to eat a meal is impossible. If I farmed in these countries, I think I should manure four or five acres of land a year with dead flies."

CLASS RADIATA ... RADIATED ANIMALS.

This class embraces those beings which are the lowest in the animal kingdom--those which have the fewest and most imperfect senses. Indeed, some of them so far resemble plants as to make the point of separation between the animal and vegetable kingdoms almost a matter of uncertainty. They are called _radiata_, because in most of them an arrangement may be traced, in their formation, like that of rays branching out from a centre. Among the creatures of this class are the star-fish, polypus, sea-anemone, and infusoria.

POLYPI.

Captain Basil Hall makes some interesting remarks on the examination of a coral-reef, which is the product of the marine polypi. He observes that, during the different stages of the tide, the changes it undergoes are truly surprising. When the tide has left it for some time, it becomes dry, and appears to be a compact rock, exceedingly hard and rugged; but as the tide rises, and the waves begin to wash over it, the coral worms protrude themselves from holes which before were invisible. These animals are of a great variety of shapes and size, and in such prodigious numbers, that, in a short time, the whole surface of the rock appears to be alive and in motion. The most common worm is in the shape of a star, with arms from four to six inches long, which move in every direction to catch food. Others are so sluggish that they may be taken for pieces of rock, and are of a dark color; others are of a blue or yellow color; while some resemble a lobster in shape.

The GREEN POLYPE, or hydra, is found in clear waters, and may generally be seen in great plenty in small ditches and trenches of fields, especially in the months of April and May. It affixes itself to the under parts of leaves, and to the stalks of such vegetables as happen to grow immersed in the same water. The animal consists of a long, tubular body, the head of which is furnished with eight, and sometimes ten long arms, or tentacula, that surround the mouth.

It is of an extremely predacious nature, and feeds on the various species of small worms, and other water animals, that happen to approach. When any animal of this kind passes near the polype, it suddenly catches it with its arms, and, dragging it to its mouth, swallows it by degrees, much in the same manner as a snake swallows a frog. Two of them may sometimes be seen in the act of seizing the same worm at different ends, and dragging it in opposite directions with great force.

When the mouths of both are thus joined together upon one common prey, the largest polype gapes and swallows his antagonist; but, what is more wonderful, the animal thus swallowed seems to be rather a gainer by the misfortune. After it has lain in the conqueror's body for about an hour, it issues unhurt, and often in possession of the prey that had been the original cause of contention. The remains of the animals on which the polype feeds are evacuated at the mouth the only opening in the body. It is capable of swallowing a worm of thrice its own size: this circumstance, though it may appear incredible, is easily understood, when we consider that the body of the polype is extremely extensile, and is dilated, on such occasions, to a surprising degree.

This species are multiplied, for the most part, by a process resembling vegetation--one or two, or even more young ones emerging gradually from the sides of the parent animal; and these young are frequently again prolific before they drop off; so that it is no uncommon thing to see two or three generations at once on the same polype.

THE END.

ADVERTISEMENT--CABINET LIBRARY.

PARLEY'S CABINET LIBRARY, For Schools and Families.

This work consists of Twenty Volumes, and contains --> _five hundred different subjects, and is illustrated by five hundred Engravings_.

--> It is an entirely original series, recently written and completed by S. G. GOODRICH, the author of Peter Parley's Tales.

--> _This is the only library that has been expressly written for a School and Family Library._ It is adopted into many of the libraries of the leading schools and seminaries in New England and New York, and has been introduced, in the space of a few months, into more than three thousand families, in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.

The following is a list of the Volumes, each containing about 320 pages, 16mo.:--

BIOGRAPHICAL DEPARTMENT.

Vol. 1.--LIVES OF FAMOUS MEN OF MODERN TIMES.

" 2.--LIVES OF FAMOUS MEN OF ANCIENT TIMES.

" 3.--CURIOSITIES OF HUMAN NATURE; OR, THE LIVES OF ECCENTRIC AND WONDERFUL PERSONS.

" 4.--LIVES OF BENEFACTORS; INCLUDING PATRIOTS, INVENTORS, DISCOVERERS, &c.

" 5.--LIVES OF FAMOUS AMERICAN INDIANS.

" 6.--LIVES OF CELEBRATED WOMEN.

HISTORICAL DEPARTMENT.

" 7.--LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF AMERICAN HISTORY.

" 8.--LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF EUROPEAN HISTORY.

" 9.--LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF ASIATIC HISTORY.

" 10.--LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF AFRICAN HISTORY.

" 11.--HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS.

" 12.--MANNERS, CUSTOMS, AND ANTIQUITIES OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS.

MISCELLANEOUS.

" 13.--A GLANCE AT THE SCIENCES, ASTRONOMY, NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, &c.

" 14.--WONDERS OF GEOLOGY.

" 15.--ANECDOTES OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.

" 16.--A GLANCE AT PHILOSOPHY, MENTAL, MORAL, AND SOCIAL.

" 17.--BOOK OF LITERATURE, ANCIENT AND MODERN, WITH SPECIMENS.

" 18.--ENTERPRISE, INDUSTRY, AND ART OF MAN.

" 19.--MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF ALL NATIONS.

" 20.--THE WORLD AND ITS INHABITANTS.

--> These works are designed to exhibit, in a popular form, SELECT BIOGRAPHIES, ANCIENT AND MODERN; the Wonders and Curiosities of HISTORY, NATURE, ART, SCIENCE, AND PHILOSOPHY, with the Practical Duties of Life.

It cannot be deemed invidious to say, that no similar work has met with equal favor at the hands of the public, as the following testimonials, among many others, will show:--

_The Hon. H. G. Otis, of Boston, says_,

I view it as the best compendium of useful learning and information, respecting its proposed contents, _for the use of young persons and schools_, that has fallen within my knowledge. It abounds in illustrations of the history of the world, and the customs and manners of nations, that _may be read by general scholars of any age_, with pleasure.

_The Rev. Dr. Sprague says, Albany_,

I regard the Cabinet Library as a most important accession to the means of intellectual and moral culture, especially in respect to the rising generation. But while it is peculiarly adapted to the young, it may be read by persons of any age with both pleasure and profit. To men of business, who have not leisure to read extensively, and indeed to all who would keep up with the times, the work is invaluable. It is also suited to the various members of the family circle, --> and is _among the very best of the libraries for public schools_. I learn that it is introduced into the public schools of this city, (Albany,) and various other places, and I cannot doubt that it will ultimately be adopted in our seminaries of learning generally.

_Charles Sprague, Esq., of Boston, says_,

I have read, with both pleasure and profit, all the numbers of your very instructive Cabinet Library. My friend and namesake, the Rev. Dr. Sprague, has so exactly expressed my opinion of the work, that I need only adopt his language, in recommending it, as I cheerfully do, to the favorable attention of both teachers and learners.

_From the Quincy Patriot_,

We recommend it (Parley's Cabinet Library) as peculiarly valuable to families. We often see one young man taking precedence of others in the race of life. If we could read his history minutely, we should see the explanation of the case to be, that he had a better head or a better heart than others. Now we know of no works so well calculated to mould the head and heart aright as those of "Peter Parley."

Those parents who wish to have their children "go ahead" in life, should place Parley's Cabinet Library within their reach. We have never seen a work better suited to bestow instruction, or that inculcates truth in a more pleasant fashion.

_From the Boston Courier_,

They are exceedingly agreeable books, and such as young and old may peruse with pleasure and profit. The moral and religious account to which the author turns every subject must render the work peculiarly suitable to the family and the school library. We cheerfully commend the work to the public as one of sterling value.

_From the Boston Atlas_,

It is a compact family and school library of substantial reading, which is delightful in point of style, and wholesome in its moral, social, and religious tendency.

_From the Boston Post_,

We hardly know when we have been better pleased with a publication than this.

_From Hunt's Merchant's Magazine_,

This work, now complete, is the most elaborate of the works of the author for the young; and we think it quite the best. It is a _library of facts_, and seems intended to cultivate a taste for this kind of reading. It is said that "truth is stranger than fiction," and no one who has perused these pages can feel any necessity for seeking excitement in the high-wrought pages of romance. Every subject touched by the author seems invested with a lively interest; and even dry statistics are made, like steel beneath the strokes of the flint, to yield sparks calculated to kindle the mind. In treating of the iron manufacture,--a rather hard subject, it would seem,--we are told that, every "working day, fifty millions of nails are made, bought, sold, and used in the United States;" and, in speaking of the manufacture of cotton, we are informed that the Merrimack mills of Lowell alone "spin a thread of sufficient length to belt the world, at the equator, in two hours."

The work was doubtless intended for the young; and we think it quite equal, for this object, to any thing that has been produced; yet it is also suited to the perusal of all classes, especially to men of business, who find little leisure for reading, and who yet are unwilling to be left behind in the great march of knowledge and improvement. _As there is now a strong desire, especially among the enlightened friends of education in this state, to have the common schools supplied with suitable books for libraries, we heartily commend this series to the notice of all who are desirous of obtaining books for this object. They are unquestionably among the best that have been prepared for school libraries, being every way attractive and instructive._

No one can fail to be pleased with the simplicity and elegance of the style, and with the vein of cheerfulness, humanity, and morality, which runs through the pages of the volumes. The moral influence of the work, especially upon the young, cannot fail to be in the highest degree effective and salutary.

_From the Troy Whig_,

They are written in an easy and graceful style, and are compiled from the most authentic sources. They will be found highly attractive to young people of both sexes, and worthy to be read by persons of mature age.

_From the Albany Advertiser_,

It would be difficult to find any where, in such convenient compass, so much healthy and palatable food for the youthful mind as is furnished by Parley's Cabinet Library.

_From the Albany Argus_,

We know of no series of volumes on kindred subjects so good as these for parents to put into the hands of their children. It is due not only to the author, who has rendered great service to the cause of American literature, but to the work itself, and to the best interests of the youth of our nation, that these volumes should be scattered all over the land.

_From the New England Puritan_,

We cordially recommend the work to the perusal of all.

_From the Boston Post_,

_The very best work of its class_ is Parley's Cabinet Library. It combines a vast deal of useful information, conveyed in an exceedingly interesting style. The beauty of the typographical execution, the cheapness of the volumes, and the great intrinsic merit of their contents, must render the work one of general popularity.

_From the Boston Courier_,

As we have quoted so largely from Mr. Goodrich's work, we ought to say--what it richly merits--that it is a pleasing and useful series, and that it is calculated not only to instruct and amuse, but to cultivate virtuous and patriotic sentiments. With those who read for mere amusement, it is worthy of attention, for the author has ingeniously contrived to give truth all the charms of fiction.

_From the Albany Advertiser_,

It ought to be, and no doubt will be, extensively introduced into schools.

_From the Bay State Democrat_,

The volumes are illustrated with spirited wood engravings, and printed in Dickinson's neatest style. Altogether, they present decidedly the most attractive appearance as to matter and form, of any works we have seen for a long time.

_From the Quincy Aurora_,

Parley's Cabinet Library is a publication of rare excellence. No writer of the present day invests the themes of which he treats with livelier interest than the well-known Peter Parley. His pen imparts to history and biography the charm of romance; while, at the same time, it unfolds rich and enduring treasures of practical and useful knowledge.

The animal, the mineral, and vegetable kingdoms of nature present, beneath his pencil, the attractions of a grand museum. The publication of his Cabinet Library will accomplish much, in our opinion, to eradicate the eagerness for fiction which engrosses so extensively the public mind. The perusal of these volumes will convince the reader that reality has charms as potent, and far more satisfying than those of the ideal world. We know of no work, comprehended within equal limits, capable of affording richer intellectual banqueting.

_From the Boston Traveller_,

We deem it but a discharge of our duty to our readers, to urge this valuable series upon their attention. The whole series will cost but a trifle, yet they may and doubtless will be the deciding means of insuring success in life to many a youth who shall enjoy the means of reading them.

_From the Boston Recorder_,

They are written in a pleasing style, and are enlivened by numerous characteristic anecdotes. The series will form a very valuable library.

_From the Boston Post_,

It is an admirable publication for the family and school library. Its topics are interesting and important, and presented in a simple but effective style.

_From the Boston Atlas_,

Parley's Cabinet Library is worthy of all encouragement. It is cheap not only in promise, but in fact. It is also calculated to exercise a wholesome influence. Like every thing from the same author, it strongly inculcates virtue and religion, and at the same time it arrays truth in a guise so comely and attractive, that it is likely to win many votaries of fiction to companionship with it. There is great need of such works at this time.

BOARD OF EDUCATION, } _City of Rochester, Sept. 2._ }

Whereas, the Board of Education have examined a series of books called "Parley's Cabinet Library," now in course of publication by Samuel G. Goodrich, Esq., (the celebrated Peter Parley,) embracing, in the course of twenty volumes, the various subjects of history, biography, geography, the manners and customs of different nations, the condition of the arts, sciences, &c.; and whereas, this Board are satisfied that the same are highly useful to the young: therefore,

Resolved, that we recommend that the same be procured by trustees for the several school libraries, at the earliest practicable period. A true copy of the minutes,

I. F. MACK, Sup't.