C. OGDEN.—­1.  There are forty-four States in the Union. 2.  The famous River Nile is formed by the union of the Bahr-el-Abiad and the Bahr-el-Azrek.  The first of these, or the true Nile, has its source in Lake Victoria Nyanza, and the second rises in Abyssinia.  The Kagera and Shimiyu rivers, and the waters that descend from the plateaux from which rise the snowy peaks of Kenia and Kilimanjaro, unite to form that wonderful fresh-water lake, Victoria Nyanza, which covers an area of upwards of 40,000 square miles.

W.F.S.—­1.  Minorcas, Hamburgs or Leghorns are the best laying fowls, while Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes or Langshans are the best to raise for marketing purposes. 2.  It will be found both cheaper and more satisfactory to buy ready-prepared mocking-bird food from a dealer in bird supplies or a druggist.  The food for young mocking-birds should he meal and milk, and occasionally finely-minced fresh meat.  Grasshoppers, spiders and meal-worms should be given to the old birds, together with a liberal supply of the prepared food.

STUDENT.—­Among the ancients, and during the earlier part of the middle ages, there was no distinction of capital and small letters.  After the practice had been introduced of beginning books and chapters with large letters, often adorned or illustrated with artistic ability, it was not long before capital letters were employed in much the same way as at the present day.  At times, however, their use was so extravagantly indulged in that many of the old books present a ludicrous appearance to the latter-day readers.  The exact date at which they came to be universally used is unknown.

TWO OLD CRONIES.—­1.  A boy aged eighteen is not too old to learn how to play the piano, violin or any other musical instrument.  There are thousands of stenographers who did not take up that profession until they were twenty-five or thirty years of age.  They were firm believers in the adage, “It is never too late to learn.” 2.  Munson’s appears to be the most popular system of shorthand. 3.  A ten or fifteen minutes’ walk in the open air before taking breakfast will do no harm; but indulgence in other forms of exercise should be reserved for the middle of the day, if possible, or an hour or so after eating supper.

H.T.C., BIZ AND J.A.M.—­Candidates for clerkships in the government departments must pass a civil service examination in arithmetic, geography, grammar, history, reading, writing and spelling, and in some cases a knowledge of book-keeping is required.  This depends upon the branch of the service and the special position for which application is made.  Those desiring to enter the railway mail service must, among other things, give the boundaries of their own county, State and country; the location of all the States and Territories, locate all the counties along a specified mail route, locate offices on the route and exhibit a thorough understanding of the geography of the United States.