The Virginia Institution at Staunton was opened in 1838, under the instruction of Joseph D. Tyler, who had been an assistant instructor in the American Asylum. It is pleasantly situated, is supported by the state, and has sixty-six pupils. Mr. Tyler died in 1852, and was succeeded by Dr. J. C. Mérillat.

The Indiana Asylum for the education of the deaf and dumb is located at Indianapolis. It originated from the efforts of Mr. William C. Bates, of Vermilion County, and Mr. Coffin, of Parke County, through whose earnest representations the Legislature was induced, in 1843, to lay a

tax of two mills on each hundred dollars for the support of a deaf and dumb asylum. A school was opened by Mr. William Willard, an intelligent deaf mute, at Indianapolis, in the following October. In 1844 a board of trustees was appointed by the Legislature to superintend the proposed asylum; and on the 1st of October of that year, they appointed Mr. James S. Brown, an experienced teacher of deaf mutes, principal of the asylum. In 1846 the asylum was permanently located at Indianapolis; and although it was at the period of her greatest financial embarrassment, when it almost seemed that bank

VIRGINIA INSTITUTION FOR THE DEAF, DUMB, AND BLIND.

ruptcy was before her, yet her Legislature, without a dissenting voice, provided by direct taxation for all her unfortunate inhabitants, the indigent deaf mutes, blind, and insane; and in 1848, "the doors of all her asylums built at public expense for mutes, for the blind, and for lunatics, were thrown open for all; that their blessings, like the rains and dews of heaven, might freely descend on these children of misfortune throughout the state, without money and without price."

Of the other institutions for the deaf

and dumb; namely, those in Illinois, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Missouri, Michigan, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Alabama, and Mississippi, it is only necessary to say, that all of them have gone into operation since 1845; and that they are all conducted on the same general plan with those already described. None of them are as yet large, the Illinois school numbering, in 1855, only ninety-nine pupils, and none of the others over seventy; but all are well managed.

The present provision for the instruction

BIRDS; OR, RECREATIONS IN
ORNITHOLOGY.

CHAPTER SIXTH, CONCLUDED.

NEXT

SWIMMING BIRDS.

in order to the Duck, comes naturally the Goose, of which, in a wild, as well as in a tame state, many interest

of deaf mutes, though greater in this country than elsewhere, is entirely inadequate for the education of the whole number who need instruction. The whole number of deaf and dumb reported in the last census, was in round numbers ten thousand; and this estimate was notoriously below the truth. It is certainly not an unfair estimate, that there are in this country fully three thousand who are of proper age to be instructed. Of this number, less than sixteen hundred were in attending tales are told. Like some of the world's greatest benefactors, the goose has been slandered, and multitudes run away with the idea that he is not as sensible as he might be; they think him, indeed, little better than a fool, and speak fact is, there are very few more sensible, of a goose contemptuously. Now the affectionate, and well-behaved creatures,

ance upon the asylums of the country the past year. It is to be hoped that the noble example of Indiana will be followed by every state in the Union. The whole namber of institutions for deaf mutes in Europe is about two hundred; but many of them are very small, and supported only by private charity.

and the following account of a Canadian

In concluding this article, we cannot refrain from calling the attention of our read-goose is given by Mr. Sharpe, who assures us that all his neighbors will vouch for its truth. He says:

ers to the constantly-extending influence of a deed of benevolence in our world. Neither that philanthropic physician who, touched by the privations of his little daughter, sought the establishment of a school, where she and her unfortunate companions might be taught the rudiments of science; nor the thoughtful and farreaching mind of Gallaudet, or his liberalminded coadjutors, when, in 1817, they gathered their little group of six ignorant children around them, could have looked forward to the triumphant results of their benevolent labors at the present day. Forty years have passed, and the beloved physician, and his interesting daughter; the able and enthusiastic instructor; the eloquent preacher, who gave his influence and abilities to the promotion of the good work; the liberal and generous men who cherished and sustained the project, are in their graves; but their noble charity lives on, and is destined in coming generations to accomplish an untold amount of good; it has raised the deaf mute from a condition but little superior to idiocy, to an equality with his fellows in the avocations and duties of life. It is now giving him opportunities of high intellectual culture, and in the world of bliss above thousands will bless that era, when the light of life illumined their darkened hearts; when in the embrace of the wounded hand, fit symbol of the Saviour's love and compassion, they found peace, joy, and the blissful hope of heaven.

"Though Canada geese are generally of a rambling disposition, this one was observed to attach itself in the strongest manner to the house-dog, and would never quit the kennel, except for the purpose of feeding, when it would return again immediately. It always sat by the dog; but never presumed to go into the kennel, except in rainy weather.

"Whenever the dog barked, the goose would cackle and run at the person she supposed the dog barked at, and try to bite his heels. Sometimes she would attempt to feed with the dog: but this the dog, who treated his faithful comThis bird would not go to roost with the others panion with some indifference, would not suffer. at night, unless driven by main force; and when, in the morning, she was turned into the field, she would never stir from the yard-gate, but sit there the whole day, in sight of the dog. At last orders were given that she should no longer be molested, but suffered to accompany the dog as she liked. Being thus left to herself, she ran about the yard with him all night,

and whenever the dog went out of the yard and

went into the village, the goose always accompanied him, contriving to keep up with him by the assistance of her wings; and in this way of running and flying, followed him all over the parish.

"This extraordinary affection is supposed to have originated from the dog having saved the goose from a fox, in the very moment of distress. While the dog was ill, the goose never quitted him day or night, not even to feed ; and it was feared that she would have been starved

to death, had not orders been given for a pan of corn to be set every day close to the kennel. At this time the goose generally sat in the kennel, and would not suffer any one to approach it, except the person who brought the dog's or her own food. On the death of the dog, the goose would still keep possession of the kennel;

affection manifested by these birds toward each other; for, whenever one fell down or tumbled in the water, its mate or a stranger immediately alighted by its side, swam round it, pushed it with its bill, as if to urge it to fly or dive, and seldom would leave it until an oar was raised to knock it on the head, when, at last, aware of the danger, it would plunge below in an instant. Those which fell wounded immediately ran with speed to some hole, and dived into it, on which no further effort was made to secure them. Those which happened to be caught alive on the land bit most severely, and scratched with their claws at such a rate that we were glad to let them escape.

"The burrows here communicated in various ways with each other, so that the whole island was perforated as if by a multitude of subterraneous labyrinths, over which one could not run without the risk of falling at every step. The voices of the young sounded beneath our feet like voices from the grave, and the stench was extremely disagreeable, so that as soon as our boats were filled with birds, we were glad to get away. During the whole of our visit the birds never left the place, but constantly attended to their avocations. Here one would

rise beneath our feet; then, within a few yards of us, another would alight with a fish, and dive

waiting at the entrance. The young birds were into its burrow, or feed the young that stood far from being friendly to each other, and those which we carried with us kept constantly fighting so long as we kept them alive. They used their yet extremely small bills with great courage and pertinacity, and their cries resembled the wailings of young whelps. The smaller individuals were fed by the parents by regurgi tation, or received little pieces of fish which up the pieces of fish which were dropped before were placed in their mouths; the larger picked them; but almost all of them seemed to crawl to the entrance of the holes for the purpose of cated with others, a round place was scooped being fed. In all the burrows that communiout on one side of the avenue, in the form of an oven, while in those which were single, this larger than the corridor. The passages were flatoven-like place was formed at the end, and was tish above, and rounded beneath as well as on the sitting, each on its own egg, in the same hole." sides. In many instances we found two birds

Our next specimen is a bird of very different appearance and habits; indeed, very unlike any that has passed in review before us. It is called the Snake Bird,