hief
resorts, and their loneliness seems to suit him. He has often been seen
along British shores, in the Firth of Forth, for instance, and upon the
coast of Wales and Ireland. But if you wish to see the great northern
diver in abundance, you must go beyond the Hebrides, towards Labrador,
Iceland, and Spitzbergen. Nature has provided the bird with the means of
obtaining a great amount of animal heat, which enables him to bear
comfortably the intense cold of arctic regions.

A solitary specimen often attracts the notice of those on board passing
ships. They observe on a headland this tall, gaunt, white-breasted
sea-bird, motionless, it may be, yet looking round sharply with his keen
eyes. Is he thinking of the family cares of the last season, or
considering where the next meal is to come from? Suddenly he moves and
darts towards the sea, into which he plunges. Two or three minutes
after, he reappears many yards away. He has probably been fishing. He
seems to know before entering the water what the fish are doing, and the
formation of his body and limbs makes him a capital diver. It is the
habit of the Northern Diver to seek out especially the shoals of
herrings and sprats, of which both young and old birds consume great
quantities. There is only one brood yearly, the young birds hatching
during the brief summer of the far north.

The bird's head and neck are black, the bill being strong and pointed at
the tip. The breast is white, but the back, tail, and legs are black,
with scattered white spots; its feet are webbed. Though his wings are
short, and his body appears heavy, the Northern Diver can fly powerfully
and swiftly, owing to the strength of his muscles. The body, too, is
smooth and rounded, adapted either for swimming or flying. Another name
for it is the Immer, or Immer Diver.

J. R. S. C.

ENCOURAGEMENT.

Be as encouraging as you can. There is no end to the good sometimes done
by a few kindly words.

When Sydney Smith was a boy at school, a visitor found him one day, in
the play-hour, poring over a lesson-book. 'Clever boy!' said the
stranger, as he bestowed a shilling upon the young student, 'that is the
way to conquer the world.'

This bit of encouragement brightened the neglected boy's life like a
ray of sunshine. That kind man was not forgotten by Sydney Smith, who
was never weary of praising his deed. Little dreamed the stranger, as he
went his way, of the great good effected by his pleasan