served. Now everybody in Europe and America 

 speaks of Gutta Percba, when in fact they mean 

 all the time Gntta Taban. The substance 

 termed by the Malays Gutta Percha, is not the 

 produce of the Isonandra gutta, but of a botani- 

 cally unknown tree, a species of Picas, I am 

 told. Though far from being extinct in the 

 Indian Archipelago, Gutta Taban will be every 

 year more difficult to obtain, as the coast region 

 is said to be pretty well cleared, and a long 

 transport from the interior must, by augmenting 

 the labor, increase the value. — I have copied the 

 above frjm Hooker's "Journal of Botany." — 

 W.C. 



Intensity of Cold. — It is droll, Mr. Editor, to 

 observe what a poor, shivering race of folks we 

 are, compared with some others. A slight frost 

 here, sends coals up from 21 s. to 80s. per ton ; and 

 we sit all day before the fire frying ourselves 

 alive. Just listen to what Sutherland says, in 

 his Voyage, about cold in the Arctic Regions: — 

 " It was necessary to be very careful with our 

 drinking cups. Tin never suited, for it always 

 adhered to the lips, and took a portion of the 

 skin along with it. A dog attempting to lick 

 a little fat from an iron shovel, stuck fast to it, 

 and dragged it by means of his tongue, until by 

 a sudden effort, he got clear, leaving several 

 inches of the skin and subjacent tissue on the 

 cold metal. One of the seamen endeavoring to 

 change the size of the eye of the splice of the 

 track-rope, put the marling-spike, after the true 

 sailor fashion, into his mouth ; the result was 

 that he lost a great portion of the skin of his lips 

 and tongue." — I wonder what coals would be 

 "done at" in those regions! — Alfred T. 



The Vespertilio Nocturna, or Great Vampyre 

 Bat. — In an old magazine of Natural History, Mr. 

 Editor, the following singular account of the 

 above animal appears: — "In the year 1796, 

 Doctor Von de Speigal, a native of Rotter- 

 dam, had been for some time settled profession- 

 ally in the Island of Batavia. During the course 

 of his practice it happened that the doctor was 

 attacked with a malignant fever or cholera, at the 

 time prevalent in the island. Having taken a 

 narcotic and thrown himself on his couch, he fell 

 into a sound sleep, and, as is common in those 

 sultry climes, the blinds had been thrown open 

 all around, to admit a free current of air, and 

 which had been neglected to be closed at 

 the usual time, when one of the family going 

 into the chamber to see if the doctor required 

 assistance, was alarmed at the appearance of an 

 enormous winged monster (which in the dusk 

 would appear much magnified) as it escaped 

 from the yet open casement. It was presently 

 found that the animal — by no means a stranger 

 on the island — had introduced itself as surgeon 

 extraordinary, and had most skilfully bled the 

 still sleeping doctor almost to death ; not only 

 satiating its own greedy appetite, but also satu- 

 rating the couch with blood. In most cases such 

 visitations had proved fatal, whether to man or 

 beast, but in the case of the Dutch doctor it 

 proved eventually otherwise; for although his 

 strength was reduced to the last extremity, the ma- 

 lady was thereby completely overcome, and by 



strict attention and care, ho, in the course of time, 

 became perfectly convalescent, and has been fre- 

 quently heard to declare that he felt convinced 

 he owed his life to his extraordinary operator. 

 Hence, we may naturally infer, followed the 

 system of copious bleeding in all cases of cholera 

 and black vomit. The tongue of the vampyre is 

 furnished at the tip with a prickly substance of 

 such exquisite sharpness, that it is introduced 

 into the vein or artery of any sleeping animal 

 without disturbing the slumber, and which it also 

 provokes by keeping a fanning motion with its 

 extended wings — generally from three to four 

 feet in length. — Jane K. 



[We insert the above as being very "curious;" 

 but we do not vouch for the correctness of the 

 inference drawn.] 



"Despise not thou the day of small things.^ — 



There's not a heath, however rude, 



But hath some little flower 

 To brighten up its solitude, 



And scent the evening hour. 



There's not a heart however cast 



By grief and sorrow down, 

 But hath some memory of the past 



To love and call its own ! — Hopeful. 



To Nightingale Fanciers. — Will you let your 

 readers know that I have a remarkably fine 

 nightingale, for whom I am desirous of finding 

 a good home ? I would not let any dealer have 

 him, nor would I on any account part from him, 

 if my avocations would allow me to attend to 

 him. I find, however, that I cannot leave him 

 to the " tender mercies of a servant '' while I am 

 absent from home if you did, he would be"dead ''in 

 two days] ; and I will not let him be slighted. 

 He has moulted clean, and is in rude health. — P. 



[We commend you for the humanity you 

 evince towards this King of Birds. His Majesty 

 must not be slighted, nor his love held in small 

 esteem. When he loves, he loves truly ; and 

 how he warbles his love-notes to the hand 

 that feeds him ! In another month he will be 

 singing bravely. We will gladly negociate this 

 matter for you. Such a prize will not long 

 remain unappreciated.] 



Harmony of Colors in a Flower- Garden. — 

 What can look worse, Mr. Editor, than a large 

 quantity of flowers in a garden, most of them one 

 color, only, or so arranged as to appear perfectly 

 monstrous? No taste have we here. It should 

 be reformed. This is just the proper time to 

 make notes of the effect of the colors of flowers 

 in various situations, and to note down such 

 alterations as appear desirable in their arrange- 

 ment in another season. It is all very well to 

 talk of harmony in arrangement as a very neces- 

 sary thing to be attended to ; but there are other 

 considerations quite as important. Not one of 

 the least is the nature of the boundary of a flower- 

 garden, depending for its effect on bedded-out 

 masses of plants. A little reflection will con- 

 vince any one accustomed to these things, that a 

 boundary of some kind is an indispensable 

 necessary, in order that the eye may be confined 

 to that particular part, and not, by an extensive 



