of closing their Venetian shutters; but such windows as were deprived
of this protection had almost every pane broken: and much damage was
done to the tiles of all the houses, and to the gardens and vineyards;
but less than might have been expected, owing to the short duration of
the storm, which did not last longer than seven or eight minutes, and
to the circumstance of the hailstones not being very numerous."--(W.
Spence.)

Cedar Wood.

"The _cedar_ has been recommended, among other woods, for the purpose
of constructing drawers for cabinets of insects. Let the inexperienced
collector be warned that this is, perhaps, the _very worst_ wood that
can be employed for the purpose; a strong effluvia, or sometimes
a resinous gum, exudes from the wood of the cedar, which is apt to
settle in blotches on the wings of the specimens, especially of the
more delicate Lepidóptera, and entirely discharges the colour. The
Rev. Mr. Bree once had a whole collection of lepidopterous insects
utterly spoiled from having been deposited in cedar drawers; and
he has understood, also, that the insects in the British Museum,
collected, he believes, chiefly by Dr. Leach, have been greatly
injured from the same cause. Possibly, however, cedar wood, after it
has been thoroughly well seasoned, may be less liable to produce these
injurious effects."

Habits of the Common Snake in Captivity.

A Staffordshire Correspondent writes thus familiarly:

"This has been a remarkably good season, both for vegetables and