no person can listen to it and remain unmoved. Its favourite haunts are in low coppices and thick hedges; it is fond of solitude; it is seldom seen flying about; its song is mostly heard during the stillness of the night; and for weeks together, if not disturbed, it will continue on the same tree. It feeds chiefly on small worms and insects, but will eat berries when they come in its way. The nightingale prepares its nest about the beginning of May. Its nest is composed of moss, leaves, and grass, lined with hair or down, fixed in a low hedge or bush, and sometimes on the ground, and carefully covered with leaves. The female alone sits; and the male perches near, and soothes and amuses her the whole time with his delightful song; and if he ap-pre-hends' any danger approaching, he gives her warning by short pauses in the notes. When the young are hatched, he ceases to sing. The eggs are four or five in number, and of a greenish brown; and in warm countries, three

or four broods are produced in the year. The young ones may be brought up from the nest, and will, if well managed, sing during the whole year except in the season of moulting.

But it has been observed, that its song, when thus kept prisoner in a cage, is by no means so sweet and pleasing as when allowed to warble in the woods in its nat'-u-ral state.

SCRIPTURE EXTRACTS.

EXCEPTIONS.

His'-tor-y stran'-ger Ca'-naan youn'-gest report' Reu'-ben Ju'-dah cap'-tain Pha'-raoh He'-brews stalk gov'-er-nor an'-guish balm myrrh al-monds bade treas'-ure dost in-iq'-ui-ty cham'-ber jour-ney.

HISTORY OF JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN.

Ja'-cob, whom God named Is'-ra-el, dwelt in the land where his father was a stran'-ger,

in the land of Ca'-naan. And he had twelve sons, of whom Jo'-seph and Ben'-ja-min, the sons of Ra'-chel, were the youn'-gest. And Jo'-seph being seven'-teen years old, was feeding the flock with his breth'-ren, and Joseph brought unto his father their evil re-port'. Now Is'-ra-el loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved Joseph more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peace'-a-bly unto him.

more.

And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren; and they hated him yet the And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed; for behold we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo! my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold your sheaves stood round about, and made o-bei'-sance to my sheaf. And his

M

brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have do-min'ion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold I have dreamed a dream more; and behold the sun, and the moon, and the e-leven' stars, made o-bei'-sance And he told it to his father and to his brethren; and his father re-bukeď him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? shall I, and thy mother, and thy brethren, indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him, but his father observed the saying.

to me.

And one day when his father sent him into the fields to inquire if it were well with his brethren, and with the flocks, they conspired against him to slay him. And Reu'-ben heard it, and delivered him out of their hands, and said, Let us not kill him, shed no blood, but

cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands to de-liv'-er him to his father again. And it came to pass when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat; and they took him. and cast him into a pit; and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. At the same time some Ish'-ma-el-ites, merchants, passed by, going down to E'-gypt. And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come let us sell him to the Ish'-ma-el-ites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, and our flesh. And his brethren were content. And they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.

HISTORY OF JOSEPH continued.

And Reu'-ben returned unto the pit, and