where the Cossack hunts them on horseback, and kills them with his formidable whip. All these birds, as soon as the life-blood has flown, are apparently converted into stone by the frost, and, packed in huge chests, are sent for sale to the capital." So rapid are the effects of frost in that country, that the snow-white hares which are brought in sledge-loads to the market, are usually frozen in the attitude of flight with their ears pointed, and their legs stretched out, just as they were at the moment of their death. Another curious sight at these markets is a frozen reindeer, its knees doubled under its body, its hairy snout stretched forth upon the ground, and its antlers rising majestically into the air; or perhaps a mighty elk, which disappears piece by piece, as the action of the saw and the axe separate it for distribution among the several customers.

ON THE NEVA-FROST FAIRS ON THE THAMES.

THE winters of England, when most severe, are generally the most agreeable to young and healthy persons, who are able to take plenty of exercise in the open air. Without any dread of being frost-bitten, they hasten forth as soon as the cold is established to enjoy their favourite amusements on the ice. Nor must we suppose that the winters of colder climates are without their beauty and enjoyment. The effect of wind in increasing the power of cold over the human frame, is well known

E

even in this country, and is felt distressingly in northern regions; but, in still, bright weather, the cold, though intense, is bearable and even pleasant. Thus an English lady writing from the frozen shores of the Baltic, where she passed a winter, says: "There is something very exhilarating in this breathless, still, bright, cold, with a clear white expanse, a spotless world before you, every tree fringed, every stream stopped-freedom to range over every summer impediment; while the crystal snow lighting up into a delicate pink or pearly hue, or glistening with the brightest prismatic colours, beneath the clear low sun, and assuming a beautiful lilac or blue, where our long shadows intercept its rays, can no longer be stigmatized as a dead, lifeless white."

Skating and sliding on the ice are among the pleasures peculiar to winter. Sliding is almost too fatiguing to be long enjoyed; but skating is indeed a real pleasure. Bounding forward with the lightness and swiftness of a bird, and apparently with as little fatigue, or sporting in graceful curves upon a small plot of smooth ice, the skater may continue to enjoy his harmless sport for hours. In Holland, where long canals connect towns and villages, as

common roads do in other countries; the ice is smooth and in excellent order, and it is not uncommon for the young Dutch women to skate to market with their baskets on their heads. Skating, as an amusement, is also much practised by this people, and by the northern nations generally,—

"Where the Rhine,

Branch'd out in many a long canal, extends,
From every province swarming, void of care,
Batavia rushes forth; and as they sweep,
On sounding skates, a thousand different ways,
In circling poise, swift as the winds, along,
The then gay land is maddened all to joy."

In Norway, Lapland, Sweden, and other cold and rugged districts, the ice is buried beneath enormous loads of snow, which cannot be traversed without the snow-skates described in "The SnowStorm." In England, the winters are happily too short and too mild to admit of much skating, but still there is usually enough to give an agreeable variety to our out-door pastimes.

To become a good skater is not so easy as might be supposed. It is necessary to begin early in life, and to disregard a few falls, which the learner is sure to encounter. Most persons soon acquire the

art of moving with tolerable rapidity upon the inside edge of the skate; but this soon fatigues the ankle, and prevents speed and anything like graceful motion. It is absolutely necessary to good skating to use the outer edge of the skate; for which purpose, the skater must throw himself upon that edge, making the balance of his body tend towards that side, which will enable him to form a semicircle. It has been recommended to the learner, to place a bag of lead-shot in the pocket next to the foot employed in making the outside stroke, in order to produce an artificial poise of the body. At the commencement of this stroke, the knee is to be slightly bent, and gradually straightened as the stroke is completed. When the learner becomes expert in forming the semicircle with either foot, he is then to join his feet together, and proceed alternately with both, which will carry him forward with a graceful movement.

It is easy to tell at a glance whether a skater is using the inner or the outer edge of his skate. If the inner, it will be impossible for him to describe more than two curves, and these will be inwards; that is, the right foot will constantly turn towards the left, and the left towards the right;