one day they saw approaching, as if he had been dropped from the clouds, a man of enormous stature, dancing and singing, and putting dust upon his head, as they supposed in token of peace. This overture for friendship was, by Magellan's command, quickly answered by the rest of his men; and the giant approaching, testified every mark of astonishment and surprise. He was so tall, that the Spaniards only reached his waist; his face was broad, his color brown, and painted over with a variety of tints; each cheek had the resemblance of a heart drawn upon it; his hair was approaching to whiteness; he was clothed in skins, and armed with a bow. Being treated with kindness, and dismissed with some trifling presents, he soon returned with many more of the same stature; two of whom the mariners decoyed on shipboard: nothing could be more gentle than they were in the beginning; they considered the fetters that were preparing for them, as ornaments, and played with them, like children with their toys; but when they found for what purpose they were intended, they instantly exerted their amazing strength, and broke them in pieces with a very easy effort. This account, with a variety of other circumstances, has been confirmed by succeeding travellers.*

To these varieties in the human species might be added a considerable catalogue of MONSTERS; but as few of these have survived the hour of their birth, and as the detail of most of them can serve but to disgust, we shall only trouble the reader with a few instances. The first is an affecting account of the most singular production of this kind that stands recorded in the History of Nature.

On the 26th of October, 1701, at Tzoni, in Hungary, two female children were born, which were united together at the loins. They lived to the age of twenty-one years. At seven years of age they were carried into Holland, England, Italy, Russia, and into almost every country of Europe. At the age of nine they were purchased by a pious clergyman, in order to place them in a convent at Petersburgh, where they remained till the 25th of February, 1723, when they died.

One of these twins was named Helen, and the other Judith. Helen grew tall, and was straight. Judith was less, and a little crooked. As they were united at the loins, they could only see one another by turning their heads. They in general agreed well together, and loved each other affectionately. At six years of age Judith was affected with a palsy on the left side; and though afterwards she appeared cured, she always retained a strong impression of that malady, and her mind was always heavy and weak. Helen, on the contrary, was handsome and gay. She had a good understanding, and some wit. They had the small-pox and the measles at the same time; but

*The soberer narratives of recent travellers have reduced the stature of the Patagonians to a more reasonable standard; though still leaving them the character of being a tall race. From five feet ten, to six feet seven inches, appears to be the height of the individuals of this tribe.

they had other maladies or indispositions separately: for Judith was subject to a cough and a fever; Helen, on the contrary, enjoyed good health. When they were nearly twenty-one years of age, Judith took a fever, fell into a lethargy, and died; the unfortunate Helen was obliged to follow her lot. Three minutes before the death of Judith, she fell into an agony, and died almost at the same moment.

A pair united in a similar manner, has recently been exhibited in the United States and England. They, too, were born in the east, and are known as the Siamese youths. A fleshy band, of from four to six inches long and two broad, proceeding from the pit of each stomach, connects them together. The entire band admits four fingers to pass freely behind it, when the boys stand shoulder to shoulder, and its width and thickness allow the thumb to meet the fingers on the front aspect. The vestiges of one common navel are visible at the lower and middle part of the band, and it is equidistant between the two bodies. The band is hollow, except about an inch in the centre, and there is evidently a hernial protrusion into it from each of the boys, in the action of coughing. Their appearance is healthy, their dispositions cheerful, and their attitudes and motions graceful. They move across the room with all the ease and grace of a couple skilfully waltzing, and seem never to have any difference of intention or purpose which can give pain to their band of union by making them draw different ways. The natural position of the youths, or that which seems to place the connecting ligament in its natural form, is that of face to face. This position, as must be obvious, is extremely inconvenient, and the boys have consequently accustomed themselves to stand or move side by side. Their persons are thus drawn mutually closer, which makes it necessary for one to place his arm about the neck or waist of the other. The position may be varied-that is, the ligament may be made an axis, upon which the youths can turn and bring in contact the two opposite sides, instead of those which were first in collision. Their identity of purpose, and unity of movement, combined with a general similarity of tastes, dispositions, and habits, has created in some a suspicion that their organization was more intimately connected than at first sight appears. They eat, drink, and sleep simultaneously; their health is affected alike; and on being conveyed through the streets in a coach, so perfect is their unity of action, that they could not be prevailed upon to look out of its opposite windows. These circumstances many have been disposed to attribute to something more than the power of habit; but there can be no doubt that the youths are perfectly distinct beings, having each his organization totally independent of the other. This is placed beyond a doubt by various circumstances. No one can fail to be touched with the perfect harmony that subsists between them. Attempts have been made to create jealousies between them, but without the slightest success. Any gift which they receive capable of division, is shared between them; and any description of present passes from one to the

other as a joint possession. It would perhaps be more just to say, that they recognize no difference between themselves. A very attentive observer, however, will not fail to discover, between these two boys, who certainly bear the strongest possible resemblance to each other, a marked distinction. One seems to be a little more robust than the other, and even to possess an intellectual superiority over his brother. Perhaps this notion acquires plausibility from the circumstance that the former generally acts as the organ of communication on the joint part with the interpreters. It is observed, that this superior brother yields on all occasions to the impulses of the weaker, giving up his own choice, and preferring the course intimated by the other. The inferior brother then playfully leans against his mate for support, or the one pats the cheek, or presses the forehead, or adjusts the shirt collar of the other, in such a way as betrays the kindliest feelings in each, and the tenderest affection for each other.

A still more wonderful lusus naturæ lately existed in the person of a bicephalous girl, born of Sardinian parents. She died recently at Paris. Ritta, or the right side of the infant, had been ill for three days, and her illness did not appear in any degree to influence the health of Christina, the other side; so that at the moment when Ritta had given up the ghost, Christina was hanging to the breast of her mother, and playing with her face. But suddenly she let go, heaved a sigh, and expired. On dissection, two hearts, touching at the upper surface, but perfectly free at the base, were found in one pericardium. There was only one liver, which was evidently formed by the juncture of two; but there were two stomachs, and two small intestines, the latter of which joined ten or twelve inches above the cacum. The cacum was single, and all below was the same. In the pectoral cavity there was only one diaphragm, which had evidently been formed out of those of two subjects.

ORDER

SECOND-QUADRUMANA.1

THE order Quadrumana is divided into two families, the Simiæ or Apes, and the Lemures.

APES.2

If the conformation of the body always implied corresponding intellectual attributes, the apes should approach the nearest to man in intellect. But

1 This order embraces animals with three kinds of teeth, incisors, canines, and molars; four extremities, terminated by hands, with the thumb separate from the other fingers, and more or less opposable to them; fingers long and flexible; two or four pectoral mamma; clavicles complete; bones of the arm and leg distinct, and susceptible of the motions of pronation and supination; male organs of generation external; stomach membranous, simple; intestines of medium length; a small cæcum; orbital and temporal fossæ distinct.

2 This family is distinguished by a form approaching more or less to that of man; four inclined incisors in each jaw; nose more or less prominent; nostrils more or less separated from one another; two pectoral mamma; orbital and temporal fosse distinct.

this is not found to be the case: and though the family of apes have, like man, their anterior hands free, and their thumbs opposable, though in a less degree, yet it is not found that their sagacity is superior or even equal to that of some other tribes of mammiferous animals. The structure of their body indeed enables them, to perform many movements similar to those of man; but these, when they approach the usages of the human race, are in general the effect of mere education or imitation, in individuals withdrawn from their kind. Possessed of hands at both extremities, capable, were they directed by intelligence, of turning the soil or the inhabitants of the forests to their use, they are inferior in sagacity to the beaver and many other animals which live in society. The social instinct of the apes, indeed, seems limited to the tendency which frugivorous animals have in general to live in wandering troops, for the purposes of mutual protection.

The whole structure of apes marks them as essentially formed for climbing trees, and it is in forests, accordingly, that they are chiefly found. Their gait on the ground, and on all fours, as quadrupeds, is awkward and by leaps; and their head not being placed in equilibrium on the spine as in man, their pelvis being small, and the muscles of the thigh being attached lower in the leg, prevents their assuming the erect posture. Their very long arms and hands at both extremities, are, on the contrary, admirably calculated for their mode of life.

guer,

The apes are lively, petulant, and extremely lascivious. They possess the talent of imitation to a great degree, and have the ancient generic denomination of Simia, from Simulare, to imitatê. Condamine and Bouwhen making their observations, in South America, on the figure of the earth, were annoyed by domesticated apes, looking through their telescopes, planting signals, running to the pendulum, taking the pen to write, and imitating all the actions of these learned astronomers. Their intelligence is not, however, greater than that of the dog, though their imitative actions appear advantageously from their particular conformation. Their senses of touch, of smell, and of taste, are particularly acute, and seem to direct all their appetites, which are sensual and gross in almost all the

species.

Apes bring forth one or two young at a birth, after a gestation of from five to seven months, according to the species. The females carry their young in their arms or upon their backs, offer them suck, amuse them, and sometimes strike or bite them, when they are dissatisfied. Among the Sapajous, or American apes with prehensile tails, the young seat themselves upon the haunches of the mother, preserving their equilibrium. by their tail. The males are polygamous in the smaller species, but often monogamous in the largest. Their geographical range is extremely limited, and they are only found under the tropics in both hemispheres.

CUVIER thus describes this remarkable species of ape. "It is covered with black or brown hairs, less thickly in front. If we can trust to the relations of travellers, this animal approaches, or even surpasses, the human stature. But we have not yet seen in Europe any specimen confirmatory, or even indicative, of the truth of this assertion. It inhabits Guinea and Congo-lives in troops-constructs huts of leaves and branches of treesarms itself with stones and clubs, and employs them to repulse from its dwelling both elephants and men-pursues and carries off the negro women, &c. Naturalists have constantly confounded this animal with the orang outang. In a domesticated state, it becomes gentle enough to be taught to walk upright, and to sit and eat after our manner."

The chimpansé approaches the human form more nearly than any other animal. Unlike the orang outang, it has no intermaxillary bone. It has also the last joint of the great toe perfect. That it has greater facility for the biped or upright mode of locomotion than the orang outang, is also apparent, by its possessing the round ligament of the thigh bone, which the orang has not.

Griffith closes his account of this animal in the following words: "Of the intellectual properties of this species, as we can add little new, we shall not

1 Troglodytes niger. The genus Troglodytes comprises Simia with four incisor teeth above, and four below; two canines above, and two below; ten molars above, and ten below-in all, thirty-two teeth. Canines little projecting: contiguous to the incisors and molars, as those of man; head rounded; muzzle little projecting; superciliary ridge prominent; facial angle, fifty degrees; arms almost proportioned to the legs, reaching to the bottom of the thighs; thumbs long and opposable; no tail, cheek pouches, intermaxillary bones, nor callosities on the buttocks.