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which was much less ceremonious than my quaintances. After his second visit, he constituted himself one of the family, and made himself so perfectly at home, that he resolved to introduce his comrades. The next day he came, accompanied by two others, who, in the course of the week, brought five more; and thus, in less than a fortnight, our family circle consisted of ten large rats and myself. I gave each of them names, which they learned to distinguish. When I called them, they came to eat with me from the dish, or off the plate; but I found this unpleasant, and was soon forced to find them a dish for themselves, on account of their slovenly habits. They became so tame as to allow me to scratch their necks, and appeared pleased when I did so; but they would never permit me to touch them on the back. Sometimes I amused myself with making them play, and joining in their gambols. Occasionally I threw them a piece of meat scalding hot: the most eager ran to seize it, burned themselves, cried out, and left it; whilst the less greedy, who had waited patiently, took it when it was cold, and escaped into a corner, where they divided their prize: sometimes I made them jump up by holding a piece of meat or bread suspended in the air.

"There was among them a female whom I had christened Rapino-Hirondelle, on account of her agility; I took great pleasure in making her jump, and so confident was she of her superiority over all the others, that she never condescended to take what I held up for them. She placed herself in the attitude of a dog pointing game-allowed one of the rats to spring at the second morsel offered to him—and,

at the moment when he seized it, would dart forward and snatch it out of his mouth. It was unlucky for him if she missed her spring, for then she invariably seized him by the neck with her teeth as sharp as needles; the other, yelling with pain, would leave his prey at the mercy of Rapino-Hirondelle, and creep into a corner to cure the wound she had inflicted on him.

"With these simple and innocent occupations, I continued for two years to divert my mind from constantly brooding over my miseries; and now and then I surprised myself in a sensation of positive enjoyment. A bountiful Deity had no doubt created this solace for me; and, when I gave myself up to it, in those happy moments the world disappeared. I thought no longer of men and their barbarities, but as a dream. My intellectual horizon was bounded by the walls of my prison; my senses, my reason, my imagination, were centred within that narrow compass. I found myself in the midst of a family who loved and interested me; why then should I wish to transport myself into another hemisphere, where I had met with nothing but assassins and executioners?

"One day when my straw had been changed, I observed among what had been newly brought a piece of elder, which had helped to tie it. This discovery caused an emotion I cannot describe. I conceived the idea of converting it into a flageolet, and the thought transported me. Hitherto I had heard no sounds within my dungeon but those of bolts and chains; I could now vary them by a sweet and touching melody, and thus accelerate, in some degree,

the tardy step of time. What a fertile source of consolation! But, how could I construct this flageolet? My hands were confined within two iron rings, fixed to a bar of the same metal; I could only move them by a most painful exertion, and I had no instrument to assist me. My gaolers would have refused me even a morsel of wood, had I been able to offer them treasures in exchange.

"I contrived to take off the buckle which confined the waistband of my small-clothes. I used the irons on my legs to prepare it, and to bend the fork into a kind of small chisel; but it proved so ineffective, that it was with the utmost difficulty I could cut the branch of elder, take out the pith, and shape it as I required. At last, after many attempts, and several months' labour, I had the happiness to succeed. I call it happiness, for it truly was so; I enjoy it to this hour with increasing interest. Thirty-four years have elapsed since I constructed this little instrument, and during that time it has never been a moment out of my possession. It formerly served to dissipate my cares, it now enhances my enjoyments.

"The time occupied by these important labours in some degree distracted me from my domestic cares, and caused me to neglect my little family: during this interval, it had considerably augmented, and in less than a year it amounted to twenty-six. I was certain there were no strangers among them; those who attempted to obtain admittance were received with hostility, and compelled to fight with the first who encountered them. These battles afforded me a most amusing spectacle. As soon as the two champions placed themselves in position, they ap

peared at once to estimate their respective force before a blow was struck. The stronger gnashed his teeth, while the weaker uttered cries, and retreated slowly without turning his back, as if fearful lest his adversary should spring upon and destroy him. On the other hand, the stronger never attacks in front, which would expose him to the danger of having his eyes torn out; the method he adopts is ingenious and amusing: he places his head between his fore paws, and rolls head over heels two or three times, until the middle of his back comes in contact with his enemy's nose. The latter attempts to fly; the former selects that moment to seize him; he grasps him at once, and sometimes they fight most furiously. If any other rats are present, they remain passive spectators of the combat, and never join two against one."

As the anatomical conformation and physical organization of the mouse is precisely similar to that of the rat, its sagacity will be found in correspondence also.

We may continue to descend the admirably interesting chain of animated existence, and we shall find, that, while the gradation is as regular as possible, those creatures which present the most perfect. physical forms, are equally conspicuous for their superior sagacity. But, as I have already observed, it is not necessary to enumerate the almost infinite ramifications of animated nature, in order to demonstrate the truth of an hypothesis, which upon very little consideration cannot fail to appear as evident as possible, established upon the incontrovertible principles of true physiology, and which amounts to this,

that, as in the different varieties of the human race the more perfect physical organization is uniformly attended with greater mental capacity, so, throughout the lower orders of nature, or what is called the brute creation, we shall find the same rule as precisely applicable as possible; and consequently, in the one as well as the other, the influence of education will be rendered perceptible according to the development of the mental capacity.

Passing over the weasel tribe, and many other classes of the lower order of quadrupeds, we come to a variety which would seem to unite the four-footed animals to the reptile, namely, the crocodile, the alligator, and the countless variety of lizards. The crocodile and the alligator are supposed by many to be merely two names for the same animal; but this is not the case: the former is not nearly so dark in its colour as the latter; it is a dusky, dirty-looking brown, while the alligator is nearly black: further, the crocodile is much thicker, attains a larger size, and possesses greater strength. If a young crocodile be held by the tail, it will turn up its mouth and bite the holder's hand; if a young alligator be held in the same manner, it is not able to raise itself for the purpose, being more slender in its form, and weaker. I am inclined to think the crocodile is to be found in Africa only, while the alligator is well known to be a native of America, and also of Asia, in many parts of which it is very numerous.

Those who have seen this hideously ugly creature, will most likely have noticed the depression of the head, which brings that part and the nose upon a level, or very nearly so; or, if at the moment when