And now, proceeding on his easterly way, the visitor approaches the Birds that Prey by Night. They are solemnly assembled in five cases. Their reputed wisdom has its parallel in the human family: we also have our owls, with their large eyes and solemn demeanour, who cheat people into the idea that there must be something in all that solemnity and gravity of expression. Poets of the dismal school, however, owe a great debt of gratitude to these mysterious and unsociable birds. The visitor will at once call to mind the usual sequel of poems that open with the hooting of the owl, or with the intimation that it is the hour when the wise bird opens his eyes with some effect. Let us glance at the varieties of the dismal family before which we have brought the visitor. Here are the snowy owl of North America and the hawk owls. In the cases (32, 33) are grouped the eagle owls, including the great-eared owls, and the North American Virginian eared owl. The next two cases contain the howlets, including the Tengmalm's owl of the north of Europe; the Javan bay owl, and the barn white owls of various countries. These birds close the collection of birds of prey; and the visitor, refraining from the temptation to inspect the central tables, for the present, should advance into the room, the wall-cases of which are filled with PERCHING BIRDS. The perching birds are subdivided into five families: the Wide-gaping; the Slender-Beaked; the Toothed-Beaked; the Cone-Beaked; and the Climbers, or Scansores. The family of wide-gaping birds, is that ranged first in order, occupying cases 36 to 42. The visitor will first remark the goatsuckers with their wide bills and large eyes, adapted to catch the insects on which they feed. The varieties here collected, include the great goatsucker; the goatsuckers of Europe, New Holland, North America, and Africa; and the wedge-tailed goatsucker. The next case (38) contains specimens of the varieties of Swallows and Swifts, including those of North America; the esculent swallow of the Indian Archipelago; and the sandmartin of Europe. In the two following cases (39, 40) are grouped the varieties of the tody and broadbills, from the West Indies, and Brazil; and the curncuis from the southern parts of Asia and America. The visitor next arrives before two cases (41, 42) of birds of brilliant plumage, suggestive of the regions where the humming birds float in the air "like winged flowers." The kingfisher at times startles the English pedestrian when he is sauntering near a high-banked brook;--its gaudy plumage contrasts so forcibly with the sober tints of our English song birds, that he is at first inclined to take the gay fellow for a truant cage bird. But the fisher is quite at home, and is probably diving for his fish dinner. The kingfishers grouped in the two cases before which the visitor now stands, include specimens of the Australian brown kingfisher; the green and great jacamars of South America; the