THE CURLY-WIGGED BIRD.

Look at his picture. You will see that his head is covered with a crest, or wig, of curly feathers.

These

feathers are of a glossy jet black, which contrast with the pure white, bright red, deep yellow, olive green, and light brown feathers which form other parts of the dress of the bird.

Its large saw-like beak, and its long, depressed tail, are also worthy of notice. The wings are not suited for rapid flight.

The name of this bird is Aracaris; it is found in the forests of Brazil, in South America, where it is engaged in constant warfare with the monkeys. Its food chiefly consists of berries.

CHARLOTTE RICHMOND'S LETTER.

HAVE you not heard of the "Dairyman's Daughter," and "Little Jane the Young Cottager," and of the Rev. Legh Richmond who wrote those beautiful narratives ? Mr. Richmond had a son named Wilberforce, whom he dearly loved, but who died in Christ at the age of eighteen. When he died, his little sister Charlotte wrote this letter to her older sister, who was then living in Scotland. When you have read it you will say that it is a sweet letter to be written by a child only seven years old.

"My dear Mary-It is a long time since I wrote to you, but I have not forgotten you, for you know I love you very much. Were you not sorry to hear dear Willy was dead? He was asleep, and I did not know that he was dead, and I asked them why they cried so much. He did not look any different, only he looked a little paler, so I did not think this meant dying; but they told me dear Willy was dead, and would never

speak to me any more. It made me cry very much too; but poor papa cried the most, and took him up in his arms and kissed him very often; so did poor Fanny, and mamma, and Mrs. Gasking, and it was a sad, sad time; and then papa went into the parlour to tell Legh, for all the others were at church, and papa told him he was crying for joy, because dear Willy was in heaven, and then Legh cried too; but I do not think Legh cried for joy, for he looked so sad and cried so much.

"Papa took us all into the study, and made a beautiful prayer, and thanked God very much for dear Willy's being in heaven, and asked God to let all his brothers and sisters and papa and mamma go there too; and papa told us to pray that God would take us to that holy place where our Saviour and Willy and the baby are, and where they will never die again, and live with God, and be very beautiful and glorious.

"I will tell you what dear Willy said to me when he sent for me on Sunday. He told me to come and kiss him, and he said to me, 'When poor Willy dies shall you be sorry ?' I said, 'Yes, dear Willy.' He said, 'Oh, but I am going to God in heaven, dear Charley, and you must be a good girl, and come to me in heaven; but then promise me before I die, that you won't come out of your room in the morning or lie down at night without reading the Bible and praying to God.' I said I would not, and I hope I do not, dear Mary. I want very much to be good, and go to God and Willy in heaven. Dear Willy said, 'I will give you something to remember me by when I am dead, and you must often repeat it: 'Suffer little children

to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.' He said, 'Jesus said this, and dear Charley may come to him, and he will love you, and fetch you also to heaven.' Then he told me to say it to him before he died, and I said it to him, for Fanny had taught it to me a long time ago. I think it is a very pretty text; do not you, dear Mary? I can say a pretty hymn about it.

"Willy died in Fanny's room, in her bed. Sometimes she lets me sleep with her, it makes me think of him so much. They laid him with the baby in the church. . . . ; Mr. Yandy told us to look, for it was the last time we should see my dear brother, and it made me cry very much to leave him in that dark place, and so did everybody, and papa and Mr. Grimshawe; but they told me he did not see the dark, for it was only his body, and his soul was in a holy, glorious, light place, above the sun a long way, and singing very sweet with the angels, and singing to Jesus Christ on a golden harp, and a golden crown on his head, and shining all over very lovely; and it made Theophilus and Legh and me give up crying; and Ann Palmer taught us to pray to be like him, and to go to him; and then she read us all about Willy and heaven, in the Revelation, and showed me what he sung in the fifth chapter. Will you find it, if you have a Bible, for it is so pretty?

"Write to me, if you please, dear Mary; pray do, and tell me about Willy in heaven. I love to hear of that best. Good-bye, dear Mary.

"I am your affectionate dear little girl,

"CHARLOTTE RICHMOND."

HOME AMONG THE FLOWERS.

He who describes this world as all sunshine, makes

of it as being all It has in it much

a great mistake, but he who talks shadow, makes a still greater one. that is bright, and fair, and lovable. Oh for a quick eye to see in it what is beautiful and good, and a grateful heart to turn it to advantage!

As you may never have heard of the Rauhe Haus (Rough House) at Hamburg in Germany, we will describe it in a few words. At one time this house, or homestead, was no doubt rough enough; but, as it is much altered for the better, we will describe it under the more pleasant name which some people have given it of "Home among the Flowers."

It is now about seventeen years since a kind-hearted friend to young people, of the name of Wichern, formed a new plan for the welfare of vagrant children. A little broken-down farmhouse was to let, so he took it, that it might become a home for his poor outcasts. He was not long in want of young people to fill it with, and since then other buildings have been added to it. The new plan of Mr. Wichern was to form the young people into families and educate them, and teach them useful trades.

Now fancy to yourself a number of small houses with ten or a dozen boys in each, just such boys as we have in our English Ragged Schools. Every house has a Christian-hearted young man with two assistants at the head of it, and these take care of the boys and instruct them in piety and usefulness,

"And guard and guide them every day,

And lead them on the heavenly way."