KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



55- 



unnatural fact ! How my little pet made the dis- 

 covery that there is " no place like home," I will 

 tell you. He was one of the blue-caps, some of 

 whose many virtues you so pleasantly recorded in 

 No. 22 of our Journal. I reared five young 

 ones from the nest ; and for their joint accommo- 

 dation, I had a cage constructed which I imagined 

 would suit their habits nicely. It gave them 

 plenty of room to live in, and made them an excel- 

 lent play-ground. I used, almost daily, to let 

 them out to fly about the room ; and of all funny 

 birds they were surely the funniest ! The bare 

 recollection of their diverting gambols and inde- 

 scribable antics, makes me laugh as I write. One 

 day, instead of five, we discovered there were only 

 four of our little friends present. No doubt the 

 absentee had clung, unperceived, to the dress of 

 some one passing in or out of the room, and had 

 disappeared with them. We sought him far and 

 near — in-doors and out of doors ; up stairs, down- 

 stairs. Still, no glimpse of his person ; still, no 

 sound of his voice. Two days and two nights 

 passed away. I gave the wanderer up as lost 

 — consoling myself that he had not taken flight 

 in the winter, when the weather would have 

 been cold. On the^third clay, in flew Master 

 Tommy, at the open window, — perching on my 

 head, and then creeping all over me by way of 

 recognition. How delighted he was ! How de- 

 lighted I was ! Our greeting over (and a warm 

 one it was), I placed him among his old com- 

 panions. Then was his joy complete. Never, 

 however, could I get that little fellow (without 

 great coaxing) to leave his cage again ; and then 

 he would venture to a very little distance, — re- 

 turning again immediately. Once, and once only, 

 was the harmony of that little family interrup- 

 ted ; and that was not until they had lived 

 together for three years. Some offence it would 

 seem, was given by the " one who had seen the 

 world." It was resented, and he was severely 

 punished, — so severely that, to save his life, I 

 was obliged to procure him a new cage. He 

 contrived however, to outlive all his companions ; 

 and died as fond of his cage as ever. Now, 

 Mr. Editor, tell me, — was it cruel, under the 

 circumstances described, for me to keep my 

 little birds in a cage ? I quite agree with you, 

 that to deprive wild birds of their liberty, and 

 then cage them, — is cruel ; but in my mind, the 

 case is far different when birds which never knew 

 freedom, and which were reared from the nest, are 

 domesticated with us, and kindly tended. They 

 become, in fact, " members of the family," and 

 they invariably act as such ! By the way, the 

 sagacity and jealousy of these blue-caps was 

 extraordinary. ,We had two cats [more shame 

 for you ! ] . The one, they did not fear but 

 hated ; the other, they treated with perfect 

 indifference. — F. G., Nottingliam. 



[You have stated your case so fairly, so 

 prettily, Flora, that we cannot contradict or 

 gainsay anything that you have advanced ; your 

 birds proved that they were "happy," and this 

 was all they could desire , but fie ! fie ! for keep- 

 ing those cats. You cannot love birds and cats. 

 It is impossible ! ] 



Cats witlwut Tails. — I have read with much 

 delight, the many interesting remarks in your | 



First and Second Volumes about " Cats without 

 tails." I find in our establishment, persons who 

 remember the race for the last forty-six years ; yet 

 cannot I trace how they were first introduced into 

 the family. For more than ten years past, we 

 have had some splendid Persians ; and much loving 

 and friendly acquaintance has passed between the 

 two races. It has always been a marked fact, that 

 the kittens had, severally, every variety of tails. 

 Some had long tails ; some mere stumps ; others 

 no tails at all. Still the breed has never failed. 

 They are specially good garden cats. We have 

 a neighbor, who always keeps a tail-less cat in his 

 garden. I should add, that all these cats possess 

 good qualities, — i.e. the qualities of the veritable 

 and acknowledged race. They won't claim any 

 affinity with the rabbit. No ! no ! One of these 

 cats, and my cockatoo, are the best of friends. 

 They sit together, eat together, play together. 

 Indeed all our birds and all our cats are "one" in 

 friendship. I am sure Mr Editor, you would love 

 our cats. — Patiexce, Devon. 



[Haters are we of cats, generally. Therefore, 

 if we loved your cats, Patience, it must be because 

 we loved you. What say you ? It does not rest 

 with us ! ] 



Prize Babbits. — Let me call your attention to 

 the late "Metropolitan Fancy Rabbit Show," 

 held at Anderton's Hotel, just before Christmas. 

 It was one of the very best shows yet on record. 

 The animals exhibited were of rare beauty. The 

 two first prizes for a fawn-colored buck and doe, 

 were awarded to Mr. Parks. The length of ear 

 in the former was twenty-and-a-quarter inches by 

 four and seven-eighths ; in the latter, twenty-one 

 and three-quarter inches by five and a quarter. The 

 other prizes were awarded to Messrs. Herring, 

 Littleton, Locks, Handey, Bird, Payne, and Stin- 

 ton. After the prize-rabbits had been passed down 

 the table for the inspection of the visitors, Mr. 

 Parks, who took the first two prizes, introduced 

 five rabbits, measuring in the aggregate one hun- 

 dred and two inches. Four of these animals were 

 the produce of one doe ; the other was also bred 

 by the exhibitor. Mr. Lock also introduced three 

 splendid yellow and whites, of the rich color so 

 much approved by the judges, and declared by 

 them to be the true color to be attained. A num- 

 ber of gentlemen from the country were present, 

 and all were highly delighted. The various toasts 

 were then given, and the business of the evening 

 terminated with &petit souper. Mr. W. Jo>es, 

 as usual, made a neat speech as Hon. Secretary ; 

 and all was unity and harmony among the com- 

 pany and the members. — Argus. 



[A correct list of the dimensions, ages, &c, of 

 the animals exhibited, has been placed in our 

 hands, and may be seen at our publisher's.] 



Mildness of the Season, 1852-53. — Flowers in 

 the open air, are not among the objects of attrac- 

 tion for which we generally look at Christmas. 

 However, they may be found in the present season, 

 and in no small number. I observed, on the 25th 

 of December, in a garden a few miles north of 

 the metropolis, pelargoniums, fuschias, and cal- 

 ceolarias, as green and vigorous as those enjoying 

 greenhouse protection. Carnations, mignonette, 

 Salvia fulgens, Neapolitan violets, China roses, 



