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State of the BAROMETER in inches and decimals, and of Farenheit's THER◄ MOMETER in the open air, taken in the morning before fun-rife, and at noon; and the quantity of rain-water fallen, in inches and decimals, from June 30th 1791, to the 30th of July, near the foot of Arthur's Seat.

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THE

EDINBURGH MAGAZINE,

OR,

LITERARY MISCELLANY.

VIEWS IN SCOTLAND.

GLAMES CASTLE,

IN the county of Forfar, is the feat of the Earl of Strathmore. It is famous in our hiftory for the murder of Malcom II. by the hands of affaffins in a paffage ftill fhewn to ftrangers. It was formerly a royal refidence, and on the acceffion of Robert II. was bestowed on his favourite Sir John Lyon. The ancient buildings were of great extent, confifting of two long courts divided by buildings; in each was a fquare tower and gate-way beneath; and in the third another tower, which conftitutes the prefent house, the reft being totally deftroyed. This received many alterations in 1656 by Patrick Lord Glames, and fome modern improvements by the late Earl of Strathmore.

Buffon's Natural Hiftory of the Canary Bird: (Continued from Page 416, Vol. XIII.)

O the particular remarks we have

portant, I must add a general and very interefting obfervation which may throw fome light on the generation of animals, and on the developement of their different parts. It has been conftantly observed in mixing Canary birds either with their own or with other fpecies, that the mongrels proceeding from them refemble the cock in the head, the tail, and legs; and the hen in the other parts of the body. The fame obfervation may be made with refpect to the mules of quadrupeds; thofe from the Jack-afs and mare, have the body as large as the

mother, and acquire the long ears,

It

would feem therefore, that, in the intimate union of thofe fluids by which generation is accomplished, the orga nic molecules of the female, occupy the center of that living sphere which increases in every direction, and that the molecules furnished by the male, furround thofe of the female in fuch manner that the external coat and the extremities of the body belong more to the father than to the mother. Several mongrels which I obtained from a goat and a ewe, inftead of wool, were all covered with the ftrong hair of their father.

In the human fpecies it may likewife be obferved,that in general,the fon refenibles his father more than his mother, in the legs, the feet, the hands, the hand writing, the quantity and colour of the hair, the quality of the fkin, and fize of the head; and in mulattoes, proceeding from a white man and a negro woman, the colour is not fo black as in thofe that fpring from a negro man and a white woman. All this feems to prove, that in the local depofition of the organic molecules, furnithed by both fexes, thofe of the male rife above, and invelope thofe of the female, and as it were form the nucleus of the being which is to be organized; and that notwithftanding the intimate penetration and intermixture of thefe molecules, more mafculine ones remain on the furface and most feminine ones within; this is natural, as the former go in queft of the latter; whence it follows, that in the developement of the body, the limbs ought to take after the father more than the mother, and the body to take after the mother more than the father.

Now as in general the beauty of the fpecies is not brought to perfection, nor maintained except by crof fing the breed; and as the ftature, the ftrength, and vigour of the body de. pend almoft entirely on the proportion of the limbs, it is only by the males that the breed of men and animals can be exalted or improved. Large and beautiful mares with little puny hofes, will never produce any thing but ill made foals; whereas the noble ftallion, with an indifferent mare, will always produce fine horfes; and the more beautiful, the more remote and distinct the father and mother have been. It is the fame in

fheep, for only rams of a different race, can improve the breed; and the finest ewe, with a diminutive ram, will never bring any but indifferent lambs. This fubject is important; and as many people amufe themfelves in the breeding of Canarybirds, which does not confume much time, it would not be difficult to inftitute a number of experiments on the mixture of different birds, and on the ultimate products of thefe mixtures, fo as to afcertain the truth of the doctrine I have here been fupporting.

In the lower animals as well as in man, even in our small birds, the diverfity of character, or if you will, of moral qualities often injures the confonance of phyfical qualities. If any thing could prove that the difpofition is a good or bad impreffion given by nature, which education cannot alter, it would be the inftance of our Canary-birds. "Almost every one of them fays, M. Hervieux, differs from another in difpofition. There are fome cocks that are always melancholy and even fullen, finging feldom, and then in a difmal ftrain; they are long in learning, and learn at laft but imperfectly what you teach them, and the little they know they very foon forget. These are often fo uncleanly, that their feet and tail are generally dirty; they do not please the female, whom they never regale with their fong, even when her young first appear, though indeed these are seldom much better than their father. There are others fo wicked that they kill the hen they are put to, and there is no other way of taming them, than by giving them two females who join for, their common defence; and when they have once vanquished by force they conquer afterwards by love *. There

are

* It fometimes happens, that thefe ill-natured males have other qualities, which repair in fome meafure their defects, fuch as a most melodious fong, a beautiful plumagë, and great tameness. If therefore you would have a breed from them, you must take two hens that are vigorous, and a year older than the cock; put thefe hens for a few months into the fame cage, that they may know each other well, and then they will not be jealous of fight when put to the cock. "A mouth before Latching time, put them both into the

fame

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