Natural History, 493 



14. Quick Method of putting Insects to Death. — ^The following- 

 method is by M. Ricord, for the use of naturalists. The insect is 

 to be fixed on a piece of cork and put under a jar or vessel with 

 a little ether ; the latter being placed either in a capsule, or on 

 the plate on which the jar or glass is placed : the vessel should 

 apply closely, that the vapour of the ether may be retained, and 

 the air within be prevented from changing its place. The insect 

 thus immersed in the ethereal atmosphere will soon die without 

 having time to hurt its form or appearance by violence. — Bull, 

 Univ, B. xii. 295. 



15. Destruction of Snails by common Salt, — M. Em. Rousseau had 

 applied common salt as a manure to a small piece of garden, and 

 remarked that where snails had come in contact with the salt they 

 quickly died. Wishing to confirm the fact, he strewed some salt 

 upon the ground and placed a number of snails amongst it ; all 

 those which came out of their shells and touched the salt imme- 

 diately threw out a greenish globular froth, and in a few minutes 

 were dead. The fact may be turned to account by agriculturists 

 and gardeners. — Bull. Univ. D. viii. 276. 



16. Remarkable Hairy Man. — ^The following account is given 

 of an individual of this kind in Crawford's Mission to Ava. ** As 

 connected with this department may be mentioned the existence at 

 Ava of a man covered from head to foot with hair, whose history 

 is not less remarkable than that of the celebrated porcupine man 

 who excited so much curiosity in England and other parts of 

 Europe near a century ago. The hair on the face of this singular 

 being, the ears included, is shaggy, and about eight inches long. 

 On the breast and shoulders it is from four to five. It is singular 

 that the teeth of this individual are defective in number, the mo- 

 lares or grinders being entirely wanting. This person is a native 

 of the Shan country', or Lao, and from the banks of the upper 

 portion of the Saluen, or Martaban river ; he was presented to the 

 king of Ava as a curiosity, by the prince of that country. At Ava 

 he married a Burmese woman, by whom he has two daughters ; 

 the eldest resembles her mother, the youngest is covered with hair 

 like her father, only that it is white or fair, whereas his is now 

 brown or black, having, however, been fair when a child, like that 

 of the infant. With the exceptions mentioned, both the father and 

 his child are perfectly well-formed, and, indeed, for the Burman 

 race, rather handsome. The whole family were sent by the king 

 to the residence of the Mission, where drawings and descriptions of 

 them were taken.** — Jameson's Jour. 1827, p. 368. 



17. Application of Remedies by Absorption from the Surface. — 

 The following are the results obtained by M. Bailly, who has been 

 assiduously engaged in trying this plan. 



Salts of Morphia, applied in this manner, speedily exhibit their 

 OCT.— DBC. 1827. 2 K 



