The alligator is nearly the same as the crocodile of the eastern continent. The females lay eggs, and one of them is said to produce a hundred in a season. They are of the size of geese eggs, and are often eaten, being esteemed tolerable food. The eggs, being deposited in the sand and covered up, are hatched by the heat. * * * * * BRAHAM’S PARROT.--Parrots, like cuckoos, form their notes deep in the throat, and show great aptitude in imitating the human voice. A lady who admired the musical talents of Braham, the celebrated singer, gave him a parrot, which she had taught with much care. A person who saw it at Braham’s house, thus describes it:--“After dinner, during a pause in the conversation, I was startled by a voice from one corner of the room, calling out in a strong, hearty manner, ‘Come, Braham, give us a song!’ Nothing could exceed the surprise and admiration of the company. The request being repeated and not ananswered, the parrot struck up the first verse of _God save the King_, in a clear, warbling tone, aiming at the style of Braham, and sung it through. The ease with which the bird was taught was equally surprising with his performance. The same lady prepared him to accost Catalani, when dining with Mr. Braham, which so alarmed Madame that she nearly fell from her chair. Upon his commencing _Rule Brittania_, in a loud and intrepid tone, the chantress fell upon her knees before the bird, expressing, in terms of delight, her admiration of its talents.” This parrot has only been exceeded by Lord Kelly’s, who, upon being asked to sing, replied, “I never sing on a Sunday.” “Never mind that, Poll; come, give us a song.” “No, excuse me. I’ve got a cold--don’t you hear how hoarse I am?” This extraordinary creature performed the three verses entire of _God save the King_, words and music, without hesitation, from beginning to end. [Illustration: Horse and frogs] Mungo Park and the Frogs. The tales of travellers often appear to us incredible, merely because they relate things different from our own observation and experience. You know that there are some countries so hot that they never have ice or snow there. Now it chanced that a man from some northern portion of the world, happening to be in one of those hot places, told the people, that, where he lived, the water sometimes became solid, in consequence of the cold, and almost as hard as a stone. Now this was so different from the experience of the people, that they would not credit the traveller’s story. This shows us that a thing may be a reality, which is, at the same time, very different from our own observation and experience.