Natural History.
A Gentleman of Colour would be glad to know if Indian meal is good for rabbits. [It can be used in turn with other dry food, but is too fattening to suit any animals kept in confinement for a permanency, unless they are to be fattened up.]
Snout and M. S. R. wish to know what is the best food for goldfinches, and whether hemp-seed is injurious to them.—[A very little hemp-seed occasionally is good, and much is very bad, for nearly all birds. The best food is a mixture of canary, millet, oat-grits, and rape or maw-seed, putting about a dozen grains of hemp-seed on the top every day. The bird soon learns the plan, and leaves off scattering the other seed to get at the hemp, as he will otherwise do.]
Queen Mab wants to know how to tame her goldfinch. It is a last year's bird, and she has not had it long. It is fed on canary-seed and a little hemp.—[For food, see above, a little more variety being well. As to taming, it will soon get tame if you spend time often by it and keep still, and always feed it yourself. Some children are too impatient—to be quiet near birds and animals is the main thing.]
Picture Story Wanting Words.
A guinea book and an Officer's Medal of the Little Folks Legion of Honour will be given for the best Story having special reference to the Picture below. A smaller Book and an Officer's Medal will be given, in addition, for the best Story (on the same subject) relatively to the age of the Competitor; so that no Competitor is too young to try for this second Prize.
The Story must not exceed 500 words in length, and must be certified as the unaided work of the Competitor by a Minister, Teacher, Parent, or some other responsible person. All the Competitors must be under the age of Sixteen years. Stories from Competitors residing in Great Britain and Ireland must reach the Editor on or before the 10th of July next; in the case of Stories sent from the English Colonies or from Foreign Countries an extension of time to the 15th of July will be allowed. In addition to the Two Prizes and Officers' Medals, some of the most deserving Competitors will be included in a special List of Honour, and will be awarded Members' Medals of the Little Folks Legion of Honour. The Editor particularly requests that each envelope which contains a Story having reference to this Picture should have the words "Picture Story Wanting Words" plainly written on the left-hand top corner of it. Competitors are referred to a notice respecting the Silver Medal, which was printed on page 115 of the last Volume.