Eight times the autumn fell,
And he, the lonely, grey-haired man,
Was borne by her to dwell.
The flame broke wild and brightly forth,
One Sabbath evening still!—
In ruins fell the mansion old
On brow of sloping hill.
The Desman, or Russian Musk-Rat.
This creature resembles the common musk-rat, and is found both in Russia and Sweden. It is about the size of the common hedgehog, the body being eight or nine inches long. Its coat is like that of the beaver, and is composed of hair intermixed with soft, clear and delicate fur. The color is brown above, and silvery beneath. The tail, which is seven inches long, is one of the most extraordinary mechanical instruments in the whole animal kingdom. It is composed of three parts, each of which has a motion peculiar to itself.