December.

' ONLY AN OLD BONE.

GES and ages ago this world of ours was not

A like what it is now. Where we have land,

hard, firm, and rocky, there were seas; and again, where we now have seas, there was land. In fact, it was all so different that had you lived then, as I did, and survived till now, you could tell strange stories of the changes you had witnessed.

My first introduction to life was in the huge jaws of a megatherium; for I was one of its teeth. I had many brothers and sisters; we were a very united loving family. Now we are all dispersed, I do not even know whether they are living or dead. You wonder, perhaps, that I can speak so calmly. on the subject, but if you had lived ages, as I have, you would know that one cannot mourn for

ever.

A wild, merry life we led in those days. I should not like to return to it now, but I enjoyed it then. The world was at that time a muddy,

marshy place; even the firm land was not very stable. What else could you expect? Those iron rocks you see now were very young then, and just forming, and a fierce battle they had to wage for their existence, what between the fire and the water. There were no men at that time, nothing but animals, huge trees, and plants; and a fine time they had of it.

My master was a sociable creature. He was the eldest of a large family of Theriums.; his brothers were called Ano, Anthraco, Paleo, and Dino. They all roamed over the ground together, seeking food, and lots of acquaintances we made in our wanderings. There was the family of Dons, Masto, Smilo and Glypto; but they were small creatures, and we rather looked down on them, though they were agreeable enough in their way. Much more interesting were the Sauri, whom we came to know on the shores of a huge lake. They were called Ichthy, Plesio, Megalo, and Ido. The only objection to

them was that they were rather inclined to conceit, for they would insist that their family was older than ours. As if that made them a whit better. Ah! if you had known all those fine creatures, sure you would only pity their puny succesnow living in the world. With their nice

I am

sors

names, too! It seems to me such a pity those good old cognomens are gone out of fashion.

As I said, it was a curious living world thengiant reptiles trailed their bodies on the sand, hideous winged creatures darkened the sky, and our colossal selves and friends stalked through magnificent forests of pine and ferns.

Well, I suppose, nothing can last for ever: I have found it so, at least, in my experience of life. So our free, joyous existence came to an end

too.

There was a grand upset of the whole world; the seas rushed over the land, the ground heaved and tottered; in fact it was a convulsion of the system, and all then living on the globe perished. What became of my master I do not know; for I was dashed out of his mouth. I was tossed hither and thither for a very long time, during which I witnessed several more of these revolutions, being now up-heaved, now buried. Wherever I was thrown I met with general contempt. I was named 'An Old Bone,' and no one paid me the slightest attention.

At first I was inclined to resent this treatment, and to despise all those persons I came in contact with, for the days when my master had stalked the

forests were still green in my memory, and I forgot that I was no longer in the same position. A tooth under his mighty protection, and a solitary tooth cast by itself upon the world, are quite different things. So I am afraid I made myself very disagreeable, and if any stone, plant, or insect was kind enough to speak to me, doubtless taking pity on my miserable existence, I would turn from it with contempt, saying that such small creatures were quite beneath my notice. If they had known the days I had, and seen my master and his friends, they would not have dared to address even one of his remains.

No wonder that they soon gave up speaking to me, seeing how I despised them. Ah! I I have grown humbler since then-much humbler. I learned many a severe lesson as the centuries rolled on! and if I had my life to live again, I do not say but what I would live it very differently. I got my pride taken down, however, as I say; but it was sharp, painful work, and if I had been wise, and recognised my changed position at once, I might have saved myself a world of suffering. Now I know that each state of the world is the best for the time being; but I shut my mind to that truth then.

Meanwhile, as I was changing in character, so also was the earth-for it was consolidating and hardening. The whole mass was becoming packed together, and there was SO much material to be disposed of that there were tight squeezes in places. -so tight that sometimes fractious rocks broke out in fire and flames, and declared they could not and would not stand it, that they would have room to expand as they chose. Of course in this general squeezing I got much crushed, and wherever I was pushed I met with insult. Even the little room I took up was grudged me.

Finally I got thrown in with a company of minerals, who held themselves immeasurably my superiors.

'It's a shame,' I often heard them declare, 'that that bit of old bone should be in our way.'

So they rubbed and knocked against me, pushed and jostled, till they did succeed in fretting me to less than half my original size; and even when everything had subsided, and I had found a tiny corner to rest in, they often cast jealous eyes upon it. They were not pleasant companions; but I bore all their unkindness in silence. I remembered how disagreeable I had made myself to others, and felt that I was paying a just penalty.