CORRKSP()NM)ENCE AND INFORMATION 



353 



['I'liis letter frtnii one of the best 

 aiitln)rities in this countr_\' on cats is 

 timely, sound and practical. It seems 

 to the editor that it is one of the most 

 sensible statements of the real stattis 

 of a cat that he has yet seen. Stjme 

 apparently good friends of the cat are 

 unconsciously the cat's enemies be- 

 catise they overstate the case and claim 

 everything for the cat, and fail to rec- 

 ognize the cruelty occasioned by lack 

 of proper care. There is also the other 

 point of \'iew. jNIaiiy have become so 

 fanatical in their dislike of the cat. 

 and have been so impressed by the cat's 

 havoc in the bird world, that they are 

 unable to see any good in the cat. It 

 is like many other questions. It has 

 two sides. We believe that Miss Cath- 

 cart has fairly stated both sides. One 

 of her sensible statements is that not 

 only shotild the cats be licensed but 

 the cat breeders. We restrict the run- 

 ning of an automobile to those who are 

 licensed to run it, becatise no one 



should be permitted to do an}-thing that 

 may in j tire or annoy others. The sug- 

 gestion, therefore, that only licensed 

 breeders should be permitted to breed 

 cats is timely and good. The indiscrim- 

 inate ])reeding of cats is an injury to 

 the cats, to all the people and especial- 

 ly to the birds. We pay a heavy tax for 

 the privilege of breeding dogs. Can 

 any one suggest any reason why that 

 same principle shottld not applv to 

 cats?— E. F. B.] 



Early in the war a volunteer organ- 

 ization in England took up the task of 

 borrowing from naturalists, astrono- 

 mers, and others, for use at the front, 

 every sort of optical instrument that 

 could be put to any sort of use. Their 

 latest report shows that they have thus 

 far supplied to the army no fewer than 

 twenty-six thousand field glasses and 

 portable telescopes. Opera glasses, 

 hcjwever. are not used. 



Ig Sou (£. g>Ptt5. (Has (Hub. (Smut. 



I like to travel over the desert 

 Coming at sunset to the green oasis 

 With flowers, grass, and high plumed 



date trees 

 And fountains whose cool flowing 



rivulets 

 Lose themselves soon in the hot 



desolation 

 Whither I go again in the dawning! 



