THE engraving on the preceding page not employed in war, that he kept a person represents a Hiudoo warrior by the name constantly near him, to supply him with of Mahadajee Scindia. His father, who was that luxury. This person's whole employa distinguished prince of Mahratta, died ment was to put the betel into his mouth, about the year 1750, and the son, a few years when he wanted a fresh supply. He also afterwards, succeeded him. Before this, kept a Brahmin, whose daily business it however, he had been much distinguished was to put the marks of his cast upon his in war, and had received a wound in his nose and forehead. It consists of one cirright knee, which deprived him of the use cular spot between two lines. The marks of it, for life. are made with a pigment of yellow ochre and oil, which is washed off and renewed every morning. The countenance of this warrior was expressive of good sense and good humor, but his complexion was dark, and his person inclining to corpulency. His habits were simple, his manners kind and frank; though sometimes coarse and blustering. He was beloved by those who depended on him, and sometimes liberal, especially to his troops. Generally, however, he was penurious; and as anxious to gain money as to conquer provinces. He could write and keep accounts, which is not common among the Mahrattas. His disposition was not cruel, except when under the influence of anger, or a desire for revenge; - then he was cruel, and sometimes terrible. It is much to his credit, however, that, in a country where warriors are not expected to be very scrupulous in their conduct, he was generally very humane; and though much of his life was spent in making conquests, he caused but little bloodshed. When he had gained a territory, he was wise and skilful to keep it; and what he once gained, he seldom lost. There was a time when he was one of the bravest, most powerful, and most successful princes in all India; and he was feared very much both by his fellow countrymen, and by his British foes. But ah! he had his failings; and great failings they were, too. He was so fond of the areca and betel nut, and so lazy when Great, therefore, as Mahadajee was in war, and in the art of governing others, he could not govern himself. He indulged to excess in betel; which probably shorten-. ed his life, for though he possessed a frame that might have lasted longer, he died, worn out, in 1794. Perhaps some of our readers do not know what the areca, and betel-nut, are. The betel is a climbing plant, in the East Indies, of the pepper tribe. The plant, however, resembles ivy, in shape and appearance. The leaves have a stimulating effect, not unlike that of small quantities of spirit or opium. The leaves are sometimes chewed alone; but in general they are first covered with lime and wrapped round small slices of the areca nut. resembles a nutmeg, in appearance, and is of the size of a small egg. It is the fruit of the areca palm tree. The areca For Parley's Magazine. "A sparrow which had built her nest on the thatched roof of a house, was observed to continue regular visits long after the time when the young birds had taken flight. This 155 LIFE-BOAT OF THE GNAT. unusual circumstance continued through the year, and in the winter, a gentleman who had observed her, determined on investigating the cause, He found one of her young ones detained a prisoner, by means of a string, which formed a part of the nest, having become accidentally twisted round its legs. Being thus unable to procure its subsistence, it had been fed and sustained by the exertions of its mother." Young birds had taken flight, She had a tender charge, And not the summer's charm, Could for one moment tempt that bird, Thus-thus, do mothers love, What others would but leave -Children-you all admire The sparrow for her care; Do you not think that you have known, Affection quite as fair? 47 Father. So, my son, the moment you have done your work, you must always go to reading something. 1 see you are determined to be a bookworm. I wish I was able to send you to college. You would have books enough, then. Son. I am not anxious to go to college, father. There is a great deal that I can learn at home yet. F. Yes, I know that; a great deal too much. I sometimes wish you could not get so many books. 48 LIFE-BOAT OF THE GNAT. S. But why not father? What have you against my reading? You always say your" have no objection to buying books; why are you not willing I should read them? F. Read them? Why, my son, I have nothing against your reading. I like to read, myself, at proper times and places, but you are always at it. S. But surely, my dear father, you will not say that I neglect your business for the sake of reading. You will certainly allow that I work as many hours, and as hard, and do my work as well as Francis and George. Do you ever see me with a book in my hand, when there is any thing else to do? F. No, no, my son; never, that I know of. But you are always at it when there is nothing else to be done. And you read too much, by half. You'll have your head crazed with reading so much, the next thing that happens ;-like Captain Castle. S. Dear father, never fear that. Such books as I read will never craze my mind, I assure you. It was not reading so much that crazed Captain Castle. It was getting his head full of fancies about the "prophecies," and all that, you know. F. Well, well; read on; I'll find you books. But there were no such devourers of books when I was a boy. We seldom read any thing but the Psalter, and the Testament. S. For this plain reason, I suppose, father, because they were not to be had. F. True, books were not so plenty then as now. But I say go on; read all the books you please. When you have read that in your hand through, I'll buy you another. S. I am much obliged to you, father. The book I have in my hand, however, is not yours. I drew it from the library. 156 F. I thought it was "Humboldt." But what is it pray? S. A volume of the Library of Entertain ing Knowledge, about Insects. F. O now! you don't surely spend your time in reading about insects! S. There is no subject in the world I am more fond of, I assure you, than well written accounts of insects. And see here, father; see the engravings! Why there's more than 150 of them in this volume. F. Strange! strange!—What's the world coming to? Why, John, when I was a boy, we scarcely ever heard of an engraving in a book. And now you have 150, you say, in that little volume! S. Yes; there are one hundred and sixty five, to be exact, father. F. Why did they not have it all pictures when they were about it? S. Are you not fond of pictures, father? F. Oh yes, I like to see them well enough, but who wants to see pictures of insectshateful objects at the best. Besides we can see enough of them without looking at their pictures. The ground is half covered with them. S. Yes, but there are some which we have never seen. And then the wonders which some of them perform is almost beyond belief. F. What wonders do you speak of? S. Why I was reading just now about the gnat; how she builds a kind of boat, of her eggs. F. How does any body know it? S. Naturalists have watched them, and seen them go through the whole operation. They go to a pond or bucket of stagnant water, where there are plenty of gnats, and watch them. But they must go early-by about five or six o'clock in the morning. I 157 LIFE-BOAT OF THE GNAT. 49 A should like to read it to you, father, if you fluid. On each side of this egg she places please. another, all which adhere firmly together F. Yes, yes; read on; but I don't think by means of their glue, and form a trianguI shall believe it. lar figure thus, which is the stern of the S. Oh, I think it is certainly true, father, raft. for F. Well, well; read on. S. "The object of the gnat is to construct a boat-shaped raft, which will float, of eggs heavy enough to sink in water if dropped into it one by one. The eggs are nearly of the form of a pocket gunpowder flask, rather pointed at the upper and broad at the under end, with a projection like the mouth of a bottle. "The first operation of the mother guat is to fix herself by the four fore-legs to the side of a bucket, or upon a floating leaf, with her body level with and resting upon the surface of the water, excepting the last ring of the tail, which is a little raised; she then crosses her two hind legs in form of an X, the inner opening of which is intended to form the scaffolding of her structure. She accordingly brings the inner angle of her crossed legs close to the raised part of her body, and places in it an egg, covered, as is usual among insects, with a glutinous "She proceeds in the same manner to add egg after egg in a vertical (not a horizontal) position, carefully regulating the shape by her crossed legs; and as her raft increases in magnitude, she pushes the whole gradually to a greater distance, and when she has about half finished, she uncrosses her legs and places them parallel, the angle being no longer necessary for shaping the boat. "Each raft consists of from two hundred and fifty to three hundred and fifty egg, which, when all laid, float on the water secure from sinking, and are finally abandoned by the mother. They are hatched in a few days, the grubs issuing from the lower end; but the boat, now composed of the empty shells, continues to float till it is destroyed by the weather." Here, father, is the picture of the gnats forming their boats. At a, there, on the left hand, is a boat just begun; at b, on the right hand, down low, is one about two thirds built; and at c, is another quite completed. F. They are so small, my son, that I can- But no matter; read on. I am getting quite not judge very well of their appearance. interested with your story. |