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KIDD'S LONDON JOUKNAL. 



instinct, towards different poles; and before the 

 eel reappeai^s in fresh water, the salmon roe has 

 undergone a series of transmutations, emerged 

 from his sub-aqueous dormitory, and becomes a 

 little fish, fragile indeed and tiny, but in the 

 highest degree vigilant and nimble; not capable 

 of confronting a single one of its numerous ene- 

 mies in the open field, yet disconcerting and 

 defying them all by the celerity of its flight. Is 

 this an evidence of design, or is it a stroke of 

 chance ? — Eev. D. S. Williamson. 



[Let us answer the last query, by remarking 

 that all these beautiful arrangements and pro- 

 visions of nature are so many undeniable proofs 

 of design and purpose, that it becomes really cul- 

 pable to entertain any doubt about it. Is it not 

 delightful so to view all the harmonies of nature? 

 And what can we gain from infidelity ? " Gloria 

 Deo!" is visibly imprinted on all living operations 

 of nature.] 



Original Anecdote of a Cat and a Babbit. — As 

 one object of your excellent Journal is the col- 

 lection of facts, bearing on the subject of natural 

 history, and as you have inserted some anecdotes 

 of the " cat," I will, with your leave, add another 

 to the number, which disposed me to look with 

 more kindliness than I had before done, on a very 

 common and familiar member of most house- 

 holds. When a boy, I had a not uncommon 

 fancy for keeping rabbits, and took great delight 

 in breeding them. At one time, I had as many 

 as twenty, all from the same stock, and running 

 about together. They were very tame, and would, 

 like sensible creatures as they were, answer to 

 the several names by which it was my fancy to 

 designate them. They would, moreover, sit upon 

 their hind legs, and beg for bread, and perform 

 other tricks equally interesting and sagacious. 

 One cold, frosty, winter's morning, a luckless 

 member of this family, by name Caleb, unhappily 

 got immersed in a tub of water, and was almost 

 frozen to death. He was in a truly pitiable con- 

 dition, anl in such a state of inanition as made 

 me almost despair of his recovery. However, he 

 was taken up and wrapped in a warm blanket, 

 and laid on the hearth by the kitchen fire. At this 

 time, a favorite " tabby " was among our "house- 

 hold gods;" and she, good natured and benevo- 

 lent soul ! took compassion on poor Caleb, nursed 

 him carefully and tenderly, and, repudiating the 

 swaddling clothes in which I had ensconced him, 

 took him to her own warm and kindly embrace, 

 succeeding most effectually in recovering him 

 from the state into which his immersion in a 

 bucket of water, considerably below the freezing 

 point, had thrown him. After this event, you 

 may be sure that " tabby " and Caleb were 

 mighty good friends, and spent a great portion of 

 their time in playing and sporting together. As 

 I do not remember to have seen any account of 

 so friendly a relationship subsisting between a 

 cat and a rabbit, and as it is but fair to chronicle 

 the good deeds of poor pussy, as a set-off 

 to the many bad ones with which tradition 

 has invested her, I send you this account; and 

 shall feel pleased if you deem it of sufficient in- 

 terest to see it placed in the (somewhat scanty I 

 fear), catalogue of pussy's "good deeds." — K. M. 



Generosity of the Dog. — The following, copied 

 from the Carmarthen Journal of February 28th, 

 has already been transferred to the papers, but it 

 deserves a place in your columns, — the more so, 

 as it is a substantiated fact: — "A curious and very 

 interesting instance of the sagacity of ' man's faith- 

 ful friend,' the dog, occurred on Monday last, at 

 Sterling Park, the residence of S. Tarclrew, Esq. 

 There were a large bull-dog and a Newfoundland 

 dog kept about the premises, and on Monday, as a 

 little boy was wending his way along the path., 

 leading from the turnpike road to the house, the 

 bull-dog broke the chain with which he was 

 fastened, and sprang fiercely upon him. The 

 poor little fellow cried for assistance most 

 piteously. The Newfoundland dog was in 

 another part of the premises, but as soon as he 

 heard the cries for help, he darted away with 

 tremendous velocity, quickly reached the spot, 

 and seizing the bull- dog with his powerful jaws, 

 flung him off his prey, and held him firm, 

 until the boy got up from the ground, and was 

 completely out of harm's way." This is a pretty 

 anecdote, is it not? — J.B. 



On the Propagation of Eels. — Having seen 

 much very curious and interesting disputation 

 in your valuable Journal concerning the " Pro- 

 pagation of Eels," I venture to quote to you, 

 from the " Fisherman's Law Book,'' Walton and 

 Cotton's " Complete Angler,'' page 274, chap, 

 xiii. — "Those that deny them (eels) to breed 

 from generation as other fish do, ask — If any 

 man ever saw an eel to have spawn or melt? 

 And they are answered, — That they may be as 

 certain of their breeding as if they had seen spawn 

 [which no person yet ever did !] for they say 

 they are certain that eels have all parts fit 

 for generation like other fish ; but so small as not 

 to be easily discerned, by reason of their fatness ; 

 but discerned they may be, and that the he and 

 she eel may be distinguished by their fins. And 

 Eondeletius says, he has seen eels cling 

 together like dew worms." — A Brother op 

 the Angle. 



[We insert your remarks,— but they do not 

 throw any light upon what has now become a 

 matter of all but " fact." It is asserted, you will 

 observe, that certain signs of the sexes may be 

 discerned ; but no " authority " is given as to who 

 discerned them, Eespecting the propagation of 

 fish generally, as remarked in the concluding part 

 of your note (which it is unnecessary to print 

 here), no doubt whatever exists. But the eel 

 is the exception among fishes, — being vivipar- 

 ous.J 



Cats known as " Tier-r angers" — a curious 

 ' Wrinkle.' — I assume that you know, although 

 perhaps all your readers do not, that below 

 London Bridge there is a part of the river called 

 the "Pool." In this Pool, all coal- vessels and 

 many others discharge their cargoes into barges 

 moored alongside. Whilst thus occupied, they 

 are lying in "tiers," or rows, having no commu- 

 nication with the shore. Now, I am told that 

 there are certain cats inhabiting these tiers, called 

 " Tier Cats." Neither these, their fathers, 

 mothers, uncles, nephews, nieces, grandfathers, 

 great grandfathers, nee ultra, have ever been on 



