le spiders' strings
Most pond'rous and substantial things!"

These large spiders are very common in Cuba, as well as in South
America, and are probably found in all tropical countries. In Cuba
lives the big hairy tarantula. Its home is a hole in the ground,
and boys often amuse themselves by running pieces of sweet-flag in
the hole. The tarantula is fond of sucking the juice of this
plant, and will immediately fasten itself to the root, when the
boys pull it out and examine the curious creature. There is in
Cuba a large flat-bodied spider that lives in trees, and wages
terrible warfare on young birds. It is a very common sight in
Cuban forests to see these creatures, their long legs grasping a
young bird which they have entangled in their strong web, as a
devil-fish grasps its prey, and busily engaged in sucking the
blood of their helpless victim.

R. R.

* * * * *

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

We had two mocking-birds, but we were tired of them, and let them
fly away. At night they came back for something to eat, so mamma
left the cages out, and the next day they went in their cages
again.

I am eleven years old. I like YOUNG PEOPLE very much.

MAUD T.

* * * * *

MOLINE, ILLINOIS.

I live on the Mississippi River, which is over a mile wide here. I
am thirteen years old, and a reader of YOUNG PEOPLE. I think "The
Moral Pirates" is the best story of all.

Two of my companions, Frank and Rob, had read the story; so we
made up our minds that instead of cruising we would camp out for a
week. Frank's father owned a large row-boat, which he said we
might take, and I took my tent and dog. We laid in enough
provisions to last a month.

So after a good deal of trouble we got started. We landed about
three miles from here, on the other side of the river. It was a
splendid place to camp. The ground was sandy, and was hemmed in by
trees. The first night passed well enough. The next morning Frank
and I rowed across the river for milk. As we were nearing camp on
our way back, a large steamboat nearly ran us down. The swell
nearly capsized us, and as it was, we got pretty wet.

We concluded that we could not stand that sort of thing, and made
up our minds to start for home the next