in less than nine days, young cubs are as active as their mothers. This employment of sealhunting is very dangerous; if the torches should accidentally be extinguished, or if a wind should suddenly set into the cavern from the seaward, destruction would be inevitable.

THE TURTLE.

THIS animal, the shell of which Captain Bligh found upon several of the shores he visited in his wonderful voyage, though he was so unfortunate as not to find any of its flesh, is very plentiful in all the seas of the warmer climates. It is covered above with a very strong shell, which is sometimes able to bear almost the weight of a cart. This creature grows to a very large size, being often 480 pounds in weight. It has four short feet, upon which it moves very slowly while on land, but it can swim very well at sea. It is so strong, though so unwieldly in its motions, as to carry 600 pounds, or as many men loaded as can stand upon its back. It propagates its kinds by eggs, of which it lays not less than 1000; this amazing number it deposits in the sand, with which it carefully covers them; then leaves. them to the genial heat of the sun during the

day, while at night it sits upon them and hatches them itself, When the young are sufficiently strong they break the shells and run towards the sea. These eggs are good food, but the flesh of the animal surpasses them: this is of a delicious flavour, wholesome, and exceedingly nutritive. The seamen find nothing which contributes more to relieve them from the effects of the salt diet to which they must resort in long voyages: while the epicures of all wealthy cities find them the most luxurious dainty.

It is not therefore surprising that they should be sought after wherever they are to be found, with great avidity, and that various modes of catching them should have been discovered. Sometimes they are seen basking in the heat upon the surface of the sea; when they are thus observed, a man approaches quietly, sa as not to disturb their slumbers, dives underneath them, and thus takes them by surprise. But the lightest noise rouses them, when they instantly plunge to the bottom. Another mode is adopted when the animal is seen floating; a man coming as near as he can in a boat, strikes it with a harpoon or barbed dart, to which a line is attached; it then sinks, but is shortly forced to return, and is thus taken in a manner some. thing similar to that pursued in whale fishing, as we have already described it.

But the most successful mode of all is that of

American seamen: They go to those shores of which the turtle is known to be fond, and lie in wait on the beach near the edge of the water, until the turtle thinks of returning to the sea very early in the morning before sunrise: as many as they can lay hold of, they turn upon the back and so leave them until all have been so treated. The creature is so helpless that it must continue in this position even to death, for its legs are so short as not to enable it to resume its natural attitude. It may be kept alive a long time, until it be required for use, and some have become tame, and even domestic.

There have been instances of their living in this condition for many years: one in particular has been recorded as living upwards of thirty, during a great part of which time it was asleep. Every day it had retired to rest by four oclock in the afternoon, and did not make its appearance until late in the forenoon. In the winter it burrowed a hole in the garden, where it concealed itself from the beginning of November to the latter end of April. At its coming out of this hole in spring, it ate very little, its appetite became stronger towards the middle of summer, it then became again indifferent of food, and retired as we have just said

H

at the near approach of cold weather. Though apparently very stupid, nay almost insensible of what passed around it, still it could distinguish the persons of the family, and was even attached with marks of affection to the lady who had fed it for so many years.

THE CUTTLE FISH.

THIS curious animal is of a great many kinds, and is found in almost all climates; but in the Indian seas it seems to find the most favourable residence, for there it grows to an enormous size. Indeed the stories which are told of its dimensions, and which are implicitly believed by the Indian seamen and fishermen, are almost incredible. But first we ought to give an idea of its form: it has a body in the centre, from which there branch out no less shan six or eight arms, with two long feeders. Its mouth is in the middle of the body at the center of its arms and feelers, with a beak hooked like a parrot's. To this mouth, it conveys its food by means of the claws, and these claws also fasten it to any fixed substance when it, wishes to be at rest.Its food consists of sprats, lobsters, and other shell fish, upon which it can lay hold. Its motions are very slow, and it would find great

difficulty in escaping from its numerous enemies, if it were not for a very extraordinary liquor with which it has been furnished by nature, partly for this purpose. The liquor we speak

of is black in its colour like ink, and if we may judge from its effects upon other sea animals, of a disagreeable taste to them. When the cuttle fish is pursued by the sea wolf, and finds itself in danger of being caught, it squirts out, a quantity of this liquor, which instantly stains or dies all the water about it, and thus enables it to get off, as it were in darkness, So strangely has Providence furnished every class of beings, even those apparently most defenceless, with the means of escape, if not of defence.

This liquor has been known from the remotestages, and has been applied to various uses : when mixed with other matters it has proved a good dye, and it has been used as ink for writing and printing. When the animal is taken, it emits a great deal of this juice, and makes a noise like a hog. In this creature, we find a remarkable instance of conjugal affection; the union of the male and female, when once formed, is during life, and in defence of the female and the young, the male will expose itself with great boldness to considerable danger; if he' should be taken, they immediately fly with