I AM not about to recommend this creature to you on account of his beauty or amiable qualities. He has, in fact, too large a mouth, and too long a tail, to be handsome, and his reputation is not of the pleasantest kind. However, it is interesting to hear about all the works of nature, and as this is one of the most wonderful, I shall proceed to describe it. Alligators live in warm climates, and spend the greater part of their time in the water. There are four or five kinds in America, but the most dangerous are found along the banks of the river Mississippi. These creatures are sometimes fifteen or even twenty feet in length; their mouths are two or three feet long and fourteen or fifteen inches wide. Their teeth are strong and sharp, and their claws are also very strong.

During the middle of the day the alligators are generally at rest-lying

lazily upon the shore, or in the water. Toward evening, however, they begin to move about in search of prey, and then the roar of the larger ones is terrific. It is louder and deeper than the lowing of the bull, and it has all the savage wildness of the bittern's cry. It would seem that this bellowing could not be agreeable to anything, for as soon as the birds and beasts hear it, they fly as if smitten with terror; but still, when an alligator wishes to speak something loving into the ear of another, he goes to bellowing with all his might, and this sound, so awful to other creatures, seems very pleasant and musical to the alligator which is thus addressed. This shows that there is a great difference in tastes.

The male alligators sometimes engage in ferocious battles. These usually take place in shallow water, where their feet

can touch the ground. At first they only cudgel each other with their tails; but the blows given are tremendous, and soon rouse the anger of the parties. They then go at it with teeth and claws. The snapping, scratching, rending and thumping, are now tremendous; the water boils around with the struggle; streams of blood mingle with the waves; and at last one of the combatants is actually torn in pieces by his adversary.

The appetite of the alligator is voracious; I never heard of one that had the dyspepsia. Nothing of the animal. kind comes amiss; mountain cat, monkey, vulture, parrot, snake-lizard, and even the electric eel, rattlesnake, and venomous bush-master, are alike swallowed down! Nor does it matter whether the creature be alive or dead, save only that it seems most admired when in a putrid state. It frequently happens that the creature will deposit an animal he has killed in the water till partly decayed, and when most offensive to us, it seems most delicious to the alligator.

In some of the rivers of North and South America, within the tropics, these creatures are very numerous. They also infest the lakes and lagoons all around the Gulf of Mexico; and it is here that the alligator's paradise is found. When the spring rains come these creatures have a perfect carnival. Many fishes, birds, and animals, are killed during the freshets, and are borne along in the floods; upon their remains these creatures feast; and as the vulture is provided by providence to devour and remove offal from the land, which would otherwise infect the air and produce pestilence; so the alligators are the scavengers of the waters, and clear away putrescence that would otherwise render them poisonous and unapproachable So, after all, the alligator has

to man.

BRAHAM'S PARROT.- Parrots, like cuckoos, form their notes deep in the throat, and show great aptitude in imitating the human voice. A lady who admired the musical talents of Braham, the celebrated singer, gave him a parrot, which she had taught with much care. A person who saw it at Braham's house, thus describes it:" After dinner, during a pause in the conversation, I was startled by a voice from one corner of the room, calling out in a strong, hearty manner, Come, Braham, give us a song!' Nothing could exceed the surprise and admiration of the company. The request being repeated and not ananswered, the parrot struck up the first verse of God save the King, in a clear, warbling tone, aiming at the style of Braham, and sung it through. The ease with which the bird was taught was equally surprising with his performance. The same lady prepared him to accost Catalani, when dining with Mr. Braham, which so alarmed Madame that she nearly fell from her chair. Upon his commencing Rule Brittania, in a loud and intrepid tone, the chantress fell upon her knees before the bird, expressing, in terms of delight, her admiration of its talents."

This parrot has only been exceeded by Lord Kelly's, who, upon being asked.

THE tales of travellers often appear to us incredible, merely because they relate things different from our own observation and experience. You know that there are some countries so hot that they never have ice or snow there. Now it chanced that a man from some northern portion of the world, happening to be in one of those hot places, told the people, that, where he lived, the water sometimes became solid, in consequence of the cold, and almost as hard as a stone.

Now this was so different from the experience of the people, that they would not credit the traveller's story. This shows us that a thing may be a

reality, which is, at the same time, very different from our own observation and experience.

At

Mungo Park was a famous traveller in Africa. He went into countries where no white man had been before, and he saw places which no white man had seen. He tells us many curious things, but perhaps nothing is more amusing than what he says about the frogs. a certain place that he visited, he went to a brook to let his horse drink; but what was his surprise to find it almost covered with frogs, who kept bobbing up and down, so that his horse was afraid to put his nose into the water. At last Mr. Park was obliged to take a