sives used are far more powerful, and the firing of the shots, as they are called - that is, firing the chargesten to one times more frequent. Indeed all matters are now carried on more rapidly and on a larger scale. The birds above mentioned fight very shy of those places now, for too many chalk-quakes" are taking place all around them. At one time the farmers had their own kilns for chalk-burning, in order to dress the land with it; but they are in ruins, picturesque objects placed in odd nooks and corners of the waste lands. I explore in them frequently, for on and in those old kilns I have seen some fine training going ou. סנן In past years I was fairly well acquainted with crows and their ways; one troubled himself about them particularly, unless they got at the young chickens on the upland farms; yet, strange to say, all their actions showed as much craft, so far as selfpreservation was concerned, as if every man and boy about the place was under a contract to effect their destruction. Now and then a pair got shot, and, strange to tell, these were cooked and eaten. About the magpie I have a few words to say; he has a reputation all his own for astuteness, which is fully justified by the bird's actions. So very deeply laid at times are his schemes and wiles to gain his ends, that in many places the very name of magpie is associated with something uncanny. The white owl has been called a church owl amongst his other titles; but a ledge on the face of a chalk-pit suits him to perfection, because there How the beautiful creature has got he is practically invisible, when drawn mixed up with things evil in woodland up and asleep. For the chalk that has traditions, we are not able to say; one not been worked, it may be for years, thing is certain, the traditions about or worked-out as they term it, is him are not confined to England. It weather - stained and blotched with may be that some of the creatures that streaks of light grey-white and dirty form part of the bird's food require a buff. You have seen the owl fly there lot of circumveuting at times, and that and settle, but your eyes are not able this has developed habits of approprito make him out till you use the ating unlawfully, of theft and cunning. glasses. There he is, a rare bit of When shot or trapped not a common mimicry; so well does he fit the corner occurrence in some parts now certain that you might miss seeing him, though matters are found in his stomach that only the length of a small room distant. tell against him a little from some These peculiar positions, assumed at folks' point of view; but then other times for purposes of protection and matters of quite a different nature are concealment by the owl family, are also found, which he has also disposed proof positive that nature trains her of—and these are quite looked over. own creatures to act in the best way One or two men that I know make it a for their own well-being and safety. rule to examine the stomachs or crops, The crows both the carrion and the as the case may be, of all the birds that hoody or dun crows-are, or have pass through their hands in the various been, through the force of circum- seasons; sportsmen-naturalists these stances, which have influenced them are, who keep the record of the various for generations, trained to a degree in creatures, or parts of them, which are the best way of taking care of number found in these also such vegetable one -or two-as the case may be. matters as can be made out. This is Although they may appear to be act- very interesting; but they would not ing with the most perfect indifference dream of stating that, because certain when met with a rare thing now in matters had been found in a bird's game counties- they are really watch-crop or stomach, they would always be ing your actions, in order to see if any found there; as the seasons change, so harm is likely to come to them through does the food. There is stint in nature's larder. Some birds are about you. late—that is, as long as the light lasts | Finding that it was observed, it at once -others feed by night. The most dropped down in the undergrowth, innocent creatures will baffle you at times, and the more astute ones do so completely. As I consider him to be one of the ornaments of the woods, I should like to see the magpie where he used to be fairly common. If his training does not suit the present time, that is no fault of his. Strange changes do take place, and one of them may be that the magpie will be cared for before it is too late. Searching for the nests of birds will very naturally take you into their haunts, and probably get you a sight of the builders; but this is not to be relied on, for the guile of some birds when nesting is beyond common belief. To a field-naturalist the varied types of bird-architecture are mysteries that he knows will never be fully explained. There are the structures placed in the trees, in the bushes, and on the ground, a few of them, in the case of some aquatic bird, actually floating on the water; and these are formed by the bills, feet, and breasts of the various builders. If one was asked to select four of the most beautiful nests constructed by our native birds, my choice would fall on those of the chaffinch, goldfinch, long-tailed tit, and the goldencrested wren. Under certain forced conditions I have seen in their structures deviations from the general type, but these little details do not count. As a rule, each bird selects its buildingplace, and constructs its nest on the lines that were first laid down for it in nature's training-school. One of the most innocent of feathered builders is the little willow-wren, yet it will employ all sorts of wiles and small shifts to lead you away from the immediate vicinity of its nest. Strolling once up a narrow cart-track, closed in on each side by copse growth, a faint cheep just overhead caused me to look up. Then I found that it was a nettle-builder, as the children call it, restlessly fitting from twig to twig, with a small white feather in its bill, that had dropped from a wood-pigeon. where we caught sight of it from time to time, creeping about more like a mouse than a bird; then it flew up into the trees again, still holding its feather. Anxious to know the meaning of these small manœuvres, I hid up in the tangle. Then I saw the bird dart into the bottom of a bramble-bush, just in front of the spot where I had been standing. When I examined this, right in the thickest of the tangle, there was the nest. Watching a pool one morning from behind some cover, a wild duck rose from the rushes. From the start I could see she would pass low down, just on one side of my hiding-place. As she skimmed by, with her wings half bent, not a sound could be heard. Just as quietly, she dropped in the grass not fifty yards away; then peep, peep, could be heard. The duck had been down to the pool for a dabble and trim-up, coming back to her ducklings in the quiet manner I have described. Birds soon find out where they are safe, and they at once take advantage of it. This duck had made her nest and hatched out close to a lot of pheasantcoops that were vigilantly watched by day and night. The young are carried at times, when necessary; and they follow where the course is clear. More than once I have been asked how water-fowl have got their broods safely into apparently impossible situations. To these questions there is only one answer: we cannot know, for they move them in the dark. In trying to escape observation, which to waterfowl at all times means danger, their ways, when once you know them, are much the same. If the wild duck has reason to think that her nimble little ducklings are in danger, you will hear a couple of quacks, the head and neck are stretched out on the water, and then clap, clap, clap go her wings, sending up showers of spray. When that performance is over, you will find all the little swimmers have disappeared somewhere. The common barnyard ducks I have seen act in the same way, proving that | few more thrown in; and the wolf, it although years and years of domestica- must be remembered, is really dangertion have altered the plumage, and ous. Reynard is harmless, so far as very much added to their weight, no human beings are concerned. Those small consideration from a dining point who have had to do with numbers of of view, the ways that their ances- the wolf family have given them a bad tors were trained up in have been name. The Australian dingo is a bad transmitted by the laws or rules of nat- lot—at least the sheep-farmers conural heredity to themselves. sider him as such. How strong this implanted instinct is we use the word instinct for want of a better one -is very quickly shown; for no matter how long creatures have been domesticated, if left entirely alone to their own devices they are soon wild again. There are various ways of looking at matters; creatures are good or bad so far as their actions do or do not affect man's interest. Wild dogs have been known from beyond record; the wolf, dingo, and fox belong to the family. That they are most clever in a state of nature is nothing to wonder at, for from that family we have the dog, man's most faithful and devoted servant. The Young animals in a state of nature, like children, amuse themselves by going through the actions they will most likely have to carry out in earnest after they have left their parents. mimic fights gone through by the cubs of the fox, the otter, and the badger, end at times in real pitched battle; and their milk-teeth are as sharp as The fox, named by nomadic wanderers the wild red-dog,—a fitting title for him, - is still held up as a type of all the objectionable qualities that it is possible for any creature to have or hold, setting on one side the question of sport which he provides in the season. Tradition has had much to do with this tradition still firmly believed in by some at the present time. All his bad deeds are freely spoken about, but very rarely his good ones. Yet the fox is to a certain extent a killer of vermin; and some of the dep-needles. So the little demons for the redations laid to his charge are com- time being worry, tug, snarl, shriek, mitted by other creatures. I am well and scream, until parental authority aware that any question concerning puts a stop to their unruly behavior. Reynard is a very delicate one to dis- Like children, they soon fall out; it is cuss, let alone venturing to write about a sign of good health. When a quarry him; for opinions vary greatly. Wide- is brought in, no matter what it may awake he is, at all times, to take ad-be-fur, feather, or fin- they are all vantage of what man may rear and at it, each one wants more than his protect for his own especial benefit. mouth will hold; but this fun does not Cunning he is in the full sense of the last, for the mother-sometimes the word, but not more so than some other father-breaks it up and divides it in crcatures; he has been fixed on as a fair proportions. If they do not act as very convenient scapegoat, and such their fond parents think they ought to he will have to remain. do, after all the examples set them, they get punished; the parents have two ways of taking a cub by the neck; one is very pleasant, the other is the reverse. Turkeys, geese, ducks, pheasants, hares and rabbits, also fish when the chance offers-he samples them all, one must freely admit the fact; but those who have to look after these do It is interesting to watch young their best to balk Reynard in his weak- birds. Some are blind and quite helpness for luxuries. It is only in starv-less for some time after they are ing winter weather that he will not be hatched; others come out with all their denied. faculties and begin at once to get their own living, for they follow their parents directly. Blind and naked as On the Continent the wolf is credited with all the qualities of the fox, with a most young birds are for a time, they know when their parents are coming with food, and when danger is near, by the different calls given by these. From The Argosy. AMONGST THE HIMALAYAN BEARS. OF the numerous family of bears scattered over various parts of the earth, I have had the opportunity of making the acquaintance of only two varieties, namely: the red or brown bear and the common black bear, found, amongst other places, on the lower slopes of the Himalayas. Of these two varieties, it is hard to say which is the more handsome. The red bear has a coat four or five inches long when in good condition, varying There they are in the nest before you, their weak necks moving from side to side, and all their mouths wide open, for they have heard the feeding signal. But the mother sights you, and the note is altered. At once their mouths close, their necks sink down, and in a few seconds they are packed in one close heap. This is what you will see when the young are in this state. After they have got their feath-in color from dark brown to a brick ers, although not yet strong enough to fly, and they still keep to the nest, the same note uttered would cause them to tumble out of it in all directions, for they are trained to this. red, tinged with grey; whilst that of his dusky cousin is jet black, relieved by a large white horse-shoe patch on his shirt-front. Such a specimen may be seen in the Zoological Gardens of the Regent's Park, and a very fine specimen it is. Both varieties have small eyes, which are not by any means keen, but this is amply recompensed by the superior development of their senses of scent and hearing. Before reaching any ground where bears are at all numerous, a certain amount of hard work has to be gone through in the shape of marching, and it may not be uninteresting to give a short description of a day's progress in A volume might easily be written about young fish that are hatched out in our rivers, streams, and ponds. From the time they are out in the water they have to look after themselves. How the countless shoals of tiny creatures manage to get on is a mystery; but they do this, and they keep apart. I have seen shoals of young carp, roach, gudgeon, and perch, all in the same brook in various stages of growth, each shoal in that part of the brook best suited for it; and this part of the world. Twelve or fifabout every two yards a young pike would be seen, six or seven inches in length, either by the side or at the end of some weed, waiting to pouch some of the little roach or gudgeons that might come by. At the time I am thinking of the water was pure and the weeds were green; but fish nurseries are hard to find now, I am sorry to say. There is something the matter, and no one seems to know exactly where the fault lies. At one time fish were left to take care of themselves, then they prospered exceedingly; but directly they were cared for, things apparently went wrong. A SON OF THE MARSHES. teen miles will be found quite enough to give one an appetite for dinner and a very efficient substitute for a sleeping draught afterwards. Getting up early in the morning, some time before the sun has made his appearance, the work of striking and packing up the tents begins, and in about twenty minutes nothing remains of the encampment but a few ashes from last night's fire. All one's belongings are carried on the backs of coolies, provided by the head man of a neighboring village. Most willing men they are if treated properly, scarcely ever grumbling or surly; on the other hand they do not cringe and, metaphorically speaking, lick your feet, after the manner of those down country. About sixty pounds is their load, and to carry that up and down hill for miles would be no light task to any one not brought up | hour, so that it might almost be called to it. one single clap, followed by a tremendous hailstorm; large stones, that made one thankful to be under cover. It is a good plan always to see all one's goods and chattels started and then follow them up yourself. Soon overtaking them, you put your best foot foremost in order to cover as much ground as possible before the heat of the day comes on. The road, so-called by courtesy, is at best four feet wide, very often degenerating into a mere track; and has an exasperating way of going up a thousand feet every now and then in order to drop the same amount the other side. One can see, however, that we are gradually rising on the whole. One day they will be cutting the crops; the next day the crops will be still green; and a day or two after you will see them just beginning to show above the ground. The tent, accompanied, or rather assisted same may be noticed in the flowers, of which there is a profusion. Rhododendrons, clematis, roses, iris, and jessamine are amongst those known to England. Looking out I saw my servant seated on the ground, covered with a large umbrella, and ranged round him were four or five small fires. He was cooking the dinner, and looking as unconcerned as if he had been in his go-down and there were no such thing as rain in existence. The next day was clear and fine again up above, whilst the valleys were filled with mist from the rain, showing the country under a new aspect. Eventually after several such marches we arrived at a permanent resting-place, about the beginning of May. One day, having started from my by two native shikaries, we had arrived rather early at the top of a valley. The afternoon was devoted to trying for thar, a species of wild goat about the size of a small donkey. Nothing loth, I chose a dry place to Whilst we have been admiring these, "We had better rest a bit here," the sun has become quite powerful, said Moola the head shikari ; "the sun and we decide to stop at the next is still too hot for the thar to move for spring for breakfast Οι luncheon, another hour or so." whichever you please to call it. The road which has been shilly-shallying sit down upon, and admired the scenup to the present, now takes a lift of about two thousand feet. This requires consideration and a pipe. Finally we decide to wait till the coolies come up before engaging the hill. Meanwhile we notice that the clouds are creeping up, very black and clinging to the tops of the hills. This looks ominous, so a fresh start is made, and before very long we find the hill that looked so formidable is below us. Arrived at last at the spot chosen for a halt, the coolies are left to pitch the tent under competent supervision, whilst we go off to try to get a shot at a gooral a small goat not unlike the chamois. By good luck one is bagged and brought in just before the rain comes down. On this occasion for we are describing what took place -it came down with a vengeance. Incessant thunder rolled on for an ery, which was exceedingly grand large, pine-clad hills covered with snow, with patches of green here and there that were growing larger every day as the snow gradually melted. All the bottoms of the valleys were lined with the snow which had fallen from the sides, and the streams had melted their way underneath. After taking in all this I happened to glance at Moola, who was sharing a pipe with his companion, first one a whiff then the other, and noticed his eyes suddenly begin to twinkle. Ho took up the glasses and looked at the opposite hill; after gazing for some time in the same direction I saw two specks in the snow moving about. "What are they, Moola ?" "Two red bears," said he; and sure enough on taking up the glasses there they were; evidently a mother and cub, playing about in the snow and |