December 



203 



out-of-door rambles and go into my museum for 

 some otoliths for to-day's study. 



The word sounds like something very scientific 

 and out of the way, and yet, without knowing it, 

 these objects have been constantly upon our 

 dinner-plates, for they are little snow-white bones 

 to be found in the heads of haddock, whiting, 

 gurnard, and cod. How these little stone-like 

 bodies assist the hearing of fishes is, I believe, not 

 very clearly known, but that is supposed to be 

 their use in the economy of the fish. 



Haddock. 



Cod. 

 OTOLITHS. 



One exists in each lobe of the brain, so that if 

 we wish to find them we must completely divide 

 the head of a whiting, when boiled, and there 

 hidden on either side we shall discover the otolith. 

 It appears to be quite unattached to the skull, and 

 simply lies in its cavity to aid in the conveyance 

 of sound to the fish's brain. 



I may mention a use to which I have put these 

 ear-bones with a rather good result. 



Having a store of rose-beetle wings and otoliths, 

 I resolved to decorate a banner screen with them 

 in this fashion. I traced, on a piece of rich dark 

 green satin, a flowing design of jasmine sprays. 



