feelings towards the kind masters and mistresses that God, who knows how unable you are to take care of yourself, has provided you with: don't you know, my dear hearers, that this is being discontented, and that you thereby lose the great gain that godliness associated with content would bring you.'

When I heard this, I was almost choked with indignation; but when the preacher went on to assure his beloved brothers and sisters, that their masters and mistresses stood to them in the place of God, and ought to be obeyed as cheerfully-that when their skins were torn from their backs by the scourge, it was a chastisement from on high-and that when husbands, wives, and children were sold away from each other, it should only teach them pious and contented submission-I had much to do to retain my seat. At length the sermon was finished; and then, whilst a collection was being made, we had another piece from the choir, in which a solo was admirably sung by one of the quadroon sisters; then came the benediction and dismissal.

'If we hurry out,' said Stokes, we shall have an opportunity of seeing the two gals as they leave the church.'

We accordingly pressed forward to meet them as they descended the stairs. They were sweet-looking creatures, with a marked resemblance to each other. Kate, the taller, was a trifle handsomer than the other; her lips were not so full, and her face more perfectly oval; and a shade of pensiveness rested on her whole physiognomy, that did not distinguish the countenance of her sister. But they had the same wavy black hair, deep hazel eyes, and fair complexions; and when they smiled, the strong likeness between them was brought more strikingly out.

Stokes and I by some means became separated by the crowd, and I suffered myself to be borne on the current that set strongly from the church.

It was early spring-time, and the air was balmy with the breath of roses and lilacs. I felt glad to escape from the close air of the church, and had no inclination to go to my hotel, so I determined to wander for a while to take a look at the city.

On I went through quiet streets, pausing now and then to peer into gardens and admire their luxuriant beauty. At last I found myself in a retired spot upon the outskirts of the town, where a clear stream of water dashed over a bed of shining pebbles.

Being a little fatigued with my walk, I sat down upon a large stone by the water-side, and listened to the musical ripple of the creek. I had been enjoying my solitude for some time, when I was aroused by the sound of approaching_footsteps. I was a few feet from the pathway, and concealed by the bushes that fringed the edge of the stream. As the footsteps approached nearer, I began to distinguish voices in

earnest conversation.

'It's of no use, William,' said a voice which I instantly recognised to be that of Kate, one of the twin quadroons; it is better, far better that we should remain as we are. We have no security that if we were married to-morrow we might not be separated the next day for ever. No, no; it's folly to think of it; you must give up all hope.'

Give up all hope, Kate! that's impossible. Hope is all that's kept me alive for years: when that fails me, I shall cut my throat, or do some other desperate thing.'

'O William, William, for God's sake, do not talk in that rash way: my heart is almost broken now; pray, don't you add to my sufferings-I have enough to bear.'

'Kate, I've something to bear too. Don't I love you better than my own life?-haven't I waited for years, in hope of some favourable change in our fortunes; and then to hear you talk so calmly of my giving you up

almost drives me crazy. Kate, don't you think your master would let you buy your time? I've saved up some few hundred dollars; and, with care, I might in time raise sufficient to buy you out and out.'

'O William, I didn't want to tell you; I thought to let you find it out when I was gone; but I must tell you now, and let my heart break at once. William, said she, whilst her sobs almost choked her utterance, 'you're too late. God help us both to bear it. William, I'm sold. Master sold me on Saturday to his son-in-law, and I'm going to Missouri with him next Wednesday.'

After this revelation there was a long silence, broken only by the sobs of Kate, and the half-stifled groans of the young man.

'O Kate,' said he, 'has it come to this at last, after all my hopes, and all my struggles. When you are gone, Kate, there will be nothing to bear me upnothing;' and in his agony, the young man sobbed as loud and uncontrollably as poor Kate herself.

'Kate,' said he suddenly, 'are you afraid to try to escape; have you ever thought of running away? If I am willing to try it, will you run the risk with me?'

'I'd run any risk with you, or for you; but the chance of our getting off is so small, that it seems folly to try.'

I know the chances are against us; but we are to be separated anyhow; so, if we failed, we should be no worse off: and we might succeed-we are both so very fair, that we might pass for white.'

'O William! I am afraid not-every one knows us here: my face, in particular, is as well known as any in Richmond. No, no; it won't succeed—we should be detected at once; besides, we have no friend who would help us-no way of procuring any disguise. Do you know any one who would help us?'

'No, Kate, not a soul. There are many I know who would not lay a straw in the way of our escape, yet they dare not run the risk of assisting us. No; my plan should be, to go boldly up to the station at night, and ask for tickets: in the confusion and hurry of departure, the chance is we might get them; then, once away from Richmond, I have but slight fear of detection.'

'William, the risk is too great; we should be certain to be detected at the station. As I said before, we are both too well known; we must be disguised in some way. O God, if we could only find some friend to aid us!'

I had been on the point of offering my services several times during their conversation, but had restrained myself. Now, however, I could stand it no longer, and rushing precipitately from my concealment, exclaimed: I'm your man-I'll be your friend-I'll stand by you to the last; just tell me what to do-tell me how to help you, and I'll do it in spite of all the slaveholders in Richmond.' I had not calculated the effect my abrupt appearance would produce, and was therefore greatly shocked to see poor Kate sink fainting on the ground. William, who was the young man pointed out by Stokes as the property of gamblers, looked the personification of fright, and for a moment seemed undecided whether to run away or jump into the creek. 'Don't be alarmed, my good fellow,' said I, raising Kate from the ground; 'I'm an Englishman, thank God! You need not have the least fear of me. I hate slavery as much as you do; and I'll help you to escape with all my heart, without inquiring about the consequences.'

The young man looked at me suspiciously as he took Kate from my arms, exclaiming: 'God will judge between us if you betray us, for my blood will be on your head!' Then turning to the reviving girl, he continued: 'Kate, love, look up; here's hope come at last-don't be frightened; the gentleman says he'll be our friend. He's an Englishman, Kate.'

Kate looked at me with beseeching eyes.

For God's sake, don't betray us, sir!' said she. 'It was only idle talk-we can't escape, sir; and we know it.'

But I say you shall escape!' said I indignantly. 'Do I look like a liar and a traitor? I tell you again, I'll break all the laws on the statute-book of Virginia but I'll get you off, if you will only trust me. Only tell me how I can serve you. I heard all your conversation, and I'm deeply interested in you. Here my hand upon it!' Kate took the hand I extended her, and as she held it, leaned her head on her lover's shoulder, and wept.

"Where can I find you again?' asked William. 'Here,' said I, 'is my card; I'm at the Exchange Hotel.'

'I will come to you to-morrow, and let you know what you can do for me; but, for Heaven's sake, sir, don't betray us! Oh don't be angry,' continued he, as he saw my face flush; we have never received anything but oppression and unkindness from white people, so you should not be surprised if we hesitate to trust one immediately.'

'True, true,' I replied, as I wrung Kate's hand; 'I don't wonder; but I hope I shall be able to prove that we are not all alike. Good-bye;' and I walked slowly up the lane, turning occasionally to look at them until their forms became indistinguishable in the dusk of coming night.

Night had fallen ere I reached the hotel. I found Stokes in a towering rage, pacing up and down the apartment. He saluted me, on my entrance, with: 'You're a pretty fellow, now, ain't you? Here have I been waiting without my supper, expecting you every moment in the last two hours; and you have been racing all over Richmond, I suppose. Do you think, sir, that every one is, like yourself, able to eat enough at one meal to last through the week? I'm no bear, sir-I don't live upon my own fat!' mildly ventured to remark, that he could eat with his own mouth, and could have gone to tea without me; whereupon I heard him grumble something about impertinence and ingratitude, as he led the way to the tea-room.

I

We did get tea; and such a tea as that was can be got up nowhere but on that side of the Atlantic. There was the huge pile of buckwheat cakes-a winter delicacy, that had lingered a little beyond its appointed season, that it might catch a glimpse of the fine white perch and delicious shad that had made their appearance with the early spring-flowers; there was corn-bread, corn-dodgers, flap-jacks, and jonnycake, Indian pone, and corn pound cake-in fact, Indian meal in every description of cake that American ingenuity could invent. Then the oysters, stewed, fried, and pickled-oh, you little copper-flavoured natives of Old England, hide your diminished heads! I thought I had tasted oysters before I left my native shores, but on this eventful night I was cured of my vanity. I took two of the fried on my plate, and they covered it. I tasted them; and then, to use Stokes's language, went in for myself.' I ate 'em stewed, I ate 'em raw, I ate 'em pickled; and then I ate 'em fried, and commenced on the stewed again, till the black waiters grinned; and Stokes told me he was ashamed of me, and expected they would charge me double board. I ate a respectable tea, or supper, as they call it in America, and then went to bed, and had a respectable nightmare. I dreamed I was a locomotive, with a pair of brazen wings, and a furnace in my breast; and that Kate and William got astride of my back, and I flew off with them, with all the authorities of Richmond in pursuit. I soared about in my dream until I had got quite out to sea, and was flying away to England. The chalk cliffs of my old home were visible when I began to tire; and after the most

frightful efforts to sustain myself, I sunk exhausted into the sea, and woke to find I had fallen out of bed, and that my head had got into the foot-bath I had been using the night before.

The next morning, William made his appearance punctually at the hour appointed. He looked suspiciously round him, after accepting the chair I had placed for him, and hesitatingly whispered: I think I've hit upon a plan that will be successful, if we can carry it out. I discovered it by the merest accident. I was in a confectionary kept by an Italian, and while I was buying some fruit, an organ-grinder came in. He was dumb, and his wife, an Englishwoman, I think, carried on the conversation. I find they are going to remain here, and give up going about the country; and she wanted to get work in the store. The man is of my size, and wears his beard very much as I do; and it struck me that if I could get his organ and clothes for my disguise, I could make free with a dress that our cook owns, which in the pattern and colour is very like the woman's. I in his clothes, and Kate in a dress similar to hers, we might escape; but the difficulty would be to get the organ and the clothes, and it's at this point I want your help: if we can get them, we will run the risk. I followed the man and his wife home; here is the number of the house, and the name of the street.'

A capital plan-capital!' said I. I'll go at once and hunt them up. But how shall I let you know if I succeed?'

"That's easily arranged. Are both these hats yours?' asked William. 'Yes, both.'

"Then let this be the signal: you come to the saloon where I attend the billiard-tables-White's Saloon 'tis called-if you get the things, wear the white hat; and in that case you'll bring them to where we met yesterday evening. We'll be there at eight o'clock to-night. I've trusted you, sir: I may almost say my life is in your hands. If you are not true to me'

'Never fear,' replied I. 'You'll find me all right; rely on it, I'll do my best.'

'Here, sir, is the money for the organ and tickets. Good-bye; remember I've trusted you.'

Everything went on well, as was projected; and at the appointed time I was at the place of rendezvous with the organ and clothes, and Kate and William very soon made their appearance.

Come now, my good fellow,' said I, there is no time for parley. Here are the clothes; slip them on over your own.'

William hastily did as I directed; then handing him the tickets, I said:

'You have twenty minutes to reach the cars; here are the tickets. Now, good-bye, God bless you; I shall come and see you off; but it will be at a respectful distance-we must not recognise each other.'

Kate took my hand. I saw by the light of the moon, that had just come out, that her eyes were glistening. 'Good-bye, man or angel, I don't know which to call you! Good-bye. Look above,' said she, with a trembling voice-'He rewards.'

William could only press my hand again and again gratitude had made him speechless.

I followed them at a safe distance, saw them enter the cars, which a few moments after were flying with lightning speed toward the north star.

A week passed away, and still there came no tidings of the fugitives. I began to be anxious, and was daily inquiring of Stokes whether anything had been discovered respecting them, as their escape was a topic of great discussion in Richmond.

'Have you heard any news?' said I.
'What kind of news?' answered Stokes.
'About Kate and William.'

'Kate and William be darned,' said Stokes wrath

appears that out of seventy-six cuckoos' eggs, sixtyfour agreed in colour and markings with those they were associated with; the remainder mostly resembling those of the white wagtail and the reed-warbler.

It also appears that the reed-warbler is favoured with the largest number of cuckoos' eggs-nine out of the seventy-six, of which eight exactly resembled its own eggs. The white wagtail comes next, taking seven eggs coloured like its own, and one like the reed-warbler's. The hedge-sparrow, which is supposed to be so frequently the young cuckoo's foster-parent, has only one. This is, at all events, enough to shew that the rule holds good in most cases, and the exceptions will presently be seen to be easily explicable. The end attained by this is, obviously, that the bird which has the care of the young cuckoo treacherously committed to her, may not recognise the stranger's egg among her own. Another question is, how it is accomplished-whether the same cuckoo always lays eggs of one colour, or of colours varying according to the nest they are laid in?

It has been supposed by some, that the sight of the eggs lying in the nest, so works on the imagination of the female cuckoo, that the egg she is about to lay takes their colour, as Jacob made Laban's ewes bring forth spotted lambs by putting half-peeled rods before them. This is not without analogies in physiology; but the facts are against it. For instance, cuckoos' eggs are sometimes laid in empty nests; and two cuckoos' eggs, of different colours, have been found in the same nest: also, observations seem to shew that the same bird always does lay eggs of the same colour. First, The colour of cuckoos' eggs seems, in some measureTemminck says, entirely-to depend on the locality; and it is well known that the cuckoo always haunts a certain small district year after year. Three cuckoos' eggs have been found in the same district in different birds' nests, but undistinguishable from each other. Each bird must, of course, if this is the case, be provided with the instinct to lay its eggs in the nests of a particular species; and it will only occasionally, when it cannot find a nest of this species at hand, have recourse to the nests of other birds. This also explains why the exceptions almost always resemble the eggs of those species which are the principal favourites with the cuckoo, such as the white wagtail and reed-warbler, as mentioned above.

Secondly, Various observations shew that the colour of the egg is fixed before the cuckoo sees the eggs it intends to deposit it among. For instance, a female cuckoo was caught alive on a haystack, in the neighbourhood of which was a redstart's nest it probably intended to visit, and, when in confinement, laid a greenish-blue egg like a wheatear's, and thus, of course, very much resembling the blue eggs of the redstart. Again, a cuckoo was observed slowly and quietly flying into a small bush near a wood: though frightened away, it returned again; and when at last it left the bush entirely, a pratincole's nest was found on the ground, with the bird sitting on it, and, close by on the ground, an egg resembling the pratincole's, but larger-exactly like what the observer declares he has occasionally found in pratincoles' nests

before, and believes to be cuckoos' eggs.

The cuckoo had obviously been looking for a nest for its egg, but was prevented from depositing it here by the obstinate sitting of the pratincole. Why, then, was the egg on the ground? It is a curious fact that the cuckoo always lays its egg on the ground in the first instance, and conveys it to the nest in its mouth. In many cases, this is necessary; for instance, it would be impossible for the cuckoo to lay its egg in the ordinary manner in the nest of a redstart or a waterwagtail in the hole of some tree or wall. Female cuckoos have been shot with the egg in their mouth. Levaillant observed the same habit in the yellow

cuckoo of Africa-many which he shot in this way either half-swallowed the egg, or cast it out of their mouth in the death-spasm. This is no doubt the origin of the stories of the old writers that the cuckoo laid its egg from its mouth. It must require a pretty wide gape to take in the egg, and with most birds it would be impossible; but the extreme smallness of the cuckoo's egg in proportion to the size of the bird permits it. Such an arrangement as this must also be very necessary when so small a nest as the goldencrested wren's is chosen-for this tiny creature sometimes has a monster of a young cuckoo foisted upon her-the weight of the cuckoo laying an egg in the ordinary way, would quite break down the little nest.

Mr Baldamus speaks of having found cuckoos' eggs in the nests of the red-backed shrike, which imitated the two varieties of the egg of that bird, in having either a greenish or reddish-gray ground colour. This, of course, gives a certain amount of difficulty in distinguishing the cuckoo's egg; but it can generally be recognised, in the first place, by its size, which varies very little; it is very small in proportion to the size of the bird, being generally smaller, and never larger, than that of the skylark. There is generally, too, a perceptible difference of colour from the eggs it is associated with, and the spots are seldom if ever arranged in a ring round the larger end, as in so many eggs. The shell is very thin, and has a peculiar grain, which is difficult to describe, but may be seen by comparing the cuckoo's egg with some other under a lens.

The facts we have mentioned are all taken from German sources. There are special facilities in Germany for inquiry, in consequence of the bird being much commoner than with us; but we have already seen some definite confirmations in English specimens, and there is no doubt that further investigations would elicit still more remarkable results. Here is a field where even our younger readers may do good service to science; let each bird-nesting school-boy who reads this, see in the ensuing spring whether the cuckoos of his own neighbourhood have the same habits. Nothing is required but intelligent observation. It is important to discover whether the same bird really returns every year to the same district or beat; and whether cuckoos' eggs of one colour are especially characteristic of each district.

FESTIVITIES IN BALLYGARRIFFE. IN Ballygarriffe we don't manage things exactly like other people; we rather pride ourselves on some of the peculiarities which serve to distinguish ours from the plebeian villages in our neighbourhood. We are remarkably aristocratic-rather painfully so towards any luckless wights who come amongst us without proper credentials of gentility. They had far better go to Austria without a passport, or to London without money! Any hardy resident who ventures to call upon them, invite them, or recognise their existence in any shape or form, runs a very great risk of being tabooed in his or her own proper person; our code of gentility resembling in this respect the laws of quarantine-that contact with the suspected brings even the healthy under pratique.

Even amongst ourselves, we have little cliques and coteries, which maintain a sort of skirmishing and border warfare with each other; and some of us who form a portion of the 'cream of the cream,' are willing occasionally to take an unlawful and venturous dip into the skimmed milk of society.

Men, unmarried men especially, are very scarce amongst us; and, of course, like everything else, they are esteemed precious in proportion to their rarity.