HARD WICKE'S S CIENCE ■ G O SSI P. 



*95 



were heard rapturously commending his " works " in 

 gilded salons, or avowing they could not live another 

 week without devouring one of them. The lucky 

 Frenchman was soon enabled to start his carriage, 

 and might be seen driving from house to house 

 during the dining hours of the aristocracy, attended 

 by a servant, who carried a mahogany case, which 

 contained the various ingredients for concocting his 

 salads, according to the taste of his employers. He 

 opened a shop, where he drove a lucrative trade in 

 sauces and other culinary dainties. Being a prudent 

 and saving man, he managed to realize some 80,000 

 francs, 60,000 of which he invested in government 

 securities, which stood just then at 5° per cent., and 

 with the other 20,000 he purchased a little estate at 

 Limousin, where he spent the rest of his days en- 

 joying his well-earned fortune. 

 I conclude by introducing a 



Receipt for a Winter Salad, written many years ago, j 

 at Castle Howard, by the Rev. Sydney Smith : — 



" Two large potatoes, passed through kitchen sieve, 

 Unwonted softness to the salad give ; 

 Of mordent mustard add a single spoon — 

 Distrust the condiment which bites so soon ; 

 But deem it not, thou man of herbs, a fault 

 To add a double quantity of salt. 

 Three times the spoon with oil of Lucca crown, 

 And once with vinegar procured from town. 

 True flavour needs it, and your poet begs 

 The powdered yellow of two well-boiled eggs. 

 Let onion atoms lurk within the bowl, 

 And, scarce suspected, animate the whole. 

 And lastly, on the flavoured compound toss 

 A magic tea-spoon of anchovy sauce. 

 Then though green turtle fails, though venison is tough, 

 And ham and turkey are not boiled enough, 

 Serenely full, the epicure may say, 

 ' Fate cannot harm me — I have dined to-day.' " 



A HOLIDAY ROUND DORKING. 



LIKE most of those who are engaged during the 

 day with the bustle of City life, we were 

 anxiously looking forward to rest and quietude in the 

 country, where we could throw off for a while the 

 routine and formality of business, and enjoy that 

 sense of freedom which only the lover of nature can 

 appreciate. 



The longed-for time came at last, and after the 

 usual amount of preparation we arrived at Cannon- 

 street station, and were soon spinning away from 

 dusty London into the more picturesque country. 

 The sun was shining brightly into the carriage, and 

 the atmosphere was anything but cool ; but we 

 were in excellent spirits, and such weather led us to 

 hope that we should spend a very happy holiday, 

 being particularly suitable for our chief pastime, 

 entomology. At length we arrived at Dorking sta- 

 tion, and everything around looked bright and 

 promising, as we got into the conveyance which was 

 to take ourselves and luggage to the town. We con- 

 tented ourselves for the remainder of the day with a 

 general survey of the town, which presents the 

 appearance of a thriving but quiet country place. 



We were greatly delighted on waking next morning 

 to find that the weather promised to be a repetition 

 of the day before. The first thing for us to do, after 

 having enjoyed a good breakfast, was to settle in 

 what direction we should go, as we were very anxious 

 for the chase, and our nets and boxes were all in 

 readiness. Leaving Dorking at ten, and not for- 

 getting to fill our flasks with lime-juice, we took a 

 friend's recommendation, and started off in the 

 direction of Ranmer Common, distant about two 

 miles. Just past the railway-station, South-Eastern 

 Railway, we found a chalk-pit, and were not long 

 in discovering that some sport was to be obtained 

 therein. Getting over the railings a very bright-blue 

 butterfly was seen ; the gauze soon enveloped him, 

 and he turned out to be the Adonis, Clifden Blue. 

 He was sadly battered, as it was quite a month late 

 for him, so we gave him his freedom, and away he 

 went, no doubt happy to be released from our 

 clutches. No sooner had we done this than we 

 noticed a dull-looking little insect tripping sharply 

 along, and settling for a moment on the blue flowers 

 that grew in the chalk. This we soon found to be 

 Alsns, the Bedford Blue, and we were very pleased 

 to find them in great plenty and very nice condition. 

 After another parting look round the chalk-pit, and 

 having beaten a few blackthorn bushes unsuccessfully, 

 with the exception of taking one Jacoba, we went on 

 our way to the road which leads to Ranmer Common. 

 We had been told that parallel with the road was a 

 grassy path, adjoining a very pretty estate called the 

 Denbighs, and that we should very likely have some 

 sport if we went that way, and, moreover, avoid the 

 dust of the chalky road. Immediately we got into 

 this path we noticed the intense contrast which the 

 fresh foliage of the trees afforded from the dry chalk. 

 On our left was a thick plantation of pine and fir- 

 trees, and on our right a hawthorn hedge, separating 

 us from the road, whilst peeping out from the grassy 

 bank was an occasional patch of wild strawberry- 

 plants, some in bloom, and others loaded with the 

 pretty rosy-coloured fruit. This path soon widened into 

 almost a glade, with a wonderful variety of herbage : 

 blackthorn, whitethorn, juniper, clematis, privet, 

 honeysuckle, and almost every imaginable kind of 

 vegetation. The sun was now blazing forth, and we 

 were out of the shade which the pines afforded ; 

 moreover, insect life was swarming all around us. 

 The two common skippers, Lima and Sylva7ins, were 

 buzzing about in the utmost profusion ; the Meadow 

 Brown, Mctgeria, was lazily flitting from one flower 

 to the other, sometimes with that sombre quiet-looking 

 butterfly, Hypcranthus, the Wood Ringlet ; every- 

 thing seemed so quiet and happy, affording such a 

 contrast to the noisy city which we had only the day 

 before quitted. Soon we came to another plantation, 

 and then sport began in real earnest. What is that 

 flying round the top of the pines, and occasionally 



descending to within reach of the net? We strained 



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