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The largest and finest known is in the 

 South Kensington museum of England 

 and is about an inch and a half in length 

 and of the same thickness. 



In Oriental countries the cat's-eye has 

 long been highly esteemed a preserver 

 of good fortune, the belief being that 

 each stone is inhabited by a good spirit. 

 It is believed to be a guardian of its 

 owner's wealth and to protect him from 

 poverty. The stone is often carved by 

 Orientals into the form of some animal's 

 head, thus increasing its weird and mys- 

 terious aspect. The popularity of the 

 stone among Europeans was suddenly 

 increased a few years ago when the Duke 

 of Connaught gave one in a betrothal 

 ring to his bride, Princess Margaret of 

 Prussia. Cat's-eye immediately became 

 the fashion among the wealthy classes 

 and the supply proved quite unequal to 

 the demand. The stone is still quite fash- 

 ionable and not less than one hundred 

 dollars per carat must often be paid to 

 secure a good one. 



Alexandrite is a variety of Chrysoberyl 

 found in the Ural mountains and received 



its name from the fact that it was first 

 found on the birthday of Alexander II., 

 Czar of Russia, in the year 1830. More- 

 over, the colors which it presents, green 

 and red, are the national colors of Rus- 

 sia. Alexandrite by ordinary light ap- 

 pears dark grass-green or emerald green 

 in color, but on holding it to the sunlight 

 or viewing it by artificial light it ap- 

 pears columbine-red. The gem has 

 therefore the unique property of appear- 

 ing as "an emerald by day and an ame- 

 thyst by night." The locality where 

 alexandrite was originally found and 

 where most of it has been obtained is 

 Tokowoia, a place eighty-five versts east 

 of Ekaterinburg. Only the transparent 

 pieces can be used for gems and as these 

 are relatively scarce the price of the gem 

 is high. Oi late alexandrite has been 

 found in the gold sands of San- 

 arka in the southern Urals, but a 

 more important source of supply has ap- 

 peared in Ceylon, where gems much 

 larger than those in the Urals and in a 

 fine variety of colors have been found. 

 Oliver Cummings Farrington. 



THE NESTS. 



Those brown and rounded patches in the maples. 



In the elms, the oaks, the hemlocks and the pines? 



Why, those are just the summer dwelling places 



O'f the birds who left them there for trav'ling signs. 



When skies were blue and leaves were bright and verdant, 

 Of the homes the songsters made we saw but few ; 



But now they bow and nod, and fain remind us 

 Oi the joys which in the balmy months we knew. 



And when the frosty goblins end their revels 



'Mid the limbs that bud and blossom to the Spring, 



We'll see tenants homing to their houses — 



There to work and play, rebuild and mate and sing. 



— J AC Lowell. 



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