200 LE NATURALISTE CANADIEN 



utterly bad in a very short time when thawed. If the demands 

 of those who like really fresh fish are to be met, the greatest 

 care and speed must be used from the death of the fish up to the 

 time it is fuily frozen. 



Dr. Jackson has nearly completed a study of the effects of 

 varying the rate of the freezing itself and has found a very great 

 différence in such fish as hake and cod, depending upon whether 

 they are frozen rapidly or slowly. Rapid freezing gives a perfect 

 product, while slow freezing utterly ruins the fish for food pur- 

 poses, as it becomes tough, spongy, and tasteless. Other fishes 

 are affected similarly, but not to the same degree. 



The principal part of the flesh of the fish consists of chemical 

 substances called proteins. Little is known of their nature and 

 of the changes they undergo even when no bacteria are présent 

 to décompose them. Dr. C. C. Benson, Professor of Food 

 Chemistry in the University of Toronto, is making pioneer 

 studies of thèse substances, and the results to be obtained will 

 undoubtedly enable us to devise more perfect methods of keeping 

 the flesh of the fish in as nearly like the fresh condition as pos- 

 sible. 



(A suivre.) 







LA LUNE ROUSSE 



FAUT-IL LA RÉHABILITER ? PEUT-ÊTRE BIEN . . . 



Malgré l'Académie, beaucoup de gens, et d'abord les agricul- 

 teurs, se préoccupent encore de la lune rousse. La preuve, c'est 

 que nombre d'entre eux m'ont demandé la date du phénomène 

 pour cette année 1920. 



Cette période n'est pas aussi facile à déterminer qu'on l'ima- 

 gine. A en croire " l'Annuaire du Bureau des Longitudes ", la 

 lune rousse est celle qui, commencée en avril, devient pleine à la 

 fin de ce mois ou mieux dans le courant de mai : c'est revenir à la 



