full grown, it is about the size of our common deer.

[Illustration]

THE COMMON SNIPE.

These birds frequent swampy woods, marshes, morasses, and the borders of
rivers. Their usual time for seeking their food is early in the morning
and during the twilight of the evening. They subsist principally upon
insects and worms; for these they search among the decayed leaves, and
probe the mud and ooze with their lengthened bills. When alarmed, they
generally lie close to the ground, or among the grass, or, suddenly
starting on the wing, escape by flight, which is short but elevated,
rapid, and irregular. The eggs, which are four in number, are deposited
on the ground. In the snipe, and all its immediate allies, the bill is
thickened, soft, and very tender at its extremity; so that this part,
which is richly supplied with nerves, serves as a delicate organ of
touch, and is used for searching in the soft ground for the insects and
worms that constitute the food of these birds.

[Illustration]

[Illustration: A VISIT TO THE MONKEYS.]

D--THE DOE.

Graceful and gentle is the Doe;
Its tawny coat how sleek!
How bright yet tender are its eyes!
Its glance how softly meek!

E--THE EAGLE.

Upon the lonely mountain peak
The eagle builds her nest,
And there, when weary of the chase,
In silence takes her rest.

F--THE FOX.

The Fox will skulk in ferny brake,
Yet loves the haunts of men;
And prowls around the farm, to pounce
On capon, goose, or hen.

MRS. BUNNY AND FAMILY.

This wild Rabbit has been startled by some noise, and the next moment
she may be scampering away to her burrow, with the little bunnies, at
the top of their speed, and crouch there until all is quiet again.
Rabbits usually select, if possible, a sandy soil overgrown with furze,
in which to make their burrows, as such a soil is easily removed, and
the dense prickly furze hides their retreat, whilst it affords them a
wholesome and never-failing food. These furze bushes are constantly
eaten down, as far as the rabbits can reach standing on their hind legs,
and consequently present the appearance of a solid mass with the surface
even and rounded. These animals retire into their burrows by day to
rest, and come out only in the twilight to obtain food.

[Illustration]

THE LYNX.

The body of the lynx, beautifully spotted with black and brown rings, is
more solid and hardy than that of the wild cat.