398 Scientific Intelligence. — Botany. 



receive illustration from analogies in the animal kingdom. Ducks 

 are rendered so ill-tasted from stuffing down garbage at the kit- 

 chen door, as sometimes to be offensive when brought as food to 

 the table. The quality of pork is acknowledged to be modified 

 by the food of the swine. The bitterness of partridges has been 

 ascribed to the buds upon which they live ; and the peculiar 

 flavour of piscivorous wild fowl, is rationally traced to the fish 

 they devour. Thus a portion of nutrimental matter passes into 

 the living bodies of plants and animals, in certain proportion, 

 without haVing been entirely subdued, or assimilated. It be- 

 comes, therefore, a subject of curious and important reflection. 

 The horticulturist mostly calculates on the quantity of his crop. 

 It is, however, a becoming subject of research, that he should 

 likewise, attend to the quality ; or perhaps the consumer, his 

 customer, may inform him that an offended palate and injured 

 health, will induce a careful provider to seek uncontaminated 

 articles for his table. — Dr MitchilVs Discourse at the Anniver- 

 sary of the New Yorh Horticultural Society^ 1826. 



ARTS. 



10. New Mode of applying Graphite^ or Black Lead, in 

 Drawings. — Mr C. Galpin, the inventor of this improvement 

 in the management of graphite, as applied to drawing, having 

 long regretted that a material of so pleasing a neutral colour, 

 should only be capable of producing broad shades, by means of 

 a laborious repetition of hnes or touches, commenced a series of 

 experiments with reference to this subject, which, however, did 

 not at first lead to any useful result, on account of the granular 

 separation of the substance, when applied to paper. At length, 

 having thought of reducing it to an impalpable powder, and 

 using it with a brush, he obtained the most complete success, 

 having found that every possible degree of shade can be produ- 

 ced with the nicest uniformity, and in less than a twentieth part 

 of the time required in the ordinary manner. The process is 

 described as follows : — The instruments required are, a small 

 piece of mushn, filled with black-lead reduced to fine powder, 

 which is called a shader ; a palette, made of thick card board ; 

 and a brush of medium size. The shader is rubbed two or 



