their dry earth, whereon the corn was laid. They never go about this work unless the weather be clear, and the sun very hot ; but when both are favourable, they perform it almost every day.

The author of this account had found a nest of ants in a box of earth standing out from a window two stories high, whence they made excursions both upwards to the top of the house, where some corn lay in a garret, and downwards into a garden which the window overlooked. The situation of this nest obliged them to go up or down a great way before they could possibly meet with any thing; but he found, notwithstanding, that none of them ever returned empty, but every one brought a grain of wheat, rye, or oats, a small seed, or even a particle of dry earth, if nothing else could be got. Some travelled to the further end of the garden, and with prodigious labour, brought heavy loads from thence. It required four hours, as he learned by frequent observation, to carry a pretty

large grain or seed from the middle of the garden to the nest and he computed therefrom, that an ant works as hard as a man who should carry a heavy load 12 miles a day. The pains these ants took, to carry grains of corn up a wall to the second story, climbing all the way with their heads downwards, must be exceedingly great: their weariness was shewn by the frequent stops at the most convenient places, and some appeared so fatigued and spent that they could not reach their journey's end, in which case, it was common to see the strongest ants which had carried home their load, come down again and help them. Sometimes they were so unfortunate as to fall down with their burden when just in sight of home; but when this happened, they seldom lost their corn, but carried it up again. He saw one of the smallest ants carrying a large grain of wheat with incredible pains; when she came to the box where the nest was, she and her load together tumbled back to the ground: going down to look for

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her, he found she had recovered the grain, and was ready to climb up again; this misfortune befel her three times; but she never let go her hold, nor was discouraged; till at last her strength failing, she was forced to stop, and another ant assisted her to carry home her load to the public stock.

How wonderful is the sagacity of these insects! how commendable their care, diligence and labour ! how generous their assistance of one another for the service of the community! how noble their public virtue, which is never neglected for the sake of private interest! in all these things, they deserve our notice and imitation. A contemplative mind will naturally turn its thoughts from the condition and government of ant-hills, to that of nations, and reflect that superior beings may possibly consider human kind and all their solicitudes and toils, pride, vanity, and ambition, with no more regard than we do the concerns of these little creatures.

It would be endless to attempt to enum erate the various, astonishing and entertaining objects which may be exhibited by the microscope we shall therefore select an account of some which have been displayed, in order to refresh or direct the memory of those who have attended the exhibition, and thereby to assist them to contemplate how weak, bungling, ill-shaped and rugged, the nicest works of art are, when compared with the beautiful symmetry, accurate proportion, elegance and harmony of form, together with the profusion of colouring, brightened with the splendour of diamonds, rubies, amethysts, gold and silver, which are set forth on worms, butterflies, and flowers; and what in our estimation are the meanest productions of nature; I say, when we reflect on these things, our pride must be humbled, and we must be compelled to acknowledge the superior wisdom, power, and goodness, of the beneficent Creator and preserver of all things.

We are indebted to the microscope for the knowledge that the distemper called the itch is occasioned by a multitude of exceedingly small animalcules, which breed in and under the cuticle, or scarf skin of the human body; and, by their motion, produce the intolerable itching, which compels the infected person to scratch, which removing their eggs, spreads the disease on other parts of the skin.

Itch Animal.

We may hence account for this distemper being so very catching; since these animalcules, by simple contact, can easily pass from one person to another, having not only a swift motion, but clinging to every thing they touch, and crawling as well upon the surface of the body as under the outward