Of the brilliant tiny humming-birds
That glance like wingèd gem,

Meet to adorn an Indian queen,

Of the snake that rears his crested head

With bright and dazzling eye,
And gazes on the victim bird
That, trembling, flutters by.

Are there the fresh and shady bowers
Arched on sweet Nature's plan,
Far hid in forest mysteries,

As yet untrod by man?

Hast thou seen the fierce Red-Indian
Creep on his foemen's trail,
With noiseless step and stealthy pace,
And hate that will not fail?

In the land that thou hast come from,
Do the rivers run with gold,
Are the valleys rich with diamonds,
As we read of, and are told?

Ah! cease that restless motion,
And hush that thrilling scream
That pierces through my senses

Like the wild cry of a dream.

Thou, vain and foolish Parrot,
Hast nothing else to say
But "Pretty, pretty Polly!"

And "What's the time of day?"

Thy beauty has misled me,
My fancy wild had strayed,
To the sweet Arabian story
Of the Princess Perizade,

Whose "speaking bird" of beauty
Dropped ever from his tongue
The pearls of wit and wisdom,
And full melodious song.

I prize not gaudy plumage
Matched to so harsh a note:
A merry thrush sings better,
Spite of his sober coat.

And to us too in this matter
A moral is addrest,

Fine feathers often glitter
Upon a worthless breast

J. H.

LINES IN A LITTLE GIRL'S ALBUM.

Go, little Album, long by Mistress missed!
Tell her I kept you-you could not resist;
And ask to have her pardon and be kissed.

Tell her you lay my other books among,
While I, not meditating any wrong,
Had no idea you had been there so long.

Tell her, that's young, nor knows the world's affairs,
Her elders' troubles, labours, sorrows, cares
Make the years hurry by them unawares.

Say that I wish the little lady well,

And, could I borrow some old fairy-spell,

Peace, Love, and Truth, with her should ever dwell.
But elfin days are gone, their power o'er!-
Yet she has better than a fairy store,

Kind parents, sisters dear, and friends a score-
Not e'en Queen Mab herself could give her dowry
T. H. THE YOUNGER.

more!

THE ENCHANTED STEED.

ONCE upon a time, there lived a king who was very rich and very powerful. His kingdom

stretched from the sea on one side to the Barren Mountains on the other; and it was fertile and productive. His ships carried corn to most other shores, and it was quite sufficient for a merchant to say that his goods came from the Land of Plenty for them to be bought up immediately. There was also a vast plain that stretched to the very base of the Barren Mountains, where diamonds, rubies, and emeralds were strewn as thickly as shells on the sea shore. It is true, there was a vast deal of difficulty in getting there, and numbers of adventurers died before they reached these treasures; but those who were successful, and returned safely, brought such marvellous accounts of the riches of the place, and the size and lustre of the gems, that the number of seekers every year increased, instead of diminishing. Indeed, so

plentiful were the precious stones, that the jewellers of the Land of Plenty did not care to set any that were not of extraordinary size and brilliance. As for the commoner sorts, the lapidaries used to purchase them, and having cut them, they drilled holes through them, so as to make beads of them. There was hardly a little girl in the Land of Plenty who had not a necklace of amethyst beads as big as pigeon's eggs. Coral and amber were very abundant; and the pieces were of such large size, that common cups and plates were made from them. Of course, the king's treasury was well stored with all these valuable things; and the precious stones were kept in sacks, all labelled, and weighed like potatoes, while the pearls were packed in great, round wooden boxes, like giants' pills. The chamber of audience was set round with immense carbuncles, which were so brilliant that no lamps were necessary at night. The massive throne was entirely formed of the largest diamonds, so that its lustre was so dazzling, that those who came to be presented to the king were forced to shade their eyes. The hall was floored with polished silver, and the roof was formed of a single crystal in the shape of a dome.

The king had but one daughter, who was as