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State of the BAROMETER in inches and decimals, and of Farenheit's THER-
MOMETER in the open air, taken in the morning before fun-rife, and at
noon; and the quantity of rain-water fallen, in inches and decimals, from
June 30th 1791, to the 30th of July, near the foot of Arthur's
Seat.

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THE

EDINBURGH MAGAZINE,

OR,

LITERARY MISCELLANY.

VIEWS IN SCOTLAND.

GLAMES CASTLE,

IN N the county of Forfar, is the feat of the Earl of Strathmore. It is famous in our hiftory for the murder of Malcom II. by the hands of affaffins in a paffage ftill fhewn to ftrangers. It was formerly a royal refidence, and on the acceffion of Robert II. was bestowed on his favourite Sir John Lyon. The ancient buildings were of great extent, confifting of two long courts divided by buildings; in each was a fquare tower and gate-way beneath; and in the third another tower, which constitutes the prefent house, the reft being totally deftroyed. This received many alterations in 1656 by Patrick Lord Glames, and fome modern improvements by the late Earl of Strathmore.

Buffon's Natural Hiftory of the Canary Bird: (Continued from Page 446, Vol. XIII.)

O the particular remarks we have mother, and acquire the long ears, Talready are allim already made, which are all im- tail, and fkinny legs of the afs. It portant, I must add a general and very would feem therefore, that, in the ininterefting observation which may timate union of thofe fluids by which throw fome light on the generation of generation is accomplished, the orgaanimals, and on the developement of nic molecules of the female, occupy their different parts. It has been the center of that living fphere which conftantly obferved in mixing Canary- increafes in every direction, and that birds either with their own or with the molecules furnished by the male, other fpecies, that the mongrels pro- furround those of the female in fuch ceeding from them resemble the cock manner that the external coat and the in the head, the tail, and legs; and the extremities of the body belong more hen in the other parts of the body. to the father than to the mother. SeveThe fame obfervation may be made ral mongrels which I obtained from a with respect to the mules of quadru- goat and a ewe, instead of wool, were peds; thofe from the Jack-afs and all covered with the strong hair cf mare, have the body as large as the their father.

In the human fpecies it may like- fheep, for only rams of a different race, can improve the breed; and the finest ewe, with a diminutive ram, will never bring any but indifferent lambs. This fubject is important; and as many people amufe themselves in the breeding of Canarybirds, which does not confume much time, it would not be difficult to inftitute a number of experiments on the mixture of different birds, and on the ultimate products of these mixtures, so as to afcertain the truth of the doctrine I have here been fupporting.

wife be obferved,that in general,the fon refembles his father more than his mother, in the legs, the feet, the hands, the hand writing, the quantity and colour of the hair, the quality of the fkin, and fize of the head; and in mulattoes, proceeding from a white man and a negro woman, the colour is not fo black as in those that spring from a negro man and a white woman. All this feems to prove, that in the local depofition of the organic molecules, furnished by both fexes, thofe of the male rife above, and invelope thofe of the female, and as it were form the nucleus of the being which is to be organized; and that notwithftanding the intimate penetration and intermixture of these molecules, more mafculine one's remain on the furface and moft feminine ones within; this is natural, as the former go in queft of the latter; whence it follows, that in the developement of the body, the limbs ought to take after the father more than the mother, and the body to take after the mother more than the. father.

Now as in general the beauty of the fpecies is not brought to perfection, nor maintained except by crof fing the breed ; and as the ftature, the ftrength, and vigour of the body depend almoft entirely on the proportion of the limbs, it is only by the males that the breed of men and animals can be exalted or improved, Large and beautiful mares with little puny hofes, will never produce any thing but ill made foals; whereas the noble ftallion, with an indifferent mare, will always produce fine horfes; and the more beautiful, the more remote and distinct the father and mother have been. It is the fame in

In the lower animals as well as in man, even in our small birds, the diverfity of character, or if you will, of moral qualities often injures the confonance of phyfical qualities. If any thing could prove that the difpofition is a good or bad impreffion given by nature, which education cannot alter, it would be the inftance of our Canary-birds. "Almost every one of them fays, M. Hervieux, differs from another in difpofition. There are fome cocks that are always melancholy and even fullen, finging feldom, and then in a difmal ftrain; they are long in learning, and learn at last but imperfectly what you teach them, and the little they know they very foon forget. Thefe are often fo uncleanly, that their feet and tail are generally. dirty; they do not please the female, whom they never regale with their fong, even when her young firft appear, though indeed these are feldom much better than their father. There are others fo wicked that they kill the hen they are put to, and there is no other way of taming them, than by giving them two females who join for, their common defence; and when they have once vanquished by force they conquer afterwards by love *. There

are

*It fometimes happens, that thefe ill-natured males have other qualities, which repair in fome meafure their defects, fuch as a moft melodious fong, a beautiful plumage, and great, tameness. If therefore you would have a breed from them, you must take two hens that are vigorous, and a year older than the cock; put these hens for a few months into the fame cage, that they may know each other well, and then they will not be jealous dr fight when put to the cock. A month before hatching time, put them both into the fame

are others fo barbarous as to break and eat the eggs when the hen has laid them; or if this unnatural father allows her to hatch, the young are hardly excluded from the thell, than he feizes them with his bill, drags them from the neft, and kills them *. Some are fo wild, favage, and ungovernable, that they will allow themselves neither to be touched nor careffed; thefe must be left at liberty, and cannot be treated like the others: if they are meddled with in the leaft they will not breed; their eggs must not be touched or taken away, and they will not batch if they are not fuffered to pair and build as they pleafe. Laftly, there are fome of an indolent difpofition; fuch for example are the grey ones; these never build, and the perfon that tends them must make a neft for them. All these tempers are very distinct, and very different from that of our Canary-birds, which are always gay, always finging, tame, agreeable, good mates, attentive fa

thers, and of fo gentle a difpofition and fo happy a temper, that they are fufceptible of every good impreffion, and endowed with the beft inclina tions: they charm incéffantly the hen with their fong; they foothe her in the diftrefsful affiduity of hatching; they invite her to quit her place to them, and actually fit on the eggs fe- . veral hours every day: they join with her in feeding the young, and, laftly, they are docile, and learn whatever we choose to teach them. It is by thefe alone that we muft form an opinion of the fpecies; and I have only mentioned the others, to demonftrate that the temper and difpofition, e en in animals, proceed from nature, and not from education.

This bad difpofition, which makes them break their eggs and kill the neftlings, often proceeds from their temperament and from the impetuofity of their love; it is to enjoy the female that they drive her from the net, and deftroy the tender objects of her affection,

fame cage, and at the proper feafon, introduce the male, who will instantly endeavour to beat the two hens, efpecially for a few days at firft; but they, ftanding upon their defence, will foon gain the abfolute command of him; fo that feeing he can gain nothing by force, he will begin to grow tame and enamoured. Thefe forced marriages fometimes fucceed better than others from which much more has been expected, and which often produce nothing. In order to preferve the brood, you must take away the eggs as the hen lays them, and substitute others of ivory; and when they are all laid, the cock muft be removed, the eggs replaced, and the hen left to hatch them. The cock is to be kept in a cage, in the fame room, while the hen is fitting on her eggs and feeding the young, but as foon as you take away the young to feed them with a stick, you must relieve the cock, and restore him to the female. Traite des Serins des Canaries.

There are fome cocks of a weakly habit, carelefs of love, and always fickly after pair ing. Thefe fhould never be used for breeding, for I have obferved, that their iffue always resembles them. There are others fo petulant, that they beat the hen off the nest, and prevent her from fitting these are the strongest birds, the best fingers, and often the most beautiful and familiar; others break the eggs and kill the young, that they may the longer enjoy the female. Others have a remarkable predilection, and marked preference for certain females. A cock placed among twenty hens, will fingle out one or two, which he will conftantly attend and make love to, without minding the reft. These cocks are of a good natural temper, which they communicate to their progeny. Others do not attach themselves to any female, but remain fterile and inactive. The fame difference of temper and manners is found among the hens. The jonquil-coloured hens are the gentleft; the agates are capricious, and often quit their young to give themselves to the male the hen fpangled birds are conftant to their eggs, and good to their young; but the cock spangled birds are the most ardent of their fpecies, and must be provided with two and even three hens, otherwife they will not fuffer the hen to fit, and they will break the eggs. Those that are entirely jonquil-coloured are nearly of the fame difpofition, and require two or three females. The cock agates are the weakest, and the hens often die when fitting.

affection. Accordingly the best means of making these birds hatch, is not to feparate them, and to put them in different cages. It is better to put them into a room well expofed to the fun, and to the east, in winter, where there are many hens and a few cocks: here they enjoy themselves more and multiply better: when a hen fits, the cock finds him another mate, and does not disturb her. Befides, the cocks have many quarrels among themselves from jealoufy; and when they fee any one fo ardent as to torment the female, and attempting to break the eggs, they beat him fufficiently to deaden his defires.

have no green thing while they are breeding, which would weaken the young too much; but in order to vary their food a little, and chear them with a new mefs, give them, every third day, on a plate, inftead of the dry cake, a bit of white bread dipt in water and preffed with the hand; this bread not being fo fubftantial a food as the cake, will prevent their grow. ing too fat while hatching: it will like wife be proper to give them, at the fame time, fome poppy feeds, but only once in two days for fear of heating them too much fugared bifcuit generally produces this effect, which is followed by another ftill more hurtful; for when they are fed on bufcuit they often lay addle eggs, or bring weak and fickly young. While they have young boil their rape feed to deprive it of its acrimony. Gold-it of its acrimony. "A long experience, fays father Bougot, has taught

When they are about to build, you muft furnish them with lint, the hair of oxen or ftags, which has not been employed in other ufes, with mofs and very small and dry ftraw. Goldfinches and Sifkins, if put with hen Canary-birds, when mule birds are wanted, prefer fmall ftraw and mofs, but the Canary-birds like better to ufe the hair and lint: thefe must be cut very fmall, for fear the threads fhould entangle the feet of the hen, and caufe her to pull the eggs from the neft as the rifes from it.

In feeding them, you must place in the room a hopper pierced all round fo as to admit their head, filled with a portion of the following compofition; three quarts of rape-feed, two of oats, two of millet and of hemp, feed; every twelve or thirteen days the hopper is to be filled, taking care that thefe feeds are clean and well winnowed. This food is proper as long as they have only eggs, but the evening before the young are to be excluded, they must have a dry cake kneaded without falt, which may be left till it is eaten up, and then you may give them eggs boiled hard; a fingle hard egg if there are but two cocks and four hens; two eggs if there are four cocks and eight hens, and fo in proportion. They muft

me,

that this food is that which beft agrees with them, notwithstanding what all authors have faid, who have written exprefsly on the fubject."

After the eggs are all laid, give them plantane and lettuce feed to purge them, taking away however the young; for this food would weaken them, and muft be given only for two days to the parent birds. When you wish to rear Canary-birds with the ftick, you muft not, according to the directions of most bird-catchers, leave them with the mother to the eleventh or twelfth day; it is better to take away the young after the eighth day; take them away in the neft, and leave nothing but the cafe. The food of the nestlings must be previously prepared; it is a pafte compofed of boiled rape feed, a yolk of an egg and crumb of the cake mixed and kneaded with a little water, which is to be given them every two hours. This pafte muft not be too liquid; and for fear of its growing four, it must be renewed every day till the young can feed themselves.

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