Natural History in Foreign Countries, 479 



have already given a short account in the Gardener* s Mafrazine, and which, 

 on our return to England, we hope to make better known. In the meau 

 time we may state that M. Metzger cultivates, yearly, a bed, about 30 ft, 

 long and 4 ft. broad, of each of the marked varieties of Cerealia grown 

 in Europe, of which he willingly distributes the seeds to all who will 

 make a good use of them. We declined accepting of a collection which 

 he offered us till we could find an East Lothian farmer, or some nobleman 

 like the late Duke of Bedford, who would undertake to cultivate them, and 

 persevere in their culture, till their comparative value, with respect to 

 Britain, be ascertained. M. Metzger is a learned and scientific gardener of 

 great ingenuity ; he lives in a habitable fragment of the ruins of the castle, 

 has a considerable library of gardening and topography, and a good herba- 

 rium. He keeps an assistant and an engraver, and is occupied in preparing, 

 among other works, A Description of the ancient and present State of the 

 Castle and Gardens of Heidelberg^ in which some very curious information 

 will be given from two very rare works ; the one describing the ceremonies 

 which took place on the arrival at Heidelberg of Elizabeth, daughter of 

 James the First of England ; and the other Hortus Palatinus a HeidelbergcB 

 extructus, S. de Caus Architecto, 1620, in folio, with many plates. M. Metz- 

 ger has also, in his own room, by a very simple process, which he has 

 described to us, prepared paper, resembling that of the Chinese, from the 

 bark of Morus papyrifera ; and a still more perfect paper, peculiarly 

 adapted for taking tracings of drawings, from the roots of ^Ithge^a officinalis. 

 Both processes we shall elsewhere describe. 



The grounds adjoining the castle occupy several acres, and are laid out 

 with winding walks in the natural style. The trees and shrubs are not 

 arranged according to any system, because the collection has been assem- 

 bling for several years ; but each genus is kept by itself, and the individuals 

 are disposed on the turf in natural or picturesque groups. Every spe- 

 cies and variety has placed by it a tin label on an iron rod, on which is 

 written the Linnean name and synonymes, the German name, the natural 

 order (?), and the native country. Close to the building, and also within 

 its ruined walls, it is in contemplation to have collections of alpine and 

 other herbaceous plants, and small American shrubs. These gardens are 

 open to every body, and constitute one of the principal promenades of 

 Heidelberg. There are not many instances in which the grounds of ruined 

 castles, or what may be called the feudal wastes of ancient cities, are 

 arranged in so instructive and agreeable a manner; and we should like to, 

 see something of the kind imitated here and there in Britain, for instance, 

 at Ludlow, Stirling, &c. 



The museum and clinical botanic garden occupy what was formerly a 

 monastery and its burying ground ; a change of destination not less bene- 

 ficial to society. 



At SchwetzingeUy in the post-house, we witnessed, for the first time, what 

 we have since seen frequently, an amusing application of zoological know- 

 ledge, for the purpose of prognosticating the weather. Two frogs, of the 

 species ^ana arborea, are kept in a crystal jar, about 18 in. high and 6 in, 

 in diameter, with a depth of three or four inches of water at the bottom, 

 and a small ladder reaching to the top of the jar. On the approach of dry 

 weather, the frogs mount the ladder ; but, when moisture is expected, they 

 descend into the water. These animals are of a bright green, and in their, 

 wild state here climb the trees in search of insects, and make a peculiai* 

 singing noise before rain. In the jar they get no other food than now and 

 then a fly ; one of which, we were assured, would serve a frog for a week, 

 though it will eat from six to twelve in a day if it can get them. In catch- 

 ing the flies put alive into the jar the frogs display great adroitness. In the 

 gardens and hot-houses of Schwetzingen are extensive collections of plants, 

 but nothing in the way of zoology or mineralogy worthy of remark. 



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