The tail
is large and round, and the two middle feathers are extremely long and
quite straight. When paraded, as it struts round the female, spreading
its wings and tail, this bird presents to the dazzled eye of the
spectator two splendid bronze-colored fans, upon which is sprinkled a
profusion of bright marks much resembling eyes. It owes its name of
Argus to these spots.

[Illustration]

THE YOUNG MONKEY.

A little Monkey chanced to find
A walnut in its outward rind;
He snatched the prize with eager haste,
And bit it, but its bitter taste
Soon made him throw the fruit away.
"I've heard," he cried, "my mother say
(But she was wrong), the fruit was good;
Preserve me from such bitter food!"
A monkey by experience taught,
The falling prize with pleasure caught;
Took off the husk and broke the shell,
The kernel peeled, and liked it well.
"Walnuts," said he, "are good and sweet,
But must be opened ere you eat."
And thus in life you'll always find
Labor comes first--reward behind.

[Illustration]

THE CLEVER FOX.

One summer's day on the banks of the river Tweed, in Scotland, a fox sat
watching a brood of wild ducks feeding in the river. Presently a branch
of a fir tree floated in their midst, which caused them to rise in the
air, and after circling round for some time, they again settled down on
their feeding ground. At short intervals this was repeated, the branch
floating from the same direction, until the ducks took no further notice
of it than allowing it to pass by. Mr. Reynard noticed this; so he got a
larger branch than the others, and crouching down among the leaves, got
afloat, and coming to the ducks, who took no notice of the branch, he
seized two of the ducks, and then allowed himself to be floated to the
other side, where, we suppose, he had a repast.

[Illustration]

TESTING HIS STRENGTH.

See this monster of the forest uprooting trees, as a test of its
strength before entering on a fight with one of its companions, which is
often a bitter struggle for supremacy. There are two species of
Elephants, the Indian and African; the ears of the latter are much
larger than the Indian, covering the whole shoulder, and descending on
the legs. Elephants live in herds, and each herd has a leader--generally
the largest and most powerful animal--who exercises much control over
the herd, directing its movements, and giving the signal in the case of
danger. The trunk of the Elephant