Those who dwell on the banks of the Ganges may sometimes see, during
the rainy season, a large boat floating past, having a raised cabin,
like a Bengalee hut, constructed of mat and straw. From the
multiplicity of cages inside and outside, it may be gathered that here
are fresh supplies for the bird-fancier--captives from the hills of
Rajmahal and Moryheer. The constant fluttering among the inmates of
the crowded cages, and their mournful and discordant notes, indicate
that they are anything but a happy family--that they have been only
recently caught, and are not yet habituated to confinement. They are
soon, however, disposed of at the different stations or towns at which
the boat anchors, and become in due time the solitary and apparently
happy pets I have already described.

I need only add, that there is no lack of pretty little bird-cages in
the Far East, constructed very tastefully by the neat-handed natives,
and sold for two or three annas.




JUVENILE ENERGY.


In December 1807, W.H. Maynard, Esq., was teaching a school for a
quarter in the town of Plainfield, Massachusetts. One cold, blustering
morning, on entering his schoolroom, he observed a lad he had not seen
before, sitting on one of the benches. The lad soon made known his
errand to Mr Maynard. He was fifteen years old; his parents lived
seven miles distant; he wanted an education, and had come from home on
foot that morning, to see if Mr Maynard could help him to contrive how