IN THE TWILIGHT 
cbiclucr 
BY A. O. LINTON. 
'Tis the evening of the soul, 
Hero on earth. 
There has sometime been a day. 
In some region fur uwav. 
When the sunlight, clear and swco 
Kissed the blossoms at our t'cot; 
But the story that it told 
Had its ending, dark and cold. 
In our hlrth. 
So I reason, now and then, 
When alone,— 
When the shadows, dark and drear, 
Darker, drearier appear. 
And there's nothing on the breer 
But the sighing of the trees. 
Or the crooning of the waves 
That In tender, minor staves 
Hake a moan. 
Do I reason thus aright / 
la it well, 
Though In darkness I may bo, 
Thus a hrlghter light to sou 
That, has vanished long ago! 
Well or not, I may not. know. 
In the twilight shadows dim 
What is ever host for him. 
Who can tell? 
Yet l fancy, oftentimes. 
When at rest,— 
When the doubting and the fear 
For the moment disappear, 
And a sweet, a holy peace 
Has for ovory woe surcease, - 
That to see a light beyond, 
Of a morning glad and fond, 
May be. best! 
So 1 fancy ovon now. 
And 1 sit 
In the twilight cold and gray, 
Booking forward to the day 
When the sunlight clear shall gleam 
Over meadow-land ami stream ; 
And the t wilight momenta nil 
All my soul with tender thrill. 
As thuy lilt. 
NEW PUBLICATIONS 
Problematic Character h. (New York : Ley- 
poldt & Holt.)— Friedrich Spielhagen ranks, 
in Germany, amoog the foremost writers of Ac¬ 
tion. A complete edition of his works is now in 
the press of Messrs. Leypolot & Holt, the 
present, volume being the Urst issue thereof. We 
have read it With unusual interest. It is rich in 
poetic thought and description of nature; 
abounds in rare humor, frequently mixed with 
satire; and depicts humanity, in various aspects, 
with wonderful skill. The significance of its 
title is revealed In a quotation from Goethe, 
placed on the title-page:—“There are problem¬ 
atic characters, who are not equal to any situa¬ 
tion in life, and whom no situation satisAes. 
This causes an immense discord within, and 
their whole life is spent without enjoyment." 
Of the dramatic persotum it would bo difficult to 
say, indeed, which are not problematic charac¬ 
ters. And for this reason tho book leaves an 
unpleasant impression, as a whole, however 
much of real pleasure parts of It afford. For this 
reason. and bocauso of its sad and unsatisfactory 
denouement. Having laid it aside, we feel its 
realties*, which is much in its favor; but we feel 
also that for such men as Oswald and Baron 
Oldenburg to fritter life away in a vague un¬ 
rest and aimlessness, is extremely had. 
iFdiiifiiU Sntl'rag-e f The Iteform ~t{~ain*t 
*V/t lure. (New York: Charles Scribner & Co.)— 
Will the “strong-minded ” smile derisively when 
they read those earnest, chapters by Dr. Busn- 
N'HLI.V Will good Mrs. Stanton, whose argu¬ 
ments in behalf of her sex have been as able as 
can be adduced, characterize what Is hero said in 
opposition to such views as she holds as only 
brilliant generalization or pret tily worded senti¬ 
mentalism ? Perhaps. But we think she will be 
more candid. And we have an idea that many 
well-meaning women, doubtful as to their wants, 
and inclined to doubt the desirability of their 
present condition, will take deep into their 
hearts seme of the truths hero admirably pre¬ 
sented. Dr. Bush nele may not be correct In all 
liis reasoning; but he reasons well, and says 
much that it Is hard to gainsay. His belief that 
Man and Woman are complementary, and that 
to give her the ballot Is to sunder this natural 
Oneness and render marriage only a partnership, 
la warmly advocated. We hope the book will bo 
widely read. 
’Tis a twilight lasting long, 
As I know. 
Bat 'Its not the dusk Of eve. 
Says my heart: and I believe. 
Thoro’s a tlush across tho sky. 
For the dawn is growing nigh ; 
And the Day at length shall shino, 
With a glory all divine 
In its glow! 
fortes for linralists 
4P 
Thackeray)* .Yoeet ». (Boston: Fields, Os¬ 
good & Co.)—Consequent, wo suppose, upon the 
success of their recent edition of Charles 
Ht vdo*s works, the well known Boston publish¬ 
ers are sending out a Household Edition of 
Tiiackf.ua Vs genial novels, in a style uniform 
therewith. “ Vanity Fair," “Pcndennls," and 
“Tho Nowoomes," are now before us, in green 
and gold, comprising the Urst three volumes of 
the series, and arc, for a cheap edition, roally 
excellent US to print ami binding. A life-like 
portrait of their author embellishes tho Arst 
nrtinud. Of tho works themselves wo do not 
need to speak, -the manner in which they are 
presented wo can heartily commend. 
OLIVER HUNT'S GREAT P LEA 
to over a hundred by the marine turtle. 
They are left wholly tmcuml for, and hatch 
out the young in from six weeks to four 
months, provided some marauding epicure 
does not purloin them for liis dinner soon 
after the turtle takes her departure. The 
time of depositing eggs is always in spring 
or early summer, and the place sought, by 
marines, is on some sandy shore, beyond the 
reach of the highest tides. Marine turtles 
often make long voyages for lliis purpose. 
LatrbilLe says that those which frequent 
the Galapagos Islands, and are of the largest 
known, migrate two hundred leagues to the 
western coast of America, the females always 
accompanied by the males. 
The Testudinata are remarkably tenacious 
of life, and can exist a long time without 
nourishment. Rkdi, who experimented 
with them, says they will give signs of vitali¬ 
ty twenty-three days after decapitation; and 
he further states that a land tortoise lived 
six months, blindly groping about, after its 
brain had been entirely removed. Ancient 
mythology accounts for the tortoise shell in 
a curious way. It says the tortoise preferred 
to remain at home when all the animals 
were invited by Jupiter to celebrate his 
marriage with Juno, and that heing so fond 
of its house, it was condemned to carry the 
same with it thereafter wherever it should go. 
long ago showed that if you place two bar- 
rels of stagnant water side by side, neither of 
them containing any “ wiggle-tails’’ or other 
living animals, and cover one of them over 
with gauze, leaving the other one uncovered, 
so that, it will soon become full of “ wiggle- 
tails ’’ hatched out from the eggs deposited 
by the female mosquito, then the covered 
barrel will in a few weeks become very of¬ 
fensive, and the uncovered barrel will emit 
no impure and unsavory vapors. 
%\t Jhthtniltst 
BY GEORGE LEE, 
When Oliver Hunt was twenty-one, lie 
decided to study law. He was a good look¬ 
ing, pleasant fellow, of fair ability. Tho 
young ladies thought him handsome and 
talented. The more enthusiastic ones pro¬ 
nounced him “ splendid.” He certainly bad 
a great deal of money, and spent it very free¬ 
ly, points on which all were agreed. 
When Oliver announced his determina¬ 
tion to study law, many opinions were ex¬ 
pressed on the subject. Ho was the center 
of an admiring circle of friends, who, of 
course did not all think alike. The older 
ladies, among whom was liis mother, hoped 
that he would he a clergyman; while the 
younger ones, with charming worldliness, 
thought and said that he would make a mag¬ 
nificent lawyer. 
There was, however, one notable excep¬ 
tion. Fanny Shaw said one day,— 
“ Oliver Hunt will never make a suc¬ 
cessful lawyer; he is too fanciful.” 
Oliver heard the remark, and remem¬ 
bered it. 
In due time he was admitted to the bar, 
but as this honor is conferred on all young 
men who have gone through the required 
studies and presented themselves at the prop¬ 
er time and place, his admission signified 
nothing, except that he was now ready to 
prove himself. 
Privately, Oliver had no especial liking 
for the profession, nor did 1m need its fees. 
He reasoned thus:— 11 By studying faithfully 
for two or three years, I shall add greatly to 
my stock of knowledge, make inyself a 
stronger man. Moreover, if this fortune of 
mine should some day take to itself wings, 
ami that other plan should fail, I would still 
have something to roly ®n.” 
After his admission, he said to himself: 
“Now I see that everybody is expecting me 
to do something in tlm professional line. I 
haven’t, the least idea of doing anything; but 
I’ll hang out a shingle, just for appear: 
TORTOISES AND TURTLES 
Agassiz, adopting the nomenclature of 
Klein, classes all reptiles known as tortoises 
and turtles, as TestudinaUr,, They are, in 
fact, the highest, of the reptile order. Ac¬ 
cording to Dumeril and Bibron, Tedudi- 
nata are divided into four families, as to 
habit,—marine turtles, river tortoises, marsh 
tortoises, and land tortoises. Agassiz, how¬ 
ever, adopts Ofuel’s class divisions, making 
seven or eight families, and including marine 
turtles, leather or trunk turtles, soil-shelled 
tortoises, snapping turtles, mud turtles, fresh¬ 
water tortoises like terrapins, and land tor¬ 
toises like the great Galapagos and others. 
The word “ turtle,'’ in Saxon, meant, turtle 
dove, a peculiar kind of bird, and in nowise 
relorrcd to a reptile; and the English word 
held the samo signification until the dis¬ 
covery of America, when sailors applied it. to 
the great marine tortoise of the West Indies. 
Tortoises rank higher than turtles, the chief 
point of difference between the two species 
being that the former are not wholly aquatic, 
while the latter may be so considered, as 
they are excellent swimmers, and rarely ap¬ 
proach the shore except to deposit their eggs. 
Land, river, and marsh tortoises are found 
over the whole American Continent east of 
the Rocky Mountains, and as far uorth as 
the upper St. Lawrence; and the foreign 
species abound in the warm regions of Asia 
and Africa. The common soft-shelled tor¬ 
toise of the Northern States attains a length 
of fourteen inches, and its flesh is very de¬ 
licious. Those found in the Southern and 
Southwestern States are species of the same 
genus, ranging from the common mud tor¬ 
toise of three or four inches in length, so 
numerous in pouds and streams from Penn¬ 
sylvania to the Gulf of Mexico, to the Florida 
terrapin, which sometimes attains to nearly 
a foot aud a half in length. 
The Alligator Tortoise, which we here¬ 
with illustrate, is doubtless the most formid- 
As its name im* 
The Pacific Hailroatl — Open. (Boston: 
Fields, Osgood & Co.)— Samuel Bowles, tho 
able editor of tho Springfield Republican, gives 
us, in this neatly printed little pamphlet of ono 
hundred and twenty pages, much of interest 
and profit concern lug the wonderful region just 
opened to travelers by tho Pacific Railroad. 
Few men, probably, arc bettor posted lu regard 
to the Great West than is he: few pens are so 
admirably adapted us his to portraying Its 
©banns. As a guide for excursionists across 
the Continent this republication from tho At¬ 
lantic Monthly Is very valuable. 
ROBINS UNDER TEMPTATION. 
A correspondent of the Boston Journal 
of Chemistry writes: 
“ I do not remember having seen it noticed 
in print, but the robins which leave their 
northern home to winter at the South fall 
While Unite into very bad habits. They are 
exceedingly loud of the berries uf the Pride 
of Tndia, a tree which is grown extensively 
for ornament and shade in some localities of 
Georgia and Florida. As this tree bears its 
fruit abundantly, somewhat after the manner 
of mountain ash in northern latitudes, birds 
collect upon it. in great numbers, and after 
feeding awjiiic, many of them become so 
intoxicated that they can neither fly nor 
remain perched on the branches, but fall to 
the ground. Here they are picked up by 
the colored population, \yho esteem them 
very nice material for pot-pics. If left un¬ 
disturbed the 1 illhx creatures soon recover 
from the effects of their indiscretion; but, 
like some human beings, learning no wis¬ 
dom from experience, and consulting appe¬ 
tite at the expense of safety, they again 
return to the tree and indulge themselves 
with ils delicious but dangerous fare.” 
The JVtw | Vent. (New York: G. P. Putnam 
& Son.) Charles Luring Brace, author of 
“Homo Life in Germany" and other works, 
here gives his impressions of California, as re¬ 
ceived in IWT-’Gk. Of course he treuts of much 
that is familiar to intelligent newspaper readers, 
but he also (ouches upon some features of great, 
political Interest, giving facts aud ligurcB rela¬ 
tive to mining, silk growing, natural produc¬ 
tions, wine making, and the like, which give 
somewhat of character to the book, and which 
will render its perusal profitable to many. 
THE MOSQUITO, 
Summer has come, with ils beauties, its 
witching field music of birds, its pleasant 
hum of insects, and—ils mosquitoes. Espe¬ 
cially Hie latter. More especially to such as 
have a fondness for fashionable watering 
places by the sea-side, tho mosquito being 
essentially a fashionable, and delighting to 
frequent the most, fashionable resorts. As so 
many readers will find themselves in close 
contact with said insect, presently, wo give 
what tho Entomologist says concerning him, 
for their edification: 
The eggs of the mosquito are laid in a 
bowl-shaped mass upon the surface of stag¬ 
nant water by the mother fly. After hatch¬ 
ing out they finally become the “wiggle- 
tails” or wriggling worms that may be seen 
in the summer in any barrel of water that is 
exposed to the atmosphere for any length of 
time. Finally, the “wiggle-tails” come to 
the surface, and the full-fledged mosquito 
bursts out of them, at first with very short, 
limp wings, which in a short time grow both 
in length and stiffness. The sexes then 
couple, and the above process is repeated 
again and again, probably several times in 
the course of one season. It is a curious fact 
that the male mosquito, which may be 
known by its feathered antennae, is physi¬ 
cally incapable of sucking blood. 
The mosquito is not an unmitigated pest. 
Although in the winged state the female 
sucks our blood and disturbs our rest, in the 
larva state the insect is decidedly beneficial 
by purifying stagnant water, tlxat would 
otherwise breed malarial diseases. Linn re us 
MUcttonary or the Uihte. (New York: Hurd 
A Houghton.)—Part XVIII. of the unubi’ldged 
American edition of Ur. William Smith’s ad¬ 
mirable Hi hi© Dictionary is ruooivod. This edi¬ 
tion is under the editorship of Rev. Dr. Hack- 
ett, ami has been contributed to by a I urge 
number or the ablest scholars in America. It 
is undoubtedly the most valuable work of the 
kind ever produced In this Country; and al¬ 
though necessarily somewhat expensive, should 
by beside every family Bible in the land. 
A Plea for Bird* 
I would urge you nnd all 
editors to speak more frequently against the 
prevalent custom of offering boys trilling sums 
to secure pairs of birds for home adornment. 
Almost dally I. sec boys throwing rocks nnd 
sticks at birds; and their universal excuso is, 
“ Mr.-offered me five dollars if I would catch 
him a pair of that kind." 
1 Irnvo already found several red and mocking 
birds wounded and sore, and nursed them up to 
something like Lheir old vigor, whoso plaintive 
cries were enough to break the heart, of any one 
not driven by love of til thy lucre to sacrifice 
every human feeling in bis bosom. I feel some¬ 
times as if I would like to pour hot shot into 
some of these hard-hearted persecutors until 
their tender emotions were more susceptible to 
the wail of the distressed.-S. T. T., ScdaUa, Mo. 
Pine Groaabeak — Loxia Enuc.lea.tor.— A cor¬ 
respondent of tho Canada Farmer at. Holland 
Landing says, though there Is no doubt this bird 
inhabits the Arctic regions, he believos they 
will live through u Canadian summer. !. cadds: 
“ I have five, two males and throe females, In 
my cage along with t wenty-five other birds of 
different species, and they seem to thrive. They 
eat the same food as tho others—hemp, canary 
and fox-tail seed; If they do not survive the 
summer it will not be on account of tho food , 
but tho heat; however, at prescut, there is ©very 
prospect of their doing well. They are of a 
Thackeray!* JVonel ». (New V ork: Harper 
A Brothers.)— 1 ' Vanity Fuir,” and “The Virgini¬ 
ans,"—two volumes, in paper, of the Harpers' 
cheap octavo edition of Thackeray’s works,— 
am before us. They nro handsomely printed, in 
large type, have the author’s illustrations, and 
afiorcl admirers uf the great English humorist 
an opportunity to gratify their admiration at 
little cost. 
i ii nnug out a siiingtc, just tor appearance. 
So he caused a wing of lii.s mother’s house 
to assume a legal air, and placed a sign on 
the door post. It read after this fashion: 
OLIVER HUNT, 
Attorney and Counselor at Law. 
“ Now,” said he, jocosely, “ I must wait 
for a client.” 
He did not “ wait” by sitting in his office 
until the client came; “that,” he said, 
“ would be conducive to dyspepsia." Accord¬ 
ingly he exercised and refreshed himself by 
such gentle stimulants as croquet and pic¬ 
nics with the ladies, while with his rougher 
companions he boated, fished and hunted 
with a /.cal that made dyspepsia a sheer im¬ 
possibility. 
Indeed, when I say that three months 
glided away without bringing a client, the 
assertion is founded on my own observa¬ 
tions; for that personage might have knock¬ 
ed at the office door six dav3 in the week 
and Oliver would have been unconscious 
able of the tortoise family, 
plies, it makes an approach to the alligator, 
and its strong, hooked mandibles, its power¬ 
ful limbs, its eagle-like claws, and its long 
toil, ridged above with elevated scales, ac¬ 
cord with its character as extremely savage 
and destructive. It is a native of the ex¬ 
treme Southern States, inhabiting the mo¬ 
rasses, lakes and rivers; and preys upon fish, 
frogs, small aquatic animals and birds. With 
immensely strong jaws, its viciousness rend¬ 
ers it quite dangerous. Similar species found 
in the Nile are very destructive to young 
crocodiles, and have been known to attack 
persons while bathing. 
All Tedudiuata are oviparous. Their eggs 
are spherical, covered with a hard shell, and 
are laid generally in the hot sand or moist 
earth. The number deposited by each varies 
greatly, from four or five by the land tortoise 
Leslie. (New York: G. P. Putnam 
k Son.)— Written nearly forty years ago, as the 
author, Mr. Theodore S. Fay, kindly tells us, 
we can account for the present publication of 
this •• story of New York ” only on the supposi¬ 
tion that its author has passed into his second 
literary childhood, and has an inordinate fond¬ 
ness for a very ordinary, In fact a very puerile 
production. 
nochttttr STTutical Times* (Rochester: J. 
P. Shaw.)—The first number of this new musical 
r monthly ig on our tuble. It Is neatly printed; 
i contains much interesting matter, among which 
\ ^/'asongof the last sensation,"entitled “The 
} New Velocipede;” and we recorninoud it to the 
i Public generally. 
The U\, verity .Vorels. (N ew York: D. Ap- 
»r' & Co.)—“The Surgeon’s Daughter” and 
Costic Daugerous," and “Count Robert of 
Fui-is," are Included in these two pamphlet vol¬ 
umes of the Apple-tons’ surprisingly cheap 
edition of Scott. 
