wretch ! We cannot print the pamphlet, but we 

 will give an extract, and enforce the reading of 

 it on our young friends in particular. The 

 writer, signing himself " Old Fellow," says — 

 " I have more to tell you. The day after this 

 sad sight, I perceived a common sparrow endea- 

 voring to drink out of a large glass full of water 

 that I keep in my garden for all the feathered 

 tribe. He did not fly away when I approached ; 

 he was very ill ; his beak was open ; one eye was 

 closed; he was gasping for breath; he too had 

 been poisoned, and is now dead. My heart 

 swelled with grief, and tears were not far from 

 my eyes when I looked on this sparrow. I said to 

 myself — 'This is not well; the glorious sun is 

 shedding warmth on all around, and calling new 

 life into every tree, green leaves are smiling on 

 every bush, sweet and cheerful songs are trilling 

 from many straining throats, and you, poor bird, 

 are the only sign that all is not joy and happi- 

 ness; thy dear, much-loved mate will never wel- 

 come thee again ; thy soft nest will never more 

 be pressed by thee ; thy callow young will never 

 more greet with gaping bills the caterpillars that 

 thy once busy Avings brought to satisfy their 

 hunger; thy mate will mourn in silence; thy 

 little nestlings will cease their plaintive call and 

 die, because hard-hearted man destroyed their 

 loving father.' Now, dear little people, you 

 must help me to prevent all those persons who 

 have gardens poisoning the dear birds; tell every 

 one that if they put white worsted strings over 

 their seed-beds that our feathered friends will 

 know that they are to keep away; that the seeds 

 are not for them. Tell every one that a clever 

 naturalist has calculated ' that a pair of sparrows 

 when they have young ones, destroy nearly three 

 millions of caterpillars.' "—We have now accom- 

 plished what our kind-hearted Correspondent 

 desired, and conclude with her final words :] 

 Let me hope, dear Mr. Editor, that the publi- 

 cation of this will deter others who, from 

 thoughtlessness might adopt such, unlawful means 

 for preserving their seeds from what they call 

 " the ravages of the feathered tribe." — E. M. J., 

 Vauvert, Guernsey. 



[We hardly think it needful to add a post- 

 script of our own to the above. Surely huma- 

 nity is not deaf to kindly-urged remonstrance !] 



" Mercy " for the Brute Creation ; Anecdote 

 of a Mouse and his Captor. — Good Mr. Editor, 

 I am truly delighted at the advocacy of the 

 claims of animals in your charming Journal. 

 Go on, and prosper ! Let me aid the good cause 

 by sending you an extract from a letter written to 

 a friend by Wilson, the late clever and truly 

 amiable naturalist. " One of my boys^' says he, 

 " caught a mouse in school a few days ago, and 

 directly marched up to me with his prize. I set 

 about drawing it the same evening; and all the 

 while the pantings of its little heart showed it to 

 be in the most extreme agonies of fear. I had 

 intended to kill it, in order to fix it in the claws of 

 a stuffed owl ; but happening to spill a few drops 

 of water near where it was tied, it lapped it up 

 with suck eagerness, and looked in my face with 

 such an eye of supplicating terror, as perfectly 

 overcame me. I immediately untied it, and re- 

 stored it to life and liberty. The agonies of a 



prisoner at the~stake, while the fire and instru- 

 ments of torture are preparing, could not be 

 more severe than the sufferings of that poor 

 mouse ; and insignificant as the object was, I felt 

 at that moment the sweet sensation which mercy 

 leaves on the mind when she triumphs over 

 cruelty." 



Battle of the Bees. — A friend of mine, Mr. 

 Editor, whilst walking yesterday in her shrub- 

 bery, paused awhile to listen to the hum of the 

 " humble bees," who were busy in unusually 

 great numbers among the blossoms of a white 

 cherry tree. A short time afterwards, she was 

 greatly surprised to observe a quantity of these 

 bees lying, apparently dead, on the ground. 

 Taking them up to examine them, they were 

 indeed not only dead, but mutilated, — the heads 

 and tails having been removed, and nothing left 

 but the empty case. I forward you " a specimen," 

 herewith, and shall feel obliged if you can 

 account to me for this most singular circum- 

 stance. — Ella, Hull. 



[From a careful examination of the insects 

 you have sent us, we feel quite sure that there 

 must have been a general battle on the spot where 

 your friend first saw the bees. A more deter- 

 mined war of extermination could hardly have 

 been waged. California itself, where every man 

 is at heart a mortal enemy to his neighbor, could 

 hardly furnish proofs of more deadly hatred 

 carried into practical operation.] 



How to give the Conge 4 to Black Beetles.— *Do, Mr. 

 Editor, tell me, and how many thousand others ! 

 in what way I can eradicate black beetles, cock- 

 roaches, &c. They lay waste all the lower part 

 of my house, and throw my servants into ter- 

 rible dismay. — C. O. H. 



[Many people say, — use wafers manufactured 

 with red-lead as one of the ingredients. We 

 ourselves put little faith in this ; but if you will 

 steep some pieces of rag in spirits of turpentine, 

 and force them into the holes and crevices whence 

 they come out, they will decamp at once, to the 

 tune of sauve quipeut! Let us however, recom- 

 mend all due caution to be used in the manipu- 

 lation of these rags. Being highly inflammable 

 when thus prepared, they must be kept out of 

 the way both of a lighted candle and of fire. 

 If combustion took place, the consequences would 

 be dangerous. With proper care, the remedy can 

 be easily provided. Beetle-traps are of use, only 

 when the enemy to be captured are few in 

 number.] 



Annuals, or Ferennials? — I have a flower 

 garden, and not over much time to attend to it. 

 Which do you recommend as being the least 

 troublesome of flowers, — annuals or perennials? 

 — Anna Maria J. 



[As you have so little time to spare, Made- 

 moiselle, and no doubt love to see your garden 

 look pretty, you can purchase a few annuals in 

 pots, and cultivate more sedulously perennials. 

 Skill goes a great way in the arrangement of a 

 garden, where time is a precious commodity. 

 Try then what you can do with your present 

 available stock, and turn your mind towards the 

 future culture of perennials. They save a good 



