books and sew them together, and make covers of pasteboard: or take large old account-books, cut out every other page, or so, and paste in cuttings from newspapers and magazines. When they are finished, we give them to the captain of some vessel, and tell him to pass them around among the crew. My friend makes scrap-books containing only pictures, which she sends to hospitals.Yours respectfully, A SAILOR'S DAUGHTER.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I received a letter yesterday from a cousin, who is traveling in India, and I thought I would tell the children who take ST. NICHOLAS Some of the funny things she wrote me: Her cook is a man, and he wears toe-rings, and, when he is not busy, he sits on his heels and smokes a long pipe, and would sit that way all day if she did not make him do something. She says it is so hot out there that, in summer, the people who own dogs with long hair have to hire a servant to fan the dogs, to keep them cool.

In Hindustani language, the name for baby is "budja," and we think it makes a nice nickname for our little fat baby. "Kootta means dog, and the next dog we get we are going to give it that

name.

She saw one of the Holy Men, so called because they make a vow to do something uncomfortable to themselves all their life, or until they are freed. This one had walked on the ends of his toes so long, with the aid of a stick, that his heels had grown back into the muscles of his legs, and you could not see that he ever had had any heels. His hair was long and matted; he was covered with some kind of yellow powder, and was horrible to look at.

She had seen a great many Cashmere goats and fat-tailed sheep, and last night we found pictures of both of them in our Natural History.Yours truly, M. L. BELIN.

JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT has received a great many letters in reply to his questions concerning the picture of his Prize-Bird in the June number. Nearly all of the letters gave correct answers, and said, -that the bird is an Emu, found in Australia, that its Latin name is Dromaius Novæ Hollandiæ, and that it can run very fast, but can not fly. The little ones "down foot" are the young of the Emu, and in regard to them Jack wishes us to quote what one of his correspondents says:

"The conspicuous stripes on the young birds are retained for only a short time, or until the feathers of the adult dress replace or conceal the downy covering."

Another correspondent writes:

"The Emu is not uncommon in

menageries. I think there are two at Central Park now."

A few of the young writers think that the house in the background of the picture is a hut built in some Zoological garden for the bird to live in, but most of them suppose it to be the hut of a native of Australia.

Maud M. L. writes that the bird must be an Emu, for her papa has been to Australia, and has seen the bird, and tells her that "Emu" is its name.

Alfred R. Wiley, eleven years, says: "I can not tell why the young ones are striped and the old ones speckled; but, if you would tell me the reason why a young chicken is often striped, whose mother wears solid colors, and why the young fawn of the dun deer is red with white spots, and why most of us tow-headed boys will change in a few years to black-haired or brown-haired men, perhaps this information would give me a clew."

Here is a list of the names of those who wrote to Jack-in-the-Pulpit about this "ostrichy no-ostrich," as he calls it :

Lizette A. Fisher-Howard T. Kingsbury-Theodore G. WhiteClinton W. Clowe- Albert Tuska-C. S. Fleming-Fanny Hartman-Florence E. Pratt-Nathalie and Marshall McLean-Lunette E. Lampfrey-Maie G. H.-James D. Hailman-Newton Mowton -C. W. Dawson-Satie A. Townsend-Nellie M. Brown-A. K. Amacker-"Reader," Orange-Charlie Lamprey-R. F. RandGeorge Cortelyou-T. M. Royal-Jenny H. Morris-Emil G. Sorg-Fred. C. McDonald-Mary H. Tatnall-H. V. Z. B.-Harry A. Patton-Maud M. Love-Mifflin Brady-George B. Spalding, Jr.-B. C. Weld-Robert M. Dutton-Alex. G. Barret-Geo. D. Casgrain-Alfred R. Wiley-Florence G. Lane-"Buttercup and Daisy"-Lemuel Carey-William Hepburn Buckler-Johnnie A. Scott-Elizabeth Alling-Letitia Preston-Grace E. Smith- Henri C. R.-Nannie Duff-S. W. Peck-Elsie A. Patchen-Willie A. Phelon-Amos G. Robinson.

M. E. C.-In the "Letter-Box" for March, 1881, you will find, under the name "Trailing Arbutus," an answer to your question: How did the girl push the baby-carriage through her bracelet?”

OUR readers will be interested in the following newspaper item concerning Miss Nellie Rossiter, a girl of fourteen, who has received the Pennsylvania Agricultural Society's Diploma for her success in the culture of silk. She says, among other things: "When I first started I had about three hundred worms, which I procured through a friend of my father's. In a few days I shall probably possess one hundred thousand. I have made three hun

dred dollars this year, and I hope to treble that sum in the next twelve months. It requires careful watching to keep the worms in good health. They require constant feeding, and somehow they always need attention at four in the morning. They will only eat mulberry, or Osage-orange leaves. I have a permit to pick those leaves in the park. When I cannot procure a sufficient amount of foliage to feed all the worms I expect to be hatched, I freeze as many thousand eggs as I cannot provide for at the time. Eggs thus frozen will live for over two months, and, on being restored to a heated room, readily hatch. On the other hand, the worms die, unless always in a temperature of seventy to seventy-five degrees. This morning I sold ten thousand eight hundred eggs, fixed on a card,-each card is covered with little globules the size of pin-heads, --for one dollar and seventy-five cents. Had I kept them for another fortnight, I could have sold the little worms for seventy-five cents a hundred; but then I have thousands and thousands of eggs."

AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION.-SIXTH REPORT.

NOT much that is valuable in the study of nature can be learned from books alone. I should think that from a month's study of an aquarium made by himself, after the most admirable suggestions of Mr. Beard in ST. NICHOLAS for July, a boy would learn as much about small marine animals and plants as he would get from books alone in a year. I am sure his knowledge would be of a more useful sort.

NEST OF HUMMING-BIRD.-ACTUAL SIZE.

That the members of the A. A. are at work in the right manner, is shown by the thousands of interesting specimens which they are collecting. A few of these have found their way to our Academy cabinet, either by exchange or gift. As I can not usher you all into our museum, and point out the many curious things which have been sent us, I have taken down a few and will let you look at pictures of them. No. 306 is the saw of a saw-fish. This was sent to us by a little girl who lives in Florida. Part of her letter was printed last month. This specimen is about a foot long. The saw-fish has the general form of a shark, but it would be well to ask those of the A. A. who have not been assigned to other duties, to "study up"

NO. 21. HEAD AND CLAW OF BELTED KINGFISHER. this curious fish and write an account of his habits. A specimen saw shall go to the one who sends the best report to Lenox by October 1. No. 313 is also from the sea. Do you know what it is? It is white and nearly flat. Who has seen one alive? Will not some dweller by the ocean write a description of the "sand-dollar" for us? We should like to print in this place the best short report on this curious creature received before October.

NO. 313.

THE SAND-DOLLAR.

eral times sent to me-"How can I avoid the law that forbids all persons taking the nests or eggs of birds?" I advise you not to try to avoid it. It is a very wise law, and necessary to protect our singing birds from extermination. Most of you are so much interested in other subjects that you can be quite happy without disturbing the homes of the birds. Still, in many places such laws are local, and in that case a "permit" may often be obtained from the proper authorities, granting the privilege of collecting eggs on certain conditions. If you can not be happy, therefore, without eggs, and if the law forbids, you must either get a special permit or remain inconsolable. However, many good collections of eggs have been made by exchange. You can collect specimens of wood, for example, and exchange these with some distant oölogist; or if he prefers insects or plants, there is no law against your getting them for him. We have received some finely prepared specimens of wood from Miss L. L. Lewis, of Copenhagen, New York-and she was so generous in her supply that we have enough to exchange for other sorts of specimens. No. 21 is given to show how a boy may make a collection of drawings for himself, which will be of great value. Perhaps you can not draw a bird with sufficient accuracy; you can at least sketch the beak and claws, as Harry Chamberlin has done, and a great deal may be learned by a study of these two extremities of a bird. Harry accompanies his drawing with the following account of the bird itself:

"The Kingfisher-Belted-is a North American bird of the family Alcedinidæ. It lives upon fish and aquatic insects. K. hovers over the water until its prey is sighted, then, dropping from mid-air, it seizes the unfortunate fish or insect in its strong beak. It builds its nest out of fish-bones, lined with down, in a hole in the bank of a stream. K. generally lays two pearly white eggs about the size of a robin's. The color of its bill and legs, slate and black; eyes black, wings blue and black on the upper side, white under. The throat and breast are white, a dark blue and chestnut-colored band dividing them; the back is blue. K. has a silky blue crest, which it raises at will."

Notwithstanding our repeated cautions, letters concerning the "Agassiz Association" are sometimes sent to the ST. NICHOLAS office

in New York. This causes a delay in reply- NO. 306. PART OF THE ing, for all such letters are forwarded whither SAW OF A SAW-FISH. they should have been first sent. Once in a

while, also, letters come with no address given inside. It is difficult to reply to them. After Sept. 15th, address, with stamped envelope for reply,

HARLAN H. BALLARD, Lenox Academy, Lenox, Mass.

DOUBLE DECAPITATIONS.-1. S-p-ear. 2. B-l-ink. 3. S-c-old. 4. W-h-eel. 5. S-h-ark. 6. S-n-ail. 7. S-t-ill. 8. S-t-one. MYTHOLOGICAL DIAGONAL PUZZLE.--Diagonals: Varuna. I. Vulcan. 2. PAllas. 3. NeReus. 4. Sat Urn. 5. Sphinx. 6. UraniA. CHARADE. --Sand-piper.

WORDS WITHIN WORDS.-1. B-allot-s. 2. A-die-u.

3. E-qui-ty.

4. C-lose-t. 5. O-range-s. 6. C-hang-e. 7. C-ant-o. 8. B-Anne-r. 9. L-attic-e. 10. M-Erin-o.

CHANGED HEADS.-I. H-are.

5. F-are. 6. M-are.

R-are. 7.

2. D-are. 3. C-are. 4. W-are.

RHOMBOID. Across: 1. Cabal. 2. Toned. 3. Gowan. 4.

Nicer. 5. Sewer.

TRANSPOSITIONS. I. Danes; Andes ; deans; Sedan. 2. Reim; rime; mire; emir. 3. Rams; arms; Mars. Italy. 5. Planes; Naples. 6. General; enlarge; gleaner.

4. Laity;

THE Central letters of this puzzle, reading across, form a word of ten letters, made of two words of five letters each. Upon the first half of the long word the left-hand diamond is based; and upon the other half is based the right-hand diamond.

CENTRALS ACROSS: A fruit. LEFT-HAND DIAMOND (across): 1. In wrong. 2. A boy. 3. A necessity of life. 4. A cave. 5. In right. RIGHT-HAND DIAMOND (across): 1. In cumbrance. 2. A boy's nickname. 3. A fruit. 4. To put on. 5. In vulnerable.

NAUTICAL NUMERICAL ENIGMA.

CICELY.

I AM composed of fifty-seven letters, and am an old proverb, consisting of two lines, used by mariners. The first line describes two peculiar appearances of the clouds before or during a high wind.

My 54-17-45-39-34-6 is an iron instrument for holding a ship at rest in water. My 31-14-22-56 is the principal timber in a ship. My 3-20-41-28-36-12-17 is an upright machine of timber which is

used in ships for heaving in cables. My 29-2-55-17-57-25-40-50 is the principal sail in a ship. My 9-41-30-17-4-32-47 is the after-sail of a ship. My 39-7-27-19 is the instrument by which a ship is steered. My 23-41-30-48 is a long beam. My 21-44-49-46-50 is a small sail spread immediately above the top-gallant sail. My 53-3137-10-16-26-8 is the sail set next above the royal. My 24-51-52 is to draw through the water by means of a rope. My 18-5-11-4-15 are the floor-like divisions of a ship. My 35-51-48-32-1-46-42-43 is the mast of a vessel which is nearest the bow. My 38-36-32-1 is to make progress against a current. My 39-44-33-18 is that part of a vessel in which the cargo is stowed. My 47-20-55-13 is a narrow plank nailed for ornament or security on a ship's upper works.

ALL the words are of equal length. The second line, read downward, names a certain dish, which is eaten in England on the day named by the letters of the third line when read upward.

ACROSS : 1. A poetic word, meaning "formerly," 2. To cover with a layer of any substance. 3. To domesticate. 4. An island. 5. A little branch connecting a flower with a main branch. 6. A general name of the kings of the Amalekites. 7. A noted square in London. 8. Stone. 9. A grand division of the earth. plant whose fibers are used in making cordage.

CROSS-WORD ENIGMA.

My first is in food, but not in meat; My second in cold, but not in heat; My third is in model, but not in cast; My fourth is in slow, but not in fast; My fifth is in power, but not in might; My sixth is in dark, but not in light; My seventh in cost, but not in worth;

10. A F. S. F.

My whole are called the stars of earth. CHARLOTTE.