cloth round his waist,) takes from thence a small pledget of cotton, charged with the virulous matter, which he moistens with two or three drops of the Ganges water, and applies it to the wound, fixing it on with a slight bandage; and the patient then submitting to the required diet has generally a very mild species of this otherwise malignant disease. Vaccination has been introduced with much success in some cases; but it is not yet fully established, so great is the antipathy of the native mind to any innovation on the customs of their fathers.

CHAPTER XII.

"Come walk with me the jungle through;
If yonder hunter told us true,
Far off, in desert dank and rude,
The tiger holds his solitude:

Nor (taught by recent harm to shun
The thunders of the English gun,)
A dreadful guest but rarely seen,
Returns to scare the village green."—HEBER.

ADJUTANTS-THEIR VORACITY-TRICKS PLAYED WITH

THEM-KITES

AND CROWS-THE CHAMELION

JACKALS-ELEPHANT'S BURIAL-DECEPTION PRACTISED BY A JACKAL-ILLUSTRATIONS OF SCRIPTURE -ANECDOTES OF ELEPHANTS AND TIGERS-SEPOYS -INSTANCES OF THEIR LITERAL INTERPRETATION OF ORDERS, &c.

NOTHING tends more to diversify the scenery of India from that of England, than the number of adjutants (large birds of the stork species, the ardea argala), which are beheld in all parts of the presidency and military stations. They do not frequent the native part of Calcutta, nor the dwellings of the natives generally, so much as they do the residences of Europeans, as near the latter, (being carnivorous,) they find a greater supply of

food than they possibly can do around the habitations of the former, whose diet is principally composed of vegetable productions and milk. They seem to entertain no fear of injury from the natives, as they will not flee at their approach, nor exhibit the least symptoms of alarm if surrounded by them; but if a European comes near, they immediately retreat to a greater distance, and will not suffer him to approach anything like so near as the natives do. This may in a great measure be owing to the many tricks which Europeans are accustomed to play on their voracity. Every morning, several of these birds station themselves near to the cook-room doors, ready to seize the offal which may be thrown out by the cooks; and many furious battles take place in the course of the morning for the possession of bones, and other spoils, which may occasionally present themselves to their watchful eyes. Their beaks are very long and thick, and they possess great strength in them. When they are fighting, the chopping of their bills and fluttering of their wings are the signals to waiting kites and crows, numbers of which immediately surround them; and one of these active and vigilant spectators will commonly avail himself of the dispute of the quarrelling adjutants to carry off the prize for which they are contending. The crows are about the size of the English jackdaw, and very numerous in every part of Bengal. They are to be found by hundreds around all the houses of Europeans, and are ten times more active, vigilant,

annoying, and crafty, than any birds we have in England. Nothing to which they can have access is safe from their marauding attacks. I lost many small articles from their pilfering disposition. I have seen them oftentimes fly into the room, and take off a slice or two of bread and butter, or any thing else that might be left in the hall after the dinner or tea party had just risen from table.Sometimes a number of crows will beset an adjutant, and torment him exceedingly. At length, the poor bird, quite wearied out by their impertinent attacks, suddenly makes a start, and catching hold of one of their number, swallows it instantly, when the other crows set up such a cawing as to disturb the whole neighbourhood. This I have witnessed more than once.

One of the tricks practised on the adjutants by Europeans is this:-a large bone is tied to about half a brick or large stone, at the distance of about three feet, when the bone and its companion are thrown out to the birds, one of which seizes the bait, and greedily swallows it. The consequence is, that the stone hangs dangling from its beak, until the bird, unable to shake it off, rather than disgorge the bone, gives it a throw upwards, and swallows it also. It is said that in a few minutes the powerful chyle of the stomach destroys the string, when the stone or brick is cast out again. But I never had patience to watch for this result. Sometimes a bone is tied to a long string, and thrown to a great distance; when the bird, having

swallowed it, is hauled nearly up to the person who holds the string, before he will consent to give back the spoil. I was much grieved at one trick I saw played; and all who witnessed it joined with me in censuring the cruelty of him who performed it. A large marrow-bone was charged with a cartridge of powder, and a fusee inserted, which would, under cover of the bone, keep alight when swallowed. This was ignited, and thrown out, just after two or three of these birds had been scrambling for other food, and was speedily seized and swallowed by one of them. No sooner had the poor adjutant thus taken the bait, than, feeling the heat of the fusee, it mounted straight upwards, and was in a moment after literally blown to atoms in the air. This was the only instance I experieneed of such a practice, as, generally speaking, the adjutants are treated with mueh kindness, being viewed as great benefactors to man, in removing the impurities and offal which would otherwise soon taint the air, and breed disease. In fact, if one of these birds receives a hurt, it is carefully attended to, and when recovered, permitted to go at large. By an ancient law of Bengal, a heavy penalty is attached to the killing of one of them. Two great reasons why they are more afraid of a European than of a native, are to be found in the native indolence of the Hindoo and the influence of his religion, which leads him to suppose that the spirits of his fathers dwell in the bodies of the animals, birds, insects, and reptiles around him,