Natural History* 229 



9. Destruction of Grasshoppers* Eggs. — Last year the Pacha of 

 Egypt offered a reward, for all the grasshoppers eggs that should 

 be delivered to him, of 17 piastres per measure. By a letter from 

 Acre, it appeared that in October last 40 garavas of 72 measures 

 each had iDeen sent in. The total quantity of eggs, estimated as 

 above, would be worth 46,000 piastres to those who collected them, 

 or about £ 40 yOOO.— Asiatic JournaU 1827, p. 480. 



10. Loss in weight of Meat during cooking. 



4 lb. of beef lost by boiling 1 lb. 



Jour, des Conn, usuelles. 1828, p. 256. 



W, Living Giraffes in Europe. — Besides the two living giraffes at 

 present in Europe, in London and Paris, a third has been sent by the 

 Pacha of Egypt to the Emperor of Austria, and arrived some time 

 since at Venice, accompanied by Arabs as keepers, and cows to 

 provide its food. It was to pass the last winter in Padua, and then 

 proceed in the fine weather to Vienna. 



12. Easy Method of preserving small Birds. — It may be useful to 

 travellers to know that birds to the size of a pigeon may be preserved 

 from putrefaction by an easy process, and by a method which will 

 effectually guard them against the attacks of insects. Carefully 

 remove the abdominal viscera at the vent, by means of a wire bent 

 to a hook at one end; then introduce a small piece of the anti- 

 septic paste, and afterwards as much clipped cotton or tow as may 

 be thought sufficient, with some of the paste mixed with it ; remove 

 the eyes, and fill the orbits with cotton imbued with the paste ; draw 

 out the tongue, which remove, and pass a wire from the month into 

 the cavity of the cranium, merely to give the antiseptic access to 

 the brain : bind a piece of thread round the rostrum, another piece 

 round the body and wings; then hang it up by the legs, and pour 

 in at the vent from half an ounce to two ounces, according to the 

 size of the bird, of alcohol ; let it be hung in an airy situation, and 

 it will soon dry, without any unpleasant smell. The antiseptic 

 paste is made by mixing 8 parts of finely-powdered white arsenic, 

 4 parts of Spanish soap, 3 parts of camphor pulverised in a mor- 

 tar with a few drops of alcohol, and 1 part of soft soap. — Med, 

 S^irg. Jour. i. 196. v 



13. German Method of procuring Flowers in Winter. — According 

 to the ' Recueil Industiielle,' the following method of expediting ve- 

 getation at will is pra<:tised in Germany. A branch, proportioned 



