Yet no creature dares to ape thee;
Man can scarce thy powers believe.
Blithe, surprising, merry creature,
Fraught with ev'ry other's note;
Pleasing, both in form and feature,
With a melange in thy throat.
Day and night thy worth proclaim thee,
Sovereign of the feather'd throng!
Well may every songster blame thee,
Thine exceeds their sweetest song.

All the sun-day thou sit'st singing,
Flutt'ring on expanded wings;
Peal on peal harmony ringing,

Sweet as flower of fragrance springs.

By the moon, from night to morning,
Still thy melody is heard;
Time and place, and season scorning,
Charming, matchless, MOCKING BIRD.

THE MOORISH WRESTLERS ;

With some account of their Equestrian Performances. In Algiers, as well as in other places, on Friday, their Sabbath, in the afternoon, they generally take their recreation; and amongst their several sports and diversions, they have a comical sort of wrestling, which is performed about a quarter of a mile without the gate, called Bab el wait, the western gate. There is a plain just by the sea-side, where, when the people are gathered together, they make a ring, all sitting on the ground, excepting the combatants. Anon there comes one boldly in, and strips all to his drawers. Having done this, he turns his back

to the ring, and his face towards his clothes on the ground. He then pitches on his right knee, and throws abroad his arms three times, dashing his hands together as often, just above the ground; which having done, he puts the back of his hand to the ground and then kisses his fingers, and puts them to his forehead; then makes two or three good springs into the middle of the ring, and there he stands with his left hand to his left ear, and his right hand to his left elbow; in this posture the challenger stands, not looking about, till some one comes into the ring to take him up; and he that comes to take him up, does the very same postures, and then stands by the side of him in the manner aforesaid. Then the tryer of the play comes behind the pilewens (for so the wrestlers are termed by them) and covers their naked backs and heads, and makes a short harangue to the spectators.

After this, the pilewans face each other, and then both at once slap their hands on their thighs, then clap them together, and then lift them up as high as their shoulders, and cause the palms of their hands to meet, and, with the same, dash their heads one against another three times, so hard that many times the blood runs down. This being done, they walk off from one another, and traverse the ground, eyeing each other like two game cocks. If either of them finds his hands moist, he rubs them on the ground for the better holdfast; and they will make an offer of

closing twice or thrice before they do. They will come as often within five or six yards one of the other, and clap their hands to each other, and then put forward the left leg, bowing their bodies, and leaning with the left elbow on the right knee, for a little while, looking one at the other, just like two boxers. Then they walk a turn again; then at it they go; and as they are naked to the middle, so there is but little holdfast; there is much ado before one has a fair cast on his back; they having none of our Devonshire or Cornish skill. He that throws the other goes round the ring, taking money of any that will give it him, which is but a small matter, it may be a farthing, a halfpenny, or a penny, of a person, which is much. Having gone the round, he goes to the tryer, and delivers him the money so collected, who, in a short time, returns it again to the conqueror, and makes a short speech of thanks. While this is doing, two others come into the ring to wrestle. But at their byrams, or feasts, those which are the most famous pilewans come in to show their parts before the Dey, eight or ten together. These anoint themselves all over with oil, having on their bodies only a pair of leathern drawers, which are well oiled: they stand in the street near Bab el wait, (the gate before mentioned,) without which are all their sports held, spreading out their arms, as if they would oil people's fine clothes, unless they give some ma

ney, which many do to carry on the joke. They are the choice of all the stout wrestlers, and wrestle before the Dey, who sits on a carpet spread on the ground, looking on; and when the sport is over, he gives two or three dollars to each. After which, the Dey, with the Bashaw, mount their horses, and several Spahys ride one after another, throwing sticks made like lances at each other; and the Dey, rides after one or other of them, who is his favourite, and throws his wooden lance at him; and, if he happens to hit him, the Spahy comes off his horse to the Dey, who gives him money. After all which diversions, they ride to the place where the Dey has a tent pitched, and there they spend the afternoon in eating, and drinking coffee, and pleasant talk, but no wine. The Dey usually appears in no great splendour at Algiers; as he often rides into the town from his garden in a morning on his inule, attended only by a slave on another.

The Moors frequently amuse themselves by riding with the utmost apparent violence against a wall, and a stranger would conceive it impossible for them to avoid being dashed to pieces; when, just as the horse's head touches the wall, they stop him with the utmost accuracy. To strangers, on horseback, or on foot, it is also a common species of compliment to ride violently up to them, as if intending to trample them to pieces, and then to stop their horses short, and

fire a musket in their faces.

Upon these occa

sions they are very proud in discovering their dexterity in horsemanship, by making the animal rear up, so as almost to throw him on his back, putting him immediately after on the full speed for a few yards, the. stopping him instantaneously, and all this is accompanied by loud and hollow cries.

There is another favourite amusement, which displays perhaps superior agility. A number of persons on horseback start at the same moment, accompanied with loud shouts, gallop at full speed to an appointed spot, when they stand up strait in the stirrups, put the reins, which are very long, in their mouths, level their pieces, and fire them off: throw their firelocks immediately over their right shoulders, and stop their horses nearly at the same instant. This also is their manner of engaging in an action.

VORACITY OF THE HERON.

In the month of April, 1818, as a person was walking a short distance from the river Mole, in the neighbourhood of Cobham Park, Surry, where H. C. Combe, Esq. has a heronry, he was surprised by a pike in weight full 2lbs. dropping from the air immediately before him; on looking up, he perceived a large heron hovering over him, which had no doubt dropped the fish from its beak. And also during the same month, another individual near the above