410 



NKW ENGLAND FARxMEU. 



July ^'0, 182"/. 



caused all his trees to be tinned — which rid tiis 

 orchard entiroly of thcni, and it now looks as well, 

 and will, undoubtedly, yield as much fruit this 

 season, as though nothing of tlie kind had ever 

 interrupted it. Let those who are interested, visit ; 



ing the crest, or, as it is called ' the sail.' It is 

 always wafted in the direction in which the sea 

 .sets, and is therefore said to sail always to wind- 

 ward. — It is found in the Atlantic, and every sea 

 in certain latitudes ; and, although no ship cross 



tic, but much more severe.' 



SALPA BICAUDATA. 



the orchard of Mr Irish, he will explain to them es the ocean without meeting with this curious 

 the nature of its operations, and they will then be production, there exists no figure which gives a 

 bettor able to judge of the correctness and prac- correct idea of it. It feeds on" small fish and ma- 

 ticability of resorting to similar mcit\is,~-j\'(u<port ] rine insects ; but I do not know how the nutrition 

 Republican. 



Oy^Tlie following notices of certain curious ob- 

 jects of J^atural Hislorij we insert with much 

 pleasure, and should be greatly indebted to the 

 highly respected author for a continuation of sinii 

 Jar favours. — Ed. 



PIIYSALIS. 

 Mr Fessenden — The account of the PhijsaUs 

 which is given in the last Number of llic Nortli 

 American Review, page 23, taken from tlie elabo- 

 rate raemoir'of Dr Tilpsius, brouglit to my recol- 

 'ection some notices of it by the late Professor 

 Peck of Cambridge, which I send you for publica- 

 -'wn. MUtun,Jahi\7. 



In a letter to the Rev. Dr Culler, dated " on 

 board the Galen, lat. 48" 53' long. 10, first of July 

 1805," ho observes, " The Portuguese Man of 

 fVar" of the sailors is a very curious animal, and 

 may he called Medusa clstala. Its form is oval ; 

 its body is inflated with nir, whioh keeps il alloat ; 

 and the crest, wljicli answer.s the purpose of a sail, 

 occupies the length of the back. The tentacula 

 occupy the anterior and inferior part of it: they 

 are surprisingly extensible, so that they may be 

 iengtheneJ three fathoms, or contracted to two 

 inches." 



In another letter, probably to Dr Smitli, dated 



Cambridge, 20th September, 1809, ho remarks, 



•' I had always supposed ' the Portuguese n.an of 

 war' of the sailors, to be the Hulolhuria Phijsalis, 

 but it is very different from the figure given by 

 Osbec, Barbut, and in Amainit, vol. iv. p, 3, fig. (5. 

 Slpane's figure is an approach to it. I made a 

 sjvetch of it, but could not examine it satisfuctori- 

 >y, as it was taken towards night. The interior 

 tentacula, with the larger vessels to which they 

 were attached were cut oft" and laid by in water 

 to be examined by day-light, but they became 

 spoiled, and no other opportunity occurred. Those 

 large vessels, I suspect, ;inswer in this animal the 

 jjurposc of stomacli, the nutritive part of the food 

 feeing absorbed and conveyed to them by the 

 shorter tentacula, which are terminated by a suck 

 or ; the longer and simple tentacula being intend- 

 ed to take its prey. The longest of the latter 

 may be shortened to the length of a foot or less, 

 or extended two'or three fathoms. This animal 

 is transpareni, and owes the colour of its body to 

 refraction ; but its tentacula are really coloured 

 with purple and red." 



In his Lictures he also describes the animal, and 

 gives a curious drawing— Without reoeating what 

 has been remarked before, I will only add" some 

 Jurther particulars :— " The Physalis is perfectly 

 transparent, but appears red or blue or green, ac- 

 cording to its situation with respect to the sun. 



As it is filled with air, it floats with the greatest 

 part of the body out of water. The tentacula 

 being immersed, when these are relaxed they oc- 

 cupy a considerable space in the water, and, as it 

 is the denser medium, it has more power in bear- 

 ing the animal along than the wind, notwithstand- 



is effected. Tl'e cavity of the body is always 



empty ; and I could find no vestige of a mouth. I 



suspect that the nutritive particles of its food are 



absorbed by the short tubular tentacula, which are 



furnished with suckers. It is covered with a very 



caustic fluid, which when it touches the skin ex- , 



cites n burning sensation like the sting of the net- ^^''^' ^^^ considered one of the wonders of the 



"'orhl thirty years ago, when it has undergone 

 the test of close examination, comes at last to be 



aty disputes or little bickerings that may aris< 

 among the pigs, eitlier in respect to rank or con 

 dilion, and in singing them to sleep. The boyt 

 art chosen for the strength of their lungs, and 

 thtir taste and judgmer.t in delighting the ears 

 ana lulling the senses of the swine ; they succeed 

 eath other in chanting during the whole day, to 

 the apparent gratification of their brute audience." 



CniNA.MPAS, IMPUOPEULY CALLED FLOATING 

 GARDK.NS. 



The description of these by Humboldt falla 

 greatly sliort in singularity, to that previously 

 given by the Abbe Clavigero ; and that of Mr 

 Bullock falls equally short of the former : so that 



little more than an ordinary appearance ; and a 



[Professor Peck in his lectures says, " I do notlchinampa in the Mexican lake, differs only from a 

 find this genus de.scribcd ;" and then gives the Ismail osier holt in tho Thames, in being planted 

 following account of it.] jwith cabbages and potatoes instead of willows.— 



" The body approaches an oval form, ,ind is tcr- « They are artificial islands, about fifty or si.xty 

 minatod hy two appendages which are nearly as ,^irds long, and not more llian four or five wide, 

 long as the body. This species is about half an Separated hy ditches of three or four yards in width 

 inch long, and, under a moderate magnifier, is a jlnd are made by taking the soil from the inter- 

 beautiful object. Although transparent, the con. Uening ditch, and throwing it on the chinampa, 

 tracting niuscles, or what appear to be such, are j liy which means the ground is raised generally'' 

 more visible than in the other species. about a yard, and thus forms a small fertile gar- ' 



The lower aperture is surrounded by a radiated den, covered, with culinary vegetables, fruits, and 

 body, which I at first supposed consisted of the flowers. Mexico receives iin ample supply from 

 organs of respiration, analogous to those of the tleso sources." 



Doris; but, on further examination, I found it 



made up of the young of the Salpa, placed radia- ^^^^ Jl'orms. — As there are a great many per- 

 tiin in two scries or layers in a saucer-shaped [ 5""^ '"'^ P''6senl engaged in breeding Silk Worms* 

 membrane. I ii Philadelphia, it has been thought useful to hint i 



This little animal is four sided, and refracts the i '° Uiem, tliat they will find it most to their inter- '*, 

 rays of tho sun very remarkably. The solar light j '^^'■1^° permit the paviUions, or butterflies, to go 

 refracted by tho purest diamond is not more beau- ' Ihrtjugh tho regular process of laying eggs, than 

 tifiiUy brilliant than when thrown from the body ■ '" prevent them doing so, by baking them, for the 

 of this species of Salpa. When seen a fathom or ! P"'P°^g of winding Silk fiom the Cocoons. It is 

 more beneath the surface, when the sea is smooth, ! '"ighly probable that next year, a ready sale will 

 they appear yellow and of the richest golden lus- j '"' '"°""'^ f"'' the eggs, whereas nothing can be 

 tre ; sometimes of a lively and bright emerald : ''"'''^ ^^'''h the silk. The Cocoons are somewhat 

 green ; and sometimes of red more vivid than tho 'iji'rcd for the reeling of the silk, by being per- 

 ruby ; according as they are situated with respect i '"■'^'sd, but hy means of a machine, which is ex- y 

 to the sun. Tho gems to which I have compared i Pccted from Europe in the course of this year. — | 

 them are made valuable by the caprice of man ;: ^^^en this machine shall arrive, a sale, will be 

 but tliese, besides the refractive power, have the ''"""'' '®'" '■'"^ pierced cocoons, and until then, they 

 gift of lite. They are the gems of ocean, equally ; ™*)' ^^ k^pl in paper bags. — U. S. Gazelle. 

 precious in the eye of the Creator ; and they 



[itoke 



equally declare his wisdom and his power.'' 



A fouutain of carburated hydrogen gas has been 



discovered in Portlind harbour (lake Erie) issu- 



from the fissures of a rock, fifty feet above 



FEEDING SWINE IN MEXICO 



Fine breeds of pigs are kept for their fat, which i*-'^" surface of the water. Preparations are mak 

 is used as a substitute for hiiltor in Spanish cooke- \ '"^ ^" ''^'^® " "1"°" '^ pedestal to servo as a sub- 

 ry : the offal fat is manufactured into soap, and l''"'"-^ ^"^ '^ l>?hthouse, the quantity of gas bein 

 the blood into a kind of black pudding, and sold sufficient to aflord a most brilliant light, 

 to the poor. The swine are fed with maize. 

 " slightly moistened and scattered at stated hours 

 on the ground, which, in the yard as well as the 

 place where they sleep, is kept perfectly dry and 

 clean. They are attended by Indians with every 

 possible care, — there is a cold bath on the premis- 

 es, which they are obliged frequently to use, as 

 cleanliness is considered essential to their ac- 

 quiring that enormous load of fat from which the 

 principal profit is derived. Their ease and com- 

 fort seem also in every respect to be studiously { ^etts Register says, 

 attended to ; and the occupation of two Indian 



Carrots. — An old gardener, from the west of 

 Scotland, informs us, that the article in our last 

 respecting carrots, as a coloring for butter, is not 

 exactly the best plan. The proper way is to grate 

 the carrots fine, and put water on them, and strain 

 it out and put it among the cream. This is the 

 common practice in the west of Scotland, and 

 gives the butter a fine yellow color. — .V. Y. pa. 



Massachusetts Manufactures. — The Massachu- 



There are in this state )9G 



incorporated, manufacturing companies, with an 



ads Will cause a smile on the countenances of my aggregate of capital near $30,000,000 the -reater 

 nusical readers, when they are informed that they L„r^ wonllnn :,n,1 rnffnn '• 



musical reaaers, when tliey 



are employed, from morning tiU'night in settlin 



[part woollen and cotton.'" 



