, 1861-05-09
The Birds Of the Sea.

The birds that belong to the sen are very curl
Gus, and their numbers beyond all calculation.
"Every naked rock or surEbcnten cliff that rises
over the immcasurabe depths Of ocean is the refuge
Of myriails Of sea-birtls every coast, from the
poles 10 the equator is covered with their legons
ant far from the land their swarms hover over the
sOlitudes Of the deep" The penguins are, per
haps, OF all Birds the birds that most widely dc
part from the ordinary types Of their cnss. Their
wings ere adapted exclusively for motion in the
water, and they swim with such rapidty and per-
severance. with the head alone out Of water, that
they frequently oYertake fishes in fair pursuit
They live at sta. and have been met with a thou-
sand miles from the nearest known land. The
larger birds Of this kind sometimes weigh as much
as eighty pounds. and in their stomachs have been
found ten pounds weight Of pebbles and large
stones swallowed, no doubt, to assist the gizzard
to pound up the food submitted to its action. The
frigatebir the petrol, and the albatross, seem 10
range through the air over the whole extent Of
ocean, from coast to coast, from the Atlantic TO
the Pacific.
The pelican, also. and the cormorant, are far
more nearly dependent on water than land, and
strictly belong to our present subject They are
all birds Of powerful and rapid flight, feeling on
fishes, and rarely seen far inland, though often
stretching to great distances across wide eXpanses
Of sea. Thanks to them we have those accumu-
lated masses of guano which help to fertilize our
lands. Some idea Of the extent of these masses
may be obtained when it is stated that, on the
island Of Iquique alone upwards Of six millions
Of cubic feet Of gunno have been removed within
the last thirty years, while in the year 1854 not
less than half million Of tons were exported from
| the Chincha Islands.
Twas at the close Of glorious summer day
the sun was sinking behind the distant hog.pen-
| the chickens were going to rO0st-the bulLffOgs
were commencing their evening songs-thc polly
wOgs, In their native mud -pudlles, were preparing
themselves for the shades Of highland Sal and
myself sat upon an old antiquated backlog listen
ing to the music Of nature snch as tree-tOads, and
now and then the mellow music Of q jackass, which
was waited to our ears by gentle zcphyrs that
sighed among the mullen stalks, and came heavily
laden with the delicious odor Of hen-roosts and
pigstyes The last rays Of the setting sun, glanc-
ing from the buttons Of solitary hOrseman, shOne
| through a knothole in the hog-pen full In Safs
face dyeing her hair with an orangepeel hue, and
showing OF my threadbare coat 10 advantage.
One Of my arms wus around Sars waist, my hand
| resting on the small Of her back-shc was toying
with my auburn locks Of JET black huc-she was
almost gone and ditto. She looked like a grass
hopper dying with the hiccups, and felt like o
| mad-turtIe chOked with q goldfish ball. "Sal,"
SAYS l, in O voice musical rs the notes Of dying
swan, "will you have met" She turned her eyes
heavcnward, clasped me by the hand and with a
sigh that drew her shoestrings to her palate, said
=" Yer. She gave clean out then squatted in
my laP-I hugged her until broke my sus-
penders.
Col. Dick Nash tells a rich story about axing
for her." In his earliest days he was smtten with
the daughter Of wealthy old skinHint residing in
Alabama.
The Colonel, confident Of success, arraycd him
self in his best suit, and proceeded to call on the
parent for the purp1se of obtaining his consent 10
ihc bargain. Matters had all along gone smoothly,
and Col. Nash had every reason to hope for sue
cess. Finally a convenient season approached for
him to sec the old 'un Addressing that indvid,
Iml, he said: .
esquire my business with you to-day is to ask
for your daughters hand."
"Itis,bit8 WhatI you marry my gal Look
here, young man, leave my premises instanter; and
if you ever set foot here agan, I'll make my mig.
gers skin you. Marry my daughter, indeed
| You"
The Colonel had left. He saw that the old
gentleman was angry. AftGr reaching a satC
place, he turned to take las, fond look a the
home Of his lost idol, when he cspicl her hand
shoveling up his tracks from the yard and thrnw.
ing them over the E'nce Col. Nash imaginCd he
was IN unwelcOme visitor at t'u.t hOuse.
) An Irish woman appJarcl ID lie County Court
of Louisville, rocCnty, 10 he appointed guardian IoT
her child. when the following cnlloqny ensued:
"What estate has y,HIr ohihlg"
~PIase yer honor. don't understand yO'l."
Il say, what has she go,!''
Chiils and iaver Plaze ycr honor"