Jungle, waste land overgrown with | Pro-vid-ed, supplied; furnished. Quail, to sink with fear. Triumph, joy for her success. SOME years ago, a number of English officers in India went out to hunt. On their way home after their day's sport, they found in the jungle* a little tiger kitten, not more than a fortnight old. They took it with them; and when they reached their tent, the little tiger was provided* with a tiny dog-collar and chain, and tied to the tent-pole, round which it played and frisked to the delight of all who saw it. Just as it was growing dark, however, about two hours after the capture, the people in the tent were checked, in the midst of their mirth, by a sound that caused the bravest heart among them to quail.* It was the roar of a tiger! In an instant the little kitten became every inch a tiger, and strained at its chain with all its baby strength, while it replied with a loud wail to the terrible voice outside. The company in the tent were panic-struck,* there was something so sudden and so wild in the roar. Suddenly there leaped into the centre of the tent a huge tigress! Without noticing a single man there, she caught her kitten by the neck. She snapped, by one jerk, the chain which bound it; and, turning to the tent door, dashed off at full speed. One cannot be sorry that not a gun was levelled* at the brave mother as she bore her young one off in triumph.* QUESTIONS.-What has the tigress in the picture got in her mouth? Where has she brought it from? How does it come to have a chain hanging from its neck? Who are these at the door of the tent in the distance? Did they fire at the tigress? Why? What is the use of her great whiskers to the tigress? What other animals have whiskers? USEFUL KNOWLEDGE. COMMON THINGS-Continued from page 34. India-rubber. What is India- | inner bark is uninjured, the outer bark rubber? The sap of a tree that grows grows again. in South America. How is it got from the tree? Holes are made in the bark, through which the sap runs into clay cups or shells placed ready to receive it. What is it like as it comes from the tree? It is white, and hardens in the air. What is done to it afterwards? It is moulded into bottles of a pear shape, and passed through the smoke of a palm-nut fire. For what is it remarkable? It is very light, elastic, and proof against most liquids. What is it used for? For making stoppers of bottles, net-floats, life-buoys, lining of shoes, and many other things. Sponge. What is Sponge? The soft skeleton of a sea-animal. Of what does Sponge consist? Of a great number of tubes, which during the life of the animal are lined with a What is it remarkable for? It is soft flesh, like jelly. water-proof, and very elastic. Why is it called Rubber? Because one of its earliest uses was to rub out pencil-marks. To what other uses is it now put? Coats, shoes, and caps are made of it; as well as combs, trays, and a great many ornaments. Why is it easily manufactured? Because a very slight heat softens it, and then it may be moulded into any shape. Why is it used to cover telegraphcables that pass under the sea? Because it keeps the water out, and because it keeps the electricity in. Cork. Where is it found? Chiefly in the Mediterranean; the finest coming from the Grecian Islands in the Archipelago. How is it obtained? By diving: the natives of these islands are trained to be divers from childhood. Coral. What is Coral? A horny or stony substance, formed by little seainsects on rocks and shoals. Where is it found? In the Mediterranean and the Pacific Ocean. What is it like? It has many stems and branches, and looks like groups of bare trees. What is a Coral-reef? Vast masses of Coral, extending sometimes for hundreds of miles. What islands were originally Coralreef? Many of the South Sea Islands. How is Coral obtained? In the same way as sponge-by diving. Pearl. What is Pearl? A hard, shining substance, found in a shell-fish called the pearl-oyster. Where is the Pearl-oyster found? What is Cork? The outer Plentifully in the seas about the East bark of a kind of oak-tree. Where does it grow? In Spain, France, Italy, and the north of Africa. How is it gathered ? The whole trunk is skinned of its bark once in every eight or ten years; for if the Indies; also in the Persian Gulf, and in several parts of Europe. Glue. How is Glue made? By boiling the parings of hides, and the sinews and hoofs of animals, till they turn into a firm jelly, which hardens as it cools. How is it prepared for use? A pan containing the hard glue and a little water is placed in another pan containing water only; and as the water in the latter heats, the glue melts. What is Gelatine? It is a fine kind of glue, made from the skins of arimals, and used for making sweet jellies. What is Isinglass? It is a still purer kind of glue, used for the same purposes as gelatine, and made from the sounds of certain fishes. Soap. Of what is Soap made? Of For what is Crown-glass used? Chiefly fat or oil boiled with soda, which has for windows. Sealing-wax. What is Sealing-wax made of? Of a resin called shell-lac, mixed with Venice - turpentine, and some colouring matter, as ivory-black or vermilion. What is Shell-lac? It is a crust formed on certain trees in the East Indies by an insect. What is Venice-turpentine? A thick, sticky substance, which oozes from the larch-tree. How is Sealing-wax made? When the materials are mixed, they are rolled into rods on a hot marble slab. Gum-arabic.-What is Gum-arabic? It is a sticky juice, which oozes from the acacia-tree in Arabia, Egypt, &c., and hardens in the air. been mixed with lime. What is White-soap? Soap made with pure white tallow. What is it called when scented, and moulded into cakes? Windsor-soap. Of what is Yellow-soap made? Of resin, and palm-oil instead of tallow. Of what is Soft-soap made? Of whale or seal oil and tallow, mixed with pearlash instead of soda. Whalebone.-From what is Whalebone obtained? From the Greenland whale. Is it made from its bones? No; it is found in its upper jaw. How is it arranged there? In a series of plates or blades, having fringes of coarse fibres. What purpose do these serve? They form a kind of strainer, to separate the food of the whale from the water which carries the food into its mouth. What does the Whale feed on? On very small fishes. Why must it take very small fishes? Because it has a very narrow throat and no teeth. How is Whale-bone manufactured ? It is first softened by boiling; then cut into strips: and when it cools it is harder than it was at first. RED AND BLACK. Con-tra-dict-ed, spoken against; op- | Is a-ware', knows. posed in words. Ig-no-rance, want of knowledge. Sov-er-eign, a gold coin, worth twenty shillings. "HURRAH for the sea-side!" cried Phil; "what fun I shall have with boating and bathing, and digging away in the sand! But the fishing will be the best fun of all; many a jolly red lobster shall I drag out of the sea!" If you "Red lobsters!" cried Bill, with a loud, rude laugh; "you will be clever to catch them! had ever seen a lobster, as I have seen many brought in the fishermen's baskets, you would have known that the creatures, with their strong big claws, are pretty nearly black." "None of your nonsense for me!" cried Phil;— "as if I didn't know the look of a lobster, when my aunt has lobster-salad twenty times in the year!, The shell is as red as a soldier's coat!" "As black as a sweep's!" laughed Bill. Phil was so angry at being thus contradicted,* that he began to look almost as red as a lobster himself. From high words the two boys were almost coming to blows, when, hearing their loud voices, Bill's grandfather drew near. "Hollo! what's the matter?" said he. "Grandfather, are not lobsters black?" cried Bill. "Are they not red?" shouted his friend. "Ah, my lads," said the old man, "how often it is our own ignorance* that makes us believe that no one knows the truth so well as ourselves! Neither |