A. R.—The stork is a fatal enemy to snakes, and indeed so are all the birds of the marshes, for they check their prodigious multiplication. It is true that snakes may be perhaps a little repulsive in appearance, but they perform great services in the economy of nature, for they make incessant war on the worms and insects which abound in the slimy mud of the swamps in which they generally make their abode. The storks always make their nests on roofs and chimneys. F. Q. M. J. E.—When a widow marries again, she certainly requires wedding-cards, and she would put the name she bore during her first marriage on her cards, and not her maiden name, unless under peculiar and exceptional circumstances. OUR NEW PUZZLE POEM. [Illustration] ⁂ PRIZES to the amount of six guineas (one of which will be reserved for competitors living abroad) are offered for the best solutions of the above Puzzle Poem. The following conditions must be observed:— 1. Solutions to be written on one side of the paper only. 2. Each paper to be headed with the name and address of the competitor. 3. Attention must be paid to spelling, punctuation, and neatness. 4. Send by post to Editor, GIRL’S OWN PAPER, 56, Paternoster Row, London. “Puzzle Poem” to be written on the top left-hand corner of the envelope. 5. The last day for receiving solutions from Great Britain and Ireland will be October 16, 1899; from Abroad, December 16, 1899. The competition is open to all without any restrictions as to sex or age. * * * * * [Transcriber’s Note—the following changes have been made to this text. Page 767: county to country—“country to select”.]