A Clever Hen.

The useful and sometimes despised barn-door fowls are seldom quoted as illustrating the sagacity of animals, but a writer has called attention to a remarkable instance of wisdom in a hen, the authenticity of which is completely vouched for. A friend of his had a hen which always wanted to sit, but its owner, of course, wishing eggs and not chickens, invariably prevented her desire, by removing the eggs as she laid them. In spite of the precaution, he often noticed her sitting upon one or two eggs which he knew were not hers, and this became of such common occurrence that he determined to fathom what was to him a mystery. So one day he carefully concealed himself in an outhouse which had holes in its door; and after watching for a short time he saw the hen that wanted to sit walking about the hen-house. Presently a hen came cackling off her nest down to the ground, and almost immediately the former was noticed to climb the ladder to her nest, holding her head well bent over her breast. Another cackling hen by-and-by came to the ground, whereupon the sitting hen once more descended and once more returned to the nest in the same

strange style. The observer's patience becoming exhausted he now proceeded to the nest of the hen whose actions he had been closely watching, and found her sitting upon a couple of eggs. Now, how do you think she obtained these? She had actually tucked under her "chin" each of the eggs laid by the two hens, and carried them safely up the ladder to her own nest, four feet above the ground, and then sat upon them as if they were her own.

Umbrellas and Spice.

It is not at first sight clear what connection there

is between umbrellas and spice, but that in Jamaica the relations of the two are very close will soon become evident. Pimento, allspice, or Jamaica pepper, is an important product of the island in question, and the young trees are also found to be well adapted for sticks of umbrellas. The demand for this purpose has, in fact, grown so large as to threaten to destroy the pimento plantations. On an average 2,000 bundles of sticks are exported every year in the ordinary course of trade, but in 1881 the quantity had more than doubled, and as the bundles contain from five to eight hundred sticks apiece, each stick representing a young pimento tree, the magnitude of the danger will be obvious at a glance. The outlook for the planters is by no means bright, for unless a supply of sticks for umbrellas can be had elsewhere, it simply means that in the long run both trades will be extinguished, so far as Jamaica is concerned. The planters, however, will probably decline to sell their young trees to the umbrella-makers. They have thus the remedy in their own hands.

A Remarkable Triumph of Art. Many boys and girls are familiar with the classic story of the two Greek painters, one of whom painted fruit so realistically that some birds pecked at it, and the other "rendered" a curtain so faithfully that his rival requested it to be drawn aside in order that, as he thought, he might see the picture behind it! According to a letter recently printed in a daily paper, these singular achievements have been equalled by a London street artist. These humble decorators of the pavement are well-known to most people. The one in question had completed a drawing of a joint of roast beef, well under-dressed, when a starving dog began licking at it, and endeavoured to run off with it.

The artist in vain tried to protect it with his crutch, for the dog did not refrain from his meal until he had licked the picture quite away!

A Docile Snail.

Though the snail is, for certain purposes, popular enough in France, people in this country do not, as a rule, waste a thought upon it, good, bad, or indifferent. According, however, to an American journal, it is possible that this humble and despised denizen of our gardens may be capable of displaying a certain degree of intelligence. It seems that a lady has succeeded in making a pet of one. and this docile snail has, it is stated, already learned to distinguish its mistress, and to come at her call. But whenever any one else talks to it, it takes no notice, but merely withdraws into its shell. The truth of this story is vouched for by a well-known scientific man, who says that an instance of similar development of intelligence among molluscs has not hitherto been reported.

Anecdote of two Great Rivals.

Fox and Pitt, the famous statesmen, who for so many years were opposed to each other in the House of Commons, showed unmistakable signs of talent at an early age. Lady Holland, the mother of the former, paid a visit to Pitt's mother, when the future orator was but eight years old. In mentioning the circumstance to Lord Holland, she made a prophecy which was fulfilled to a remarkable degree. "There is little William Pitt, now eight years old, and really the cleverest child I ever saw, and brought up so strictly, and so proper in his behaviour that-mark my works-that little boy will be a thorn in Charles's side as long as he lives." This forecast was verified to the letter, and singular to say, both Fox and Pitt died in the same year.

Goats protecting Sheep.

Farmers often sustain great loss of sheep from the unfortunate animals being worried by dogs. In parts of New Jersey, in the United States, the farmers adopt a novel plan for protecting their flocks. When the sheep are penned, a couple of goats are placed with them, and should a dog enter the field at night the goats attack him, and by butting him with considerable vigour they soon make him abandon his hostile intent, and he beats a speedy retreat, yelling and limping the while. Two goats will thus keep a dozen dogs at bay. The sheep, when their tormentor appears, form in line behind the goats, and seem rather to enjoy the fun. In the West goats have been employed to drive away wolves from the

pens.

The Story of a Barefooted Boy. Forty-six years ago, a bare-footed boy, eleven

years old, was tramping along the towing-path of the Delaware and Hudson Canal, on his way to Honesdale in Pennsylvania, when he was invited to jump aboard a passing boat and have a "lift on his road." He did so, and was not long in striking a warm friendship with another lad on the boat of the same age as himself, who was one of a Scottish family which was proceeding to the coal employment on the canal, and his young friend fields at Carbondale. The pedestrian obtained worked as mule-boy in the mines. In course of time each rose in his service, and to-day the latter is president of the canal company, and the former its general manager and the president of an important railway. This is an agreeable variation of the hackneyed example of the successful merchant who began life with half-a-crown in his pocket.

Extracting a Monkey's Tooth.

Peter, one of the baboons in the London Zoological Gardens, was recently under the hands of a dentist. For several days previously it was observed that the animal seemed to be suffering from toothache, one side of its face being much swollen. He used to sit apart from his mates, holding his hand to his head, and looking altogether miserable. The case was brought under the notice of a dentist, who undertook to draw the offending stump. He placed a napkin with chloroform near Peter's nose, but the monkey at first licked the chloroform off. However, it gradually became insensible, and before it regained consciousness the dentist succeeded, not without difficulty, in extracting a tooth at the root of which an abscess had formed. Peter soon showed that he had been relieved of his pain, for in a few minutes he was disporting himself after the manner of his kind in the much-patronised monkey-house.

A Riot among Deer.

Not long since the deer herd on Boston Com mon, in the United States, broke out into open rebellion against an old buck which had for many years been its leader. Presuming upon his years or his position, he tyrannised over the younger males in a high-handed and, occasionally, malicious manner. At length the period for the shedding of his horns arrived, and the victims of his tyranny taking advantage of his weakness, made a combined onset upon him, which ended only with his life. The keepers tried to interfere, but were driven out of the enclosure by the angry animals, which, however, became pacified when their common foe had been despatched. The tragedy appears to have had a salutary effect upan its actors, for we learn that none of them has as yet preferred any claims to the leadership of the herd.