tion under our roof. To my surprise, was done; they dived, and wheeled, and however, they soon began to build in the balanced, and floated in a manner perfectly crotch of a beam over the open door-way. | beautiful to behold. The pupils were I was delighted, and spent more time evidently much excited. They jumped on watching, than "penny-wise' people would the edge of the nest, and twittered, and have approved. It was, in fact, a beauti shook their feathers and waved their wings, ful little drama of domestic love. The and then hopped back again, saying, 'It's mother bird was so busy, and so impor. pretty sport, but we can't do it.' Three tant ; and her mate was so attentive ! times the neighbours came and repeated Never did any newly-married couple take their graceful lesson. The third time, more satisfaction with their first nicely two of the young birds gave a sudden arranged drawer of baby clothes, than plunge downward, and then fluttered and they did in fashioning their little woven | hopped till they lighted on a small upcradle.

right log. And oh, such praises as were “The father bird scarcely ever left the warbled by the whole troop! The air was side of the nest. There he was all day filled with their joy! Some were fiying long, twittering in tones that were most around, swift as a ray of light; others obviously the outpourings of love. Some were perched on the hoe handle, and the times he would bring in a straw, or hair, teeth of the rake ; multitudes clung to the to be interwoven in the precious little wall, after the fashion of their pretty kind, fabric. One day, my attention was ar and two were swinging in most graceful rested by a very unusual twittering, and I style, on a pendent hoop. Never, while saw him circling round, with a large memory lasts, shall I forget the swallow downy feather in his bill. He bent over party." the unfinished nest, and offered it to his Great stories are told about the nestmate with the most graceful and loving building of the orchard starling. Wilson, air imaginable ; and when she put up her who all must admit, is pretty good authomouth to take it, he poured forth such a rity in matters of this kind, gives a very gush of gladsome sound! It seemed as particular account of the way in which the if pride and affection had swelled his heart nest is put together. He says the bird till it was almost too big for his little commonly hangs its nest from the twigs bosom!

of an apple-tree. The outside is made o. " When the young became old enough a particular kind of long, tough grass, to fly, anybody would have laughed to that will bend without breaking; and this watch the manæuvres of the parents ! grass is knit or sewed through and through Such a chirping and twittering! Such in a thousand directions, just as if done diving down from the nest, and flying up with a needle. The little creature does it again! Such wheeling round in circles, with its feet and bill. Mr. Wilson says talking to the young ones all the while that he one day showed one of these nests Such clinging to the sides of the shed to an old lady, and she was so much struck with their sharp claws, to show the timid with the work, that she asked him, half in little fledglings that there was no fear of earnest, if he did not think that these falling! For three days all this was birds could be taught to darn stockings ? carried on with increasing activity. It Mr. Wilson took the pains, too, to draw was obviously an infant flying school. out one of these grass threads, and found But all their talking and fussing was of that it measured thirteen inches, and in no avail. The little things looked down, that distance the bird who used it had then looked up, but alarmed at the infinity passed it in and out thirty-four times. J. C. of space, sunk down into the nest again. ! At length, the parents grew impatient, and summoned their neighbours. As I | MARRIAGE should be considered as the was picking up chips one day, I found most solemn league of perpetual friendmy head encircled by a swarm of swallows. ship; a state from which artifice and conThey flew up to the nest, and jabbered cealment are to be banished for ever; and away to the young ones: they clung to the in which every act of dissimulation is a walls, looking back to tell how the thing breach of faith. Johnson.

and taste than have usually been adopted ON ALMANACKS.

in these performances. It shows that the Had we the optical power of penetrat- | compiler" has had a loftier end in view ing the brick walls of the offices of many of than the mere notation of dates with a the public prints, we should at the present fact or two culled from the obituaries of hour be gratified with a sight of innumer- by-gone ages. The comic chronology, able pens all busy compiling dates, con- although not new in idea, is certainly cocting paragraphs, and inventing jokes, original in design and execution. As woodto be embodied in that most wonderful of cut historical and philosophical repreall modern compendiums, an Almanack. sentations of humour they are excellent ; Since the days of blood-and - thunder and, perhaps, one of the happiest amongst prophesying Moore, these productions them is that of Canute, after listening have been popular, but they have now to his flatterers, bathing his feet, and assumed a character so very different from supping a basonful of gruel. The picwhat appeared in his performance, that torial enigmas, too, are another feature they really take a very prominent place in we think calculated in a high degree to the annals of the day, and form no mean enhance the value of this performance, vehicles of information and amusement. as they serve to stimulate the ingenuity of The labours of this and the next month youth, and afford amusement of the most will usher into the world Almanacks of innocent and rational kind to numbers of every description, from the humble penny the younger branches of the family circle. worth up to the morrocco bound five On the whole, this is one of the cheapest, shilling's worth,-every one rivalling its neatest and best got-up Almanacks we have neighbour in point of excellence, and ever seen. The outlay upon it must have been teeming with knowledge as various as it is enormous ; for we see it is, over and above interesting, practical and useful. We our- what we have enumerated, accompanied selves have some of these before us at with a double quarto engraving of the this moment, all different in their degrees Costumes and Flags of Nations; the cosof knowledge, their arrangements, their tumes and heraldry of the English and typography, and their form. The best of Welsh counties, ar them in our estimation is The Home peerage of Scotland and Ireland. The COMPANION ALMANACK published by cost of this engraving alone must have John Bennett, 69, Fleet-street; a truly been great, as it is not only well done, wonderful issue, - redolent of humour, but in a high degree interesting as a rich in innocent sportiveness, accurate in documenta erence. We venture to knowledge, and adorned with a profusion predict, not in the Moore or Murphy of comic and serious wood-cut Illustra- styles,—the superiority of this pennytions. The title-page itself is an epitome worth over all its forthcoming compeers, of the fun, frolic and feeling of human not only in point of embellishment, but life. It is the pictorial embodiment of a in every feature that appertains to the whole ageful of human nature, from the general excellence of such productions ; sports and pastimes of girlhood and boy- and if the adage, which says, “ Laughing hood up to the more serious occupations ! makes one fat," be true, we would advise of the prime of manhood and down to the all the lean people who desire to get into lean and slippered pantaloon. We have a fuller habit, to purchase this Almanack, held our sides over it in our elbow-chair, as there is, in addition to all its valuable and give the designer hearty thanks for matter, as much wit and humour in its his ingenuity. The idea of the Angel of pages, as will cause the most saturnine Good spearing Vice, as represented in a countenance to relax its monotony toad and a couple of snakes, is exceed- and assume the radiance of joy, almost ingly happy, and merits a greater amount in spite of itself. of commendation than we can wait to bestow upon it.

| COURTSHIP consists in a number of The introduction of pictorial charades, quiet attentions, not so pointed as to into a production of this kind too, is a alarm, nor so vague as not to be undernew feature, and evidences a higher aim | stood.-Stern'.

the

DOMESTIC RECEIPTS.

and stir the water in which it was soaked, into a

quart of milk, which should be in a broad dish. Cold Custards.-Mix together the milk, cream, Set the milk in a warm place, till it becomes a and sugar. Stir the wine into it, and pour the

firm curd. As soon as the curd is completely mixture into your custard-cups. Set them in a made, set it in a cool place (if in summer) for two warm place near the fire, till they become a firm | or three hours before you want to use it. Eat it curd. Then set them in a very cold place. Grate with wine, sugar, and nutmeg. The whey, nutmeg over them.

drained from the curd, is an excellent drink for Jenny Lind's Pudding.-Grate the crumb of invalids. When perfectly well made, it always half a loaf, butter a dish well and lay in a thick looks greenish, layer of the crumbs; pare 10 or 12 apples, cut them

Milk Biscuits.-- A quarter of a pound of butter, down, and put a layer of them and sugar; then

one quart of milk, one gill of yeast, as much crumbs alternately, until the dish is full, put a

flour as will form the dough, and a little salt. bit of butter on the top, and bake it in an oven,

Stir flour into the milk so as to form a very thick or American despatch.-An excellent and econo

batter, and add the yeast; this is called a sponge. mical pudding for this season.-M. C. S.

This should be done in the evening; in the Jaunemange.-Take 2 oz. isinglass, dissolve in morning cut up the butter, and set it near the 1 pint of boiling water, add to it 1 pint of sherry fire where it will dissolve, but not get hot; pour wine, the juice of 3 lemons, and rind of one; the melted butter into the sponge, then stir in sweeten this to your taste, then add the yolks of enough flour to form a dough, knead it well and 8 eggs well beaten,--put it on the fire, let it sim stand it away to rise. As soon as it is perfectly iner, but not boil, --strain it into your mould. | light, butter your tins, make out the dough in N.B. The best way to dissolve isinglass is to put small cakes, and let them rise. When they are it into a basin, and just cover it with water, and light, bake them in a very quick oven, take them place it in a saucepan of water over the fire, out, wash the tops over with water, and send there is then no fear of its sticking or burning. them to the table hot.-H. DAVIS. Tested by E. H., Clifton.

General Directions for making Sweetmeats and Polka Pudding.-Mix 4 tablespoonfuls of arrow-| Jellies.-In preparing sugar for sweetmeats, les root in a pint of cold milk. Beat 4 eggs well, add it be entirely dissolved before you put it on the them, 3 oz. fresh butter, cut in small bits; a des fire. If you dissolve it in water, allow about half sert-spoonful of rose-water; a few drops of essence

a pint of water to a pound of sugar. If you of lemon, or ratafia, and a teacupful of sugar.

boil the sugar before you add the fruit to it, it Boil 2 pints of milk in a saucepan; when boiling will be improved in clearness by passing if stir in the other ingredients, without taking the through a flannel bag. Skim off the brown scum pan off the fire, let it boil till thick, then pour all the time it is boiling. If sweetmeats are into a mould to cool. Turn it out and serve it

boiled too long, they lose their flavour and be cold.-"Frequently tried, and always approved

come of a dark colour. If boiled too short a time of."-M.C. S.

they will not keep well. You may ascertain when Apple Bread.-A very light pleasant bread is jelly is done, by dropping a small spoonful inta made in France by a mixture of apples and flour, | a glass of water. If it spreads and mixes with in the proportion of one of the former to two of the water, it requires more boiling. If it sinks in the latter. The usual quantity of yeast is em a lump to the bottom, it is sufficiently done. This ployed as in making common bread, and is beat | trial must be made after the jelly is cold. Raspwith flour and warm pulp of the apples after they | berry jelly requires more boiling than any other have boiled, and the dough is then considered as sort. Black currant jelly less. Keep your sweete set: it is then put in a proper vessel, and allowed meats in glass jars. to rise for eight or twelve hours, and then baked

To Boil Rice.--Very few persons know how to in long loaves. Very little water is requisite;

| boil rice properly. It is usually so boiled as to none, generally, if the apples are very fresh. become a heavy dough, so tenacious and solid as J. S., Taunton.

to be almost impenetrable to the digestive fluids Kisses, or Cream Cake.-The whites of three

| secreted by the mouth and the stomach, which eggs, one drop of essence of lemon, as much I are necessary to dissolve it and to effect its diges powdered sugar as will thicken the eggs. tion and distribution, as innocent nourishing Whisk the whites to a dry froth, then add the food. It should be so cooked that the grains powdered sugar a teaspoonful at a time, till the

shall remain separate and distinct, but not hard, egg is as thick as very thick batter. Wet a sheet and the whole be in some degree loose and of white paper, place it on a tin, and drop the porous. A friend of mine, long subject to egg and sugar on it in lumps about the shape and dyspeptic complaints, and therefore well versed size of a walnut. Set them in a cool oven, and

in the science of food and cookery suitable to his as soon as the sugar is hardened, take them out; necessities, dictated to me the following recipe with a broad - bladed knife, take them off the for dressing rice properly, and in the way he has paper, place the flat parts of two together, put | long been in the habit of preparing it for his own them on a sieve in a very cool oven to dry. "I use :-"To boil rice.-Soak it for seven hours in send the above receipt, which I have tried with cold water and salt (that is, I suppose, in con success."--M. D. H.

salted water). Have a stewpan ready, contala Curds and Whey.-Take a small piece of rennet, boiling water, into which put the soaked rice, about two inches square. Wash it very clean in 1 and boil it briskly for ten minutes. Then pour cold water, to get all the salt off, and wipe it dry. I it into a cullender, set it by the fire awhile, ang Put it in a teacup, and pour on it just enough of serve it up. The grains will be separate, ang lukewarm water to cover it. Let it set all night, will be very large." – Recommended by MARI or for several hours. Then take out the rennet, | Evans.

ALL