THE wonderful distribution of animals in various parts of our earth, suited to their habits, as well as to meet the wants and comforts of mankind, beautifully points out to us the wisdom and goodness of God, who is the Maker of all things. The reindeer is very useful to those people who live in cold countries, such as Lapland, and is to them as the horse, cow, and sheep are to us. It draws heavy loads, gives milk, its flesh is nice food, and its skin furnishes warm clothing. Its sinews are used for bow-strings; and of its bones, hoofs, and horns, many useful things are made.

The reindeer is of the stag kind, and is the only species of the kind in which the female has horns as well as the male. This shows

the kindness of Providence; for as the animal, before it obtains its food, has to remove the snow, which it does with its horns, the female therefore would starve if destitute of these useful articles. The shape of the horns is also worthy of notice; in all other animals of the stag kind the horns are pointed, but in this they are broad and flat, like a shovel, thus enabling them to clear away the snow, often to a great depth, to get at their food beneath, which is a kind of moss.

Another wise provision is the form of the feet. If you look at the feet of the stag or deer of this country, you will find them to be small and rather pointed,-a bad-formed foot for walking on snow, as the weight of the body would force it deeply in. Instead of this, the reindeer has a broad and very wide foot, which prevents it sinking deep as it walks.

Some few years since, a reindeer, yoked to a sledge, (a kind of carriage used in Lapland,) was to be seen in England. It was about the size of the larger kind of deer of this country, or about three feet and a half high. The harness, made of the skin of one of its kind, was simple, merely forming a collar for the neck, to which was fastened a leathern strap, passing between the fore and hind legs of the animal, and made fast to the sledge. The sledge itself was strongly formed of wood, something in the shape of a small boat, except that the bottom was broad, with two ridges to keep it from turning over. It was

made to hold but one person, who used a short stick to steady it as it proceeded. In this way Laplanders can travel thirty and forty miles in a day. They are very much attached to their reindeer, and call them by name. If a number of them be feeding together, the owner has only to blow his horn, and his own will come running towards him.

Thus we see the goodness of God to the Laplander, in providing for him such a useful animal, without which, in such a cold icy country, it would be very difficult for him to exist.

THE KINGS OF ENGLAND.

STEPHEN, REIGNED 1135.

KING HENRY's demise was no sooner made known,

Than Stephen contrived to step into the throne; By arts and bribes he the clergy secured,

And by popular actions the people allured: And though, for a time, through Matilda's suc

cess,

He felt as a captive the deepest distressYet fortune once more placed the crown on his brow,

And there it continued till death laid him low.

MORAL.

In the lot of this monarch, the humble may see, That from troubles and changes the great are not free!

WHAT a strange looking creature this is! Its head is large, its body very, very large, and its legs short and thick. It has a horn upon its nose, with which it is able to defend itself when attacked by the elephant or tiger. The skin of this animal is very thick and tough, so that the claws of the lion or tiger cannot hurt it. A little boy once, looking at the picture of this rhinoceros, and observing the curious folds or wrinkles in the skin, said to his teacher, Please, teacher, it looks as though it had on a short jacket, long waistcoat, and trousers without legs to them." The skin is quite free from hair; but being thick, and the animal living in warm countries, such as India and Africa, hair is not needed to keep it warm.

It is quite evident that God has not given anything to his creatures which is useless, nor has he kept back anything they require. The JUNE, 1852.

F

folds in its skin are for this reason :-As the skin is so very thick, the animal would walk very stiffly and awkwardly; but these folds act like soft hinges, and enable it to turn about much quicker than it could without them.

We also may see much of the wisdom of God as displayed in its form. The neck being very short and thick, it can bear the weight of its heavy head; and but for the contrivance already named, it would not be able to gather the thick grass and thistles upon which it feeds. Such would have been the elephant's case, but God gave that animal a trunk, with which it gathers its food. To the rhinoceros, God has given a long upper lip, which is so pliable that the animal can move it from side to side, twist it round a stick, collect its food, and convey it to its mouth.

The length of the rhinoceros is about twelve feet, from the top of the muzzle to the tip of the tail, and the body is nearly as much round it. Its colour is a deep slate or blackish. Each of its feet has three large and distinct toes. Its senses of smelling and hearing are very acute. It loves moist and marshy places, and seldom travels far from the banks of rivers. It is supposed to be the reem or unicorn alluded to in the Scriptures.-See Job xxxix. 25, 10, 11.

BITTER WATERS.

AN Arab chief rode with me to the Dead Sea. Our horses were tired and thirsty, after a long