has been questioned. Generally speaking they scuttle away before one can obtain a glimpse of them.

The position of this animal in zoological classification is much disputed. That given above is Professor Huxley's, but it is hardly decided upon amongst naturalists. Its teeth and feet closely resemble in structure those of the hippopotamus.

Four species of Hyrax are known. The range of the Bible Hyrax is given above. Another, the Cape Hyrax, is found at the Cape and East Coast of Africa, south from Abyssinia. Two other species are described from West Africa.

CORAL (Heb. iDN ramoth).

Coral is the somewhat doubtful rendering of the Hebrew word ramoth in Job xxviii. 18, Ezek. xxvii. 16. The word is derived from a root signifying 'to raise up,' sometimes to have lofty branches' (Isa. ii. 3, x. 33). Hence the term is not altogether unsuitable, since coral branches and lifts itself up in the water.

The value of coral is thus alluded to in Job, 'No mention shall be made of coral or of pearls; for the price of wisdom is above rubies:' and in Ezekiel, 'Syria was thy merchant: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, ... and coral, and agate.'

Pliny tells us that coral was highly valued amongst the ancients, both because it protected the wearer from danger, and on account of its beauty (lib. xxxii. c. 2). Its substance was a sore puzzle to early naturalists.

The growth of coral is now well understood, and there are few more beautiful theories of explanation in the life-history of animals than that well-known one of

Darwin, which is apparently incontrovertible, with regard to the manner of growth of coral reefs.

Coral is the name commonly given to the stony skeletons of polypes of numerous species, giving different forms and shapes to the mass. Red coral is found in the Mediterranean and in the Pacific about Cape Negro. It is dragged off from the roots by those engaged in the trade by a strong heavily weighted net being hauled over the bottom where there is supposed to be coral, six or seven boats being engaged in each haul. The little polypes or zoophytes which form this substance are of the same nature as the sea anemones which adorn our rocks at low tide.

Corals belong to the Anthozoa, the second class of the group Zoophyta. The white stony coral and sea anemones form the Zoantharia in this class, and the red coral and tube coral and others form a second order, the Alcyonaria.

The Cormorant, as the translation of the above term, is mentioned in two places in the Old Testament. It is included amongst the unclean birds in Lev. xi. 17 and Deut. xiv. 17, 'Ye shall have in abomination the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl.' In two other places (Isa. xxxiv. 11, Zeph. ii. 14) in our version the word cormorant' occurs as the translation of the Hebrew word Пs kaath, which undoubtedly means the 'pelican,' and which is elsewhere so translated. [See PELICAN.] The term shalak implies a plunging bird. The cormorant does not plunge into the water from above, as the gannet does so splendidly; but the gannet

does not occur, or only in the greatest rarity, along the east coast of the Mediterranean.

Some of the tern family plunge in true gannet fashion. The little tern especially I have often watched immersing himself from a height of 20 to 30 feet like an arrow into the water. Southwards from Gaza I observed these birds for some time performing this graceful evolution. Several other kinds of tern are frequent along the east of the Mediterranean and up the Nile waters and lagoons.

With terns, gulls would easily be included, and though there are numerous gulls on the coast of Palestine and on the Sea of Galilee, and some species that roam far and wide, as they do in this country, after the plough or in search of terrestrial mollusca, yet gulls are nowhere mentioned in the Bible translation.

Gulls and terns would both naturally be pronounced unclean on account of their living upon fish.

CRANE (Heb. DID sus).

In Isa. xxxviii. 14 occurs the passage, 'Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter;' and in Jer. viii. 7, the same birds are mentioned, 'the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming.' The word 'crane' is in both passages the translation of sus, and 'swallow' of y agur. According to most of the ancient versions sus is rendered 'swallow,' and it appears probable that the two words have been transposed, agur therefore meaning 'crane.' But the transposition has not altered the meaning. In confirmation of the above, Canon Tristram finds that sis is the Arabian for swift, a bird closely resembling the swallow. [See SWALLOW.]

It spends eastwards in In Southern

It passes

The migration of the crane (Grus communis) is alluded to by the prophet Jeremiah. its winters in Northern Africa and warm temperate climates to China. Palestine it is a winter resident, remaining on into the spring, but it is not known to nest there. north, to breed at the beginning of April, and returns in September. A large flock assembled in the evening at Tel el Milh, near Beersheba, to roost, and their loud, clanging, trumpet-like note was heard during several nights while camping in that country in January. They were exceedingly wary, and would permit of no approach. The melodious, mysterious note of the crane is very unaptly rendered 'chatter,' or assimilated with that of the swallow. The cranes (Gruidae) and the bustards (Otidae) are classed together in the order Alectorides. Formerly the cranes were classed with herons, but it is now admitted there is no real affinity to the Ardeidae

or herons. In several parts of the British Islands (especially Ireland) the name 'crane' is erroneously applied to the heron. The crane was formerly a frequent winter visitor to England, and used to remain to breed in the fens. It is now of exceedingly scarce occurrence, and

only visits us occasionally when the winter is of more than ordinary severity on the Continent, and the birds are driven to the milder western climate of our islands. Rare stragglers also occur on the spring and autumn migrations,