more than one of these large and dangerous animals, and I do not think that you could capture even one. Their habits are savage in the extreme, and the fullgrown males have artificial noses, which they put on whenever they please, and through which they breathe smoke and fire; when they point one of these at a bird it dies, and a fearful sound is heard, which strikes terror into one's gizzard. I do not exaggerate."

The birds trembled and were silent, except the Jackdaw, who observed in a faint croak, "Rashness leads to repentance. Cadiz, a sea-port of Spain."

"I wish to goodness the copy-book maker had choked that bird instead of letting him go," said a Thrush; "he never can say anything without quoting both sides of a page in one of his master's stupid books."

"Wish evil to nobody," said the Jackdaw. "Homer, an ancient poet."

"But, on the other hand," resumed the Eagle, "it would be quite possible for me to catch and carry off a young specimen of the kind that you require, and if you could bring it up in captivity, it would most likely be tame and harmless, and you could study its ways and habits. I would give all the help in my power towards such a good object."

Downy inquired timidly, "Would it have an artificial nose?"

"I think not," the Eagle answered, thoughtfully; "it is not generally known how these singular features are acquired, they appear about the same time that hair

comes upon the face. Of course if you were to see any sign of an artificial nose appearing on the specimen, you would guard it very closely, or let it go. Natural history is very interesting, but the public safety must be thought of first."

There was a general murmur of assent, and the Eagle flew away to his nest, which was at the top of a lofty crag, at some distance from the wood.

Some of the birds now formed themselves into a Mutual Improvement Society, and received with great pleasure and profit the report of a robin, who lived near a small colony of human beings, and had seen a man drink too much beer, and throw a candlestick at his wife. Not many days afterwards, the Eagle sent them word. that he had succeeded in catching a young man, and had carried him safely to his nest at the top of the crag.

The specimen was between two and three years old,— ("Then he was a little boy, not a young man," whispered Harry to F. "Nonsense," replied F; "a kitten is a young cat, a puppy is a young dog, and a boy is a young man.")

The specimen was between two and three years old, and was scarcely a quarter grown; his appearance was very carefully noted down, somewhat as follows:

The young man presented by the Eagle to the members of the Birds' Mutual Improvement Society, possesses four limbs, and is able to walk on two of them, but his wings are bare and featherless, and not adapted for flying; at the ends of his wings he has fingers, or toes,

like those on a bird's foot; his upper jaw is not moveable, and his mouth is quite separate from his beak, or nose; his head is hairy, and his tail is quite undeveloped ; his plumage is dark blue, from the shoulders to the middle of the legs; the lower part of the leg is striped, blue and white; the feet are quite black, glossy, and toeless. At the end of two days he has not experienced a change of plumage, although human beings have often been observed to moult with surprising rapidity, and to appear in different colours in the course of the same day; his note is by no means pleasing to the ear, consisting of a number of discordant sounds that do not give any idea of his meaning; he eats fruit and berries of various kinds, and is comfortably lodged in the Eagle's nest, from which the young eagles have now taken flight, so as to leave him plenty of room.

The specimen is on view every day, from dawn till sunset; admission two berries; this year's fledgelings half-price; members free.

Great numbers of birds flocked to see this very interesting member of a savage and utterly untamable race, but did not witness any of the sudden and chameleonlike changes of plumage for which man is especially remarked. He made frequent attempts to climb out of the Eagle's nest, but was always prevented from doing so, as it was clear that he was unable to fly, and might easily have been dashed to pieces; on these occasions the young man would apply his fingers to his eyes, and utter discordant cries. It was observed that the wounds.