Smythe was telling some friends about a wonderful parrot. “ Why,” said he, “that parrot cries ‘ stop thief ’ so naturally that every time I hear it I always stop. Now, hang it, what are you all laughing about?” A London paper of the 7th November last contains the following paragraph in refer ence to the King of Patagonia ; —“ From Paris, we learn that the deputies represent ing the Department of the Dordogne have presented an address to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, protesting against the arrest by an Argentine man-of-war, of M. Orelie Tonnens, while on his way to Patagonia. M. Tonnens is a French lawyer, who has pro cured his election as King by the Natives of Patagonia, and he was, when arrested, re turning from France, whither he had gone to try and negotiate a loan. The Argentine Re public, however, claim jurisdiction over Patagonia, and regard M. Tonnens as a usurper.” The newspapers of Constantinople an nounce that Akhiolyi, a town of 5000 inha bitants, on the Gulf of Burghaz, has been completely destroyed by fire. “ The authorities of the French Museum," writes a London daily paper of recent date, “ have recently had a delicate operation to perform in the removal of the various living reptiles from their former domicile to more commodious premises. The task was un doubtedly one fraught with danger, in con sequence of the venomous character of some of the. creatures, but was fortunately per formed without accident. The boa constric tors and pythons had been previously over fed, and were very easily handled by the keepers, who at any time could prevent any attempt at strangulation on the part of their charges, by dexterously twisting and gently uucoibng their decei ful folds. Had Laocoon been a keeper of reptiles in a modern mena gerie, he would have been able to preserve himself and his sons from their fate. The venomous snakes, such as the crafty cobra and the deadly rattlesnake, presented of course greater dangers, and they had to be tempted by offers of food, into small cages in which they were hurriedly enclosed and transferred to their new home. But even the poisonous serpents were more easily managed than the crocodiles and al igntors. 