CHAJICOAL OF MAIZE, ^3§ 



was bringing it down. These magpies had hevn faithful to Th»»same mag- 

 one another for several summers, and drove off their young, ft' f^,/ several*^ 

 as well as every one else that attempted to take possession year^j. 

 of their nest. This they carefully repaired, and barrica- 

 doed in the spring with rough, strong, prickly sticks, that 

 they sonnetimes brought to it jointly, one at each end, 

 pulling it along, when they were not able to lift it from the 

 g-rouad. 



He adds : The same poor people, having one year lost Cbicken nA3Ti> 

 the niotiicr of some chickens, the cock became their pro- ^ ^ ^^ 

 tector, took them under his wings in the night time, and 

 whenever it was cold ; and continued this paternal care, not- 

 ^vithstandiug that his wives often tried to seduce him from 

 the chickens, to attend to themselves. Here too I was in- ^nd young pi- 

 fornied, a pigeon took care and fed the young himself; his |^^|^* yt e 

 wife, the mother of the young ones, having been seized and 

 carried off by an insidious cat. 



XIV. 



Facts respecting Indian Corn, hy Professor PRouyT*. 



A 



Hundred parts of the grains of maize, subjected to dis- Charred maize 



tilIation,left twenty four of charcoal. I converted into charcoal <^^'''^^'*i"s Pj^os- 

 1 1 * 7 -11 • -rur 1 , . pnoric acid, 



as much as wiren very dry weigned 3^100 grains. Washed m 

 distilled water, this afforded indications of phosphoric acid ; it 

 rendered lime water turbid, and precipitated nitrate of lead. 



This charcoal was very difficult of incineration. Its ashes, Ver}^ difficult 

 to obtain which I was obliged to repeat its combustion five ^^ ^"^■^'^^'^'^^^• 

 different times, weighed only 6o grains. They'^ were carbon^ 

 aceous, f^itty, and without any particular taste. W'^ater ex- 

 tracted from them but two grains. 



Ten drachms of charcoal of maize, after being calcined Ten drachms 



for two hours, were reduced to seven. There was no an- ^^ repealed 



f. 1 rr.1 11 1 • . n calcination r©- 



pearance or ashes. 1 nese seven drachms, ca'cuied tor two duc«4 



hours and half, were reduced to sontewhat less than five, 



without any uhhes appearing. On calcining them three 



hours longer, they were reduced to two drachms thirty 



^ Journal dc Physique, Vol I.-XIII, p. 4^i9, Dec. 1806. 



