There are various kingdoms of which we sometimes speak, such as the Vegetable kingdom, the Mineral kingdom, and the Animal kingdom; this latter kingdom includes all animated objects; consequently, man, beasts, insects, fishes, birds, &c., are included. In writing on the subject of birds, Linnæus divides them all into six classes. The duck and the crane kind belong to the water, but the rapacious kind, the pie kind, the poultry kind, and the sparrow kind, comprehend all the different kinds of what we call "Land Birds." Birds of the sparrow kind include all those of which we speak as "birds of song," and the singing class of these beautiful choristers is somewhat

numerous.

"Sweet birds that breathe the spirit of song,

And surround heaven's gate in melodious throng,
Who rise with the earliest beams of day,
Your morning tribute of thanks to pay,
You remind us that we should likewise raise
The voice of devotion and song of praise;

There's something about you that points on high,
Ye beautiful tenants of earth and sky."

The song of birds has been divided into six different kinds, hence we read of the call note of the male in spring time; of the loud, clear, and fierce notes of defiance; of the soft, tender, full melodious love warble; of the notes of fear or alarm when danger approaches the nest; of the note of alarm or war cry when a bird of prey appears; and lastly, of the note the parent birds utter to their brood, and the chirp or note of the young. And who amongst our readers does not feel an interest in lending even an attentive ear to the "love warble?" The LYRE BIRD or LYRE TAIL is amongst the "tenants of earth and sky" which sing beautiful songs in woods and groves, and it is considerably larger than any other singing bird, and its musical powers are strong and melodious, and it is a first-class imitator of the songs of other birds. It is a native of New South

Wales, where it is generally known as the "Lyre Pheasant," and it is about the size of our English pheasant. Its feet are large, and it well understands the habit of scraping with them. The tail of the male is very remarkable and beautiful, the number of feathers which strike our attention are twelve, and they are very long, and have very fine and widely separated barbs; aud besides these, there are two long middle feathers, each of which has a vane only on one side, and two exterior feathers curved like the sides of a good old lyre. This bird is extremely shy, and delights to spend its time in districts uninhabited by human beings as far as possible, hence it generally resorts to the unsettled parts of its native country, and is pleased to dwell in the bush or sparsely wooded districts. Its nest is characterised for its shape, being domed. And we cannot look upon the engraving at the head of this article without admiring the wisdom of Almighty God as displayed in the beautiful appearance of this noble creature. Tell us, ye infidels, if this bird sprang into existence by chance. With an open Bible in our hands we read that He who gave man an existence in the world has given life to "every fowl of the air." It therefore follows that this beautiful creature is the workmanship of his hands, and although unconscious of the existence of its Creator, yet on him it is dependent for its existence in the world.

Ere we close our remarks concerning this handsome object in creation, we may observe that very recently a second species of the LYRE BIRD has been discovered in Australia, and has been spoken of as "Menura Alberti,” in honour of the late Prince Albert. Some of the principal writers on the natural history of birds are Thompson, Meyer, Donovan, White, Montagu, Selby, Bewick, Wilson, Sloane, Spix, Suanson, Nuttall, Wolff, Catesby, Scopoli, Buffon, Gould, Syme, Macgillivray, Marcgrave, Hernandez, De Auara, &c. We would recommend our readers to make themselves well acquainted with this study. The beauty, variety, strength, and swiftness of motion of birds,

are all interesting topics for the student of the natural history of these "realms of air occupants." The Bible abounds with references to birds. Moses terms them "fowls of the air." Job speaks of them as "fowls of heaven." Ezekiel mentions them as "feathered fowl." St. Matthew notices them as "birds of the air;" and if we understand the 148th Psalm aright, these creatures glorify God in his works and wisdom. In Psalm 1. 11, they are spoken of as being Divine property: "All the fowls of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are mine.” In Job xii. 7, they are described as instructors; and is it not true that from many birds we may learn lessons which will serve us well for a life time. The Apostle James teaches us that all kinds of birds can be tamed, and have been tamed of mankind.

In Scripture many birds are spoken of as being unclean, such as the eagle, the osprey, the vulture, the kite, the owl, the raven, the swan, the night hawk, the cuckoo, the stork, the bat, the ostrich, the lapwing, the pelican, the bittern, the peacock, &c., &c. ; while other birds are represented as being clean, such as the swallow, the pigeon, the crane, the dove, the turtle, the quail, the partridge, &c. And it was at a very early age in the world's history when birds were distinguished as clean and unclean. Solomon, the world's wisest man, spoke of birds in his day as objects worthy of our notice. In St. Paul's letter to the Romans, that writer speaks of certain ungodly persons worshiping birds of the air, consequently they stood charged with the sin of idolatry, for to worship any being but Almighty God, however beautiful and attractive, is idolatry, and is therefore sinful. Let us remember that he who counts the stars, who rides on the winds of heaven, who exercises a special providence over his own people, does not forget to watch over the fowls of the air, and even a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice. And while each bird has its own peculiar song to raise, let us not forget to raise our songs of praise to the honour of our Creator and Saviour.

Let us not only sing with our vocal powers, but in our hearts make melody unto the Lord. "Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness." "Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works."

WILLIAM BIRKS.

WHAT TWO WORDS DID.

A LITTLE child sat alone in the afternoon of a summer holiday. He held a book upon his knee, in which he had been reading a pleasant tale of a brave and daring man who had risked his life to save that of a fellow creature. The eyes of the child shone brightly, and his cheeks shone with joy and pride as he read; but now the eyes filled with tears, and the cheek grew pale; he rested his hand on his head, and sadly he said to himself, "I wish I were a man, then I would try to save people from death; I would do such brave things, I would be so much use in the world, but I am only a child-I can do nothing, I can save nobody."

As he sat in the pleasant shadow of the hawthorn edge two men passed by. They were talking and laughing, and one said to the other, "Nonsense! teetotal pledge, indeed! all stuff!-you will come with me and have a glass? Begin your temperance to morrow. Come now, here we are; there's a public-house close handy."

The child had heard the words, and he understood them, for he had learned from his teacher at school about temperance. He rose to his feet, and scarcely thinking what he did, he walked beside the two men. They came to the public-house door, and the man who wanted the other to drink called for liquor, drank some and handed it to the

other. The younger man-he who had signed the pledge -refused it for some time, but the other laughed and jeered at him, and at last the young man took the glass. He was raising it to his lips when a soft voice said, "I wouldn't."

The man started. He had not noticed the child, and the voice seemed to come out of the earth, or in the air. He got such a start that the glass almost fell from his hand, and half the liquor was spilled. Looking down, the man

saw the boy.

"What is that you say?" he exclaimed.

"I said I wouldn't," said the child bravely, though the other man frowned upon him, and held up his hand threatening to strike him.

"God bless you, child!" said the man fervently. "Surely heaven sent you to rebuke me. Aye, to think that I should have so far forgotten myself that a child should teach me reason. And you," he cried, turning upon his tempter, "Heaven forgive you for your sin, as I do from my heart, but I will no longer keep your company."

Then he turned from the other, who sneered and called him hard names, but the young man took the hand of the child, and went on his way blessing God, who had put into that little mouth the words of warning.

The man who had tempted the other was a thief and a gambler. The younger man had money; when he drank one glass he was no longer master of himself. Perhaps these two simple words, so bravely uttered by the child, saved that man from even worse than death.