A LITERARY, SCIENTIFIC, AND INSTRUCTIVE FAMILY PAPER. 



Conducted by WILLIAM KIBD, of Hammersmith,— 

 Author of the Familiar and Popular Essays on "Natural History;" "British Song 

 Birds;" "Birds of Passage;" "Instinct and Reason;" 

 " The Aviary and its Occupants," &c. 



"the OEJECT of our work is to make men WISER, without obliging them to turn over folios and 



QUARTOS.— TO FURNISH MATTER FOR THINKING, AS WELL AS READING."— EVELYN. 



No. 8.— 1852. 



SATURDAY", FEBRUARY 21. 



Price l$d. 



Or, in Monthly Parts, Price Id. 



DOMESTIC PETS. 



The Squirrel— No. 1. 



When we view the great mass of papers 

 and letters with which our Turkey-carpet is 

 strewn, and read their contents, we begin to 

 get bewildered. Our brain reels ; our spirits 

 flag ; and our task seems " never ending, still 

 beginning." Yet cannot Ave behold those 

 letters unmoved, nor peruse them without 

 a feeling of gratification. They afford a 

 most pleasing proof that our object has 

 been appreciated, and that our idea is a 

 " popular" one. 



In the first place, we have applications 

 innumerable from young ladies " who keep 

 pets," charging us immediately to commence 

 a series of Articles upon pigeons, dogs, 

 parrots, love-birds, monkeys {these we will 

 never defile our London Journal by 

 noticing), cats, dormice, guinea-pigs, rabbits, 

 choice fowls, horses ; and above all, the 

 various Song Birds that ornament jour 

 English dwellings — together with the readiest 

 means of training them. These, and many 

 more "subjects" are urged upon us — lovingly, 

 we must say ; and Ave will as lovingly treat 

 of them all, in turn ; meantime, let each of 

 our fair and anxious correspondents and 

 their brothers, send us, Aveekly, short and 

 nicely drawn-up "anecdotes" of each, in 

 order that Ave may make them publicly use- 

 ful. The interest already excited by our 

 " Original Correspondence" can hardly be 

 credited; and, as yet, it is a mere oayatelle! 



We have elseAvhere directed attention to 

 the best means for extending our Journal, 

 into all quarters Avhence literary aid may 

 be looked for; and Ave shall rejoice in having 

 the additional assistance of our merry, kind, 

 and rosy-cheeked juvenile readers, who 

 thirst to knoAV so much about " pets." Let 

 us make a little bargain Avith them. " We Avill 

 henceforth help one another." Shall it be 

 so? It shall. Good! 



To-day, Ave purpose introducing to our 



readers' notice the English Squirrel; a 

 much-esteemed correspondent having ex- 

 pressed a Avish to know something about him. 



In our bachelor days, when hours of 

 leisure Avere at our disposal, Ave used to 

 " cultivate" squirrels, and take perhaps in- 

 ordinate pleasure in their society. We 

 may as well here state, that our natural dis- 

 position is kindly ; that Ave can never sit 

 alone, walk alone, eat alone. If at home, 

 and the inmates absent, Ave are always 

 to be found among our elegant little fancy 

 fowls, who Avill jump into our hands to be 

 caressed, and nestle under our chin. We 

 name this, as we are sure there is an art in 

 taming animals, as much as there is in tam- 

 ing each other. That art is — affection : it is a 

 never-failing talisman ; true, in all its opera- 

 tions, as is the needle to the Pole. 



The first squirrel we ever possessed, we 

 purchased of a man in the street. We think 

 Ave were coaxed into giving a croAvn piece 

 for it. The man evidently saAv that our 

 heart Avas enlisted ; and although Ave tried 

 hard for some time to beat him doAvn, the 

 croAvn became his, the squirrel ours. 



We remember there Avas a shoAA'y piece of 

 scarlet ribbon, flowing like a streamer from 

 Skuggy's neck. It had been used as a gentle 

 chain, to keep him prisoner. Being young, 

 we soon made him familiar, and instructed 

 him in a multitude of little tricks. Among 

 our visitors Avere many avIio took delight in 

 teasing this little rogue. We took upon 

 ourselves the task of teaching him to resent 

 this ; and so effectually, that few offenders 

 escaped Avithout marks of his teeth being 

 visible on their hands. He never acted on 

 the offensive, although very Avary of Avhat 

 was preparing for him ; but, on the first 

 offence offered, he invariably gave "value 

 received." 



Yet, Avith us Avas he on the most affec- 

 tionate terms. Do Avhat Ave Avould, tease 

 him as we might, he invariably returned 

 good for evil. He would come out of his 

 cage to breakfast with us regularly every 



Vol. I.— New Series. 



