336 Junior Naturalist Monthly. 



1. There are two great classes to which cats belong, the long-haired and the 

 short-haired. In which class would you place your cat? 



2. Is she friendly with the members of your family? If not, what do you think 

 you can do to make her feel happy when persons are about? 



3. Notice whether she likes to do the same things each day. 



4. Give your cat a bone mth some meat on it. How does she hold it? Does 

 she chew the meat? How does her tongue feel when she licks your hand? What 

 do you feed your cat? 



5. Notice how she uses her paws and her tongue when she cleans herself? Why 

 does she keep herself clean? 



6. How can pussy defend herself from dogs? 



7. Feel the underside of her foot. When you do this, do you feel her claws? 

 If not, why? Does a dog have claws? What does a horse have instead of claws? 



8. Notice whether pussy eats slowly. Some animals hunt in packs, and when 

 they eat, they devour their food rapidly lest their companions may take it from 

 them. .What do you think about cats? Do they go alone in search of food? 

 Have you ever noticed whether thej- are in a great hvirry^ to get rid of their food? 



9. The cat, you know, belongs to the same family as the lion, which prowls at 

 night, verj* often traveling by twilight. Do you think the cat enjoys hunting by 

 twilight? 



10. Watch your cat when she is walking on the snow. Does she seem to enjoy 

 it? 



11. Why is the cat a useful farm hand? 



12. Every year the government appropriates money to maintain cats in the 

 post-offices and public buildings. Why? 



13. It is said that well-fed cats are the best mousers; what do you think about 

 this? 



WILLOWS. 

 Ralph Curtis. 



When pussy willows are out we feel that spring is near. Some- 

 times the blossoms appear ver}" early. I have foimd them in Feb- 

 ruary, but more often the}^ wait until much later in the year. As we 

 look at them, what memories of spring they bring! How mild the 

 air, how warm the sunshine, how loud the sound of running water 

 everywhere ! 



Are you waiting impatiently for the pussy willows to come out? 

 It will not be long before they appear. In the meantime, you can 

 "force" some of the blossoms in the schoolroom. Bring in a few 

 willow twigs; two feet long is about the right size. Soak them in 

 water to wash off the dust and soften the bud scales. Stand them 

 in jars of water, one or two in each jar is best, and change the water 

 every two or three days. Keep the ends of the twigs fresh by cutting 

 off the brown, dead part so that the water can soak in easily. Re- 

 ijpat the first soaking every few days to keep the twigs from drying 

 out and to take the place of the warm March rains. After a few 



