Loosened the clasp that bound the neck,
But there received a final check-
Our friend about his body chill,
Folded his garment closer still.

With swelling cheeks and heated brain,
The North Wind owned his labour vain,
Though he had toiled with might and main;
Then hopeless of the victory,
He beckoned to the Sun to try.
Peeping from his pavilion blue,
The Sun a genial radiance threw.
Dispersed o'er all the landscape wide,
His mildness breathed on every side-
Delicious contrast to the sense,
After th' unkind wind's violence:
And man for all its blessings giv'n,
Look'd up with gratitude to heav'n.
Our traveller among the rest
The comfortable change confess'd,
And urged by exercise before,

;

Perceived the warmth through every pore.
Moved by the Sun's delightful touch,
Said he, "I find my dress too much
There, cloak, I do not want you now :"
Then hanging it upon a bough,
He sat beneath the shade to trace
The settled calm in nature's face.

'Twas then the Sun serenely smiled,
And thus addressed his neighbour wild:
"I pray thee, Boreas, learn from hence
The baneful fruits of violence,
Which with yon traveller, as you see,
But hardened him, and wearied thee.
Too oft the harsh repulsive frown
Has kept the seeds of virtue down,
While kindness, whose divine control
Expands, improves, persuades the soul,
May, under God, th' affections win,
And bring a blessed harvest in."

THE tiger, commonly called the Royal Tiger, is a native of Bengal, the kingdoms of Siam and of Tonquin, of China, of Sumatra, indeed of all the countries of southern Asia situated beyond the Indus, and extending to the north of China. The species has long been most abundant in those countries, while the Asiatic lion, on the contrary, has only been known within a few years. The average height of the tiger is about three feet, and the length nearly six feet. The species, however, varies considerably in size; and individuals have often been found much taller and longer than the lion. The peculiar markings of the tiger's skin are well known. On a ground of yellow, of various shades in different specimens, there is a series of black transverse bars, varying in number from twenty to thirty, and becoming black rings in the tail, the number of which is almost invariably fifteen. There are oblique bands, also, on the legs. The pupils of the eye are circular. Similar in anatomical construction, the tiger and the lion are similar in habits; they are equally cats, driven by their conformation to the destruction of animal life.

The tiger, perhaps, is somewhat more dangerous, for he has more activity than the lion; the clemency and generosity of both are doubtless equal.

The tiger, like the lion, springs upon its prey from an ambush; and, in most cases, he is easily terrified by any sudden opposition from human beings. A party in India were once saved from a tiger, by a lady opening an umbrella as she saw him about to spring. Some persons, still living, may remember the attack of a tigress upon the horses of the mail, on Salisbury plain, some years ago. The creature had escaped from a travelling menagerie, and, not forgetting her natural habits, sprang upon the leaders as they passed her. The guard would have shot her, but her keepers drove her off, and she escaped to a hay-stack, under which she crept, and was retaken without difficulty. In narrow passes in Hindostan, travellers have often been seized by tigers; or a bullock, or horse has fallen a victim to the ferocity of the prowling beast. Horses have such a dread of the tiger, that they can scarcely ever be brought to face him. Hunting him, therefore, on horseback, is a service of great danger; the elephant, on the contrary, though considerably agitated, will stand more steadily, while his rider anticipates the fatal spring by a shot, which levels the tiger to the earth. One peculiarity of the tiger is his willingness to take to the water, either when pursued, or in search of the prey, which he spies on the opposite bank of a river.

The late excellent Bishop Heber, in his journal, has given a narrative of the mode in which a tiger hunt is conducted, full of picturesque effect, and striking from its minute detail :

"At Kulleanpoor, the young Rajah mentioned, in the course of conversation, that there was a tiger in an adjoining tope, which had done a good deal of mischief; that he should have gone after it himself had he not been ill, and had he not thought it would be a fine diversion for Mr. Boulderson, the collector of the district, and me. I told him I was no sportsman, but Mr. Boulderson's

eyes sparkled at the name of tiger, and he expressed great anxiety to beat up his quarters in the afternoon. Under such circumstances, I did not like to deprive him of his sport, as he would not leave me by myself, and went, though with no intention of being more than a spectator. Mr. Boulderson, however, advised me to load my pistols for the sake of defence, and lent me a very fine double-barrelled gun for the same purpose. We set out a little after three on our elephants, with a servant behind each howdah. The Rajah, in spite of his fever, made his appearance too, saying that he could not bear to be left behind.* A number of people, on foot and horseback, attended from our Own camp and the neighbouring villages, and the same sort of interest and delight was evidently excited, which might be produced in England by a great coursing party. The Rajah was on a little female elephant, hardly bigger than the Durham ox, and almost as shaggy as a poodle. She was a native of the neighbouring wood, where they are generally, though not always, of a smaller size than those of Bengal. He sat on a low howdah, with two or three guns ranged beside him, ready for action. Mr. Boulderson had also a formidable apparatus of muskets and fowling pieces projecting over his driver's head. We rode about two miles across a plain covered with long jungly grass, which very much put me in mind of the country near the Cuban. Quails and wild fowl arose in great numbers, and beautiful antelopes were seen scudding away in all directions.

"At last the elephants all drew up their trunks into the air, began to roar, and stamp violently with their fore-feet. The Rajah's little elephant turned short round, and, in spite of all her driver could say or do, took up her post, to the Rajah's great annoyance, close in the rear of Mr. Boulderson. The other three (for one of my baggage elephants had come out too, the driver, though unarmed, not caring to miss the show) went on slowly, but boldly,

* The howdah is a seat somewhat resembling the body of a gig, and is fastened by girths to the back of the elephant.

with their trunks erect, their ears expanded, and their sagacious little eyes bent intently forward.

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'We are close upon him,' said Mr. Boulderson; ‘fire where you see the long grass shake, if he rises before you.' Just at that moment my elephant stamped again violently.

"There, there,' cried the driver, 'I saw his head.' A short roar, or rather loud growl, followed, and I saw immediately before my elephant's head the motion of some large animal stealing through the grass. I fired as directed, and a moment after, seeing (the motion still more plainly, fired the second barrel. Another short growl followed; the motion was immediately quickened, and was soon lost in the more distant jungle. Mr. Boulderson said, 'I should not wonder if you hit him that last time; at any rate we shall drive him out of the cover, and then I will take care of him.'

"In fact, at that moment, the crowd of horse and foot spectators at the jungle side began to run off in all directions. We went on to the place, but found it was a false alarm; and, in fact, we had seen all we were to see of him, and went twice more through the jungle in vain.” -Library of Entertaining Knowledge.

ANIMALS HAPPY, A DELIGHTFUL SIGHT.

HERE unmolested, through whatever sign
The sun proceeds, I wander: neither mist,
Nor freezing sky, nor sultry, checking me,
Nor stranger intermeddling with my joy.

Drawn from his refuge in some lonely elm,
That age or injury has hollow'd deep.

Where, on his bed of wool and matted leaves,
He has outslept the winter, ventures forth
To frisk awhile, and bask in the warm sun,