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their tails into the necks of the bottles, and then withdrawing them lick off the oil which adhered to them."

A ship on her voyage was not only much infested with rats, but proved so unfit for sea, that her stores were ordered to be made over to another vessel. In doing this, the greatest care was taken that the rats should not gain access to the other ship; and in order to prevent it, the two vessels were anchored at some distance from each other, and the stores were removed in boats. When the crew were about to quit the vessel, the whole body of rats were seen to make their way down its sides into the sea and swim to the ship into which the stores had been deposited; this they would have penetrated, had not the vigilance of the crew prevented them. The vessel got under weigh, and the rats were left to their fate. The farmer's wife is well aware of the fact that the eggs of her poultry yard are removed by rats to their holes without being broken; the following circumstance will prove the ingenious manner in which perhaps she is robbed.

The captain of a merchantman trading to the port of Boston, in Lincolnshire, had constantly missed eggs from his sea-stock; he suspected that he was robbed by the crew, but not being able to discover the thief, he was determined to watch his store-room accordingly, having laid in a fresh stock of eggs, he secreted himself at night in a situation that commanded a view of his eggs. To his great astonishment he saw a number of rats approach; they formed a line from his egg-baskets to their holes, and handed the eggs from one to another in their fore paws. An anecdote is related of another equally ingenious method, by which they convey so frail a commodity as an egg to a considerable distance. A rat lies down on his back, and the egg is placed by his partners in theft, so that he clasps it securely with his paws, and they then pull him by his tail to perhaps a considerable distance. This appears an incredible tale, but is related by a person who saw the extraordinary fact.

"It is not necessary to be a traveller into foreign lands to witness all the wonders of animal

life; they exist and may be studied with advantage and interest at our own cottage door;" and the peculiarities of the commonest creature there found may lead the observer to a more intimate conviction of the perfection of that wisdom which prescribes the habits of the animal world by an. undeviating law.

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THE ELEPHANT.

Elephas Indicus.-Elephas Maximus.

THIS noble and majestic animal, which, in its natural state, is too peaceful to injure, too powerful to dread, any other living creature, was comparatively unknown in this country 150 years ago. Strange stories were then told of its appearance and habits-its size was greatly exaggerated -it was said to have no joints, and never to lie down. The creature is now become familiar to the very youngest, and to them is ever an especial object of wonder and delight. Matthew Paris relates, that about the year 1255, an elephant was sent over to England as a grand present from the French king (Louis IX.) to Henry III., and states "that it was believed to be the first and only elephant ever seen in England, or even on this side of the Alps, and that consequently the

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