“Believe, believe, when far away,
    Distance but closer draws the chain;
  When twilight veils the ‘garish day,’
    Remembrance turns to thee again.”

  He’s gone!—­but Fancy in her ear
    Still murmurs on his last farewell,
  While Hope dries in her eye the tear,
    And bids her on each promise dwell.

  And long she hop’d—­from day to day,—­
    From early morn to dusky eve
  Her thoughts were wand’ring far away,
    Nor deem’d that he could e’er deceive.

  Fond maid’—­he thinks no more on thee—­
    He mocks at thy enduring faith;
  While the foul tongue of calumny
    Accelerates thy early death.

  This world to her a desert grew,
    The sunny heavens no more were fair;
  Fast gathering tears obscured her view,
    And only night’s dark clouds were there.

  Faded and chang’d the glorious dream,
    The vision bright that floated round her;
  And death was in the ghastly gleam
    That gave her eyes unearthly splendour.

  She lingered not, to feel that earth
    Is rife with Disappointment’s thorn—­
  That vows of faith are little worth,
    And fleeting as the hues of morn.

  Farewell! farewell! pale lilies drooping
    On her low bed as emblems wave;—­
  And see!—­the angel Pity stooping
    To shed her tear on Fanny’s grave!

Kirton Lindsey.

ANNE R.

* * * * *

THE “HALCYON” BIRD.

(To the Editor.)

The Halcyon is now only known by the name of the King Fisher (ispida, the alcedo ispida of Linnaeus), a very beautiful bird, frequenting waters, and feeding on fish.  It builds in deep holes in the banks of rivers, and lays five, or, according to some, nine eggs.  It much approaches to the Picus, or Woodpecker, in many points; but wants its great character, which is, the having two toes behind.  The legs of this bird are very short, and are black before and red behind; its colours, particularly its green and blue, which are its general ones, are extremely bright and beautiful.  It takes its prey after the manner of the Osprey, balancing itself at a certain distance over the water for a considerable space, and then darting below the surface, brings up the prey in its feet.  While it remains suspended in the air, on a bright day, the plumage exhibits a most beautiful variety of very dazzling and brilliant colours.

This bird was called Halcyon by the ancients.  Aristotle has described the bird and its nest; which, according to him, resembled those concretions that are formed by the sea water, and fashioned in the shape of a long necked gourd, hollow within, but so narrow at the entrance, that if it overset the water could not enter.  This nest was called Halcyoneum, and had medical virtues ascribed to it:  it was also