tile (about 4 inches diameter) into the chimney, 

 at the top of the room. This can be stopped, if 

 not wanted ; and when required, opened by 

 merely cutting away the plastering, and the Ar- 

 nott's valve fixed before it. The simplest form 

 of this valve is a plate of metal, with a round 

 (about 4 inches diameter for an ordinary room), 

 crossed by a brass wire grating of half-inch 

 squares, behind which hangs a little silk curtain, 

 with a wire at bottom to keep it flat. So long 

 as there is up -draught, the curtain is drawn in 

 towards the chimney, and leaves the hole open; 

 but on the slightest downward current, the cur- 

 tain is pressed against the grating, and prevents 

 the return of smoke or foul air into the room. — A. 



Toads fond of Wasps. — About three weeks 

 since, when the remains of some old crops were 

 being removed from a border in the kitchen gar- 

 den, a toad was disturbed in its shady bower, 

 and had to take a walk in the sunshine when the 

 thermometer was about 90°. In its mid- day 

 walk, as it was passing along the sunny side of a 

 plum tree, it came to a half-eaten plum, with a 

 number of wasps feasting upon the remains of 

 the injured fruit ; here it made a stop. I 

 wondered whether it was going to taste the 

 fruit, or the wasps that were devouring it. I had 

 not long to wait; in a moment it swallowed 

 one of the wasps. I thought it had made a mis- 

 take for once ; but no, it soon made a dart at 

 another and took it in; a third came within its 

 reach, and was soon out of sight. It appeared as if 

 three wasps were sufficient for a meal ; for it might 

 have had more. When it found shelter from the 

 sun, I took the part of an injured plum, and 

 bruised it a little, and put it near the toad ; there 

 were soon plenty of wasps on the plum, and 

 within its reach. — P. M. 



The Remarkable Flight of Insects at Worcester. 

 — I have seen the appeal made to me, Mr. Editor, 

 in No. 40 of Our Journal, by " Flora," your 

 Worcester correspondent. I should be delighted 

 to throw any light on the subject of her inquiry; 

 but it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to 

 speak with certainty as to the class of insects 

 whose migration she witnessed. I will tell her 

 what I think they must have been — not absolutely 

 pledging myself to the fact of their having been 

 so — n0 person, without the evidence of his eyes, 

 could speak positively in a case like this. I 

 imagine the insect to have been the Aphis robo- 

 ris, by some also called the Aphis quercus ; Le 

 Pucheron du Chene ; the Aphis of the Oak. This 

 is one of the largest of the family ; the color also 

 corresponds. In the autumn of 1834, there was 

 a most remarkable flight of these creatures be- 

 tween Bruges and Gand. The sky was literally 

 darkened by their innumerable legions ; and it 

 became necessary to cover one's face, as well as 

 one could do so, to escape the irritation produced 

 by coming in contact with the invaders. The ap- 

 pearance of this army of insects closely resem- 

 bled that which has been so graphically de- 

 scribed by Flora, at Worcester. — Bombyx 

 Atlas, Tottenham. 



Ladies 1 " Shrouds ;" or Uglies. — I cannot 

 wonder, Mr .Editor, that in admiration of our sex 



you should so boldly and uncompromisingly 

 have denounced our bonnet " snn-shades." They 

 are indeed hideously-ugly — modern deformities; 

 and I agree with you, that they should not be 

 worn abroad — only in the garden. There, they 

 really do our faces good service, and shield us 

 from much of the intensity of the sun's heat. 

 Let us hope your just wrath will be appeased, 

 by a better order of things next summer. The 

 " shrouds " are now laid aside; being no longer 

 required. But we have a " little crow to pick" 

 with you, Sir, for not also denouncing those of 

 your own sex who, both at our watering places 

 and in the streets of London, wear those odious 

 sugar-loaf, and dome-shaped brown hats. These 

 you may indeed characterise as " disgusting." 

 Their wearers resemble blackguards, properly 

 so called ; and I am sure, if you are a lover of 

 justice, you will confirm the truth of my observa- 

 tion. Say, — do I err in believing that you 

 will do us justice? — Beatrice. 



[Sweet Beatrice ! The only reason for our 

 not denouncing the " enormities," to which you 

 direct our attention, is, our pure contempt for 

 the insane wearers of these diabolical cover-lids. 

 " Gentlemen " they call themselves; but, as you 

 say, thus attired, they have no possible preten- 

 sions to such a designation. They are veritable 

 blackguards. Our public streets and watering 

 places have been fearfully over-run with them. 

 We are unable, positively unable, to speak of 

 them in fitting terms of dispraise; but we ima- 

 gine the word you have framed for them — polis- 

 son, or blackguard, carries with it all the force 

 that our language can command. We are re- 

 joiced to find that we have your sanction for our 

 condemnation of the " shrouds." Had we not 

 loved your sisterhood dearly, we never should 

 have ventured to criticise what so detracts from 

 their loveliness. Satan himself could have " in- 

 vented" nothing more truly horrible than these 

 "uglies." We hope, with you, that next year 

 will usher in something less Satanic. By the way, 

 Punch has " figured" one of these " shrouds" in 

 the No. for Oct. 2nd. Do, pray, look at it ! It 

 ought to "settle the question" for ever.] 



The Poiatoe Disease. — The ravages of disease 

 among this our most favorite vegetable are now 

 fully confirmed. They are universally affected. 

 In the last number of the " Comptes Rcndus" is 

 a singular project for arresting the progress of 

 the disease — so singular is it, that we print it. 

 The article we refer to, is headed " Rural Eco- 

 nomy — on a method calculated to prevent the 

 Potatoe disease." (Extract of a letter from M. 

 Bayard.) " In the property I possess in the 

 north of the department of the Maine and Loire 

 (the ancient Anjou) commune of Jaille-Yvon, 

 the Potatoes of the crop of 1850 were almost all 

 spotted and bad. Before planting in 1851, I cut 

 a hectolitre into sets, and forced into each set, 

 according to its size, one, two, or three dry Peas. 

 The sets were planted, according to the custom 

 of the country, in ridges. The rest of the ground 

 (about a hectare) was set with Potatoes not 

 charged with Peas. In spite of the dryness of 

 the summer, the Peas grew strong and flowered, 

 while the Potatoe stems pushed vigorously. The 

 latter were neither withered nor diseased; the 



