Tame Humming-Birds.

A young lady in California who had, through illness, to spend several
hours a day reclining on rugs spread on the garden-lawn, succeeded in
taming two humming-birds. At first the birds watched her with some
curiosity from a distance. To entice them to come nearer she fastened a
fuchsia, filled with sweetened water, to a branch of a tree above her
head. The tiny fellows soon thrust their bills into the flower. Thinking
they might like honey better, a fresh flower was filled with it every
day. This food was quite to their taste, and so eager were they to get
it that they would hardly wait for their mistress to leave the flower
before they began to rifle its sweets. They grew so familiar at length
that when she held a flower in one hand and filled it with drops from a
spoon, the birds caught the drops as they fell. Only two male birds
monopolised the honey flower, and they would not permit any bee or wasp
to come near it. Between themselves even squabbles continually arose
about possession. Change of weather compelling the young lady to keep
indoors, she tried to coax them to the parlour windows. For a time the
birds could not understand the altered position of affairs, but at last
one of them repeatedly went up to her and took honey from her hand.

Intelligent Dogs.

Some time ago I had occasion to speak of a wise cat of Colonel Stuart
Wortley's. Now I may mention the doings of two intelligent dogs of his.
One of them was able to tell whether or not it might go out with the
housekeeper, according as she wore a hat or bonnet. If she wore her hat
it knew that it might accompany her, and barked with joy as soon as she
appeared, but if she wore her bonnet it knew she was going to church or
on a visit, and that it could not go with her. It became so familiar
with these articles that if drawings of hat and bonnet were placed
before it, it could indicate which was which. The other dog was a Skye
terrier. When the Colonel went out it was enough to say "Yes" or "No" in
an ordinary tone for the dog to know whether it might accompany him or
not. The terrier was next taught to distinguish the words when printed
on cards--Yes and No--and in a few weeks it never mistook them.

Skating-Race in Lapland.

With a view to test the powers of the Lapps in the matter of
long-distance skating, Baron Nordenskjold, the celebrated Arctic
explorer, offered prizes for a contest during his stay in that country.
The