deal of trouble, because they need not be dis- 

 turbed more than once in three years. All the 

 lily tribe are beautiful. The lupin, columbine, 

 larkspur, some Oenotheras, campanula, veronica, 

 many bulbs — all contribute to make a splendid 

 well-furnished border, without the aid of one 

 annual, and such a border of well-selected varie- 

 ties of these things would require little trouble, 

 and produce wonderful effect.] 



A Cow-house with a Glass Roof. — The intro- 

 duction of glass for roofing is now coming into 

 general use, and I beg to call your attention to a 

 recent experiment of this nature, which has been 

 tried by T. W. L. Lawford, Esq., F.H.S., of Fir- 

 dail, near Landilo. The building is 96 feet long 

 by 18 feet wide. Mr. Lawford has found that his 

 cattle grow and improve more in health under a 

 transparent roof than under one of impervious 

 material. And not only is there this advantage, 

 but a cow-house constructed of glass is cheaper 

 than those now in use. Mr. Lawford has flowers, 

 strawberries, grapes, &c, growing under the same 

 roof, which expedient constitutes another advan- 

 tage, as an amount of heat is secured which is 

 favorable to the cattle, and repels frost. He has 

 been so much pleased with the success of the 

 experiment that he has erected a larger one for 

 the accommodation of two lines of cattle. — T. W. 



Transformation of the Locust. — I note, with 

 considerable delight, the weekly progress of your 

 little " Gem," from which I am glad to perceive 

 extracts are made in our first-class periodicals 

 and literary journals. Let me offer my mite 

 towards the public instruction, in the form of a 

 seasonable extract from " Meredith's New South 

 Wales." It is as interesting as it is curious, and 

 refers to the transformation of the locust. " In 

 the summer evenings it is common to see upon 

 the trunks of trees, reeds, or any upright object, 

 a heavy-looking, lump-backed, brown beetle, an 

 inch and a half long, with a scaly coat, clawed, 

 lobster-like legs, and a somewhat dirty aspect; 

 which latter is easily accounted for by the little 

 hole visible in the turf at the foot of the tree, 

 whence he has lately crept. I have sometimes 

 carried them home, and watched with great in- 

 terest the poor locust ' shuffle off his mortal,' or 

 rather earthly 'coil' and emerge into a new world. 

 The first symptom is the opening of a small slit 

 which appears in the back of his coat, between 

 the shoulders, through which, as it slowly gapes 

 wider, a pale silky-looking texture is seen, throb- 

 bing and heaving backwards and forwards. Pre- 

 sently a fine square head with two light-red eyes, 

 has disengaged itself, and in process of time (for 

 the transformation goes on almost imperceptibly) 

 this is followed by the liberation of a portly body 

 and a conclusion ; after which the brown leggings 

 are pulled off like boots, and a pale, cream- 

 colored, weak, soft creature very tenderly walks 

 away from its former self, which remains stand- 

 ing entire, like the coat of mail of a warrior of 

 old — the shelly plates of the eyes that are gone 

 looking after their lost contents with a sad lack 

 of ' speculation ' in them. On the back of the 

 new-born creature lie two small bits of membrane, 

 doubled and crumpled up in a thousand puckers, 

 like a Limerick glove in a walnut-shell; these 



now begin to unfold themselves, and gradually 

 spread smoothly out in two large beautiful opal- 

 colored wings, which, by the following morning, 

 have become clearly transparent, while the body 

 has acquired its proper hard consistency and 

 dark color; and when placed on a tree, the happy 

 thing soon begins its whirring, creaking, chir- 

 ruping song, which continues with little inter- 

 mission as long as its harmless happy life." I feel 

 quite sure that you and your readers will be alike 

 gratified by this little episode in the " life of a 

 locust," and remain, your firm supporter in the 

 best of causes. — Susanna T. 



["Most grateful are we for this little offering of 

 friendship, and proud of such an associate. Con- 

 tinue this labor of love, gentle Susanna ; and let 

 our eye soon again recognise your hand -writing, 

 which tells with an intuitive unerring power that 

 you are one of the very best — nay the very 

 choicest of Nature's own children, and conse- 

 quently the goddess of our idolatry.] 



Cats without Tails!— (No. 2.)— In No. 16 of 

 your Journal (p. 249), a correspondent remarks, 

 — " In the parish of Painswick, there is a remark- 

 able race of cats — remarkable for being destitute of 

 those ornaments a tergo (commonly called tails) 

 which nature assigns to the feline species." Shak- 

 speare, in his tragedy of Macbeth, alludes to the 

 activity of Bats without tails ; 



" And like a rat without a tail, 

 I'll do,— I'll do, —I'll do!" 



This is in allusion to a singular superstition re- 

 garding Witches, — who could transform them- 

 selves into the form of any animal they pleased, 

 — always, however, minus a tail; there being 

 nothing common to Witches that could corre- 

 spond with the length of tail common to most 

 four-footed animals* Thus much for tailless rats ; 

 but of Cats without tails, we were until recently 

 very sceptical. Singular enough, our want of 

 faith has been removed by a curious occurrence 

 on our own premises ! There is, at this very time 

 of writing, in our own house, a remarkably fine 

 cat, who is perfectly " innocent" of having any 

 tail, or even the appearance of one. Very lately, 

 too. she has given birth to three kittens, all very 

 lively, but every one without a tail ! This proves, 

 incontestibly, that the want of the caudal append- 

 age is not accidental, but of purpose, — " Native 

 and to the manner born." I should add, that 

 the peculiarity of "jumping" ascribed to the cats 

 seen by your correspondent, E.. D., does not ap- 

 ply to my cat. She walks about in the usual fa- 

 shion. I am glad to be able to corroborate what 

 your correspondent has narrated, and send you 

 the particulars for insertion. — J. T., St. John 

 Street. 



[We always hail these confirmations of facts 

 with pleasure. Below, are "more facts" upon 

 the same subject.] 



Cats withoutTails /—(No. 3.)— Your correspon- 

 dent, E. D., at page 249 of your Journal, in de- 

 scribing the race of tailless cats, seems to think 

 them a cross between the rabbit and the cat. 

 Now, I am myself of the same opinion; only I 

 am at a loss to account for their being actually 

 without tails. In 1847, I saw a strange -looking 



