344 



J'^ariet'ies. 



[Sept. 



Ktone could be lowered into the concftve, and 

 the whole fruit was broken up together. At 

 Herculaneum, a short time since, the resi- 

 dence of a barber was discovered. The shop 

 and its implements were in a wonderful 

 state of preservation : the seats on which 

 the customers were seated, the basins, the 

 stove, and even many pins designed for the 

 head-di-esses of the Roman ladies. 



JVatural History The following cir- 

 cumstance is related by a naturalist, whose 

 entertaining journal has been recently given 

 to tlie public. He says, " I can confusedly 

 remember a very extraordinary capture of 

 kites, tlie falco milvus, wlien I was a boy. 

 Roosting pne winter evening, on some very 

 lofty elms, a fog came on during tlie night 

 which froze early in the morning, and 

 fastened the feet of the poor kites so firmly 

 to the boughs, that some adventurous youths 

 brought down, I think, fifteen of them so 

 secured. Singular as the capture was, the 

 assemblage of so large a number was not 

 less so, it being, in general, a sohtary bird, 

 or assocfating only in pairs. Tlie occurrence 

 took place in the west of England." 



To preserve Insects Tlie entomologist 



will frequently find the wings, limbs, and 

 bodies of the insects in his collection sepa- 

 rated by those tiny depredators, ptinus fur, 

 and acarus destructor. IMr. W'aterton's 

 recipe for preventing this evil is very eficc- 

 tual, and, generally, an innocuous preserva- 

 tive ; but as this gentleman has not given 

 the exact proportions of his mixture, it may 

 be of use to observe, that if one part of cor- 

 rosive sublimate be dissolved in eight jiarts 

 of good spirit of wine, and the under side of 

 the insect touclied with a camel's hair 

 pencil dipped in the liquor, so as to let it 

 lightly pervade every part of the creature, 

 which it readily does, it will prevent any 

 future injury from insects. A hirger portion 

 of the sublimate wiU leave an unsightly 

 whiteness upon the creature when the speci- 

 men becomes dry. The under side of the 

 board on which the insects are fixed should 

 be warmed a little by the fire after the 

 application, that the superfluous moisture 

 may fly oft before finally closing the case. 

 If this be omitted, the inner surface of the 

 glass will sometimes become partially ob- 

 scured by the fume arising from the mix- 

 ture. 



Ossif cation of the Vitreous Humour. — 

 ]\I. Krelin has lately met with tliat rare case, 

 the ossification of the vitreous humour of the 

 eye. It occurred in a man 70 years old, 

 who died of gastritis. Tlie preparation is 

 placed in the Strasburg Bluseuni. Tlie left 

 eye was healthy, but the right presented the 

 following appearance : the globe was dimi- 

 nished in size, had lost its spheroidal figure, 

 and presented the appearance of four 

 wrinkles, or furrows, corresponding with the 

 insertion of the recti muscles. It was heavy 

 and hard. ^Vhcn a liorizontal section was 



made from behind forward, the sclerotic 

 was found to be ve'ry thick, partictdarly at 

 its posterior part, near the entrance of the 

 optic nerve ; the instrument was soon ar- 

 rested by a hard body filling the whole space 

 of the eye-ball behind tlie crystalline lens, 

 and consequently occupying the place of the 

 vitreous humour. Immediately within the 

 sclerotic was the choroid membrane, distinct, 

 and rather thicker than natural. The retina 

 was unchanged : 'the solid body within was 

 marked by the same depression which had 

 been observed externally. It was of a pale 

 white colour, and was internally of a cellular 

 texture, like the cancelli of the long bones. 

 The crystalline was indurated, and of a 

 yellowish white colour : the optic nerve was 

 wasted. 



» EJf'ecl of Clilorine as an Antidote to 

 Hydrocyanic Acid The following is ab- 

 stracted from a letter by iM. Dauvergne, to 

 ]M. Gay Lussac, describing an experiment 

 made by himself and ]\I. Simion. Two 

 drops of hydrocyanic (prussic) acid were put 

 into the end of a glass tube, and introduced 

 into the lachrymal gland of a cat. Contor- 

 tions immediately came on, followed by 

 strong tetanic convulsions : an abundant 

 salivation took place, producing, through 

 hard breathuig, a thick white fi-oth. The 

 pulsations of the heart were quite irregular 

 and extensive, as if each were the last 

 eftbrt of life. Respiration was difficult and 

 painful ; expiration frequent, prompt, and 

 forcible. Notwithstanding this desperate 

 state of the apimal, ]\I. Simion was induced, 

 from his previous knowledge, to expect 

 good effects from the use of chlorine, and 

 therefore introduced a considerable quantity 

 into the moutli : the salivation, in conse- 

 quence, ceased ; the respiration became easy ; 

 the circidations less forced and rapid. Thg 

 animal now raised its head, which before 

 it could not do, put out its tongue, and 

 scented the chlorine, as if it took pleasure 

 in respiring a salutary and agreeable atmo- 

 sphere. In this manner the symptoms 

 gradually diminished ; but, as yet, the cat 

 could not stand up. Being exposed to the 

 open air for a few minutes, it voided a large 

 quantity of fieces, gradually rose on its feet, 

 and made a few tottering steps : this was in 

 one hour after the poisoning. At the end 

 of two hours, traces of the event were 

 scarcely visible, and the next morning the 

 cat ate, and drank, and walked, as if in 

 perfect health, no sign of the poison re- 

 maining. 



Decomposition of Ammonia by Metals 



i\I. Despretz, who first announced that 

 metals, when subjected to heat and amnio- 

 niacal gas, underwent a considerable change 

 of density, has also discovered that the 

 weiglit of iron is sometimes increased as 

 much as ll-j per cent., owing to its com- 

 bining with aajte ; but if the heat be too 

 great, then the azote is again expelled. 



