SUMMARY.-Australia is a land of contrasts and novelties, where many things are found exactly contrary to those of this country; as, for example, it is summer in Australia when it is winter in Europe. There the savage native and the civilised European may be seen side by side. There the humble labourer is better off than the educated man who has not been accustomed to work, and may there rise by labour from the lowest to the highest station in the country. The rapid progress of the Australian colonies is well shown by an account of the productions of the country, as exhibited in the International Exhibition. There were metals of various kinds, fine fruit, preserved meat, and many miscellaneous articles.

QUESTIONS:

What are the chief features of Australia? They are very different in different parts of the country. There are mountain chains higher than any of the mountains in Britain, and extensive plains. How long is it since the first British colonists landed on the shores of Australia? It was on the 26th of January 1788, little more than eighty-four years ago. Name some of the productions of Australia that were exhibited in the International Exhibition. (See Summary.) What is malachite? Malachite is a solid green copper ore, capable of being cut and polished as a gem. It is used for necklaces, brooches, bracelets, &c. What are ingots? An ingot is a mass of metal cast in a mould. What is bismuth? A reddish white semi-metal harder than silver, used for mixing with other metals for various purposes. It is said to give hardness to tin and other metals. What are muscatels? This word is also spelt muscadel. Raisins made from a fine kind of grape, from which also rich wine is made. What are photographs? Sun pictures. Pictures produced by the light of the sun, acting on chemically prepared surfaces. What is manganese? A metal of a silvery grey colour used in the manufacture of the finer kinds of glass and china, and for various other purposes. What are opals? Opal is a precious stone of a milky colour, with tints constantly changing. What are nodules ? A nodule is a little knot, a rounded mineral mass of irregular shape.

The spotted fly-catcher is one of the most common visitants of Norfolk, and the pied fly-catcher is less unfrequent in Norfolk and Suffolk than in more southern counties, although the pied fly-catcher is a migrant from African to British shores. The unsurpassed attachment of the spotted fly-catcher to places suited for its nest is well known, frequenting the same hole or naked spray or projecting stone year after year and generation after generation. The following illustration is, perhaps, the most striking example of the pertinacity of this instinct on record :

"About the end of June last," says Mr Gurney of Norwich, a spotted fly-catcher began to build a nest over the door of the lodge at the entrance of my grounds. The woman who lives in the lodge, not wishing the bird to build there, destroyed the commencement of the nest. Every day for a week the bird placed new materials on the same ledge over the door, and every day the woman removed them, and at the end of a week placed a stone on the ledge, which effectually baffled the fly-catcher's efforts at that spot; but the bird then began building at the latter end of the ledge, from whence it was also driven, and three stones being then placed on the ledge, the bird relinquished the attempt to build at either end of it, and commenced building a nest on a beech-tree opposite, which it completed, and laid two eggs in it. When the bird was thus apparently established in the beech-tree, the stones over the door were taken away, when the fly-catcher immediately forsook its nest and eggs in the beech, and again commenced building over the door, on the part of the projecting ledge which it had first chosen. The nest was again destroyed, and two slates placed over the spot. The bird contrived to throw down one of the slates from a slanting to a horizontal position, and then began to build upon it. The nest was again destroyed, and the three stones replaced, and kept there a fortnight, after which they were again removed, and directly they were taken away the bird again began building. The nest was subsequently destroyed several times in succession. The

bird was twice driven away by a towel being thrown at it. A stone, wrapped in white paper, was placed on the ledge to intimidate it, but the fly-catcher still persevered, completed a nest, and laid an egg in it. On hearing the circumstances, I directed that the persecution of the poor bird should cease, after which it laid two more eggs, hatched all three, and successfully brought off its brood."

Perseverance generally overcomes at last. First be sure that your object is a right one, and what you ought to try to attain, and then persevere till you have attained it.

SUMMARY.-A bird wished to build its nest over the door of a lodge at the entrance of a gentleman's grounds. The woman who lived in the lodge did not wish the bird to build in that place, and she destroyed its nest several times, but the bird persevered, and at last succeeded in building its nest and hatching its young in the place which it had chosen. Perseverance generally overcomes at last.

QUESTIONS.

What kind of bird is the fly-catcher? The fly-catchers are insectivorous birds; that is, birds that feed on insects. The spotted fly-catcher builds its nest in England, but leaves that country for a warmer on the approach of winter. It is of a brown colour above, and dull white beneath, with brown spots on the head and sides of the neck. Describe a beech-tree and its uses. The beech is a forest tree, known by its somewhat oval leaves and its three-cornered fruit, with a kernel like a nut enclosed in a husk covered with prickles. The wood is peculiarly useful to cabinetmakers and turners; the fruit has a pleasant taste, and yields good oil. Beech oil is made in several parts of France. When ought we to persevere? When we are sure that the object we wish to attain is a right one, which we are justified in trying to get. If it is a thing which it is right for us to attempt to get, it is also a thing for the attainment of which we ought to persevere.

BRITAIN:

ITS SITUATION, COMMERCE, AND MINERAL WEALTH.

Hemisphere,

Terrestrial,

half the terrestrial globe.

Gr., hemisphaireon, from A half sphere, a map of
hemi, half, and spaira, a
sphere.
Lat., terrestris, terrestrial,
from terra, the earth.

Communication, Lat., communico, commu-
nicatus, from communis,
common, communicate,
to have something in com-
mon with another.
Lat., commercium, from
com, with, and merx, mer-
cis, goods, merchandise.
Lat., manus, the hand,
and factura, the making,
from facio factum, make.

Commerce,

Manufactured,

Pertaining to, or existing on the earth; earthly, representing the earth. Intercourse.

Interchange of merchandise
on a large scale between
nations or individuals.
Made from raw materials
by any means into a form
suitable for use; literally,
made by the hand.
Lively joy at any advantage
gained.

A right or estate inherited
from a father.

A heroic deed; a great feat.

About three-fourths of the land surface of the globe lie in the northern hemisphere, and only one-fourth in the southern. If the globe be turned so as to place London in the centre of the hemisphere, about ninetenths of the land will be seen, and the opposite hemisphere will be almost entirely water. London may, therefore, be said to be nearly in the centre of the terrestrial hemisphere. In addition to this, it is situated on an island having free communication by water with every part of the world. Britain is thus most favourably situated for commerce; ships are continually leaving our shores, carrying with them the productions of our island and the numerous things manufactured in it, and they bring back in return comforts