The common Chinese year consists of twelve lunar months, and their intercalary year has thirteen. Their months have no subdivision; that is, they have no weeks. Their common way of dating is by the day of the month, and the year of the reigning emperor. As for example, they say fifth of the sixth Moon, in the twelfth year of Kia-king. They have a cycle of sixty years; but this is made use of only in books, and by the literati. The cycle of nineteen years is used by those who regulate the calendars. The moon with which their year commences, is that which falls nearest to the fifteenth degree of Aquarius, corresponding to the third or fourth of February. The Chinese date the commencement of their spring, the instant the Sun enters this degree; when they wish each other a happy new year, and say, "The spring is begun; I give you joy."

The Chinese have no particular days for religious worship. Their great festival is the first of the year, on which day they shut up their shops, dress in their best clothes, and pay visits; a custom also observed in some parts of our own country.

THE WINTER SLEEP OF ANIMALS.

Where do you lurk, ye houseless commoners,
When bleak November's sun is overcast ;
When sweeps the blast fierce through the deepest groves,
Driving the fallen leaves in whirling wreaths;
When scarce the Raven keeps her bending perch,
When dashing cataracts are backward blown?

the forest holes,—each obeys the irresistible impulse, and becomes torpid. Snails, and thousands of their testaceous brethren, led by God's beneficent handyes, proud man-you may neglect your offspring, and despise the poor, but God will not, cannot, forget his creatures! He who made the snail, leads it, on the approach of winter, to the warm angle of a branch, or the snug corner of the farmer's fence, and then teaches it to form a lid for the mouth of the shell, by which, also, it adheres to its hiding-place, and shuts out all access to the freezing air. River fishes, and even some of the sea fishes, in the absence of food, sleep away their wants by torpidity. Insects, also, obey the same wise law; spiders may now be found apparently dead, rolled up in a shroud of web, but reviving upon the application of warmth; the common house fly may sometimes be revived in the same manner. Myriads of torpid beetles may be met with, in places wonderfully adapted to their constitution, mode of life, and local necessities. The pupa of almost all the butterflies may be found in the crevices of bark, on the underside of bush-twigs, or buried deep in the earth; some exposed, but others wrapped in costly garments of silk. A few larvæ may also be discovered, such as the Stag-beetle, Cockchafer, Dragon-fly, Goat-moth, &c. &c., each with an appropriate hybernacula. Many surprising instances of God's care for his creatures are at this time discoverable in the modes in which the eggs of insects are preserved from the cold; some deposited by the parent, who never knew cold, deep in the earth, beyond the reach of frost; others, placed by those who never saw a leaf fall, on the twigs and branches, and never on the unstable leaves; and these, also, often covered with a thick layer of water-proof varnish, or the down from the mother's body.

Thus, when the earth is a barren desert, and the

served like the corn-blade beneath a mantle of snow, to flourish again in times when God, by his plenitude, shall add pleasure to existence. If, therefore, our heavenly Father condescends in this way to "temper the wind to the shorn lamb," shall we be tardy in uplifting the shield of charity, and by a free but prudent dispensation of his gifts, deprive the northern blast of its bitterness, that instead of starving groans, it may waft the blessings of the grateful poor to heaven.

"LET bleak Winter sternly come," let dearth and famine follow in his iron train, they can do no harm, for all the weaklings of the animated world, led by an analogous instinct, have in various ways sunk into" staff of life fails," are these interesting beings preprotracted slumbers; and the weary land rests for a season from her reproductive labors. The lizard, the hedgehog, the badger, the mole, the dormouse, and many other animals, are now securely housed in comfortable chambers in the earth, and will remain in a torpid state till the spring. Frogs have sunk to the bottom of their native pools, and lie buried in the mire. Bats, hanging by their hind feet, and warmly wrapped in the membranes of their fore feet, sleep in the upper corners of old barns, deserted build ings, and the sides of caves. Squirrels, rats, and field-mice rest in a state of partial slumber, which has been called "quiescence," to distinguish it from IF in the heat of summer we descend into a cave, perfect torpidity; but when a warm day spreads new we are sensible that we are surrounded by a cold life along their drowsy nerves, they peep forth from atmosphere; but if in the rigor of a frosty winter their dormitories, and acquiring from the genial air a we descend into the same cave, we are conscious of temporary appetite, they withdraw to their stores, the presence of a warm atmosphere. Now a therand feed, till the evening cold again folds them in the mometer suspended in the cave, on these occasions, arms of "tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep." will show exactly the same temperature; and, in What a beautiful ordination! that God should lead fact, the air of the cave maintains the same temperathe partial sleepers to provide food for their waking hours, without which they would infallibly perish; and that the torpid sleepers, having no need, should make no provision. Reptiles of all kinds retire to suitable places of refuge; the tortoise to its earthen hole, the toad to its muddy canopy, and the snake to

ture at all seasons of the year. The body, however, being, in the one case, removed from a warm atmosphere into a colder one, and in the other case, from a very cold atmosphere into one of a higher temperature, becomes, in the latter case, sensible of warmth, and in the former, of cold.

a, Spaniel; b, Fox-Hound; c, Pointer; d, Lurcher; e, Newfoundland; f, Shepherd's Dog; g. Talbot Hound; h, Blood-Hound.

more easily taught to fetch and carry than this; and cially to the harrier and foxhound. The beagle was its memory is surprising. If any small article be formerly a great favorite, but is now little used. It shown it, and put into a certain place, this dog, after is of small stature, but of exquisite scent, and its the lapse even of several days, or when at consider-tones, when heard in full cry, are musical. It has not, able distance from the spot, will, when bidden, hasten however, the strength or fleetness of the harrier, and to it, search out the article, and return with it to his still less so of the foxhound, and hence it does not master. Mr. Bell relates an anecdote of one of these engage the attention of the sportsmen of the modern dogs finding a piece of money which its master had school, who, unlike Sir Roger de Coverly, are impetulost, and retaining it for a whole day in its mouth, till ous in the field, preferring a hard run to a tame and its master's return, when it joyfully laid the coin at his quiet pursuit. The beagle was only employed in feet. During the whole of the time it had taken no hunting the hare, as is the harrier, but the foxhound food, from unwillingness to part, even for a few min- is trained both for the deer and the fox. The strength utes, with the property of which it deemed itself and powers of scent of the foxhound are very great, the guardian. and many astonishing instances of the energy and endurance of these animals are on record.

Formerly two noble varieties of the hound were common in England, which are now seldom seen. We allude to the old English hound, or talbot, and the blood-hound.

broad, and the nostrils large and moist. Its voice was deep, full, and sonorous. The general color was black, passing into tan or sandy-red about the muzzle and along the inside of the limbs. Shakspeare's description of the hounds of Theseus, in the Midsummer Night's Dream,' is true to the letter, as referring to this breed, with which he was, no doubt, well acquainted :-

It is impossible for us to enter into an enumeration of all the breeds of spaniels; we may notice, however, the Marlborough and King Charles breeds, which, from their beauty and liveliness, are in the highest esteem. In all essentials there is a close similarity among the dogs of this group, and the differences con- Of the old English hound, which is described by sist rather in size than in any other characteristics. Whittaker, in his History of Manchester,' as the Naturalists have been inclined to regard the New-original breed of our island, we some years since saw foundland, the Labrador, and the Alpine dogs, as true a fine specimen in Lancashire. It was tall and robust, spaniels. We do not consider this opinion as correct. with a chest of extraordinary depth and breadth, with They form a little group by themselves, and in many pendulous lips, and deeply-set eyes; the ears were points the Alpine, or Mount St. Bernard's dog, ap-large and long, and hung very low; the nose was proaches to the mastiff. We have seen several fine examples of this breed;-their size is equal to that of the largest mastiff; the muzzle is deep; the ears are pendulous; the fur is rather long and wiry; the eye is full and very expressive; and the form of the body and limbs indicates great strength. The peculiar robustness of form, and especially the depth of the muzzle, and character of the fur, serve to distinguish this noble dog from the largest of the spaniels. The Labrador dog, often called Newfoundland, presents the same general features, excepting that the fur is longer and softer, and sometimes disposed to curl. A fine dog of this breed brought from Labrador gave us the follow-It ing admeasurements:-total length, including tail, six feet three inches; height at shoulder, two feet six inches; length of head, from occiput to point of nose, eleven inches; circumference of chest, three feet one inch. In Labrador these powerful and intelligent dogs are used for drawing sledges loaded with wood, &c., and are of great service to the settlers. The for the strongest of their quarry.' Newfoundland dog is essentially the same as the Labrador, but, if our observations be correct, it does shorter ears, and a taller and perhaps lighter figure The blood-hound, with equal delicacy of scent, has not attain to so large a stature. Of the extraordinary than the talbot. sagacity of the dogs of this group,-of the courage and intelligence of the Mount St. Bernard's dog, of the fidelity, usefulness, and aquatic propensities of the Labrador and Newfoundland breed, nothing need be said. All are familiar with instances in which human beings have owed their life to the exertions of these devoted creatures;-all are acquainted with their noble qualities.

"My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind,
So flew'd, so sanded; and their heads are hung
With ears that sweep away the morning dew;
Crook-kneed and dewlapp'd like Thessalian bulls;
Slow in pursuit, but match'd in mouth like bells
Each under each."

was with hounds of this breed that " to hunt the deer" "Earl Persie took his way;" and it was with these dogs that our ancestors chased the larger kinds of game, with which, when England was almost one vast and acuteness of hearing they were unrivalled, and forest, the country abounded. For delicacy of scent their great power rendered them a match even singly

This celebrated dog was once in great request, and was employed by our ancestors, not track of the felon or marauder, it kept up a steady only in the pursuit of game, but of men. Laid on the persevering chase, and was not bailled without difficulty. Sir Walter Scott, in his graphic description of the "stark moss-trooper," Sir William of Deloraine, gives as a proof of his merit, that he

"By wily turns and desperate bounds
Had baffled Percy's best blood-hounds."

his dead enemy :—

Another distinct group of dogs belonging to the present section is that which contains the hounds. Several varieties of hound now exist; and of these the beagle, And the same accomplished knight thus eulogizes the harrier, and the foxhound are familiar to all our readers. No country equals England in the swiftness, spirit, and endurance of its hounds; and in no country is so much attention paid to the various breeds, espe

""Twas pleasure as we look'd behind
To see how thou the chase would wind-
Cheer the dark blood-hound on his way,
And with the bugle rouse the fray."

Blood-hounds, or, as the Scotch called them, Sleuth- | ceeding. Man, however, has availed himself of the hunds, were kept at one time in great numbers on the docility and delicacy of scent peculiar to a certain Borders; and fugitive kings, as well as moss-troopers, breed, and has taught the dog his lesson, and the lesson were often obliged to study how to evade them. thus learned has become second nature. A young Bruce, it appears, was repeatedly tracked by these pointer takes to its work as if by intuition, and scarcely dogs, and on one occasion only escaped by wading for requires discipline. Hence, therefore, must we cona considerable distance up a brook, and thus baffling clude that education not only effects impressions on the scent. "A sure way of stopping the dog was to the sensorium, but transmissible impressions, whence spill blood upon the track, which destroyed the dis- arise the predispositions of certain races. Education, criminating fineness of his scent. A captive was in fact, modifies organization; not that it makes a dog sometimes sacrificed on such occasions. Henry the otherwise than a dog, but it supersedes, to a certain minstrel tells a romantic story of Wallace, founded on point, instinct, or makes acquired propensities inthis circumstance. The hero's little band had been stinctive, hereditary, and, therefore, characteristics of joined by an Irishman named Fawdon, or Fadzean, a the race. The effect of this change of nature is not to dark, savage, and suspicious character. After a sharp render the dog more independent, not to give it any skirmish at Black-Erne Side, Wallace was forced to advantage over its fellows, but to rivet more firmly the retreat with only sixteen followers. The English links of subjection to man. pursued with a border blood-hound. In the retreat, Fawdon, tired, or affecting to be so, would go no farther; Wallace having in vain argued with him, in hasty anger struck off his head, and continued the retreat. When the English came up, their hound stayed upon the dead body." (Notes to the Lay of the Last Minstrel.')

The specimens of this dog which we have seen were of a sandy-red color with black muzzles.

It is not to the pointer alone that these observations apply; all our domestic dogs have their own acquired propensities, which, becoming second nature, make them, in one way or another, valuable servants. No one, we presume, will suppose that the instinctive propensities implanted by nature in the shepherd's dog make it not a destroyer but a preserver of sheep. On the contrary, this dog, like every other, is carnivorous, and nature intends it to destroy and devour. But education has supplanted instinct, to a certain point, and has implanted a disposition which has become an hereditary characteristic, and hence a shepherd's dog of the true breed takes to its duties naturally. But a shepherd's dog could not, delicate as its sense of smell is, be brought to take the place of the pointer in the field, even though it were subjected to training from the earliest age; nor, on the other hand, could a pointer be substituted with equal advantage in the place of a shepherd's dog, as the assistant of the drover. Each is civilized, but in a different style, and education has impressed upon each a different bent of mind, a different class of propensities.

We have hitherto said nothing respecting the pointer. The old Spanish pointer is decidedly related to the hound, and the breed now generally used by sportsmen is originally from this source; but as the fox-hound is rendered by assiduous cultivation lighter, smaller, and more fleet than the talbot (its origin, as we presume), so the modern pointer may be regarded as a lighter and more active branch of the heavy slow Spanish pointer, which indeed is now seldom seen. We may conclude our present section with the terrier and its varieties. Two breeds of this spirited and well-known dog are common: one, called the Scotch terrier, is covered with rough wiry hair, and having short legs and a long body; the other, called the English terrier, is sleek, with longer legs and a more elegant form; its color is black, with tanned limbs, and a tanned spot over each eye. In both the muzzle CHARACTER OF MODERN KNOWledge, is moderately long and sharp, and the ears are erect; the eye is quick; the power of smell acute. For unearthing the fox or badger, and for worrying rats and such small deer," these dogs are celebrated, and they make excellent house-guards.

The turnspit, a variety now seldom seen, is allied most nearly to the terrier, but it is destitute of the bold ness and spirit of that breed. It is long-bodied, with short bowed legs and a curled tail, and the iris of one eye is often of a different color from that of the other.

WITH HINTS FOR ITS IMPROVEMENT

THE present times are, without doubt, distinguished for the diffusion of knowledge amongst all ranks of the people. Whatever may be the advantages which we are already reaping from the progress of enlightenment, it is not to be expected that so great a change should be altogether free from the inconveniences and evils which seem necessarily to attend all changes. The consistent upholder of things as they are, to the exclusion of all alteration, is wont In taking a review of the dogs to which we have to enumerate evils arising from the increasing spread directed our attention, as comprising the present sec- of knowledge, sufficient in his estimation far to overtion, we cannot fail to observe that they are endowed balance all its advantages. It is the part of the prurespectively with qualifications or habits certainly not dent and judicious advocate of improvement seriousinnate, but the result of education, at least originally, ly to consider such inconveniences as may arise, and which education, continued through a series of genera- carefully to provide for their mitigation at least, if tions, has produced permanent effects. For example, they do not admit of prevention. Of the numerous no dog in a state of nature would point with his nose evils alleged as consequences of modern attempts to at a partridge, and then stand like a statue, motion- spread abroad those stores of information formerly less, for the dog would gain nothing by such a pro-appropriated by the few, one of the most serious, and