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II. A TALKING BIRD.

YIELD, v. t., to give up.
SCIS'SORS, n. pl., small shears.

FEATHERED, pp., covered with feathers.
RE-VEALED, v. t., disclosed.
EN-SUED', v. i., followed.

AN'EC-DOTE, n., a private fact.

· VIS'I-BLE, a., apparent.

IN'TER-VIEW, n.,
mutual view.
ACCU-RA-CY, n., correctness.
MEM'O-BA-BLE, a., worthy to be re
membered.

OP'ER-A-TOR, n., one who operates.
VO-CIF'ER-ATE, v. t., to utter with a
loud voice.

Give the y sound to u in tune. Do not say pint for point, winder for window, for. rerd for forward, akyount for ac-count'. Pronounce toward to rhyme with board.

1. As a talker the parrot has some rivals among birds. The magpie, the jay and the raven, may be taught to utter intelligible sentences; but all these, and even the parrot himself, must yield to the starling, who, to the faculty of speech, adds the charm of a wild but melodious song.

2. Anecdotes of the starling are not uncommon. Every body knows the story of Sterne's imprisoned bird, who complained unceasingly, "I can't get outI can't get out;" and perhaps most of our readers could match that story with another as good.

3. But I once fell in with a starling whose genius soared far above that of the bird of Sterne; and I will give you an account of that memorable interview, in which I shall be careful to set down nothing more than the simple fact. Thus it was.

4. On a day, now many years ago, when I hap pened to require the services of a barber, I stepped into the shop of one in a rather retired street. It was verging toward sunset, and, the shop-window being darkened with wigs, busts, bottled hair-brushes, perfumes and sponges, the contents of the apartment were not clearly visible in the dim light.

5. On my opening the door, a voice called out: "Gentleman wants to be shaved-gentleman wants to be shaved!"—"No," said I, "I want my hair cut."

"Gentleman wants to be shaved!" rang the voice again.

6. The barber came forward from an inner room, saying, "You're wrong this time, Jacob;" and, drawing up a small blind to let in more light, revealed a starling in a cage, who, I then saw, had been the sole shopkeeper when I entered.

7. While I sat under the scissors, the operator commenced a conversation with the bird. "Come, Jacob, give us a song, now; come, Jacob!"-" Come and kiss me, then," said the bird, in accents almost as plain as those of a child of six or seven years; "6 come and kiss me come and kiss me come and kiss me !"

8. The barber put his lips to the wires of the cage, and the bird thrust his bill between them, and a succession of loud kisses ensued, in which it was not possible to distinguish those of the human from those of the feathered biped, until the barber had resumed his task, when the bird continued kissing the air for some minutes.

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9. "Come, that's kissing enough, Jacob; now give us a song. Come, Home, sweet home!'" With that the barber began whistling the air; the starling took it up, and continued it alone to the concluding bar of the second strain, whistling it with perfect accuracy up to that point, and then breaking into its own wild natural song.

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10. "Ah! Jacob, Jacob! why don't you finish your music? That is the way it is, sir; you can't get them to sing a whole tune; they always go off into their own wild notes before they get to the end."

11. Jacob now began again to insist that I wanted shaving; he would only be convinced to the contrary by more kissing. When he was quieted, I asked his owner how he had succeeded in teaching him so effectually.

12. "I had him young, sir," he said, "and he had nothing to unlearn when I got him. I sit by him nearly all day, perhaps weaving a wig, or doing some other quiet job; and I talk to him, and he talks to me. Of course I don't try to teach him more than one thing at a time. He can talk more than you have yet heard, and he'll speak again presently."

13. Of this I had some doubts, as the bird was then busy feeding; but no sooner was the cloth removed from my neck, and I rose from my seat, than up started Jacob to his perch, and began shouting, with the whole force of his little lungs: "Gentleman, pay your money gentleman, pay your money!" and he continued to vociferate this delicate reminder long after the money was paid as long, indeed, as I continued within hearing.

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CON'QUER (kŎnk'er), v. t., to over- MEN'A-CING, a., threatening.

come.

STAT'URE, n., height of a man.

JUG'GLER, n., a person who practices sleight of hand tricks.

SEN'SI-TIVE, a. having acute feelings. COL-LU'SION, n., a secret agreement for fraud.

FOR'TI-TUDE, N., endurance.

Pronounce Napier, Na'peer; extraordinary, ex-tror'di-na-ry; wound, woond; sword, surd. Do not say holler for hollow, meeount for mount, venter for venture, perrit for spir'it.

1. SIR CHARLES NAPIER was an English general, of extraordinary courage and determination. He was born in the year 1782. As a child he was weak and sickly, but of a noble spirit. Bold and fearless, he was at the same time compassionate as a girl. Naturally sensitive, he could, by his force of will, call up daring and fortitude to conquer his timidity.

2. Unlucky as to accidents, he was never deterred thereby from striving in all the perilous feats of youth in youth, and in all great actions becoming age in age. When but ten years old, he struck his leg, in leaping, against a roughly-riveted bar with such force as to tear the flesh from the bone in a frightful manner. The wound was severe, but he bore the pain and fear with a spirit that excited the admiration of stern men.

3. His moral resolution was very early shown. When he was but six years old, a wandering showman was one day displaying his powers on the Esplanade at Castletown. This showman was short of stature, but huge of limb, with a savage expression of face, thick red hair and beard, and a harsh voice. He was rather an alarming object to a child.

4. A crowd of people gathered round him, and after displaying some of his tricks, the man, balancing a ladder on his chin, invited, or rather, with menacing tone, ordered a chimney-sweep to mount and sit on the top; but the boy shrank with fear from the shouting ruffian. Charles Napier was asked by his father if he would venture. Silent for a moment, he seemed to fear; but, suddenly looking up, said yes, and was borne aloft amid the cheers of the spectators.

5. Again at ten years of age, having, when angling, caught a fish, he was surprised by the descent of a half-tamed eagle, of great size and fierceness, which, floating down from a tree, settled on his shoulders, covered him with its huge dark wings, and took the fish out of his hands. Far from being frightened, he pursued his sport, and, on catching another fish, held it up, inviting the eagle to try again, at the same time threatening the formidable bird with the spear-end of the rod.

6. When Napier became a general, he took the right method for inspiring his men with his own heroic

spirit. He worked as hard as any private soldier in the ranks. "The great art of commanding," he said, "is to take a fair share of the work. The man who leads an army can not succeed unless his whole mind is given to his task."

7. An anecdote of his interview with a famous Indian juggler shows his cool courage as well as his simplicity and honesty of character. After a certain battle, this juggler visited the camp, and performed his feats before the general, his family, and staff. Among other performances, the man cut in two with a stroke of his sword a lime or lemon placed in the hand of his assistant.

8. Sir Charles thought there was some collusion between this assistant and the juggler. To divide by a sweep of the sword on a man's hand so small an object without touching the flesh, he believed to be impossible. To determine the point, he offered his own hand for the experiment, and stretched out his right arm.

9. The juggler looked attentively at the hand, and said he would not make the trial. "I thought I would find you out!" exclaimed Sir Charles. "But stop,' added the juggler; "let me see your left hand." The left hand was submitted, and the man then said, firmly, "If you will hold your arm steady, I will perform the feat."

10. "But why the left hand and not the right? asked Sir Charles. "Because," replied the juggler, "the right hand is hollow in the center, and there is a risk of cutting off the thumb; the left is high, and the danger will be less." Sir Charles was startled. "I got frightened," he afterward said; "I saw it was an actual feat of delicate swordsmanship.

11. "If I had not abused the man before my staff, and challenged him to the trial, I honestly acknowl

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