KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



171 



torture. Cockchafers too are remorselessly- 

 run through with a pin ; and the greater their 

 contortions of body through pain, the more 

 vociferous the shouts and the more excessive 

 the delights of their young tormentors. The 

 instincts of animals fairly warn them against 

 all such " friends." 



These juvenile abominations can have no 

 " pet." They are a terror to their sisters ; 

 bullies to their brothers ; a scourge to their 

 parents. In the world, they are overbearing ; 

 at home they are tyrants ; and when they 

 die, they are unregretted. Show us a young 

 person who is kind, tender, and humane ; we 

 will then undertake that that same person 

 shall turn out well in after life. Early edu- 

 cation in these matters, as well among the 

 rich as among the poor, is grossly neglected, 

 — hence the disastrous results when the child 

 becomes a man. 



As for specific directions totidem verbis 

 how to tame animals, none can be given. 

 The eye of an animal meets yours. From a 

 glance, your disposition towards him becomes 

 manifested. If it be pacific and conciliatory, 

 the animal already is half won ; if the con- 

 trary, he is on his guard. A uniform course 

 of kind treatment, and affectionate recogni- 

 tion, would charm any thing or anybody. 

 How often, how very often have we verified 

 this ! We have had " pets," in our time, 

 out of number. Their love for us has " sur- 

 passed the love of women." 



Our readers will remember, that at p. 125, 

 we playfully asked our charming Corre- 

 spondent, Leonora, at Leeds, to invite us 

 down. No sooner said than done. We have 

 been invited ; we have been down ! The 

 family we found to consist of four members, 

 the mamma, and three daughters ; and 

 among the first things we saw on entering 

 their lovely abode, was the identical pair of 

 pigeons about whose peculiar habits we were 

 consulted. Before we could cross the lawn 

 and get safely housed, we were closely fol- 

 lowed by them and some fifteen of the most 

 beautiful silver- spangled fowls that eyes ever 

 gazed upon. In this family, let us briefly 

 remark, " affection " evidently reigns tri- 

 umphant. Birds, dogs, pigeons, fowls, ducks, 

 domestics, &c, are all " one " with the family. 

 Where one goes all go — they act in con- 

 cert, they live in concert. Here we saw 

 (we wish our fair inquirer could see it too), 

 wherein consisted — the " whole art of taming 

 animals."* 



Our visit was short — distressingly so ; 

 but the fault was ours. Had we been 

 " wild," however short as was our stay, we 



* For further proofs of the power and influ- 

 ence of kindness and affection over Animals, we 

 may refer to an article in this day's Journal, 

 among our " Original Correspondence," on the 

 " Marching Military Goat," see p. 173. 



should inevitably have returned " tame. 1 

 We may add — those pigeons will never 

 sleep out of doors, while their lovely mis- 

 tress, Leonora, makes so much of them 

 m-doors. " Silly doves" were they, if they 

 could be so easily persuaded against their 

 own interests ! 



ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. 



The Large Tiger Moth. — I have read with 

 much satisfaction the remarks on the Large Tiger 

 Moth, or Chelonia Caja, by C. Miller, 

 Hackney, in your interesting Journal; and I 

 trust that gentleman will not take it amiss if I 

 endeavor to supply what appears to me to be 

 wanting, to complete his description, and to make 

 a few remarks which strike me, en passant. By 

 the friendly exchange of positive observations, 

 entomology is much benefited. In the first 

 place then, Sir, I see no reason for removing 

 Caja from among the Chelonides, and placing it 

 among the Arctics — the Chelonia is its natural 

 division among Civica, Matronula, Purpurea, &c. 

 Why place it with Fuliginosa Lubricipeda, Sor- 

 dida, &c? It is not to be called Arctia but 

 Chelonia Caja. Towards the end of March, and 

 even earlier, the said little hairy caterpillars are 

 found, but I fancy not of uniform chestnut 

 color. The color is generally (as far as I have 

 observed) at this stage, of a dark brown (varying 

 however in intensity) on the back, and light 

 reddish ochre on the sides and abdomen. The 

 white dorsal line is also very visible. This little 

 caterpillar however proceeds from small round 

 pale-yellowish eggs, which are laid about the be- 

 ginning of the previous August ; and are hatched 

 about twelve days after they are laid, and pass 

 the winter in a state of engourdissement, or nearly 

 so. Their favorite food in the spring is nettle, 

 violet, dandelion, ground ivy, and almost all spe- 

 cies of low herbs. As they increase in size however, 

 the red currant is their favorite food, but scarcely 

 anything comes much amiss to their twist, 

 although they are not omnivorous. The tubercles 

 are of a deep blueish black — the golden oval- 

 shaped spot (or as I think I have always observed 

 it— omm/e-colored) is always to be seen when the 

 caterpillar is changing its skin. The mode of 

 changing into a chrysalis, is much the same in 

 almost all caterpillars that weave a web as a re- 

 ceptacle for their cocoon. Why that everlasting 

 quoting from others? Anyone can copy out of 

 another's work. It is a pity. In point of size, 

 color, and shape of the markings, it varies very 

 considerably. In my opinion, a better idea of 

 Caja is conveyed by commencing with the pre- 

 dominant color, and saying that the upper wings 

 are of a rich coffee brown with sinuous markings 

 of pale creamy white ; the outermost of which, 

 cross and form something like the figure of the 

 letter X. Near the middle of the margin (the 

 upper one) of the superior wings, two short 

 patches of creamy white, finishing in a point, are 

 also pretty constant. The other markings vary con- 

 siderably. The lower wings are generally of a fine 

 brick-red, though sometimes they will vary to a 

 very pale yellowish red or orange color, or pale 

 orange yellow, with six or seven rich dark blue 



