noble purpose, namely, as a signal for the performance of a solemn and religious ceremony.

When the sun has quitted the valley, and his lingering beams still cast a glow of fading light on the snowy summits of the mountains, the shepherd whose hut is placed on the highest mountain peak, takes his horn and pronounces through it, as through a speaking-trumpet, the solemn injunction to the world below," Praise ye the Lord." Every shepherd in the neighbourhood, as he catches the sound, repeats in succession, the same sentence at the door of his cabin. Thus, perhaps, for a quarter of an hour, the cliffs and rocky precipices fling to each other the oft-repeated echoes of the sublime "Praise ye the Lord." A solemn stillness succeeds the last reverberation, and all kneel, bare-headed and in silent devotion. When darkness rests on the earth, and veils the towering mountains, the horn again sounds, and a peaceful, social "Good night" is pronounced; this is repeated from rock and cliff, till the distant echoes melt away, and the shepherds then retire to the peaceful cabins. C. M.

BIRD-CATCHING IN THE SHETLAND ISLANDS. THESE islands are remarkable for the adventurous daring of the hardy islanders, who earn a living by means that would crush the courage of those who had not, like themselves, become inured to the severities of the weather, and by a simple and abstemious mode of life hardened their frames, so as to render them capable of bearing up against such severe trials and privations. The steadiness of nerve necessary to assure them of a tolerable chance of safety in their dangerous employment could only be acquired by constant practice and

regular habits: so fearful is the method employed by them, to procure the eggs and young of the seabirds that inhabit their rocky coasts,

the same means are practised for this purpose in the Hebrides, the Feroe and other northern Islands. The cliffs which contain the objects of their search, are often two hundred fathoms in height, and are attempted from above and below, In the first case, the fowlers provide themselves with a rope, eighty or one hundred fathoms in length, to the end of which a strong stick about three feet in length is attached: one of them then fastens one end about his waist and between his legs, supporting himself partly by the stick, recommends himself to the protection of the Almighty, and is lowered down by several others, who place a piece of timber on the margin of the rock to preserve the rope from wearing on the sharp edge; a small line is also fastened to the body of the adventurer, by which he gives signals that they may lower or raise him, or shift him from place to place ; the last operation is attended with great danger by the loosening of the stones, which often fall on his head, and would infallibly destroy him, was it not protected by a strong thick cap; but even this is found unequal to save him against the weight of the larger fragments of rock. The dexterity of these men is amazing; they will place their feet against the front of the precipice, and dart themselves some fathoms from it, with a cool eye survey the place where the birds nestle, and then shoot into their haunts. In some places the birds lodge in deep recesses. The fowler will alight here, disengage himself from the rope, and at his leisure collect the booty, fasten it to his girdle, and resume his pendulous seat. At times he will again spring

from the rock, and in that attitude, with a fowling-net placed at the end of a staff, catch the old birds which are flying to and from their retreats. When he has finished his perilous work, he gives a signal to his friends above, who pull him up and share the hard-earned spoil. The feathers are preserved for exportation, and the flesh is partly eaten fresh, but the greater portion is dried for winter-use. They sometimes, for the purpose of transporting themselves from one insulated rock to another, employ a kind of boat attached to a running tackle. The fowling from below has its share of dangers. The party goes on the expedition in a boat, and when he has attained the base of the precipice, one of the most daring having fastened a rope about his waist and furnished himself with a long pole with an iron hook at one end, either climbs or is thrust up by his companions, to the next footing-place he can reach, then by means of the rope he hauls up one of the boat's crew, and the rest are drawn up in succession, each being furnished with his rope and staff. They continue their progress upwards in the same manner, till at last they reach that part of the rock frequented by the birds, and wander about the face of the cliff in search of them. They then act in pairs, one fastens himself to the end of his associate's rope, and in places where the birds have nestled beneath his footing, he permits himself to be lowered down, depending for his security on the strength of his companion, who has to haul him up again. But it sometimes happens, that the person above is overpowered by the weight, and they both inevitably perish. They fling the birds they obtain into the boat which attends their motions and receives the booty. Seven or eight days are often passed in this dau

gerous employ, and during this time they lodge in the crannies which they find in the base of the precipice. 1:

METHOD OF FEEDING HOGS IN NEW FOREST.

THE woods of the New Forest afford excellent feeding for hogs, which are led, in the Autumn season, into many parts of the forest, but especially among the oaks and beeches of Boldre Wood, to fatten on mast. It is among the rights of the forest-borderers to feed their hogs in the forest during the pawnagemonth, as it is called, which commences about the end of September, and lasts six weeks. For this privilege they pay a trifling acknow ledgment at the Steward's Court at Lyndhurst. The word pawnage was the old term for the money thus collected.

The method of treating hogs at this season of migration, and of reducing a large herd of these unmanageable brutes to perfect obedience and good government, is curious. The first step the swine herd takes is to investigate some close-sheltered part of the forest, where there is a conveniency of water, and plenty of oak or beech+ mast, the former of which he prefers when he can have it in sufficient abundance. He fixes next on some spreading tree, round the bole of which he wattles a slight circular fence, of the dimensions he wants, and covering it roughly with boughs and sods, he fills it plentifully with, straw or fern. Having made this preparation, he collects his colony among the farmers, with whom he commonly agrees for a shilling a head, and will get together perhaps a herd of five or six hundred hogs. Having driven them to their de stined habitation, he gives them plentiful supper of acorns or beech

mast, which he had already provided, sounding his horn during the repast. He then turns them into the litter, where, after a long journey, and a hearty meal, they sleep deliciously. The next morning he lets them look a little around them, shows them the pool or stream, where they may occasionally drink, leaves them to pick up the offal of the last night's meal, and, as evening draws on, gives them another plentiful repast under the neighbouring trees, which rain acorns upon them for an hour together, at the sound of his horn; he then sends them again to sleep. The following day he is perhaps at the pains of procuring them another meal, with music playing as usual. He then leaves them a little more to themselves, having an eye however on their evening hours; but as their bellies are full, they seldom wander far from home, retiring commonly very orderly, and early to bed. After this he throws his sty open, and leaves them to cater for themselves, and from henceforward has little more trouble with them during the whole time of their migration. Now and then, in calm weather, when mast falls sparingly, he calls them perhaps together by the music of his horn to a gratuitous neal; but, in general, they need little attention, returning regularly home at night, though they often wander two or three miles from their sty. There are experienced leaders in all herds, which have spent this roving life before, and can instruct their juniors in the method of it. By this management the herd is carried home to their respective owners in such condition, that a little dry meal will soon fat

ten them.

In these forest-migrations, it is commonly observed, that of whatever number the herd consists, they generally separate, in their daily

excursions, into such little knots and societies as have formerly had habits of intimacy together; and in these friendly groups they range the forest, returning home at night in different parties, some earlier and some later, as they have been more or less fortunate in the pursuits of the day. They seem themselves to enjoy their mode of life; you see them perfectly happy, going about at their ease, and conversing with each other in short, pithy, interrupted sentences, which are, no doubt, expressive of their own enjoyments, and of their social feelings.-GILPIN's Forest Scenery.

CHRISTMAS CUSTOM IN THE

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NORTH OF GERMANY. THERE is a Christmas custom at Ratzeburg, which pleased and interested me. The children make little presents to their parents and to each other; and the parents to the children. For three or four months before Christmas, the girls are all busy, and the boys save up their pocket-money to make or purchase these presents. What the present is to be, is cautiously kept secret, and the girls have a world of contrivances to conceal it; such as working when they are out ont visits, and the others are not withe them; getting up in the morning before day-light, &c. Then on the evening before Christmas-day, one of the parlours is lighted up by the children, into which the parents must not go. A great yew-bough is fastened on the table, at a little distance from the wall, a multitude of little tapers are fastened in the bough, but so as not to catch it till they are nearly burnt out; and coloured paper, &c., hangs and flutters from the twigs. Under this bough the children lay in great order the presents they mean for their parents, still concealing in their pockets what

was also usual. In the north of England yule-cakes are still made.

We now come to CHRISTMAS CAROLS. The word carol may be derived from a Greek word, signifying joy. It was, probably, an imitation of the hymn sung by the angels, which, as Bishop Taylor, observes, was the oldest Christmas carol. GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST, AND ON EARTH PEACE,

GOOD-WILL TOWARD MEN.

It was usual, in the ancient feasts, to single out a person and "place him in the midst, to sing a kind of carol to God." We need scarcely add that the custom of singing carols, &c., at Christmas, still prevails all over England: and, although a few may be good, yet some of those carols put forth under the head of Divine Mirth, are wanting, not only in piety, but in good sense. The following anecdote, given by a clergyman, describing the practice of singing at this season in Devonshire, may be interesting. "The first time of my coming to live in this parish (in the South Hams of Devon), happened to be Christmaseve. In the middle of the night, I was suddenly awoke by the sweetest music I think I ever heard. It was the sound of many voices, accompanied by instruments, all in harmony. I soon began to account for this most agreeable interruption of my night's rest, and concluded that it was a Christmas carol, or hymn, to welcome in the glorious and happy morning. The music, which had been under my window, gradually died away; and, after a pause, I heard it again, but more faintly, from a distance. On the following (Christmas) morning, on attending to perform the service, I recognised, to my surprise, in the choir of the church, the same voices, singing the same hymn, beginning, Hark, the herald angels sing. The circumstance made an impression

upon me, which it would be difficult to remove."

Nor must we pass by the ancient custom of DECKING CHURCHES and private dwellings with evergreens. It has been thought, by some, to have been adopted in order to record the circumstances of the people cutting down branches from the trees, and strewing them in the way, crying, "HOSANNA TO THE SON OF DAVID!" Others have considered it merely a sign or symbol of gladness: and, when we thus look at the laurel, misletoe, and bright-berried holly, green and flourishing in the depth of winter, when other plants have departed with the summer and autumn, a very natural emblem it seems. Again, it has been said, that evergreens were used, the laurel being, among the Romans, the emblem of joy, peace, and victory; and that, in the Christian sense, it may be justly applied to the victory gained over the powers of darkness by the coming of Christ. The misletoe, which is also a part of Christmas decorations, is supposed to have been adopted in consequence of the respect paid to it by the Druids.

STOWE (in his Survey of London) says that, "against the feast of Christmas, every man's house, as also their parish churches, were decked with holme, ivy, bays, and whatsoever the season of the year afforded to be green. The conduits and standards in the streets were also garnished in the same manner."

GAY has an allusion to the subject:

When rosemary and bays, the poet's crown,

Are bawl'd in frequent cries through all the

town,

Then judge the festival of Christmas near,Christmas, the joyous period of the year! Now with bright holly all the temples strow, With laurel green, and sacred misletoe.

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS appear to have been very general. Among others, we find gifts of toys, clothes,