also been employed from time immemorial in the construction of the box or coffin to contain the dead. Formerly no person could be buried in a vault under a church except in a leaden coffin. Happily the barbarous custom of putting the dead in leaden cases, that were liable to swell, burst, and throw out their deadly gases into the church above containing the living, has now been abolished, except in rare cases, when embalmed Royalty, or the remains of some of our greatest men, are consigned to their last resting-places in Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's, or the Chapel Royal, Windsor.

Cisterns for containing water are commonly made of sheet-lead, in wooden cases, but they are unsafe for this purpose if they are left open to the air. The water then becomes coated with white rust, which is poisonous, and is consequently unfit for cooking purposes. Although lead is in itself poisonous, it is of important use in the arts. Paint is made from lead. It is also used as glaze for earthenware, and is likewise employed in making some kinds of glass, in dyeing, and calico-printing.

FOOTPRINTS OF GOD IN NATURE.
By GEORGE PACKER.

T

XIV. THE TIGER.

HE tiger is an animal equal to the lion in size and strength, and superior to it in activity. It lacks, however, the majestic beauty and magnanimous qualities of the king of beasts, and is extremely savage and revengeful. Still, we shall see that even in the creation of so terrible and destructive an animal there are marks of wondrous wisdom, plainly indicative of a Divine superintending Head.

The tiger is something of the shape of the lion, but does not possess the lion's shaggy mane. Its ordinary length, from the nose to the tip of its tail, is about ten feet, though many tigers have been slain of twelve feet and more. It moves with wonderful litheness and facility, winding and crawling through the jungle with the ease of a serpent that can bend and twist itself in any direction. It springs upon its prey with a force that is absolutely irresistible. We have all seen a cat leap upon a mouse. The tiger is simply a gigantic cat, and leaps upon a buffalo and carries it away with just as much ease as the cat carries away the captured mouse. Its skin is covered with beautiful thick glossy hair; and the hair of the tiger is uniformly noticed to grow thicker in the colder latitudes than in the hottest part of the tropics. Tho skin of the tiger is very beautiful, and is highly prized. The groundwork of it is of a sandy or tawny colour, and, at regular intervals, broad black stripes cover it. These stripes extend to

the very tip of its tail, and form bands or rings. But while the skin is so beautiful, it is not beauty merely that a beneficent Creator intended. There is an exquisite adaptation between it and the jungles where the tiger most dwells. The bushes and shrubs and trees of the jungle constitute a perfect retreat and hiding place. As the tiger slouches or crawls along with silent footfall, scarcely ever disturbing branch or leaf, it takes a wonderfully acute eye to distinguish the movements of his sinuous form from the motion of the trees disturbed by the wind. He does not gallop like the lion, but goes speedily along at will by an acceleration of his walking pace, and the real swiftness of his progress could hardly be suspected from his apparently leisurely procedure.

The tiger excels the lion in the vigour and extent of his springs, for which he is admirably qualified by muscles that are prodigiously powerful. His teeth seem expressly designed for the destruction of large animals, and for the tearing and dividing of the fleshy fibres. Some of the teeth are armed with points which correspond in the opposite jaws, so that when the mouth is shut they lock into one another like the cogs of machinery. The muscles that enclose the jaws are of enormous size and strength. The tongue is armed with sharp points that hook backwards so as to prevent the prey from escaping. Like the lion, the tiger is provided with whiskers endowed with wonderful keenness of sensibility through their being largely supplied with nerves. These whiskers are of great assistance when crawling through the dense jungle.

The tiger hides itself by day and seeks its prey by night, and its eyes are so constructed as to see far better in dusk or even darkness than in the noonday glare. Its most common device for securing its prey is to roar aloud in the jungle, and off rush the scared buffaloes and antelopes to their hiding place in alarm. This is just what he wants, and having frightened them into their hiding places, which he knows well, he goes quietly round and makes his supper. But he is a terrible adversary to men as well as to antelopes. Tigers, like cats, are all thieves and murderers from the beginning. The meek-looking hypocrite purring on the domestic hearth, and presenting in appearance a perfect picture of amiable innocence, has perhaps just laid down to digest a sparrow it has been lying in wait for. Many a demure and sedate "tabby" slyly glances at the canary, anxious for a spring at the cage, and is withheld by nothing but fear of condign punishment. Like the cat watching for sparrows or for mice, the tiger will lie in wait, not only for animals, but when it gets too old for their superior strength or fleetness, will as patiently lie in wait for men.

In some villages in India the ravages of tigers are fearful. In Singapore as many as 500 Chinese coolies have been devoured in a single year by them, for there is a great scarcity of game in the islet. An old shekarry, or native hunter, thus describes the den of a man-slaying tiger he had shot:-" This was evidently the tomb of

the man-eater, for I counted, from skulls and other human remains, about twenty-three victims, of both sexes, as we could see from the hair, clothes, broken armlets, and gold and silver ornaments belonging to native women. We picked up two massive silver bracelets belonging to his last victim, whose remains were identified by the villagers who were with us. We also found two gold teckas, or neck ornaments, which mark the married women (as the gold ring on the left hand with ourselves), and a knife which we were assured has belonged to a postman missing about a month before." The man-slaying tigers, however, are now growing fewer by the conjoined influences of greater caution being exercised by the villagers and the animals being more commonly hunted and slain. The Indian Government used to give a reward of ten rupees for every tiger killed, so thickly were many parts of the country infested by these injurious beasts. This is now no longer necessary, as tiger hunting has become a favourite and popular sport with both military men and civilians.

Tiger hunting is a dangerous and an exciting pursuit, but the danger and the excitement seem only to make it the more attractive. It is often conducted on a scale of great magnificence. A large and powerful cavalcade marches into the jungle, composed of dogs, horses, elephants, with the hunters in large howdahs on their backs, and attendants of various kinds to beat the bushes. In these grand hunting expeditions the elephants render the most important service, for, loaded as they are with armed men, they will rush into the jungle on the tiger when wounded, or when at bay, and transfix him with their tusks, or crush him to death with kneeling on him. Beside this open method of declared war, numerous traps are laid for the tiger, and by the most ingenious devices men protect themselves against his terrible power, and obtain as trophy the highly prized spoil of his beautiful skin.

The tiger, unlike the lion, is not used as a symbol by any Christian or civilised power. As an emblem it is appropriate only to represent a cruel and bloodthirsty government. No government, one would think, could choose so terrible an animal, or accept it, as being representative. Yet, strange to say, a tiger's head, adorned with jewels, was placed in a most conspicuous position on the throne of Tippo Sahib, and fitly indicated the character of the government of that wretched man.

Some will, perhaps, wonder that the creation of a savage beast like the tiger should be mentioned as proof of the goodness and wisdom of God. But it is plain that in its remarkable structure and habits there are numerous instances of profound contrivance and adaptation of means to ends. In its powerful and complicated frame there is great unity of design, and in reference to all its surroundings of climate and of home and food, it is believed to fill a place peculiar to itself in the great scheme of Nature. And if we occasionally meet with difficulty as we g'ance at link after link in the vast chain of vegetative, animal, and intellectual life, we need not be surprised.

The diversified creations of God, which, in an ascending degree progress from an atom to an archangel, are not to be comprehended by our puny intellect all at once. Where we see most thoroughly and understand most completely, all the works of God appear to be absolutely perfect; and this should make us strongly suspect that where our intelligence is confounded, it is because something material to the case has escaped our notice. Believing as we do, that "the Lord is good to all, and that His tender mercies are over all His works," and finding in the wonderful arrangements of Nature so much that affords solid foundation for our faith to rest upon, we shall not be daunted if here and there we find things that are too high for us; for is not this a confirmation in its measure of the statement that "His understanding is infinite?" We do not expect to fathom all the purposes of an infinite understanding, but a reverent study of the works of God in nature continued will probably relieve us ultimately of the difficulties that now press upon us, just as the man comes to understand perfectly what were painful and perplexing mysteries to him as a boy.

TOM FOSTER, THE ORPHAN.
BY CHARLES LEACH.

CHAPTER IV.-A HARD PILLOW.

ONG before Tom awoke next morning, George was up and told his mother all about the reading and prayer they had had in their room on the previous night. He got the old Bible, and asked his mother if Tom might be allowed to read out of that before they had their breakfast. Mrs. Strong, a little surprised at her boy's earnest manner, consented.

When Tom opened his eyes, he was a little while before he could make out where he was. But this did not take him long. He got out of bed, put on his clothes, read a verse or two of his Testament, prayed a few words, and went down stairs. George set a chair for him, and asked him to read in their Bible, and teach both him and his mother how to pray. The widow was hardly prepared for this; but said nothing. Tom quietly opened the Bible, and read the third chapter of St. John's Gospel. They all three knelt down, and again Tom expressed a few broken sentences, and asked God to make them all good, take care of them, and at last send the angels to take them to the mansions of heaven. It was enough; God sent His Spirit to the heart of Mrs. Strong. When she was a girl her mother used to read to her the Bible-this same old Bible-and pray with her. She had often heard the minister in the village church, and lived a serious life until her marriage. Then, like hundreds of other young

women, she neglected all religion, forgetting that it was even more necessary then than before. She had never prayed with her boy, had never spoken to him about loving Jesus and giving his young heart to Him. She felt how very wrong all this was, and determined to do better. She made up her mind—like we hope all our readers will -never to neglect God's Word and prayer any more. She told George that in future a portion of the Bible should be read every day. George was delighted.

They had breakfast, after which Tom prepared for his journey. Mrs. Strong found him a pair of old clogs which George had worn, and also a pair of stockings. Putting these on, he bid them good morning, hoping that some day he would be better off and able to pay them back for all they had done for him. Mrs. Strong and her boy felt repaid already, and lived to bless the day they had sheltered Tom Foster, the orphan boy. Like the little girl in Naaman's house, he was the means of a great blessing to those who sheltered him. The blessing which Naaman_received was the cure of his leprosy as he dipped in the Jordan. But the blessing which Mrs. Strong and her son were led to receive was the cure of the soul's leprosy as they dipped in the fountain " open for sin and for uncleanness in the

house of Israel."

For the present we must leave Mrs. Strong and her son, and follow Tom in his journey. We shall meet them again. But before doing so we wish to impress upon our young readers especially the desirability of doing good. Here is an example nobly set by a poor homeless boy. Some boys and girls seem to think that they cannot do any good. This is a mistake. Everyone can do something. And, perhaps, the first and foremost of all good things is to live a good life. This can be done by all. I know that every boy cannot be a Samuel, a Timothy, a Luther, or a Wesley. Neither can every girl be a Miss Nightingale or a Queen Victoria; but you can all be followers of Jesus, and show by your obedience how much you love Him.

Tom you can read His Word and pray to Him every day.

Like

Tom trudged on towards Liverpool. All that day passed without anything remarkable taking place. Night came on and found Tom asleep in the horse-box of a cart-shed next to a roadside inn. He had seen this shed in the earlier part of the evening, and late at night crept quietly into it, carrying with him a stone, which he used as a pillow. Here, laying his head upon the stone," he forgot his miseries for awhile in sleep; and innocence found on this flinty pillow more ease than down can supply to the guilty." The night was bitterly cold; but Tom was so tired with the day's march that he slept in spite of the frost.

About eight o'clock next morning he was aroused by the loud tones of a man's voice. "Now then, stand still, will you? Back a bit," said someone. Tom raised his head a little to peep over the edge of the manger, and saw to his amazement a waggon and horse, the head of which was within a few feet of his own. The driver was