THE F/.RMER AT HOME. 317 



they resort, and contrive to ccnceal their persons, by forming a bower 

 of the branches which are over their heads, from which they shoot at 

 their prey with reedy arrows, that only slightly damage the beauty of 

 their plumes ; they then take out every part of their entrails, and run 

 a hot iron up their body, which dries up the juice ; and, after filling 

 them with salts and spice, they offer them for public sale. It is 

 asserted by the n itives, that each flock of these curious birds is under 

 the dominion of one, that is considered as king, and that this is distin- 

 guished by a peculiar brilliance of plumage, which the natives them- 

 selves can easily discern ; and if the fowlers are able to destroy their 

 monarch, the rest of the flock quickly become their prey. 



PARASOL. It appears from ancient monuments and descriptions 

 that this well known instrument, or something exceedingly resem- 

 bling it, was used among the ancients, not for the purpose so much 

 of preservation from the rays of the sun as in religious ceremonies and 

 processions. In the festivals of Ceres and Minerva, the young females 

 who celebrated them bore, among other sacred instruments, the par- 

 asol ; it was, in fact, one of the most ancient marks of dignity that we 

 find indicated either by relics of arts or by authors. In process ol 

 time, when the Romans began to lay aside the simple habits of their 

 forefathers, the parasol, by a natural transition, began to be used for 

 the purpose to which it is still applied. The matrons, particularly, 

 used to be followed by slaves, whose office was to protect the delicacy 

 of their charms by intercepting the solar heat by the agreeable shade 

 of the parasols. They were constructed of wands, or twigs, disposed 

 in such a manner as to admit of their being put up or down, in much 

 the same way as those used at the present day. The substance em- 

 ployed, was often of rich stuff', such as silk, of showy colors, and ele- 

 gantly embroidered. In many countries, where the sun is powerful, 

 it is well known that parasols are used by men, as well as women. 



PARCHMENT. The article called parchment is the skin of 

 the sheep,' lamb, pig, or calf, prepared for writing with a pen, 

 or for inscriptions with types or plates used by engravers. When the 

 skin is divested of its hair, or wool, it is placed for some time in a lime 

 pit, and then stretched on a square wooden frame drawn tight by pegs. 

 When in the frame it is first scraped on the flesh side with a blunt 

 iron, then wetted with a moist rag, covered with pounded chalk, and 

 rubbed well with pumice stone. After a short pause these operations 

 are repeated, but without chalk. The skin is then turned, and 

 scraped on the hair side only once. The flesh side is scraped once 

 more, and again rubbed over with chalk. All this being done, and 

 when the skin is well dried, it is removed from the frame and sent to 

 the parchment maker, who with a sharp instrument further prepares 

 the surface for the use to which it is to be applied, by scraping and 

 smoothing it. 



PARSNIP. This root is among the most valuable raised in th* 



