242 SELECTED NOTES FROM 



garden. Here the damp earth causes the good grain to vegetate, 

 and at the same time resuscitates the eels ; and as the wheat-plant 

 grows, they enter the fibrous roots, and passing up the stem enter 

 the ear and deposit their eggs. It is somewhat difficult to detect 

 them in the stem ; for this purpose, I take a stem long before there 

 is any appearance of the formation of the ear, and cut very short 

 sections, which I bruise in a drop of water, on a glass sHde ; but 

 the more easy and pleasing part of the process is to watch them 

 in the infected grain, from their first entrance to their maturity. 

 To do this, it is requisite to have the wheat growing close at hand, 

 so that daily access to it can be had, and the time I recommend 

 for commencement is as soon as the grain begins to form in the 

 ear. The first object to be sought is the parent eel filled with 

 eggs. These, when first extruded, are of a dark colour, and 

 opaque, but gradually become more transparent, at which time 

 the young eels will be seen curled up in various figures, and slowly 

 moving round in their shells, from which they ultimately break 

 forth, and continue to live on the farinaceous matter of the grain 

 until all is consumed, when they become torpid, and so remain till 

 brought again to life by means similar to those which gave activity 

 and instinct to their parents. 



" With a low power, no difi"erence can be seen between these 

 and the Paste Eel, except the greater activity and varied sizes of 

 the latter. But the difference is very marked when carefully 

 examined by a high magnifier." 



A. Nicholson. 



Wheat-Eels to Mount. — If the eels to be mounted are taken 

 from the black, dried-looking grains of wheat, " The grains will 

 require to be soaked for two days in water, then taken out, cut 

 open, and the contents placed in a watch-glass of water. In two 

 or three hours after, while in water, they will display considerable 

 animation by twisting about ; they then, or before if desirable, 

 may be taken out in sufficient numbers, placed on a slide, and 

 mounted in Dean's Gelatine. When this has sufficiently cooled, 

 say from four to six hours, wash off with cold water the gelatine 

 extending beyond the edges of the glass cover, wipe it dry with a 

 cloth, and use the liquid varnish brush, so as to make the gelatine 

 air-tight, which will soon dry on ; cover this with black asphalt. 

 You will then have a very nice neat slide." 



J. J. Fox, in Science Gossip, 1867. 



Sertularia; Sea-Fir; Oyster-Grass. — The name. Oyster-grass, 

 though perhaps only a local one, is descriptive of its usual place 



