Puslapio vaizdai
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A good supply of drink is essential to the mole's existence; and its healthy condition is marked by a softness and moisture about the snout, where its most perfect organ of sensation is placed. The flexibility of that organ, and its command over it, are indeed exquisite; but it is not used in the operations of excavation and lifting. This is the work of the feet, neck, and the hinder part of the shoulder; and in these parts the mole is perhaps the strongest quadruped in existence, in proportion to its size. The heaps it throws up are not made simply by lifting; for the superfluous earth is collected at easy distances, and thrust along, until so much is accumulated as compels it to convey it out of the way, and then its work in tunnelling goes on again.

The mole has more enemies than it is supposed to have; for though its disappearance from a district is sometimes due to emigration, there must be other causes at work to account for their extirpation in particular localities They may destroy each other in their burrows, for they are exceedingly quarrelsome; the fox and weasel, too, are formidable foes; but the ceaseless war waged against them by man, the least excusable enemy they have, is the most destructive. Admitting that mole-heaps, and loosening of the soil by the runs made through a field, are inconvenient, and even injurious; and that it is unsightly to see a gentleman's lawn disfigured with these tumuli: yet such annoyances may be either removed or turned to advantage; and it must not be forgotten that their destruction of more injurious creatures is considerable. If it is desirable to expel them from their haunts, it may be done effectually without destroying them; for their extirpation is sure to be followed by a fresh invasion. Evelyn says they may be driven away by placing garlick in their runs; and perhaps assafoetida would be still more potent, if they must be drugged.

"The most unnatural of all persecution," says that close observer, James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, "that ever was raised in a country is that against the mole; that innocent and blessed pioneer, who enriches our pastures with the first top-dressing, dug with great pains and labour from the fattest of the soil beneath. The advantages of this top-dressing are so apparent and so manifest to the eye of every unprejudiced person, that it is really amazing

how our countrymen should have persisted in endeavours to exterminate the moles from the face of the earth. If a hundred men and horses were employed on a commonsized pasture farm, of from fifteen hundred to two thousand acres, in raising and conveying manure for a topdressing, they would not do it so effectually, so neatly, or so equally, as the natural number of moles on that farm would do of themselves. It has been observed in Selkirkshire, that where the moles have been nearly extirpated upon the Duke of Buccleuch's pasture farms, slugs have increased to such a degree, as to render it probable that they really consume a great proportion of the herbage. On the pasture land of other proprietors, where the moles are not destroyed, the slugs are certainly not so numerous. .... Now, it is well known, whatever may be the reason, and no other can be thought of, that the grounds upon which the moles are destroyed do not keep so many sheep as formerly, when the moles were not destroyed." It may be observed further, that where no efforts have been made to destroy them, they do not increase beyond a given number, which varies according to the soil; and that their frequent destruction, by encouraging the increase of the creatures which are their food, aids indirectly in augmenting their numbers.-Couch.

THE MAHOGANY TREE.

THE mahogany tree is even loftier and more umbrageous than the English oak. A single log weighs not unfrequently from six to seven tons; and, when two centuries have passed, the living trunk expands to such a gigantic size, and throws out such massive branches, and casts the shadow of its shining green leaves over so wide an area, that beside it the noblest forest-trees would sink into insignificance. The difficulty of conveying the tree, when felled, from its place of growth, often nearly inaccessible, is very great, and requires no small labour and contrivance. Parties go forth, equipped for the work, with as much order and precision as if for hunting. These parties generally consist of about fifty men, headed by a chief, whose office it is to search the woods, and to find employment for his band. Hence it is necessary that

he should be equally fearless and intelligent, swift of foot, and of strength sufficient to cut his way through the thickly-tangled underwood. The beginning of August is most favourable for the research, because at this season the leaves of the mahogany are uniformly of a yellowish hue, inclining to red, and may be readily discovered, even at a distance, amid the deep dark foliage of the forest. Winding his way, therefore, through the thickest of the wood, and cutting a pathway as he goes, the chief, or huntsman, climbs the tallest tree, and, if unsuccessful, pushes forward to another, till he at length espies the mahogany standing singly or in groups. He then descends, and, without either chart or compass, soon reaches the exact point at which he aims, and with equal precision traces back his steps to his expecting companions, who lose no time in accompanying him to the place of destination. They then proceed to fell a number of trees sufficient to find labour during the season; and, when this is done, the next care is to open a communication by means of roads to the nearest river. The mahogany trees grow often on high and rocky places, or in the very depths of thickly-tangled woods-dense forest masses, through which strong men find it difficult to penetrate, even with the aid of hatchets to cut their way. But mahogany trees, when felled, must be removed; and for this purpose workmen are divided into companies. The most athletic commence by clearing away the underwood with cutlasses, to the extent of one hundred yards for each man per day. The larger trees are then cut down as even with the ground as possible; and, if too hard for cutting, they are readily set on fire. Trees of this description, which offer resistance to the axe, are often very valuable; such as the bullet-tree and iron-wood, the red-wood and sapadilla; but they are thrown aside as useless, unless growing near some creek or rivulet that intersects the road. They are then invaluable for the construction of bridges, which are frequently very large, and require to be made of strong materials, in order to bear the ponderous loads that will soon have to pass over them. But the cutting away of underwood, or the removal of even lofty trees, is not the only labour that is requisite in making roads through the forest: the workmen still require the aid of pick-axes and sledge-hammers to break the huge masses of stone which impede the way,

to level considerable risings in the ground, and to remove any remaining stumps that may embarrass the draught, oxen. When the roads are thus completed, and the trees cut into logs for the purpose of removing them, which generally occupies the intermediate months from August till April and May in the ensuing year, both men and cattle are put in requisition, that not a moment may be lost.

The waggons on which the mahogany is placed are called trucks; and six of these are escorted by forty men. Each waggon requires seven pair of oxen and two drivers; while sixteen of the party are employed in cutting food for the cattle, and the other twelve in loading the carriages. As the same degree of heat which dries up the roads, and renders even the marshy places passable, presses greatly upon both men and cattle, the loading and carrying of the timber is performed in the night. Here, then, is a scene for a poet to describe. Imagine a lonely forest, dark with the gloom of night, not even a fire-fly abroad, not a single star seen through the canopy of boughs, not a sound heard, except the rustling of the night-breeze in the topmost branches, and the ceaseless murmur of the distant river pressing on its way. Suddenly a bell is heard, and as suddenly lights are seen advancing from a number of huts which then become visible, and where but a few minutes before all was gloom and silence: now, by the glare of torches, are discovered the innumerable stems of tall forest trees, half in light, half in shade, with impenetrable gloom beyond them, surrounding a spacious area where men and cattle are employed, and where all is bustle and activity. The logs are being placed upon the waggons by means of temporary platforms, one end of which rests upon the earth, another upon the waggons; and by means of this expedient, enormous logs of many tons weight are gradually pushed up. When the waggons are loaded, a signal is given, and the cattle begin to draw. A looker-on might almost fancy that the ponderous loads would crush the rocks beneath them, so heavily do they begin to move, and so massy is the appearance which they present, as, guided by the glare of the pine torches, they are seen slowly proceeding through the forest; the men and cattle thrown out in strong relief, while the further end of the loads is dimly seen in the gathering gloom of the deserted forest. Wearily they go, and reach at length the river

side before the sun is at its highest power. Here a very different scene ensues: the logs are shortly removed from the waggons, and, being marked with the owners' names, are thrown into the river, where they continue till the periodical rains commence, at the end of May. The rivers are soon swollen to a great height; and the enormous logs begin to float. Their course is followed by the band of workmen in flat-bottomed canoes; and they have often to disengage them from the branches of overhanging trees, until they are stopped, after a voyage of two or three hundred miles, by a boom placed near the mouth of the river. The logs are then separated, and formed into large rafts, in which state they are guided to the timber-wharfs of the proprietors, where they are taken out of the water, and such parts as were split or rent in being dashed by the current against the rocks are sawed off; and the mahogany, when thus prepared, is ready for shipping.-Miss Roberts.

THE PETREL.

It is an interesting sight to observe these little birds in a gale, coursing over the waves, down the declivities, and up the descents of the foaming surf that threatens to burst over their heads; sweeping along the hollow troughs of the sea as in a sheltered valley, and again mounting with the rising billow: and just above its surface, occasionally dropping their feet, which striking the water, throw them up again with additional force; sometimes leaping with both legs parallel, on the surface of the roughest waves for several yards at a time. Meanwhile they continue coursing from side to side of the ship's wake, making excursions far and wide, returning again to the ship as if she were stationary, though perhaps running at the rate of ten knots an hour. But the most singular peculiarity of this bird is its faculty of standing, and even running, on the surface of the water, which it performs with apparent facility.

There are few persons who have crossed the Atlantic that have not observed these solitary wanderers of the deep, skimming along the surface of the wild and wasteful ocean; flitting past the vessel like the swallows; or fol

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