of various domed and pyramidal buildings, most of which appeared to be plated on the roofs and sides with gold, and glittered to the sun. Beneath my feet, reaching over a much greater extent of ground than I had at first supposed, lay the ruins of a vast number of palaces, temples, tombs, and triumphal arches; many of which, especially to the west side of the island, which I had not before seen, were in a high state of preservation, and richly decorated with gilding, painting, sculpture, and precious metals. In all of them, no doubt, were idols made after the pattern of this on which I was perched so unceremoniously, and treasure of every imaginable description.

However, the present and actual were all that concerned me just then; so I left the investigation of the ruins till such time as I could bring my men to help me, and set to work with my clasp-knife, to secure as much as possible of the spoil within my grasp. My first attack was made of course upon the diamond, which I dislodged with infinite difficulty, it being "set" into the head of the idol with some kind of very hard cement, that I had to grate to powder as I went on. When, at last, I had quite freed it, I tied it up in the union-jack which had been all this time about my waist, and let myself down upon the east side of the building, where I had seen an opening into the basement. Looking inside this opening, I found the whole interior filled with human skulls, which somewhat startled me. I made room among them, however, for my diamond, and then climbed up again, to secure a few more stones. This time I fell upon the idol's eyes and earrings, which I soon transferred to my own pockets; and, having knocked out some of the great emeralds from his belt, and one or two of the largest opals from his bangles and bracelets, and taken possession of his golden scimitar for my own use, I made up my mind to rest from my labours for this day, and go back by the way I had come. So I tied the loose stones up with the diamond, secured the bundle to my belt, buckled the scimitar to my side, and prepared to descend the mountain. Loaded as I was now, however, this proved no easy matter; but I got to the bottom at last, after some perilous falls and scrambles; took the same route through the ruins, scaled the outer line of wall as before, and plunged into the forest.

The sun was now low in the heavens, and I was thoroughly exhausted by the mental and physical exertions of the day. I doubted whether it would be possible for me to reach the coast before sunset; and I stood in great need of food and rest. The shade and silence of the woods-the springy moss, offering a natural carpet to my feet-the cocoa-nuts and fragrant berries all around, were temptations not to be

resisted; so I decided to spend the night in the forest, and proceeded to choose my lodging. A snug bank at the foot of a clump of banana and cocoa trees was soon found; and here, with a pile of cocoa-nuts by my side, my precious bundle at my feet, and my scimitar lying ready to my hand, I lay down, ate a hearty supper, and settled myself for the night.

The sun went down upon the silence of the forest. Not a bird twittered-not a monkey chattered-not an insect hummed near. Then came darkness and the southern stars; and I fell profoundly asleep.

I awoke next morning with the dawn; breakfasted on a cocoa-nut ; drank the milk of two or three others; and set off, compass in hand, towards the coast. As I went along, I remembered all at once, with a sense of shame at having forgotten it till then, that it was the morning of Christmas-day-Christmas-day, which, though summer-time out here in this tropical latitude, was a wintry epoch enough far away in England among those who loved me! Christmas-day, when the quiet greyturreted church in my native village would be garlanded with holly; when many a true heart would ache for my absence; when many a prayer for my safety would be whispered as the Litany was read; and my health be drank loudly at the Christmas feast! And I-what had I been doing all this time? Lost in ambitious dreams, had I given a single thought to those who gave so many thoughts to me? Had I longed for wealth, and dared danger and death, to share my riches with them, and make them happy? My heart smote me at these questions, and I brushed away two or three remorseful tears. I saw how selfish had been my aims, and soothed my conscience with a number of good resolutions, all of which were to be carried out when I returned to England with a shipload of gold and jewels.

Absorbed in these wholesome reflections, I traversed the mazes of the forest, crossed the flowery savannah, and threaded the majestic glades of the cocoa-woods that lay nearest the shore. Emerging, by-and-by, in sight of the beach and the sea, I saw, to my surprise and satisfaction, the Mary-Jane lying close up against the cliffs, in a little rocky cove not half a mile away. The next instant, I had scrambled down the cliff as recklessly as if it had been a mere slope of smooth lawn, and was running towards the ship at my utmost speed, only pausing every now and then to shout and wave my hat, in case that any of the crew were on the look-out for me. No answering shout, however, bade me welcome. Not a head appeared above the ship's side. Not even a pennant fluttered from the masthead. Had the crew deserted the Mary-Jane, and gone up the island in search of treasure for themselves?

(To be continued.)

PIGEON S.

BY THE REV. J. G. WOOD, M.A. F.L.S.

PIGEONS

are always favourite pets, and deservedly so, as they are beautiful and graceful creatures, may be profitably if properly managed, increase rapidly, and require very little trouble. Moreover, the gradations of variety are so great that the young fancier may either content himself with the ordinary dovecote pigeon, which is after all as pretty a bird as any of the fancy varieties, or he may become a regular pigeon-breeder, be a member of the Philoperisteron Society, exhibit his birds, and take prizes or lose them, as the case may be. Should the intending pigeon-keeper be totally inexperienced in the matter, I should certainly recommend him to begin with the common dovecote pigeon, and not to trouble himself about the pouters, carriers, fantails, tumblers, and other varieties, until he has learned how to manage the commoner and hardier birds.

Before the birds are procured, the first business is to have a home for them.

If the young naturalist can obtain the loft over an outhouse or stable, he ought to think himself very fortunate, and may look forward to the possession of a large flock of beautiful birds, as well as a supply of young for the table, and of powerful manure for the garden. Rows of shelves should be put up, at least twenty inches in breadth, and eighteen inches from each other in the clear.

Now erect a series of "upright partitions," about fourteen inches from each other, and made of moderately stout plank; then let each partition be closed in, leaving about three inches of the lower board or floor in front, so as to form a step, on which the pigeons can alight before entering their boxes; and close by each partition, cut a doorway large enough for the birds to pass without difficulty. The accompanying plan and elevation will explain this mode of construction.

Fig. 1 represents the ground plan of a shelf, twenty inches in width, containing six boxes, if the spaces between the partitions may be so