An Elephant Fight,

HOW THK TUSKS ARE USED,

From 'its great bulk and immen&e 'strength, the elephant is a formidable fighting animal, and its tuaks are terrible weapons. The late Colonel Sanderson — without doubt the " Petersen Sahib " of Kipling — formerly the head of Hio lveddah department in Mysore, onca saw the last rounds of a fight between two wild tusker.*.

He had come upon a nerd, and, while propping to watch them, with a view to their possible capture, a shrill trumpeting and the crashing of bamboos broke the stillness. He and his gun-bearer ran towards the spot, but all they could see was the s\vaying of bamboos, " as the monsters bore each other backwards and forwards in their tremendous struggles." Like the hoofed mammals — buffaloes, deer, and goats — elephants charge. The shock of the meeting must be tremendous, on account of their vast size, and from the fact that when infuriated, they get up a very creditable rate of speed The object, of course, ia to get the opponent broadside on, so that the tusks may be used with effect

While the two men stood on an eminence, one mighty beast, uttering loud roars of pain, crossed the dry bed of a slream to the low ground, above which they had taken up their position. It had evidently had the worst of tho encounter, and blood was streaming from a deep tusk-wound in its side. In the rage caused by pain and defeat it beat down the bamboos with its tusks and trunk, and trod them into the earth.— Cassell's Magazine for May.

Bird Ventriloquists. — Many birds form their sounds without opening their bills. The pigeon is a well-known instance of this. Its cooing can be distinctly heard, although it does not open its bill. The call is formed internally in the throat and chest, and it is only rendered audible by resonance. Similar ways may be observed in many birdb and animals.

Keeping House in a Jellyfish. — If you examine the next lellyfish you find on the seashore, you will discover in its stomach a small white shrimg with most beautiful eme-rald-coloured eyes. It was supposed that these shrimps^ formed the food of the jellyfish ; but careful investigation proved that these lively little creature* make the stomachs of these wandering mae^es of animal jelly their homes and larders. The shrimp soon dies if it is taken from its shelter, and specimens are never found swimming with the common shrimps which live in the sea. The shrimp lives at the expense of the jellyfish, an'l feeds upon some of the small creatures v- "h are entangled by the peculiar -structure of its mouth.

Di eaded by Birds. — The power of ihe winds is dreaded by almost all ordinary birds, and an inetinctive knowledge seema to be pos-

sessed by them that if they once surrender to the force of a storm unknown dangers will have to be faced. Consequently, when a, high wind prevails, all birds seek shelter of some kind. The strong-winged seabirds are the last to lake fright at the approaching hurricane, but even they will finally, try td escape its fury beneath the shelter of some cliff or sand dune. During tremendous wincf storms birds may sometimes be seen flying overhead at a great altitude. When this phenomenon is observed it may be taken for, granted that the upper atmosphere is comparatively quiet, and that' the disturbance ia confined chiefly to the lower regions. When a heavy wind or/ gale .springs up the gulls, terns, /.and petvels will fly back and fortbj over the water's surface,* rising and falling and uttering their peculiar cries of warning. If the storm extends too high up they will drift gradually with the win^ or fly away, to the edge of the hurricane. Very often" they get caught unexpectedly in gales of wind and find themselves in a dangerous position. Then they struggle with might and main against the currents until they can make their way to one side of the storm centre.