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tended to the length of 17 or 18 inches, or contracted to one-fifth of this length, and can be tapered so as to enter the compass of a finger-ring, whilst it also serves the purpose of a hand in catering for its food.

The remains of ancient Egypt show that its people formed their monuments on a vast scale. There is a sphinx at Gizeh, formed by a human head on a lion's body, made of a single rock, one hundred and fifty feet long and sixty-three feet in height. But the sand has drifted around it, till you see nothing of it but its mutilated head. There are several sphinxes in Egypt, which it is said the ancient inhabitants used to worship, placed at the porches of their heathen temples. The temples and the religion, the rites and the learning of Egypt have passed away and the Mahommedan possesses the land, but these sculptured rocks, though he can mutilate them, defy the power of man and time, and will probably last whilst the world continues.

Africa is not only a country where many curiosities and monuments strike the observation of a foreigner, but she has many birds, beasts, and amphibious monsters which continually present themselves to his view.

The Albatros, the largest of sea-birds, is among the number, measuring from ten to fifteen feet from wing to

wing, and weighing sometimes twenty-five pounds. Such is his strength of wing that he will follow a ship for whole days without resting on the waves. Such is their voracity that they have been known to swallow a salmon of four or five pounds weight. It sometimes will cat so much

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prey as not to be able to defend itself, and can be knocked in the head by sailors.

Frank and I were now in the land of crocodiles, but I have omitted mentioning them because their history is well known. The ancient dread of this formidable reptile has been succeeded by too much contempt. His strength and courage remain unabated; but the inhabitants of Egypt have found out so many inventions to circumvent all his attempts of seizing them for his prey, that they sometimes make as great a frolic of baiting and catching and killing him as we do of hunting a badger or fox; they thrust their arms bound with ox-hides down his throat, they ride on his back, or tear out his eyes. Frank and I were not so venturesome at first, but we finally joined a party with our rifles after one had been hooked and was ready to be hauled to shore. He had webbed feet,

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was about twenty feet long, five or six of which was his formidable tail, and his head and rows of teeth threatened destruction to all who came within their reach. His hide was impenetrable to bullets, and his whole appearance was that of the most terrific monster I had ever beheld. Νο wonder he was the dread of ancient times; for to Frank and myself, secure as we were among the Arabs and Egyptians who knew how to manage him, he so much surpassed all our expectations in his desperate and powerful struggles, that pride alone kept me from dishonorable retreat. He lashed the water into a perfect foam with his terrific tail, drenching us from head to foot with spray, notwithstanding many wounds had been inflicted upon his throat and belly, which were not so impenetrable to our spears, arrows, and rifle bullets as his dark-green back had been. His horrid jaws were furiously opened to a great extent, and as furiously clashed together like the slamming of a door. If pity could be excited by this most ferocious of amphibious reptiles and universal enemy of man and beast, its loud sighs, which could be heard even at the distance of a mile, would seem to call for compassion; but the Arab hunters and sportsmen, whilst they were very careful to keep out of the reach of his desperate struggles and attempts at escape, appeared to enjoy the