feet. In fighting, he balances himself for a moment on his tail, and strikes forward with both his hind-legs, using his fore-paws at the same time. The blows given by his hind-feet are terribly effective. They are often regularly hunted, as the deer, or the fox, in England. In running they move by rapid leaps, and the length of each jump will often be not less than five yards. Sometimes one will be killed by a single dog; but it is not usually thought advisable to attempt this, as they possess great power, and have been known to cut a dog to the heart with one stroke of the hind-foot. At times it will adopt a singular mode of defending itself; clasping its short but powerful arms around its antagonist, and leaping with it to the nearest water-hole, when it keeps it under the surface till it is drowned. The old males will always do this with dogs when they have the opportunity, and it is said that they will attempt to do so with men. He ran nearly When a boomer A gentleman in Van Diemen's Land thus speaks of a kangaroo hunt:-"I recollect one day when a very fine boomer (as they are called) jumped up in the very middle of the hounds. He at first took a few high jumps with his head up, and then, without a moment's hesitation, stooped forward, and shot away from the hounds, apparently without effort. eighteen miles before he was killed. is pressed, he will if possible take to the water, where he stands waiting for the dogs, and as they swim up to the attack, he takes hold of them with his fore-feet, and keeps them under water. Where there is no water, the kangaroo will place his back against a tree, so that he cannot be attacked from behind, and then, the best dog will find him to be a very powerful antagonist." The movements of the kangaroo last mentioned, plainly show that animals, besides the guidance of instinct, possess what may almost be termed a sort of reasoning power, by means of which, within certain limits, they adapt their conduct to the circumstances in which they are placed. But the works of God are all wonderful, and the more we study them, the more interesting, as well as the more instructive, will the study become. OCCASIONAL REVIEW. AND what is a review? It is an account of some book; such an account as shall describe its contents, and pronounce an opinion on its character; either recommending it, or not recommending it, to the notice of the reader. Sometimes they are And reviews are now very common. very long, extending through a great many pages; and sometimes they are very short, only occupying as many lines. But long or short, they are still very common. They are given not only in what are called periodical works, but even in newspapers. And this proves that they are generally acceptable to the reader. The truth is, that, at the present day, people like not only to know what is doing in the world, but what books are coming forth. Some persons like to know this, because they know that books exert a great influence on the general mind of society; and therefore they wish to know something about the books, that they may judge concerning the influence that is likely to be exerted. And others like to know, partly from curiosity, and partly because they like occasionally to buy some new book; and they do not like to buy the pig while it is tied up in the sack. Why, then, if reviews be so common, should we not now and then furnish a few to the readers of "The Cottager's Friend?” So far from wishing to keep them in ignorance, one great object with us is, their mental improvement, their increase in religious and general knowledge. We know that infidels (a class of people whom we best describe by saying that while they do not see many things that they ought to see, they fancy they see many things that exist only in their own imagination) often say that "the Parsons are fond of keeping the people in ignorance, that they may lead them hoodwinked." We know nothing of this feeling. We want to lead no one blindfold. We are fond of repeating one text in the Bible, "IN UNDERSTANDING BE YE MEN.' We do not think that ignorance is the mother of devotion, but rather, its bane. True knowledge is far from being unfavourable to religion. Man's intellect is the gift of God, and therefore we always wish to see it improved by exercise. Even those who are most occupied, have now and then a little leisure which they can employ in that peculiar sort of intercourse between mind and mind, which can take place by the help of books. Intercourse between mind and mind by means of books? how is that? some of our readers will perhaps ask. Look at the case as it really is. Here is a man who has acquired a certain kind or extent of knowledge on some subject. He is willing to impart what he knows to those who will come and talk with him. This is intercourse between mind and mind by means of personal conversation; and it is necessarily limited to those who can hold the personal conversation. But the man with this knowledge writes a book. That book expresses what is in his mind. And in this way every reader of the book has the mind of the writer brought into connexion with his own mind, though he may never have the opportunity of conversing with him. A book may thus travel farther, and live longer, and speak to far more persons, than the writer could have done personally. We do really think, therefore, that the readers of our little periodical will like sometimes to be told something about books. It is a penny periodical. But what then? The reader of a penny periodical has as truly a rational immortal soul, as the reader of a periodical that costs sixty times as much. In one sense, our task may seem to be a humble one. We do not think so. We respect our readers, and we wish them to respect themselves. Because we respect them, we seek to supply them with useful information: because we desire them to respect themselves, we are anxious that they should receive this information, and make it their own. Perhaps we may have had greater opportunities of acquiring knowledge than many of our readers. But what then? We do not want to keep it to ourselves. We are even wishful to communicate as much as we can, and to as many as will attend to what we say. Every month it is our anxious care to provide our good friends, -for we do really regard our subscribers, young or old, as our friends; and we like, when we are getting up our monthly Number, to feel as though we knew our readers, and were talking with them on various subjects,-every month, we say, it is our anxious care to provide for our good friends a good pennyworth for their penny. They give their monthly penny, and we try to give them sixteen pages of information, two portions of which are illustrated by suitable woodcuts, prepared on purpose. Our intention is now and then to give an Occasional Review of one or two books concerning which, our readers, we think, will like to receive a little information. We first copy the title-page, and then say something about the book itself. Stories of Animals, Second Series, intended for Children between seven and ten years old. Square 16mo., pp. 144. With Plates. Darton and Harvey. THIS is a nice little book as a present for children. In another month we will extract one of its stories, that so we may illustrate the general character of the work. Kindness to Animals. 24mo., By Charlotte Elizabeth. pp. 108. With Woodcuts. Religious Tract Society. THIS also is a very nice book for children, and which older people will read with pleasure. It contains much valuable information concerning animals; and, as the title-page intimates, earnestly inculcates the duty of treating them with kindness. Bible Stories for the Young. By C. G. Barth, D.D. Translated from the German. 18mo., pp. 280. With Woodcuts. Religious Tract Society. THIS very instructive volume contains fifty-seven narratives from the Old Testament, and sixty-two from the New. The best way we can take to show the character of these narratives, will be to extract one of the shorter ones. Our readers will therefore, in another part of the present Number, find one on "David and Goliath." POETRY. TRUE HAPPINESS. TRUE happiness has no localities; Where duty goes, she goes; with justice goes; Of sacred light, a most religious fane, Where happiness descending, sits and smiles.--POLLOK. ANN MUDD was one of the many persons on whose youthful mind the Holy Spirit moves, impressing as well as enlightening, awakening affection towards duty as well as pointing to its path; but she used to acknowledge with regret that all this had been too much neglected, so that the first twenty years of her life passed away without any decided reference to life's great purpose. She had a friend, however, who had sought and found the blessings of "the common salvation," and who was called to 66 pass through the valley and shadow of death." Not long before she died, she said, "I wish I could see Ann; but tell her from me to prepare to meet her God." This message, from the dying to the living, was faithfully conveyed. Deeply was Ann affected by it. Convictions, of which she was never wholly destitute, were strengthened; and, yielding to them, she, too, sought and found the blessings which had supported and gladdened the spirit of her friend in the approach of death and the prospect of eternity. It was in the year 1834 that she experienced a genuine conversion to God; and from that time to the end of her life,-which was much nearer than she then anticipated,—she walked F |