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awake, but on the ap-
proach of night they
become exceedingly
restless and try to
escape. They do not
gnaw the wire of
their cage, but if it
were in the woods it
would soon yield to
their sharp teeth. Its
habits are similar to
animals which spend
part of their time un-
derground, and only
come out by night to
seek their food. It
does not, as Bruce
and other naturalists
have thought, live
upon great trees, the
palm, the date, and
other gigantic mono-
cotyledons of the Af-
rican forests; it does
not there construct
its nest, but it may
climb them to seek
the fruit it loves, or
more likely to catch
the little birds, of
which it is very fond.
In the museum it is
fed with fresh and
tender flesh and very
small rats and birds.
The Guepard, or
Indian Hunting-tiger,
belongs to the numer-
ous and varied feline
race, into which it
comes to claim a place
beside the tiger, the
lion, the leopard, the
jaguar, and the pan-
ther. An interesting
family! The gue-
pard is distinguished
from each of these by
well-defined charac-
teristics, which the
sight of the living
creature presents at
once to the eye. The
nails are feeble, sharp
at the point, and re-
tractile; it is evi-
dent that they are
much better suited

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THE ZERDA OF SENNAAR.

for the chase than for holding or tearing prey, and in these respects the animal much more resembles a dog than a cat. The toes are longer than in the true cats, and the foot is oval in front instead of being round, as with the latter. The character of the dentition resembles that of the hyena. On the other hand, the tail, longer than that of the other great felines, the more slender figure, the straighter vertebral column, the longer legs, the shorter, smaller, and rounder head, sufficiently distinguish the guepard from the other species of its congeners; and, finally, the shoulder-blade

is evidently, from its peculiar form, that of an animal destined for the chase.

The guepard is less wild, less ferocious than the other great felines, and he can be more readily tamed. He then becomes attached to his master, answers to his call, follows him, caresses him, permits himself to be trained by him, and shows as much intelligence as gentleness. The museum at Paris has already, at different times, possessed live animals of this species. One of them from Senegal became so familiar that he was set at liberty in a park, from which he never undertook to escape.

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IIe obeyed the keeper of the menagerie, and became much attached to the dogs, with whom he would play all day without seeking to do them any harm.

One day he recognized among the curious visitors of the menagerie a little negro, who had made the voyage from Senegal in the same vessel with himself, and he caressed him as tenderly as a dog caresses his master whom he meets again after a long absence.

The guepard is celebrated as having been for a long time employed in the chase

in the southern countries of Asia, under the name of hunting-tiger, which has been given him by the Indians. In these warm climates hunting dogs are rare, which is partly owing to the pitiless and cruel war continually made upon them by the leopards and panthers; besides, it is remarkable that there they do not long retain their voice, their smell, nor, consequently, their hunting instincts.

The guepard replaces them to a certain degree; not that this animal has the scent of the dog; it does not use this sense in

the chase, it only follows by sight, and bounds upon its prey; it leaps so lightly that it easily clears a ditch or a wall of several feet at a bound.

Guepard hunts have often been described by hunters and naturalists. It is principally at Surat, in Malabar, and in Persia that the animal is trained to this exercise. The hunters are usually on horseback, and carry the guepard behind them on the crupper. Sometimes they have several, and then they are placed on a crupper made expressly for that purpose. In both cases the animal is chained and blindfolded. The hunters set out thus, and scour the country trying to discover the gazelles in the wild valleys where they have to pas

ture.

As soon as they perceive one they let loose the guepard, and point out the game to him with the finger. The guepard jumps down, he glides carefully behind the bushes, he creeps under the tall herbs, he approaches sidewise and noiselessly, always keeping behind knolls, rocks, and other objects, stopping suddenly when afraid of being seen, and crouching very low, then renewing his slow and insidious approach. Finally, when he considers himself near enough, he calculates his distance, springs out suddenly, and in five or six prodigious leaps of incredible agility he reaches, seizes, and strangles his victim.

In some parts of Hindostan this hunting is such a lively pastime to the rich that a well-trained guepard, which has the reputation of seldom missing its prey, brings an exorbitant price.

of the tail. The long rough hairs behind the head and along the back form a sort of mane. This individual is from Africa, but it is known to be of the same species as those used in India.

GARDEN NOVELTIES.

ERE are two curiosities of the pea

of every lover of a garden. The first is a pretty ornament of very curious growth, the second a valuable addition to our list of esculents, the history of which is truly wonderful.

The Winged Pea is known to botanists as Tetragonolobus purpureus; it is an annual of low, shrubby habit, does not require sticking or training, and is destitute of tendrils. It is very hardy, and may be sown at any time from March to May. In its early stages of growth it is of a pleasant glaucous green; but as soon as its season of blooming arrives it becomes literally covered with butterfly blossoms of the richest tints of crimson and maroon, | the wings having a soft velvety look, similar to the petals of a well-grown pansy. It continues to bloom profusely for about four months; and if the pods are removed as fast as they appear, it will continue gay till the frost of autumn cuts it off. But to remove the pods would be to sacrifice one of its most interesting features, for these, unlike other peas, are winged; that is, each pod has four membranous fringes extending its whole length, and though the pericarp is tubular in shape, the wings give the seed-vessel, while it remains

We grew a large patch of this last summer, and it was admired by all who saw it for its gay profusion of richly-colored flowers, no less than for its very curiouslyformed seed-vessel.

In Persia the hunting is done in a similar manner, only the hunter with the gue-green, the appearance of being four-sided. pard on his crupper waylays the game. The Emperor Leopold I. had two guepards, as well trained as dogs. When they went on a hunt one of these animals leaped upon the crupper behind him, the other behind one of his courtiers. As soon as any kind of game came in sight both of them leaped down, surprised and strangled it, and returned to their places quietly and without being called.

The specimen now in the menagerie at Paris is about the size of a small mastiff, three and a half feet long, exclusive of the tail, and about two feet high. Its fur is a clear russet above and whitish beneath, with small, well-defined black spots sprinkled upon the tawny part. Alternate rings of black and white encircle the lower half

It thrives in any ordinary soil, but prefers a generous depth of well-manured loam; like other peas, a moist climate brings it to greatest perfection. It should be sown in a four-inch trench drawn with a hoe, the seeds at least four inches apart alternately, thus, As it gets

above the trench, the earth should be drawn to its stems, and the trench filled up by degrees. It has some characteristics which seem favorable to its use as a bedding plant; but as we have never used it in masses we cannot speak positively on that

head.

As a border ornament and curiosity it deserves to be better known.

The Egyptian Pea is an instance of vegetable resurrection, or at least resuscitation. It is a fragment of the old life of Egypt, a true type of the luxurious fertility of the classic country of the Nile, and unquestionably the most truly historical of any esculent we possess. The circumstances that led to the discovery of this companion of mummies and inhabitants of pyramids are in themselves as interesting as the plant itself is distinct from every known

member of its

useful family.

During the ex

plorations of

Egypt by Sir

Gardiner Wil

kinson, a vase

was found in a mummy pit, the age of which was computed at about three thousand years. This vase, hermetically sealed, was presented to the British Museum. Mr. Pettigrew, the librarian to the late Duke of Sussex, proceeded to open the vase to ascertain its contents, and in so doing unfortunately broke it in pieces. The interior contained a

subjected them to heat and moisture, and after thirty days one miserable plant appeared above ground. By patient care and ingenious culture this plant was brought to produce nineteen pods, which were ripened and planted the next year; and this was the foundation of the stock which is just beginning to be known as the Egyptian Pea.

Botanists were as much delighted as antiquarians at the success of the experiment; for it gave them a new variety of

THE WINGED PEA.

mass of dust, and a few grains of wheat and vetches, and on examining further some peas were found, entirely shriveled, of a resin-yellow color, and as hard as stone. It was known that mummy wheat had been resuscitated after an interment of five thousand years; and it was determined that the first peas ever found in a mummy vase should be subjected to the experiment of revival. Mr. Pettigrew accordingly distributed among his learned friends these desiccated peas, reserving three for himself as mere curiosities. Those who tried to grow the peas failed, and no more was thought about them till the remaining three were given to Mr. Grimstone, of Highgate. Mr. Grimstone tried his hand at them,

the greatest value and most distinct character. Its blossom is unlike every other pea; it more nearly resembles a bell than the wings of a butterfly, and is veined with green lines on a white ground. The blossoms break at every joint in clusters of two, four, and eight, and are succeeded by pods that protrude erookedly through them, each pod containing from five to ten peas, which, when cooked, are deliciously flavored, and melt in the mouth like marrow; in fact, there is no pea to equal it; so that dusty Egypt has conferred upon us, through those few dry and shriveled seeds, a palatial benediction.

We should add that the Egyptian Pea is amazingly prolific. quite hardy, and may be sown in succession from March to June, and should be treated in the same way as described for the culture of the Winged Pea. It is both interesting and remarkable that we should be indebted to the Egyptians of three thousand years ago for one of the best and most prolific peas, and this, too, right in the face of the marked improvements effected within the last ten years.

These novelties have not yet been introduced among us, but in the course of another year our amateurs will have an opportunity of adding both to their collections.

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I

RECOLLECTIONS OF A TRIP TO BRUSA.

was a beautiful October morning when we stepped on board our steamer, in the harbor of Constantinople, en route for Brûsa.

Bongourlon's Height stood boldly defined in the east against the glowing hues of dawn-hues of the richest amber, such as are witnessed alone in the Orient. At the foot of the mountain, and overhanging the Bosphorus, lay the suburb of Scutari, with its vast and funereal cypress groves. To the north the Bosphorus stretched away, peaceful as a lake, with its ancient palaces and verdant shores mirrored on its tranquil bosom. Nearer and around us was old Stamboul, with its innumerable domes, and spires, and cemeteries, and hoary battlements-"My own romantic town!"

A vail of purple mist lay over mosque and minaret, lending an ethereal softness to the scene; and there arose a low, confused hum from the waking city, which stole entrancingly on the senses. Already the fairy-like caïques were clearing their sinuous courses between the numerous vessels that crowded the port; and following their track, the eye rested on the craft floating like sea-fowl on the Marmora, and the blue chain of Olympus in the horizon,

our point of destination. And now the rising sun imparted an indescribable gorgeousness to the picture. Is it strange that the pagan of old paid his orisons to the king of day?

By some unaccountable delay, a thing of common occurrence in Turkey, some time elapsed after the appointed hour before the steamer's reverberating gun announced our departure. I accompanied a friend who had business in Brûsa, and whose character, without further comment, is summed up in Holy Writ: "A just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation."

As we stood farther out to sea our steamer rose and fell gracefully on the long and glassy swell, the consequence of a gale on the preceding day. The effect of this motion was soon visible on our fellow-passengers. The deck was covered with a motley and not uninteresting crowd, composed of divers nations, kindred, and tongues. On one side lay a party of pursy Greek priests. When they came on board they were jovial as bacchanals, and their little eyes twinkled with cunning and good humor beneath their beetling eyebrows. But soon an unusual squeamishness about the stomach prostrated them, and, covered

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