Young as I am, I've often heard it said, "Green shoulders sometimes carry a grey head, "And that grey hairs, the sign of sober sense, "To wisdom have no claim, but mere pretence." If thus the case be full and fairly stated, My right to speak can be no more debated.

Females of every age have leave to prattle; Why may not I then, like my elders, tattle? Mamma indeed oft says, that I'm too young To be allow'd a privilege of tongue : Which means no more than, 66 Hush, you "Do you be silent, I'll talk all myself." And why, I pray? My tongue, as her's, is nimble; And I had rather use it than my thimble:

little elf,

Had rather gossip, speak a part, or wheedle,
Than wound my fingers with a filthy needle.

A sempstress!no! a princess let me be,

In all the pomp and state of tragedy!

A princess, with a page, and sweeping train,

A bowl! a dagger! and a lover slain!

Well though mamma should still be for a school;

She soon shall find, I'll not be made a fool.

Dear Tragedy invites, and I'll obey;

You'll all attend, I hope, to see me play.
For I expect to be as loud, and glibber
Than Pritchard, Bellamy, or darling Cibber.
If, for the buskin, you object my size,
Why, Garrick's little, but has piercing eyes:
And so have I :-Good gentlemen, beware,
And take my young endeavours to your care;
Or, when I reach my teens, attend and tremble;
I'll cast such lures, coquet, and so dissemble,
That you shall vow, protest, and swear in vain,
While I, fine lady like, despise your pain.

Animal Cotton.-Some successful experiments have been made in America and the West Indies, to preserve and increase the insect known by the name of fly-carrier, which produce an animal cotton in many respects superior to vegetable cotton.

An intelligent Member of the American Phi-' losophical Society (M. Baudry des Lozieres), has enabled us to present to the public the following interesting memoir on animal cotton, and the insect which produces it. Every inhabitant of the West Indies, says this gentleman, knows and dreads the greedy worm which devours their indigo and cassada plantations; it is called by some the cassada worm, by others the fly-carrier; and is produced like the silk-worm, from eggs scattered by the mother after her metamorphosis into a whitish butterfly. The egg is hatched about the end of July, when the animal is decked with a robe of the most brilliant and variegated colours. In the month of August, when about to undergo its metamorphosis, it strips off its superb robe,and puts on one of a beautiful sea green, which reflects all its various shades according to the different undulations of the animal, and the different accidents of light. This new decoration is the signal for its tortures. Immediately a swarm of ichneumon flies assail it, and drive their stings into the skin of their victim, over the whole extent of its back and sides, at the same time slipping their eggs into the bottom of the wounds that they have made. Having performed this dreadful opera

As

tion, the flies disappear, and the patient remains for an hour in a motionless state, out of which it awakens to feed with great voracity. Then his size daily increases till the time of his hatching of the ichneumon flies. The eggs deposited are hatched at the same moment, and the cassada is instantly covered with a thousand little worms. They issue out of him at every pore, and that animated robe covers him so entirely, that nothing can be perceived but the top of his head. soon as the worms áre hatched, and without quitting the spot where the eggs are, which they have broke through, they yield a liquid gum, which, by coming in contact with the air, is rendered slimy and solid. Each of these animalcula works himself a small cocoon, in the shape of an egg, in which he wraps himself, thus making, as it were, his own winding sheet. They seem to be born but to die. These millions of cocoons all close to each other, and the formation of which has not taken two hours, forms a white robe, and in this the cassada worm appears elegantly clothed. While they are thus decking him, he remains in a state of almost lethargic torpidity. As soon as the covering is woven, and the little workmen who have made it, have retired and hidden themselves in their cells, the worm endeavours to rid himself of his guests, and of the robe which contains them. He comes out of the inclosure deprived of all his former beauty in a state of decrepitude, exhausted, and threatened with approaching death. He shortly passes to the state

of a chrysalis; and after giving life to thousands of eggs, suddenly loses his own, leaving to the cultivator an advantage which may be so improved as to more than compensate the ravages which he occasions. In about eight days, the little worms contained in the cocoons are metamorphosed into flies having four wings. Their antennæ are long and vibrating; some have a tail, others do not shew it; they feed upon small insects of the family of Acarus, and evidently belong to the ichneumon tribe.

The cotton shell or wrapper is of a dazzling white, and as soon as the flies have quitted the cocoon, it may be used without any preparatory precaution; it is made up of the purest and finest cotton; there is no refuse, no inferior quality in it; every part is as fine and beautiful as can be imagined.

M. Des Lozieres, (the author of this memoir), urges the Americans to preserve, and endeavour to increase the fly carrier, in the same manner, and for similar purposes, that the breed of the silk worm is encouraged. He declares, that he has frequently seen so abundant a harvest of the animal cotton, that in the space of two hours he could collect the quantity of one hundred pints, French measure. Moreover, animal cotton is attended with none of the difficulties which occur in the preparation of vegetable cotton, and it requires less time and less trouble to procure it, and there seems to him no doubt that it will stand the competition with silk, and vegetable cotton; these,

when applied to wounds, serve only to inflame and envenom; but the animal cotton may be used as lint, without the smallest inconvenience.

Cat and Dog Shearers.-Upon crossing the Pont Neuf, where there are a number of little stalls erected, the owners of which advertise upon little boards, which are raised upon poles, that they possess extraordinary talents for shearing dogs and cats; I could not help stopping and laughing most heartily to observe the following address to the public from one of these canine and grimalkin functionaries:

Monin, tondit et coupe

Les chiens la chatte

Et sa femme

Vat en ville.

Which runs in this ridiculous manner in Eng

lish.

Monin shears and cuts

Dogs and cats and his wife

Goes on errands.

Boot Cleaners.-As I had no time to return to my hotel to dress, I was initiated into a mode of expeditiously equipping myself by a young friend who was with me, to which I was before a stranger, and which shows in the most trifling matters, that the French are good adepts in expedition and