282 
It was the pet of an absent son; but in less than two 
minutes it was dancing with glee among those very 
boughs, the happiest of its kind. I have, however, 
been almost reconciled to the captivity of one of these 
pretty creatures. It is in the possession of one of my 
own near relatives, and enjoys a comparatively happy 
life. 11 was full-grown when caught in his garden; 
and its extreme gentleness proved that it had been 
reared in confinement, and had escaped from its cage. 
Its tameness and docility are remarkable; it runs , 
merrily about the room, plays with the children, 
and seems to have no disposition—which squirrels 
generally have—to bite. It will suffer itself to be j 
stroked and caressed with the utmost good temper; j 
and when wearied with play, returns contentedly to 
its cage, and composes itself to sleep. It is beautiful 
to see a squirrel feeding: its delicately-formed fore¬ 
feet, so nearly like human hands, its erect attitude, 
plume-like tail, and the dexterity with which it bores 
through the shell of a nut, make it quite an interest¬ 
ing object. My cousin’s squirrel delights in a little 
basket, where its nuts are placed: into this it hastens ; 
and as the basket is just large enough to bol d it, it is 
one of the prettiest sights possible to see it sitting 
there, nibbling away with perfect non-clialance. 
We once had a beautiful Angola cat bringing up a 
kitten that could only just see. Two or three very 
young squirrels were brought to us at the time, which 
would otherwise have perished; and my father imme¬ 
diately resolved to try if the cat would nourish them. 
Although so different in colour and shape to her own 
white, silky kitten, the cat received them very kindly, 
and they flourished admirably under her care, quitting 
her only when they ceased to require her support. 
Squirrels are such destructive animals in planta¬ 
tions, that they are obliged to be destroyed. Where 
they abound they do incalculable mischief, barking 
the trees, and thus destroying them. The larch suf¬ 
fer especially; and we were once hurried out to look 
at a plantation of Scotch firs that had been struck by 
lightning, in a storm, a few nights before. We found 
the trees stripped of their bark in a singular manner, 
but agreed that their scathed appearance proved how 
awfully near to us the electric fluid had fallen. The 
clearer comprehension of a gentleman, a few days 
after, discovered the real destroyers: the whole affair 
was the work of squirrels. 
We are already beginning to enjoy our favourite 
walks once more. There is much wet everywhere. 
The copses are in a very spongy state ; but it is inte¬ 
resting to watch the clearing out of the drains, and to 
see the imprisoned streams running freely away. 
The little woodland paths, wet as they are, lead us 
through scenes of bursting nature, and we hear such 
lively sounds on every band as spring alone affords. 
We can mark the sprouting primroses already; the 
little delicate buds rising thickly from the soft green 
leaves ; and plants of every kind are now beginning 
to bestir themselves to deck the earth with beauty. 
The mezereon is full of rich, swelling buds, which 
will, in a few days, wreathe its light branches with 
bloom like that of the almond tree; and carry us, in 
thought, to that Scriptural land now glowing with its 
flowers, which was once the glory of all lands, and 
will again, ere long, be the joy of the whole earth. 
Let us, as we hail the returning spring, remember, 
lhat in a few fleeting months all will again fade and 
disappear; we shall again stumble over the hard, 
frozen ground, and shiver beneath the cutting wintry 
wind; all the beauty that is now awakening will have 
perished. But the mercies and the “ compassions” of 
the Lord “ fail not: ” “ they are new every morning.” 
[February 21. 
How prone are we to see with our bodily eyes only 
—to mark the blessings that they discern—while our 
hearts lie cold and unconcerned within, and our 
spiritual eyes are blinded ! 
HEATING HOT-HOUSE BOILERS. 
No. i. 
Thinking that the heating apparatus of hot-houses 
and other structures will of course form part of your 
plan, in directing the amateur how to act, when lie 
puts up anything new in the way, I am induced to 
offer a few remarks on this very important subject, 
as, notwithstanding all that has been written and said 
on the matter, many very imperfect, or rather im¬ 
proper, modes are still adopted—I mean that many 
new boilers, pipes, tanks, &c., are daily put in, ill cal¬ 
culated for the purpose they are intended for. And 
when it happens, which it very often does, that the 
costly machinery does not work well, the amateur 
naturally becomes disgusted with the thing altogether, 
and abandons fruit, or plant-forcing, as an expensive 
job ; I, therefore, make no apology for drawing your 
attention to the following particulars, being the re¬ 
sult of considerable practical and, I might add, per¬ 
sonal experience. 
Of the various mechanical inventions of the pre¬ 
sent century, perhaps none have shewn so little im¬ 
provement on the original as the method of heating 
by hot water ; so little, indeed, has been the improve¬ 
ment, that if I were consulted on the most useful 
plan to heat a vinery, or any similar house, I should 
certainly advise the same method by which the very 
first houses that ever I saw so heated were con¬ 
structed, in preference to many of those whimsical 
novelties so fashionable now-a-days. It is a great pity 
that the old-fashioned saddle-backed boiler was ever 
superceded, as it did its work much better than any 
of those gew-gaw contrivances, with all their appur¬ 
tenances, so often mis-called boilers, whose intricacies 
in some cases would almost puzzle the inventor. At all 
events, they have often puzzled the poor stoker, and 
many times have cost him hours of sleep, as well as tlio 
painful anxiety that may have been evinced by his su¬ 
perior, from the liability they have to become deranged. 
It is well-known, that the great variety of boilers 
of every whimsical make, which we hear of every 
day, all owe their existence to an attempt to save 
fuel; certainly all other ends accomplished too, that 
is a very great recommendation, yet that may be 
bought too dear, as I know to my cost, in several in¬ 
stances, besides in others in which the consumption 
of fuel was even greater than a more simple plan, so 
that it is necessary for the amateur to be on his guard, 
as we all know the more simple a thing is tho cheaper 
it generally is, aud taking the matter in a pound- 
shilling-and-pence jioint of Anew, the difference in the 
cost would, I am sure, furnish, the additional quan¬ 
tity of fuel required for years, presuming (which I 
think would not be the case), that the registered 
boiler, with its long name, required something less. 
We all know that the duties of' stoker is, in most 
cases, performed by the most humble individual in 
the establishment. Now a poor unlettered boy may 
not be able to lecture on tho radiating or expansive 
powers of heat, and a great deal of other pedantry 
we hear so much about, but he may know perfectly 
well how to kindle a fire, coax it to burn, and by 
daily practice can regulate the quantity of fuel he 
puts on, so as to produce a certain amount of heat. 
These duties, we premise, are all that can be expected 
of him; and in performing of which, I very much be¬ 
lieve, he would excel our learned Professor himself; 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER 
