_ er
NATURAL HISTORY CALENDAR NOTICE S. 191

not consent to receive their former servant in that
| capacity : finally he married—it proved a very unhappy
| marriage—a Parisian lady, and lived till his death in
) Paris. The Count had an extremely active and fertile
_mind, and was the author of many philanthropic and
scientific schemes, some of them of very great value.
_ The system of lectures adopted at the Royal Institution,
| which is at the present time the source of so much in-
| struction and pleasure, did-much towards the usefulness
and fame of the Institution. Sir Henry Holland, its
present president, says:—“I have often felt a certain
emotion in coming suddenly from the crowded and noisy
"pavements of Piccadilly to those silent laboratories in
Albemarle Street (almost buried below ground), where
science working through faithful experiments has disclosed
so many secrets of the natural world.” But the chief
architect of the Royal Institution was, of course, Sir
| Humphry Davy, in originality and in eloquence even
superior to Faraday, although he fell behind him in the
beauty and perfection of his life. 2

It is impossible not to be struck with the interesting
‘narrative which Mrs. Millett gives in her work, “An
Australian Parsonage: or, the Settler and the Savage.”
She accompanied her husband, who was a convict
‘chaplain, to the Swan River Settlement, in West
| Australia, where they abode for five years. It does not
seem to have been a very cheerful or successful life, as
men account such; indeed, the presence of a large body
of convicts cannot but have been exceedingly depressing.
Now that the convicts have been withdrawn the prospects
of the colony are still far from good, despite a few recent
gleams of prosperity. Mrs. Millett was a keen, diligent,
and accurate observer, and her volume is a complete re-
pertory of the flora and fauna, the scenery, the physical
geography, the social life and statistics, the general con-
dition and prospects of the region. To intending emi-
grants this volume will prove an admirable handbook,
although we are afraid that for many years to come this
will not be a large class. The vast sheep-walks, which
make the natural wealth of Australia, hardly exist in this
region, as there is a wide-spread poisonous plant which
proves highly fatal to the flocks, unless they are most
diligently protected. The most valuable produce is to
be found in the vast forests, rich with sandal wood and
mahogany, and an immense amount of these will probably
be exported to India as sleepers for the railways. The
Milletts found that their parsonage was very much like
an Indian bungalow with its verandah. There is a great
deal of interesting talk about the convicts and the Indians:
the chief information on this last point being derived from
Bishop Salvado’s account of the work of the Benedictine
Mission in this region. The parson and his wife had to
contrive and “ makeshift” in all sorts of ways, and had an
abundant share of the various adventures and experiences
in Australian life. They lived fairly out in the bush, the
neighbourhood of the house being denuded of trees, for
| fear of bush-fires. We have some interesting references
to the endeavours to christianize the natives, and it
appears that some genuine work of this kind is being
carried on. Measles, that were first introduced in the
,colony in 1860, have proved very fatal to these poor
people. The great drawback to the success of the
colony is the want of any market for its productions, and
_the very limited amount of fresh water. Still, there are
_various circumstances that seem to indicate that better

eee a a

days are in store for the place, and such a volume as
this will help to make its large capabilities understood.

We have had quite a cluster of American books of late.
We may be allowed just to mention “To San Francisco
and Back, by a Londen Parson,” which originally ap-
peared in the columns of the Peortr’s Magazine. A
very similar work, “Across the Ferry,” by Dr. James
Macaulay, is extremely full of information. It only
modestly professes to give “ First Impressions,” but in
his ease they are both vivid and valuable, and written
with a deep insight into whatever is best worth knowing
in the United States. Another volume which deals in
part with America is Mr. C. D. Carlisle’s (of Trinity
College, Cambridge) account of his travels “ Round the
World in 1870.” In the present day it is not at all
difficult to get round the world. It can be done in about
ninety days, but of course the more time given, the more
satisfactory will be the result. Mr. Carlisle took thirteen
months, and he wishes he had given more. He is sensible,
enterprising, and observant. His work is well calculated
to give young people a taste for the literature of travel.
His specialty is that he nearly circumnayigated the coasts
of South America, about which he gives much interesting
information.

NATURAL HISTORY CALENDAR
NOTICES.

By THE Rey. J. C. ATKINSON.

MARCH.

ARCH grows never clows,” that is, prema-
turely early efforts of vegetation come to
no good; such is one of the wise saws of
north Yorkshire experience. “A peck
of dust in March is worth a king’s ran-

som,” is another, not confined to a northern locality, and

* As mad as a March hare,” must be familiar to every

English ear. I don’t know how many more saws,

sayings, proverbs, of the same sort might be quoted; by

no means a few, however; and the number and variety
of them is not quite without a little interest ; for they all de-
pend more or less closely upon the observation of what are
really and entirely not only Natural History phenomena,
but matters connected with the Natural History Calendar.

“Mad as a March hare,’ for instance; now, is a hare

madder in March than at any other time? or how is its

March madness displayed? The answer is simply that

at this period of the year the male hare acts as other

male animals do, and under the influence of the oropyn or
instinct of reproduction; only the said influence seems
often to lead him into actions or proceedings which
deviate a good deal from the ordinary quiet and regu-
larity of his habits. Under every-day circumstances, the
hare runs along the same track in the open field, and
through the same “meuse” or “ smout-hole ” in the
hedge, leaving his seat, in order to feed in the accustomed
direction, and returning to it in the early morning, with
all the regularity of animal clock-work, and perhaps the
utmost distance from form to feeding-place may be a

mile or amile and a half. But in March, when the sweet |

pains and anxieties of courtship are on him, he will canter
off to a distance of six, eight, or ten miles, and evena broad
viver, oran arm of the sea, does not avail to stop him ;

cn ce