The Lancaster Herald, and Town and County Advertiser. — 1831-02-19 (Lancaster, Lancashire, England)

TRANSLATION.  Be who it our mantle of comfort, The giver of life, ancient, en high. He is the Creator of the Heavens:, And the ever-burning Stars. GOD is mighty in the Heavens, And whirls the Stars around the sky. We call on him in his dwelfing-place, That he may be our mighty leader, For he maketh the blind to see; We adore 1 as the only gosul, Fur be alone is a sure defence, He alone is a trusty shield, He alone is our bush of iefoge ; Even HE, the giver of life, on high, And the Creator of the Heavens!"  We would fain multiply our extracts from the Edinburgh Cabinet Library—(for many passages of-extreme interest we haye not alluded 10)--but they have already stretched to a considerable extent, and our space will not permit us to insert much more. Two short quotations, however, may be admitted, aud with these we conclude. The most extraordinary of all the insect races (in Afi iea) are the termites or white ants, whiela display, on a greater scale, the arts and sccial organization for which their species have been so famed in Europe. They cover the plains with their conical huts from ten, to twelve feet in height ; they are regularly distributed into labourers and soldiers, with others holding the rank of King and Queen. This latter personage, when she is about to add to the mnbers of the tribe, presents a most extraordinary spew de, being then swelled to many times the amount of her natural dimensions; and when the et itical period arrivas, instead of a progeny of two or three, she produces as many thousands. These ants are far from being of the same harmless description as the corresponding insects of this quarter of the world. On finding their way into a housL, they devour every thing, clothes, furniture, food, not slier, it is mid, sparing the inmates, who are compelled to make a speedy retreat."  We may place as intermediate between the regular birds of' prey and the passerine species, those called Butcher birds, of which Africa produces a variety of kinds. The habits of the collared shrike (Larius eolaris) are described by lk Valliant. When it sees a locust, a mantis, or small bird, it springs upon it and immediately carries it off; in orderso impale it on a thorn, which it does with great dexhr:ty, always passing the thorn through the head of its viethr. Every animal which it seizes is sultjected to the same fa•e; and it thus continues all day long its murderous career, saarently instigated rather by the love of mirehit I than the desire of food. Its throne of tyranny is usually 11 dry and elevated branch of a tree, from which it pounces on all intruders, driving off the stronger and more troublesome and impaling the inexperienced alive. When hungry, it visits its shambles, and helps itself to a savoury Inca). The Hottentots assured He Valliant that it does not boo fresh food, and therefore leaves its prey on the gibbet it I emmes putrescent. But beneath the scorching Sun Oi Africa, this process of' decomposition sometimes does not take place, from the rapid exhalation of the animal and a warm and arid atmosphere; and consequently whatever spicy shrub may have been chosen by the ButcherBird as the place of t xecution, is frequently found cOsered. not with,sweet smelling and many-eoluured blossoms, but with the dried Opasses of ringing-birds, and the hodiesol locusts and other insects of the larger size."