KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



which nearly touched my feet, I thought little 

 of this; as several of these creatures had made 

 this vinery their home. I imagined the animal 

 "was looking for flics, and therefore took little 

 notice of him. He seemed, however, unusually 

 fidgctty ; and he wreathed about as if in pain. 

 This induced me to regard him more closely, and 

 to put on my glasses, — thus clapping a double 

 pair of eyes upon his movements. It was evi- 

 dent that he cared nothing for this; for he at once 

 tore half his skin off his back, — and swallowed it. 

 By a second Herculean tug, he ripped oif the 

 other half; and stood before me perfectly naked! 

 When he had swallowed this last remnant of his 

 skin, he looked as pleased as Punch. No alderman 

 indeed could have looked more complacent, after 

 having swallowed a tureen of turtle; whilst " pre- 

 paring" for the venison " to follow." This toad, 

 I fancy, was only half grown. It was of a very 

 moderate size. Now, Sir, as I am no chicken, but 

 rather an old "rooster" (to use the refined Ameri- 

 can phrase), I hope to meet with a ready credence 

 from your readers. — Thomas Rivers, Sawbridge- 

 wortli. 



[We thank you, Sir, for being so minutely par- 

 ticular. Cases reported as you have reported 

 this, carry with them a conviction of their truth.] 



Spines of Cacti. — It has been mentioned, says 

 Hooker, as something remarkable, that one of M. 

 Ehrenberg's Cacti had upwards of 2000 

 spines. By counting first the number of spines, 

 then that of the bundles of each rib, and ultimately 

 that of the ribs of every individual, I arrived 

 at the following result: An Echinocas Wisla- 

 zeni was found to have 3,360 spines, and the E, 

 Visnaga, in the Royal Gardens, 17,600 There 

 was formerly at Kew a specimen of the latter, 

 three times larger than the present, and which 

 cannot have had less than 51,000. Those cacti 

 whose bundles consist of a greater number of 

 spines, present results still more surprising. The 

 tallest Pilocereus senilis at Kew, having 30 in each 

 bundle, has a total number of 72,000. Yet these 

 plants, giants as they appear in European con- 

 servatories, are but pigmies among their kindred 

 at home. — Eliza G-. 



Tricks of " Bird Sellers'' in the Streets. — There 

 are many cases on record, Mr. Editor, of certain 

 fair damsels having purchased canaries, " war- 

 ranted," in the street; which, on taking their first 

 bath, have proved themselves anything but " fast 

 colors, ' — being immediately '•' washed out" into 

 plebeian sparrows. Some time since, a lady rela- 

 tive of mine bought a bullfinch of one of these 

 street worthies. It was stated to be a first-rate 

 vocalist, of course ; but I hardly need tell you, it 

 proved itself a true follower of the goddess 

 Muta. A few days since, I witnessed ano- 

 ther of these street tricks. A fellow was stand- 

 ing with two showy birds in a cage at the corner 

 of Leadenhall Market. He called them mock 

 nightingales, and warranted their song to be 

 superior to that of Philomel himself. He would 

 soon have disposed of them, had I not crossed 

 over the road, and ejaculated the word — wagtail! 

 They were the yellow wagtail, (inoiaciUaflavd), 

 well known to ornithologists, but quite unknown 

 to Cocknies. I dare say the fellow wished me at 



Jericho. There is no doubt, however, that he 

 did eventually dispose of his " mock nightin- 

 gales." — Walter Tebbitt, E.L.S. 



[People who purchase birds in the street, are 

 invariably " sold" the moment the birds are 

 " bought." These tricks are very common.] 



Deformity in Young Canaries.- — Can any of 

 your readers, Mr, Editor, throw a light upon the 

 following ? A friend of mine in this town (Bos- 

 ton), put up a pair of Canaries for breeding, in 

 April last. The hen laid five eggs, and in due 

 time hatched five young ones. Of these not one 

 had any feet! Their legs all terminated with a 

 stump. In all other respects they were perfect. 

 My friend, thinking it better to do so, killed them. 

 The same pair of birds had a second brood : of 

 these, none were perfect, some having only one 

 claw on each foot. My friend was more fortu- 

 nate in the third brood. The young were all 

 perfect. I shall be anxious to see, if we can hear 

 of any other parallel cases. — W. H., Boston. 



[We imagine the male bird was too young, in 

 the first instance. We always recommend their 

 being two years old when they are put up.] 



on our 



curious, 

 beauty 



Interesting Particulars connected with the Coral. 

 — The smallest fragment of coral is an object of 

 interest. It is covered with perforations, but 

 these punctures are not intended merely to add 

 to its beauty. Every one of these little holes, or 

 cells as they are called, was the habitation of an 

 industrious polype. During its whole life it was 

 building up its beautiful abode, and that with- 

 out any painful effort on the part of the 

 inmate, which was all the while enjoying itself 

 amidst the eastern waves, spreading out its 

 numerous tentacula in search of food abounding in 

 the waters; or if threatened with being made the 

 prey of some rapacious neighbor, ready on the 

 slightest warning to retreat into its coral cave 

 where it was safe as amidst the munition of 

 rocks. When we admire a specimen of coral 

 mantelpiece, or in the cabinet of the 

 few are aware that we see not half its 

 We have before us a portion of a beau- 

 tifully-built city ; but where are its gay and 

 active inhabitants? When in its/native position in 

 the deep, the numerous inhabitants appear in 

 bright array at the portals of their houses, like a 

 happy assemblage of living flowers, not inferior 

 in beauty to the flowers which adorn our gar- 

 dens. Many of our sailors, who bring home to 

 their friends beautiful fragments of coral, are not 

 aware that they were once inhabited. As they 

 were collected when left uncovered by the tide, 

 the inmates were unseen ; having retreated into 

 their moist cells till the Waves should revisit 

 them. A ship-master told me that on his first 

 voyage to the South Seas, being delighted with 

 the beautiful corals which abounded on the 

 shore, he resolved to bring home presents to his 

 friends in Scotland, He laid in a good supply; 

 but he had not been many days at sea when his 

 collection became so unsavory that he was glad 

 to throw the whole into the deep, On a second 

 voyage, he profited by past experience; and 

 having enclosed his corals in a net, he plunged 

 them into the sea, and fastening the net by a rope 

 to the stern, he allowed it to be dragged in the 



