82 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
is not at all affected by the coming 
changes in the weather, neither does it 
appear that pussy has any ill feeling 
against the sterner sex ; for their spites 
and evil prognostications seem directed 
more particularly against the gentler half 
of humanity. 
That cats are musical we all know, and 
though we may not appreciate their ren- 
derings, we are frequently forced to ac- 
knowledge the strength of their vocal 
powers. However cats may like their 
own renderings, it is a recognized fact, 
that, with but few exceptions, they do not 
like the musical renderings of human 
beings ; in fact, music and harmony, 
seem to be sources of great annoyance 
to them. A writer on this subject, tells the 
following story which goes to prove that 
the cat mentioned was not only pained 
by hearing the music, but that also, she 
had intelligence enough to make her feel- 
ings on the subject known : 
"A black cat belonging to a friend, in 
whose house I was a guest some years 
ago, had a strong dislike to music in every 
shape, but especially to singing. Having 
noticed this peculiarity, I am afraid I 
teased poor pussy a good deal by my en- 
deavors to produce a manifestation of 
her feelings with regard to vocal music, 
and when she was stretched comfortably 
by the tire I used to begin to sing, taking- 
care to shut the door first. Puss would 
jump up, rush to it, and finding tiie means 
of egress cut off, would run wildly round 
the room as if in distress until I ceased. 
Not to irritate the creature too much, I 
generally made my vocal performance a 
very short one. 
On an exceptional occasion I thought 
I would try the cat's powers of endurance 
a little longer, and went on singing, when, 
after vainly trying to escape, the creature 
sprang at me, placed one j^aw across my 
mouth, and clung to my dress and neck 
with the rest of her claws in such a fashion 
that I was only too glad to cease my song 
and so pacify the desperate animal. 
When xmssy's claws were disengaged I 
was not a little relieved, and I need hardly 
say that this was the last time I ventured 
to experiment on the cat's patience. My 
friend was also much alarmed, and I have 
no doubt thought, as I too did, that I had 
escaped almost better than I deserved, 
under the circumstances, for I had only a 
few scratches. 
Winter Rambles. 
BY A. W. ROBERTS. 
EFOEE I was fifteen years old I 
took my first lesson in skating. 
Oh ! what a bitter day it was, so 
cold that I was the only boy on 
the pond.* I stood it for an hour, and as 
none of my schoolmates aiime to bear me 
company, and my feet had become very 
numb with the intense cold, I determined 
to take off my skates and go home. So, 
sitting down near a clump of elders, I was 
soon hard at work tugging away at the 
frozen straps, through which numerous 
wooden wedges had been driven for the 
purpose of tightening them up, for it must 
be known that the boys of those days did 
not have as much pocket-money as those 
of the in^esent time— in fact, one pair of 
skates had to do duty for an entire f am - 
il}^, and I was: wearing, or trying to wear, 
my big brother's old-fasliioned "turn- 
ups." The beautiful strapless American 
skate of the present time was not known 
then. 
"Oh! bother these big, clumsy old 
skates, with heel straps, toe straps, and 
instep straps. Will I ever get them off' 
before I am frozen stiff ? If I could only 
find a stick and a stone, I'd drive those 
wedges out mighty quick!" I exclaimed. 
Turning to the chunp of elders, I broke 
off a stick, after which I began searching 
in the dry grass for a stone. By this 
time ray limbs were aching so severely 
with the intense cold that it was all that 
I could do to keep back the tears ; yet, 
strange to relate, in the midst of all m>^ 
pain and trouble I captured ray first and 
most beautiful of all the fairies of the 
woods^ hedges, and meadows, who 
was wrapped up in hundreds of yards of 
beautiful soft silk, into which and 
* At the time referred to, this pond oeeiipied the 
exact spot where is now situated the Union slfat- 
ing-pond of Brooklyn. E.D., in a large tract of 
woodland known as " Johnson's Woods." 
