4.0Q 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
This lively little guinea pig, in his wanderings, has made 
his way into a private family circle, where his reception 
is somewhat doubtful. The different kittens are prepared 
to entertain him, each according to its own disposition. 
One lifts a spiteful paw for a scratch at his nose ; another 
sees a chance for a game of romps with the new comer, 
and is ready for the first spring ; while another is rather 
shy of the stranger, and waits to see how he will con¬ 
duct himself. One little fellow thinks more of his din¬ 
ner than of any thing else, and makes good use of his op¬ 
portunities while the rest are busy otherwise. The old 
cat seems willing that her young should make a new 
acquaintance, but she keeps a watchful eye on the 
stranger, ready to pounce upon him, should he prove 
dangerous or troublesome. It is a charming family scene, 
full of life, and shows the real genius of the artist, 
Mr. Wrn. Beard, of New York, whose animal paint¬ 
ings tell their own story without any description. 
Ijift a. Ijittle.” 
This is the singular title of a little book published by 
the Boston Tract Society, which we have just been read¬ 
ing, and which every boy and girl in the land would find 
Interesting and profitable. It tells of a number of girls 
who formed a society called the “ Burden Bearers.” 
They were each pledged to try and do something to help 
those around them, to lighten their burdens, and their 
excellent motto was “ Lift a little.” Once a week they 
met and related their successes. One little girl had risen 
an hour earlier in the morning and taken care of a fret 
fill baby, so that her mother could get a little rest after 
being disturbed by the crying child during the night; 
another had tried to keep from making unnecessary 
noises with hands and feet, which she had a habit of do¬ 
ing, and thus disturbing the household ; a third had en¬ 
deavored to keep a playmate from whispering in school 
time and annoying her teacher ; and thus in many ways 
they “ lifted a little ” of the care and weariness from 
their friends and neighbors. Such an excellent sugges¬ 
tion should have the widest possible circulation, and we 
therefore recommend the plan to the half million or 
more young readers of the Agriculturist. The boys as 
well as girls can easily find many ways to ‘‘lift a little.” 
Many of those gray hairs and lengthening wrinkles which 
you may see changing the features of father and mother, 
are marks made by little cares and troubles, many of 
which might be prevented by thoughtful children. Few 
persons are called upon to perform a great deed, but it 
will be just as noble to abound in “little acts of kindness.” 
Begin to-day to do ymr part and try to “lift a little.” 
From the immense quantities of oysters consumed 
every year, one might fear that the supply of these deli¬ 
cious shell fish would finally become exhausted. There 
is little prospect of this, liowever, as will appear from the 
following fact. At an exhibition recently given at the 
London University College, a portion of oyster spawn, 
(eggs), was exhibited under a magnifying glass, whiclr 
by calculation showed that a single oyster would pro¬ 
duce 1,200,000 young. Should these all come to maturity 
they would fill 1,200 barrels. If nothing hindered this 
rapid propagation, the ocean must in a few years be too 
small to contain the oysters alone. But there are myriads 
of other hungry inhabitants of the sea which feed upon 
the oyster spawn ; other larger creatures eat them, and 
so by multiplying and eating, and being eaten in turn, 
there is food enough for all, man included, and the proper- 
balance of inhabitants in ocean and on land is kept up. 
AlMDut ^na.lces. 
A young correspondent semis to the Agriculturist 
Office the skin of a snake’s egg (they have no shells), with 
an account of finding a whole nest full, 36 in ail, while 
plo-wung by the road side. That snakes are produced 
from eggs may be new to some of our young readers. Our 
correspondent writes that when the eggs were broken, 
there crawled from each a lively little snake, about ten 
inches long, and nearly as large around as a common lead 
pencil. Although entire strangers in the -world, they 
seemed to know very -well how to take care of them¬ 
selves, as they would raise their heads and dart out their, 
tongues In a very threatening manner when molested. 
They were of the common striped variety, and we hope 
they were left to go on tlieir way and do good. “ A snake 
do good !” many are ready to exclaim. “ Ugh ! I always 
kill them when I find them.”—Well, that is because you 
have never become acquainted with them and learned 
their habits. They live mostly on worms and insects, 
occasionally taking in a frog that comes in their w-ay, 
and never injure any person. Surely that ought at least 
to entitle them to live. The rattlesnake, adder, and oth¬ 
er poisonous reptiles are, of course, outcasts, to be de¬ 
stroyed at sight; but the common small snakes found on 
most farms in this country earn their right to live there. 
Even the dreaded black snake would rather run than 
fight, and need not be feared. We would not advise to 
make pels of them, but would not have children suffer 
by being foolishly afraid of such harmless creatures, 
Tlie Floating’ Cri’indstonc. 
Tiie following is said to have occurred among some 
simple fishermen on the English coast. A party were 
gathered together on a rocky promontory just toward 
dark, to see a wonder, a floating grindstone. As such 
tilings w-ere quite valuable in those days, a boat was 
soon manned and aw-ay they went, the mover of the ex¬ 
pedition being in the bow of Itie boat. As they approach¬ 
ed the grindstone, this man planted his foot on the edge 
of the boat ready for a spring. Presently lie cried out 
“ All my own, and none for nobody,” and sprang off 
upon the grindstone. Lo 1 to his great surprise he sank 
under water, and presently came popping up again, with 
his head within the charmed circle, to be greeted with 
roars of laughter. He iiad leaped into a sheet of sea 
foam, which had gathered within a large hoop. 
