1858. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



285 



the Scarlet Ibis. As the Robin's food can be ob- 

 tained without much difficulty, no elongation or 

 contraction of its limbs becomes necessary, hence 

 there is more proportion in its parts than is to 

 be found in most birds. The note of our bird is 

 characterized by its honest earnestness, and is al- 

 ways pleasing. Its habits are social, and it is 

 found no where in abundance, except around the 

 habitations of man, where it rears its young, con- 

 fiding in his protection. We should miss the 

 Robin more than any other bird, should it, from 

 any cause, become rare or extinct, associated as 

 it is from our childhood, with the return of spring, 

 the ripening of the summer fruits, and our shoot- 

 ing days in early autumn. Our rural writers 

 would also regret to lose so fruitful a theme, as 

 the Robin has always furnished. It is a favorite 

 bird with most persons, notwithstanding its pro- 

 pensity to partake unbidden of their choicest 

 fruits. Some, in their great desire to shield their 

 favorite from a charge of shot, have claimed for 

 it the habits of an insectiverous bird, but orni- 

 thologists know it does not possess them. Its 

 claims for our protection should come from its 

 confiding, familiar character, its pleasant song, 

 but more especially from the love we cherish for 

 all birds. And if these considerations are not 

 strong enough to prevent our shooting it, let us 

 remember its relationship to its name-sake, Rob- 

 in Redbreast, of Britain, who so affectionately 

 covered up the dear little babes in the woods 

 with leaves. Surely, the remembrance of this 

 touching and affectionate deed, will save our bird 

 from harm ! In the circular groupings of Mr. 

 Swainson's classification, the Robin is distin- 

 guished as a true Thrush by the generic name 

 Merula, and by Dr. Richardson, in his "Northern 

 Zoology," by the specific name Merula Migrato- 

 ria, and says it is called by the Cree Indians the 

 Peepeechew. 



Danvers Port, April \st, 1858. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 TIGHT TANKS UNDER THE CATTLE. 



Mr. Editor: — Being a constant reader and 

 admirer of the N. E. Farmer, for its usefulness 

 in directing the husbandman in his daily avoca- 

 tions, and for its independent and fearless expres- 

 sion of opinion on great moral questions, I am 

 glad to offer a few facts for its columns. 



Just before haying last summer, we raised a 

 barn, built a substantial cobble-stone wall under 

 the back side and each end, and surmounted it 

 with a good split stone underpinning, making 

 the cellar eight feet deep. After haying we built 

 a water-tight tank forty feet long, twenty feet 

 wide and four feet deep, of the construction of 

 which I will give you a brief aescription. 



Rift granite in our town is quite plenty, of 

 which I obtained a good quality for the purpose. 

 We split them twenty inches wide and laid them 

 two tiers high, after fitting the two edges that 

 came together and squaring the ends. Top of 

 the wall we set the posts to support the barn, and 

 between the posts we fitted permanent eight inch 

 timbers. Where the ground is dry and a sort of 

 hard pan, the cement may be put on to the earth 

 itself, but mine being wet and liable to innunda- 

 tion, we proceeded in the following manner t We 



made an underdrain to carry off the water up to 

 the corner of the cellar, dug the bottom inside 

 the tank, sloping and dishing ; we then obtained 

 rubble-stone, of which we have plenty, and set 

 the bottom all over with them, in scientific or- 

 der ; then gathered pebble-stone and covered the 

 rubble, which made a most permanent founda- 

 tion for the cement, which we laid on about two 

 inches thick. The tank makes a tight and dura- 

 ble hog-pen, and saves all the dropping, liquid 

 and solid, being directly under the stable. It re- 

 quires a large amount of absorbing materials to 

 be thrown in, in order to save all ; save all the 

 liquid, which adds very much to the manure heap. 

 The manure appears to be of excellent quality. 

 How it will prove time and the crops will tell. " 



Calvin Smith. 

 West Eenniker, N. E., May, 1858. 



ENTOMOLOGY. 



This is a word which means a talk about in- 

 sects ; it is derived from two or three Greek word*, 

 as many of our words are that are used as names 

 to insects and flowers and plants. Writers upon 

 insects find it necessary to classify them, bringing 

 those of the nearest corresponding structure to- 

 gether, and giving them one general name. These 

 divisions are called Orders, and there are seven 

 very generally adopted by naturalists, which are 

 as follows, viz. : 



1. CoLEOPTERA. The insects included under 

 this tevm are Beetles, that is, nhiter, an insect that 

 bites. Their wings are covered and concealed by 

 a pair of horny cases or shells ; hence the order to 

 which these insects belong is called Coleoptera, 

 a word signifying wings in a sheath. 



2. Orthoptera. Including Crickets, Cock- 

 roaches, Grasshoppers, &c. ; their wings, when 

 not in use, are folded lengthwise in narrow plaits 

 like a fan, and are laid straight along the top or 

 sides of the back. They belong to the order Or- 

 thoptera, which means straight wings. 



3. Hemiptera. Bugs, Locusts, Plant-lice, &-c. 

 These insects have a horny beak for suction, and 

 four wings, which lie flat, and cross each other 

 on the top of the back. They are called Hemip- 

 tera, because that word means, half, and loing, 

 literally half-ioings, on account of the peculiar 

 construction of their wing-covers, the hinder half 

 of which is thin and filmy like the wings, while 

 the fore part is thick and opake. 



4. Neuroptera. Dragon-Jlies, Lace-tcinged- 

 flies, May-flies, White-ants, &c. Insects with jaws, 

 four netted wings, of which the hinder ones are 

 the largest, and no sting or piercer. This order 

 of insects has four membranous, transparent, and 

 generally naked Avings, having a net-work of 

 nerves, as may be seen on the dragon-fly, oi 

 "devil's darning needle," as they are frequently 

 called. These dragon-flies prey upon gnats and 

 mosquitos, and if the reader will carefully ob- 



