other persons who, but for his aid, would have perished in the snow.

Many wonderful things likewise exist in the changes which are effected in the higher animals by domestication. Great are the marvels, though none but curious or interested eyes observe them, which the Divine beneficence has ordained to be worked on the forms and habits and values of the finest birds and quadrupeds by the instrumentality of the moulding hand of man. The most luscious and various apples of the orchard do not differ more from the sour crabs of the forest than the many improved domestic breeds of sheep and oxen and horses differ from even the best of wild cattle. There are curious things, too, in the habits of animals which have been turned loose from a domesticated state into the forest, and especially in the habits of vast wild flocks of their descendants. But we must pass by all these matters, and many others, in order to leave space for a few paragraphs on the external economy of animals, in their relations to the weather, their migrations, their hybernations, and their gregariousness.

Many animals, through the influence upon them of temperature, humidity, and electricity, are strongly affected by vicissitudes in the atmosphere. Hence have men, in all ages, made observations on certain acts of animals as a very sure and instructive kind of weather prognostics. A summary view of the chief of these in Britain we have given as follows, in the article Weather, in the Rural Cyclopædia:

"When rain is approaching, horses and cattle snuff the air, and congregate in corners of fields with their heads to leeward, or seek shelter in sheds,-oxen lick

their forefeet, sheep reluctantly leave their pastures, -goats seek sheltered spots,-asses frequently bray and shake their ears,-dogs are apt to become very sleepy and dull, and to lie all day before the fire, showing a reluctance to all kinds of food except grass,-cats turn their backs to the fire, and wash their faces,— pigs cover themselves more than usually in litter,―rats and mice are more than usually restless, and forsake the fields and ditches,-cocks crow at unusual hours, and often flap their wings,-hens chuckle,-ducks and geese are unusually clamorous, and fly backwards and forwards, and frequently plunge into water,-pigeons wash themselves, and return slowly to their houses,peacocks squall loudly from trees, the guinea-fowl makes a constant grating clamour,-sparrows chirp loudly and clamorously, and assemble in crowds on the ground or in the hedge,-swallows fly low, and skim their wings in water,-the carrion-crow croaks solitarily, and is late in roosting,-water wild-fowl oftener than usual dip and wash,-moles are busier than usual in throwing up their hills,-frogs croak more than usual, and toads issue from their retreats in great numbers,-bats begin to squeak and enter houses, the singing-birds take shelter, the robin approaches very near the dwellings of man,-tame swans fly against the wind,-bees cautiously leave their hives, and fly but short distances,-ants are busily engaged in carrying their eggs,-flies severely sting, and become troublesome,-numerous earthworms crawl about on the surface of the ground,— the larger sort of snails appear,-and all sorts of insects are more than usually stirring.

"When fair or fine weather is approaching, or may

be expected to continue, cattle lie in the open field or in the courts instead of the sheds,-sheep lie on the brow of a knoll during the night,-pigs lie down for the night on the top of their litter,-peacocks roost on the tops of houses,-the raven sails round and round high up in the air,-singing-birds carol till late in the evening, the corn-crake utters his peculiar cry among corn or grass, the partridge calls in the evening to his mate,-kites hover high in the air,-larks rise high and sing long,-redbreasts sing loud in the open air, small flies flock together in great numbers about the beams of the sun a little before it sets,— snipes boom in the air during the evening, gnats form a vortex in the shape of a column,-spiders' webs are on the ground or float in the air,-bats fly more numerously than usual, and early in the evening, and glow-worms appear in unusual numbers.

"When high winds are approaching, cattle frisk and jump and toss their heads,-sheep frisk and leap and box one another in sport,-hogs squeal, and carry straw in their mouth,-cats scratch trees or posts,geese expand or flap their wings, and seem as if trying to fly, pigeons, in flying, smartly clap their wings behind their back,-crows make somersets in the air, and at the same time are unusually noisy,— magpies assemble in small flocks, and utter a chattering noise, and swallows fly in the leeward side of trees. And when a storm or tempest is approaching, porpoises come in great numbers near the shore,— sea-gulls come in flocks on the land, and make a noise upon the sea-board, and the merle-thrush, popularly called the storm-cock, sings loud and long."

Many beasts and birds have variations of dress