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CHAPTER OF VARIETIES. 



Cannibalism of Cats, and Non-Cannibalism of Polecats. — 

 A Mr, Craven was so fortunate as to capture four young polecats, 

 about half grown, two of which he sent to the Zoological Gardens, and 

 one he kept in a hutch. He also caught a rat half grown, and put with 

 the polecat, purposely to see his dexterity in killing it, when to his 

 surprise, but a very slight engagement took place between them. Mr. 

 Craven then kept them two days, without food, but to no purpose ; not 

 even the pangs of hunger, could induce the noble polecat to taste the 

 blood of his confined mate, and no sooner were provisions given them 

 than they both ate together from the same dish, in the most amicable 

 manner. Mr. C. then put a cat in to keep them company, which very 

 soon became a sociable companion to them. A strange collection indeed, 

 for the next introduced to the society was a hedge-hog, which neither 

 party ever attempted to molest ; but whether from the want of proper 

 food, or from the foetid stench of their confinement, I know not, but the 

 latter animal soon died. Another cat was then put with them to fill 

 up the vacancy, so that the tenants of this one hutch are four, viz. a 

 polecat, two of our domestic cats, and one rat, which have now been 

 living together, on the most friendly terms, for nearly two years, and 

 what is more singular, the cats prefer the flesh of their own species, to 

 that of any other animal. 



Tooling, 22nd May, 1833. Omicron. 



On the Grub of Chironomus Plumosus. — The most inatten- 

 tive observers probably have noticed in pitchers of water which have 

 been allowed to stand undisturbed for three or four hours, black dirty 

 lines of about an inch in length lying here and there at the bottom. 

 These lines seldom exceed the above length, and at first appearance, 

 would lead one to suspect that some metallic substance, as a needle for 

 instance, having fallen into the water, had, by becoming oxidised, 

 accumulated a rust around it. Upon looking into the ewer of water 



