Man ia going, according to Mr. Greg, to have a
wonderful destiny, but just now he seems to be rather a pitiable creature. The British Parliament, the strongest popular body in existence, is arrested by Messrs. Parnell, Biggar, and O'Donnell, and three great States are straining themselves to avoid defeat by a black- striped yellow beetle. The German Government fights the insect from Colorado with the energy it would display against insurg- ents, burning up fields to kill it ; the French Government is going to make its extirpation a duty of all Communal mayors, and the British Government is passing a law to forbid its introduction. The Privy Council is enabled by a Bill, ex- plained by the Duke of Richmond on Wednesday, to regulate the importation of articles in which the enemy may be concealed, to compensate farmers for burning the little creature out, and to prosecute anybody who sells or keeps alive a specimen. All this while, if man could only strike up an alliance with the rooks, creatures not very high in the scale, he would be quite safe. They would settle the great beetle question in a month, .and would be very happy to do it, at the price of being let alone. Suppose man signs a treaty with the rooks that if they will eat Colorado beetles, which might be nice as entrées, he will include rooks among birds protected by a close-time law.
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