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The egg of this birdis readily distinguished 
from all others, by the black specks and 
scratches on its surface. It is very wonder- 
ful that small birds of divers kinds should be 
so far imposed upon as to spend their time 
and affection on such a disproportionately 
large and unsightly thing as a young cuckoo. 
We have watched them, however, and have 
ascertained the facts, even with a mature yellow 
bunting and a young cuckoo in a cage.” 
What will Messrs. Bree, Doubleday, and 
Co., say to this? In-door naturalists cannot, 
now, have it all their own way. ‘Facts are 
stubborn things” for them to contend 
against ; and their musty records are of little 
use. Nobody will now believe them. Why 
should they? Nature wants not such apolo- 
gists ! 
BRIGHT SUMMER DAYS ARE GONE, 
BY ANN SMITH. 

Brigut summer days are gone, a myriad voices say, 
Who long to welcome back again the merry month 
of May ; 
Who love to roam in sunny hours when hawthorn 
bushes blow, 
And flow’rets fling their fragrance o’er each hill 
and dale below. 
Bright summer days are gone, their mirth and 
sunshine o’er, 
The swallow and the martin bird have vanished 
from our shore; 
The wild duck in the lowlands begins to make her 
cry, 
The sportsman with his fowling-piece is passing 
quickly by. 
Bright summer days are gone—in wood and dell 
tis seen 
The trees have lost their foliage, and the earth its 
vesture green ; 
The warblers of the wild wood have lost their 
wonted tune, 
And all the many-tinted flowers the balmy breath 
of June. 
Bright summer days are gone; and gloom and 
darkness fall 
Upon the poor man’s cottage-home, the noble’s 
stately hall. 
The forest and the pleasaunce a lonely aspect 
wear, 
The earth no more is beautiful ; the sky no longer 
fair. 
Bright summer days are gone ; in many a lonely 
heart 
Consuming cares corrode the once untainted part. 
The wreaths that fancy wove are wither’d, crush’d, 
and sere, 
An omen to the soul that winter days are near. 
Bright summer days are gone ; to come in course 
again, 
With the carol of the bird and the cowslip on the 
plain. 
A wise unerring power in mercy doth arrange ; 
Then raise a thankful song to the seasons as they 
change. 
KIDD’S OWN JOURNAL. 


THE HIGH PRICES OF FOOD. 
t 

PEOPLE WITH SMALL FAMILIES are now con- 
eratulating themselves on their good-fortune ; 
whilst people with large families are occupied 
in bewailing their ill-fortune. Certain it is, that 
the prices charged for the necessaries of life are 
exorbitantly high. This teaches us the value of 
plenty. 
However, things are by no means so bad as 
they are represented to be. Comparative scarcity 
has been made the stepping-stone to avarice and 
rapacity of no common kind. We have heard, 
too, of a number of wicked capitalists, who have 
bought up some thousands of barrels of flour— 
determined not to sell to the poor until they 
can realise famine prices. Some of the men we 
allude to go to church on Sunday, and utter the 
responses! We wish it were not “libellous ” to 
tell the truth—else should their names be dragged 
into public view. Fiends are they in human 
shape, whose punishment, though delayed, will 
ere long inevitably overtake them. ‘They live 
detested, and will no doubt die accursed. A 
bitter Christmas to them! say we. 
There can be no doubt that we shall require 
large supplies of foreign grain. There can be 
no doubt that we must be prepared to pay, com- 
pared with the last few years, good prices. But 
all the experience of the past, and all the infor- 
mation we can obtain of the present and the 
future, induce us to regard the prevailing notions 
on the subject as extravagant and greatly ex- 
ageerated. 
There is a point of view in which this subject 
is to be regarded at the present moment, which 
has been entirely overlooked. When the scarcity 
of 1846 overtook us, we were habitually small 
importers of grain; yet all at once, although 
France, Belgium, Holland, Prussia, and the Medi- 
terranean States were equally or more in want, 
and competing in the same markets, we were able 
to import, chiefly in the few latter months of 1846, 
2,344,000 quarters of wheat and flour alone, and 
in 1847 no fewer than 4,464,000 quarters. Now 
we are habitually and every year importers of 
about 4,000,000 quarters. For three years prior 
to 1846 we imported as follows :— 
WHEAT AND FLOovR. Qrs. 
HGS Parte Sen hey Tee ie 1,064,000 
LGA Cee ean ae SOM 1,379,000 
TOMS OE neat ine 1,414,000 
With this ordinary scale of trade, we were enabled 
suddenly to raise our imports to 4,464,000 quar- 
ters. During the last six years, notwithstanding 
the very low prices, our imports have been :— 
WueEat AND Fiour. Qrs. 
RST aras ad ee ieee ua 4,464,000 
Ey Oo MU anes tla ed eee 3,080,000 
USAGE ie wie ANd ee RE cl 2 4,835,000 
1SHOM etek cme cee 4,830,000 
Wood bee rics Shia ni OE Ne oo VO i 4.812.000 
1852 3,960,000 
With avenues open to us to supply such an in- 
creased quantity in ordinary years, and at low 
prices, it is certain that the present very high 
range of prices will direct to this market an 
increased supply—quite as large, in proportion to 
the usual quantity, as we received in 1847. And 
