menced its meal. A party, armed with muskets, was then despatched from the ship to kill it, but on the approach of the boat it retreated to the water with the fish in its mouth. From this I am inclined to think that the crocodile cannot devour its

prey in the water." In crossing another river one of Park's attendants nearly fell a victim to the ferocity of one of these animals. He was driving six asses across the Ba-Woolima, when, just as he had reached the middle, a crocodile rose close to him, seized him by the left thigh, and pulled him under water. With wonderful presence of mind Isaaco thrust his finger into the animal's eye. The pain forced it to quit its hold; but, quickly recovering, it returned to the charge, and seizing him by the other thigh, again dragged him below the water. Isaaco a second time thrust his finger into the animal's eye with such force, that it quitted him, rose to the surface, floundered about as if stupid, and then swam down the stream. Isaaco in the meantime reached the bank of the river, bleeding very much; the wound in his left thigh being four inches long, that on the right somewhat less, but very deep, besides several teeth-marks on

his back. In six days, however, he so far recovered as to be able to resume his journey.

After what has been already said as to the identity of leviathan with the crocodile, it is unnecessary to enter into a lengthened analysis of Job's very striking and impressive description of its powers. It may be sufficient just to point out one or two passages, which bear so directly on the point, as to leave little room for controversy. After enumerating several of the peculiarities of this formidable creature, the sacred writer asks, "Shall the companions make a banquet of him? Shall they part him among the merchants? Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons, or his head with fish-spears?" To all these various inquiries, supposing the whale is the animal referred to, an answer might be given in the affirmative. His skin is soft and yielding, and is daily "filled" with the barbed harpoon of the adventurous whaler; the flesh is said to be palatable to Europeans, and forms a considerable part of the provisions of the inhabitants of Greenland; and other parts of his huge carcase are daily "parted among the merchants." The skin of the crocodile, on the con

trary, is covered with scales, so strong and firmly compacted as to resist even a musket-ball; so that "the sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold; the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee: sling-stones are with him turned into stubble; he laugheth at the shaking of a spear."-" In this glowing description," says Bochart, "it is plainly the design of the Almighty to show that the skin of the crocodile is impenetrable to these offensive weapons, and also that, regardless of danger, he scorns the wounds they inflict, and with fearless impetuosity seizes on his prey.. .. On his armour of proof the edge of the sword is blunted and its point is broken; the spear falls harmless to the ground, and the dart rebounds from his impenetrable covering. But the habergeon, the coat of mail which the combatant puts on for his own defence, shall not save him from the devouring jaws of the monster; for he esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood, which yield to the slightest touch, and crumble into dust before the smallest force. A shower of arrows makes no impression upon

him, and the blow of a stone slung by the most powerful hand is no more to him than the stroke of a feather or bit of stubble. Nor do the more dangerous weapons which the warrior hurls from his military engines depress his courage or interrupt his assault, for he laughs at the shaking of a spear, he regards it not when in token of defiance it is brandished before him."

In other parts of Scripture we find the "great dragon," or leviathan, frequently used as the symbol to represent the king of Egypt. Thus in Isaiah (xxvii. 1) he is called "the piercing serpent." The prophet Ezekiel expressly calls Pharaoh “the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers" (xxix. 3). And in allusion to the destruction of the Egyptian host in the Red Sea, the Psalmist says, "Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters: thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness" (Psalm lxxiv. 13, 14). "But why," it has been asked, “should Pharaoh and his people be compared so frequently, and with so much emphasis, to the great

dragon or leviathan, but because some remarkable, some terrible creature infests the valley to which that name properly applies? But no formidable beast of prey, except the crocodile, distinguishes Egypt from the surrounding regions; and since this creature is universally allowed to be extremely strong, cruel, and destructive, we must conclude it to be the leviathan of the inspired writers."

THE WILD BOAR

Is very generally diffused throughout the temperate and warmer parts of Europe and Asia. It is also to be found in Syria and the northern parts of Africa. It formerly inhabited the British forests, but is now altogether extirpated. In Asia, it ranges from Syria to the borders of Lake Baikal; and in Africa, it extends over nearly the whole continent. In colour, the wild boar is of a brindled or dark grey, inclining to black, and he is smaller than the domestic race. His jaws are supplied with formidable tusks, sometimes nearly a foot in length; those in the upper projecting