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KID1VS OWN JOURNAL. 



people could distinguish the real from the 

 adopted foal. In 1839 these foals were dis- 

 posed of at a public sale, after being broken in 

 for the saddle. Since that time, 1 lost sight 

 of both "Bell" and her foals.— A. R. M., 

 Coventry. 



" Why " and "Because." — Why is the alarming 

 excrescence which finds a resting place near the 

 centre of a woman's person — a tergo, like unto an 

 Historical Romance ? — Because it is a fiction 

 "founded" on fact.* — A Young Correspondent, 

 Oxford. 



[We suppress your name, Sir, in consideration 

 of your youth. You are remarkably "fast." We 

 positively tremble for you as you grow up.] 



Tameness of Little Birds. — I have often been 

 delighted, whilst listening to the details you have 

 given of the tameness of the birds living in your 

 garden, »nd entering your windows to be fed. An 

 affectionate heart cannot but enjoy these truly 

 " natural " pleasures — so different from those of 

 the giddy world at large ! As one of your readers 

 — and " admirers " of course, let me tell my little 

 story. During the past cold and inclement sea- 

 son, our garden, like yours, was the resort of quite 

 " a family " of birds, — the principal were robins, 

 chaffinches, and hedge-sparrows — or, as you fami- 

 liarly call them, " Dicky Dunnocks." These saucy 

 rogues seemed intuitively to know that I was a 

 friend to their race. They followed me about 

 everywhere. I had such games with them ! 

 Sometimes, for the fun of the thing, I would pre-' 

 tend not to see them. At such times I would 

 walk carelessly round the garden ; humming a tune, 

 or miking 1 elieve that I was perusing a letter. 

 Well, Mr. Editor, this would not do. They fol- 

 lowed me in my walk ; clinging to the trees and 

 bushes on either side, and warbling a soft, musical 

 note to attract my ear. At last, I fairly burst out 

 laughing at their manoeuvres; and it was hard 

 to say which enjoyed the fun most, — I or my 

 pensioners. We were well-matched ! I have, 

 however, a complaint to make of my pets ; for 

 they were shockingly quarrelsome. The chaf- 

 finches were even more pugnacious than the 

 robins — doing battle whenever I fed them. The 

 females were, I am sorry to say, as bad as the 

 males. Talking of the robins, I had such a game 

 with two of them, one cold morning! I was 

 feeding a fine handsome fellow, with a bold, 

 speaking eye, when, in a fit of jealousy, a rival 

 made a dash at him, and tore out a whole 

 " bunch " of feathers ! I picked them up, and 

 had the curiosity (woman-like) to count them. 

 There were only eighteen. Didn't I scowl at the 

 red-breasted savage ! What cared he ? Nothing. 

 My last game was with such a very tame little 

 fellow ! Taking up some half-dozen meal-worms, 

 I threw him one of uncommon size. This he 

 snapped in halves. The first hrdf he hopped away 

 with, and swallowed it. Returning for the other, 

 it was gone, and he had not seen the going of it ! 

 I had. His rival, watching his opportunity, had 

 darted down with the velocity of lightning, and 

 put his appropriation claws upon it. It was swal- 



lowed in an instant. The disappointment of my 

 pet was extreme ; so I gave him another. This, 

 you may be stire, went no further ! Our robins 

 are now shy ; and busily employed in building and 

 sitting. Still they notice us, and " bob " to us as 

 we pass. — Hearts-ease, Hants. 



[Many thanks, fair maiden, for these little racy 

 anecdotes. You have imagined rightly, that they 

 would interest us and our readers. The pair of 

 robins about which our pen has been so often 

 eloquent, are now sitting. They have built their 

 nest on a shelf in the greenhouse, close to the 

 dwelling-house. It is in one corner, based on an 

 old japanned dressing box, over which a pair of 

 garden-shears, in an upright position, are carelessly 

 placed. Between the handles, is the place of 

 entrance and exit. It was as good as a play to 

 watch the construction of that nest, and see the 

 large mouthfuls of dead leaves, hay and hair, 

 that were carried in. We were invited to look, 

 and we did look ; and no doubt we shall see, as 

 we have before seen, the exodus of the " happy 

 family " when fledged. Our wrens, dunnocks, 

 and thrushes, are all equally tame ; and we look 

 daily for the nightingales and blackcaps to com- 

 plete " the band " that always sojourns with us in 

 Spring and Summer. If we could only prevail upon 

 our neighbors to lay aside their murderous guns, 

 who could be more happy than we and our " little 

 families ?"] 



* What will Mr. John Gray, of Glasgow, say 

 to this "curious (but solid) fact? " — Ed. K. J. 



Pillar Roses. — To ornament a garden, there is 

 no kind of shrub, however beautiful, so well 

 adapted to take various forms as the rose. It can 

 be used as a dwarf, to fill the smallest beds ; as a 

 bush, to plant amongst evergreens ; and as a tall 

 standard to form avenues of roses on each side of a 

 noble walk. In the centre of larger circular beds, 

 it is often planted in groups, with half-standards 

 around, and dwarfs in the front ; thus forming an 

 amphitheatre of roses, which, when in bloom, is 

 one of the finest sights in the floral garden. Again, 

 as climbers, to ornament the amateur's villa, or 

 the more humble abode of the cottager. Also, to 

 plant against bare walls and palings, forming droop- 

 ing shrubs, when budded on high standards, waving 

 gracefully their boughs, laden with fragrance and 

 bloom, in the warm gales of summer and autumn. 

 What can be more desirable ? All these forms 

 are certaintly very pleasing ; but, however elegant 

 their appearance, still none of them show off the 

 beauty and grandeur of the rose so effectively as 

 training it upwards to a pillar. In the gardens of the 

 gentry of this country, pillars for roses are fre- 

 quently made of iron rods, with arches of the 

 same, or small chains hung loosely from pillar to 



fiillar, so as to form beautiful festoons of those 

 ovely flowers. These arches and chain festoons 

 of roses on each side a terrace-walk have a splen- 

 did effect. Sometimes the arch is thrown over 

 the walk only, and the roses trained accordingly. 

 Those persons who may feel disposed to erect iron 

 pillars, can easily ascertain their cost of any 

 respectable ironmonger. They may be either 

 made of a single upright rod, or with four rods at 

 about nine inches distant from each other ; thus 

 forming a square pillar, fastened with cross pieces 

 of strong wire. The rose may be planted in the 

 centre, and the branches as they grow be trained 

 to each corner rod, and the small shoots arranged 



