wild animal goes through till it has got used to a state of
things so opposite to its natural habits. Their wants are attended to as
much as possible, but cannot be always met; and so we have here a
devoted mother, worn out by the demands of her cubs, and vainly anxious
to hide herself from daylight and man's gaze. She has long given up
trying to dig or scratch her way out. All she can do is to lean against
the wall, ready for a last defence, should anybody come within her
prison. She dares not curl up into a ball, like the one cub, and go to
sleep; while this little careless imp on her back, happy and trustful,
adds to her tiredness by his weight.

[Illustration]

THE BIRD'S NEST.

"Her little nest, so soft and warm,
God teaches her to make it;
I would not dare to do her harm,
I would not dare to take it."

How curious is the structure of the nest of the Bullfinch or Chaffinch!
The inside of it is lined with cotton and fine silken threads; and the
outside cannot be sufficiently admired, though it is composed only of
various kinds of fine moss. The color of these mosses, resembling that
of the bark of the tree in which the nest is built, proves that the bird
intended it should not be easily discovered. In some nests, hair, wool,
and rushes are cleverly interwoven. In others, the parts are firmly
fastened by a thread, which the bird makes of hemp, wool, hair, or, more
commonly, of spiders' webs. Other birds--as, for instance, the blackbird
and the lapwing--after they have constructed their nests, plaster the
inside with mortar; they then stick upon it, while quite wet, some wool
or moss to give warmth; but all alike construct their nests so as to add
to their security.

[Illustration]

THE CHAMOIS.

The chamois are indeed high-born, for among the high mountain-peaks,
where the eternal snow rests and the Alpine roses bloom, there they make
their home! There they spring up over the snowy slopes to those heights
to which man cannot climb. They rest upon the glittering ice, the snow
does not blind them, neither does it cool their hot blood. Carelessly
they stride across the snowed-over crevices, and when the terrible
storms, at which men are so alarmed, hurl down rocks and avalanches from
the summits, the Chamois do not fear them. They find their way safely
through the thickest mist and darkest clouds. Agile and light-footed,
gentle and peaceable, proud and courageous, they lead a happy life am