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SERPENT CHARMER.-One of these jugglers, or charmers, was by far the most expert and daring fellow I had seen perform with snakes ; and he completely astonished us by the manner in which he pulled about, and treated with the greatest indifference and coolness, a very fine Cobra de Capello, or Noya, as the Kandyans call it, about three feet and a half long, which he had brought with him. He handled it with great roughness. yet perfect confidence : he also struck and threatened it in so daring a way, that at last I suspected its poisonfangs had been broken or extracted ; but this I found was not the case ; for after he had taken much pains in order to irritate it, and soothe it when enraged, and had even put into his bosom, I told one of the servants to desire him to open its mouth,—not expecting that he would do so—and show me whether the poison fangs were extracted or not. He did so without the least hesitation, and there they certainly were, and in the most perfect state! Indeed I confess that in even going up to examine them, a strange sort of thrilling sensation ran through my whole frame, at the idea of being bitten by such a terrible yet beautiful creature. I then desired the servant to ask him if the snake would bite me if I touched it. He instantly replied, that it certainly would do so, and seemingly afraid lest I should venture too near it, he, in great haste, put it back into the bag in which he had brought it. - From Col. Campbell's Excursions in Ceylon.

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blind rat, which held a piece of stick by one end in his mouth, whilst another rat had hold of the other end of it, and thus conducted its blind companion.

The other anecdote is the following:Mr. Ferryman had an old friend of retired and studious habits, who, when sitting in his room one day saw an English rat come out of a hole at the bottom of the wainscot. He threw it a piece of bread, and in process of time he had so familiarized the animal that it became perfectly tame, ran about him, was his constant companion, and appeared much attached to him. in the habit of reading in bed at night, and was on one occasion awoke by feeling a sharp bite on the cheek. On looking round he discovered the curtain of his bed to be on fire. He made his escape, but the house was burnt down, and he saw no more of his rat. however, convinced, and remained so for the rest of his life, that his old companion had saved him from being burnt to death by biting his cheek, and thus making him aware of his danger. The reader may put what faith he pleases in the tale. The gentleman himself was always indignant if any one doubted it, and certainly the marks of teeth were visible on his cheek.

That rats are endowed with an extraordinary degree of ingenuity and cunning, there are numerous well-attested facts to prove: the following is one of them. A ship.on her voyage was not only much infested with rats, but proved so unfit for sea, that her stores were directed 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 to swim to the ship into which the stores had been conveyed. They would have effected their object, had not the vigilance of the crew prevented them.

The vessel got under weigh, and the rats were left to their fate.

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The Rev. Mr. Ferryman, a clergyman, who once resided at Qnorn, in Leicestershire, narrates two very singular anecdotes about the common English rat, which are worthy of being recorded as evidences of the great sagacity of that animal. Walking out in some meadows one evening, he observed a great number of rats in the act of migrating from one place to another, which it is known they are in the habit of doing occasionally. He stood perfectly still, and the whole assemblage passed close to him.

His astonishment, however, was very great when be saw amongst the number an old

that such unearthly sounds should be considered in the light of supernatural forebodings, issuing from spectres in the guise of birds.-Nuttall's Ornithology.

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CALLS OF AMERICAN BIRDS.--If superstition takes alarm at our familiar and simple species, what would be thought by the ignorant of a South American kind, large as the wood-owl, which, in the forests of Demerara, about midnight, breaks out, lamenting like one in deep distress, and in a tone more dismal even than the painful hexachord of the slothful Aï. The sounds, like the expiring sighs of some agonizing victim, begins with a high loud note, ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! each tone falling lower and lower, till the last syllable is scarcely heard, pausing a moment or two between the reiterated tale of seeming sadness. Four other species of the Goatsucker, according to Waterton, also inhabit this tropical wilderness, among which also is included the Whip-poorwill. Figure to yourselves the surprise and wonder of the stranger who takes up his solitary abode for the first night amidst those awful and interminable forests, when at twilight he begins to be assailed familiarly with a spectral equivocal bird, approaching within a few yards, and then accosting him with, who-are-you, who-who-nho-are-you?Another approaches and bids him, as if a slave under the lash, work-away, workwork-work-away!-A third mournfully cries, willy-come-go ! willy-willy-willycome-go!-And as you get among the high-lands, our old acquaintance vociferates, whip-poor-will, whip-whip-whippoor-will! It is therefore not surprising

CRAB-CATCHING ON THE SCOTTISH COAST.-We soon perceived two men in a small craft: their little boat hung motionless on the then waveless mirror of the bay, in about ten feet depth of water; and after for a minute or thereby holding their faces close upon the surface, they seemed suddenly to pull a long pole out of the water, with something adhering to its extremity. We soon found that they were taking advantage of the glassy stillness of the water, to overlook the early walks of the crabs. They no sooner saw these crusty crusta

on the subaqueous sands, than they poked them behind with their long staves : the crabs turned round and seized upon the poles. These latter were slightly shaken by the fishermen, as if in pain or terror; the angry creatures clung all the closer, and were then rapidly hoisted into the boats.-From Wilson's Voyage.

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CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL was built by Sanfranc, with stone from the beautiful quarries near Caen, in Normandy. Sanfranc was an Italian, and Abbot of St. Stephen's, at Caen.

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