212 



♦ kno\a;^ledge ♦ 



[Sept. 12, 1884. 



or, as we might say, under the chin. Succeeding 

 this is another piece, at the outer angles of which 

 are attached two curved triangular jaw-like pieces articu- 

 lated to it l)y one of their angles, and capable of folding 

 inwards till their saw-like edges exactly meet, when the 

 front part of the apparatus forms the bowl of the ladle. 

 When closed, the basal joint is bent backwards, showing as 

 a bluntly-i^ointed projection, reaching to the base of the 



^ZD=^ 



Fig. 2. — Mask of Dragon Fly. a. Side View. 

 I. Viewed from Above, c. The Same, with Jaws Open. 



second pair of legs ; the next piece is folded back upon 

 this, and the bowl-like part is thus brought close up to the 

 face, which fits into the hollow. When the mask is ex- 

 tended, the real jaws are seen beneath in the usual position. 

 The mask is used somewhat like the raptorial legs of the 

 water-scorpions — viz., to seize a passing insect at a little 

 distance. To accomplish this, it is very rapidly unfolded, 

 darted out with unerring aim, and brought back again into 

 position, thus holding the prey close up to the true jaws. 



Dragon-flies do not alter much during their earlier 

 stages. The traces of wings soon appear, even after the 

 first moult or two. When a moult is about to take place, 

 the creature fixes its claws into some support to obtain 

 leverage for its coming struggle, and then, by strong mus- 

 cular efibrt, the back of the thorax is split, and the insect 

 crawls out of its case. The cast skins may frequently be 

 seen floating about in ponds. The insects are very 

 voracious, and when other food fails, will not scruple to 

 adopt cannibalism. 



(To he continu,ed.) 



THE CHEMISTRY OF COOKERY. 



By W. Mattieu Williams. 

 XLII.— STIMULANTS AND CONDIMENTS. 



BEFORE proceeding further, I must fulfil the promise 

 made in No. 39 to report the results of my repetition 

 of the Indian process of preparing samp. I soaked some 

 ordinary Indian corn in a solution of carbonate of potash, 

 exceeding the ten or twelve hours specified by Count 

 Eumford. The external coat was not removed even after 

 two days' soaking, but the corns were much swollen and 

 softened. I suspect that this difference is due to the con- 

 dition of the corn which is imported here. It is fully 

 ripened, dried, and hardened, while that used by the 

 Indians was probably fresh gathered, barely ripe, and 

 much softer. 



Mr. Gaubert (No. 1,373, page 185) asks me whether I 

 think that tea taken in moderation (say two cups in the 

 evening) does any mischief. If he carefully reads No. 40 

 he will find the answer already given before his question 

 was asked. He offers to relinquish the habit, in spite of 

 the pang, " on the advice of so eminent an authority " as 

 myself. I hope that he will not be so weak as to accept 

 my authority or any other on a question which can easily 

 be answered by common-sense and simple direct experiment. 

 There are cases in which we are compelled to lean on 

 authority, but this is not one of them, and he will see, by 



re-perusing what I have written on the subject, that I have 

 repudiated mere authority, and appealed to facts that are 

 open to all. 



I will reply further to Mr. Gaubert, as in doing so I 

 shall be also replying to a multitude of others, his CMe 

 being typical. Let any of these repeat the experiment that 

 I have made. After establishing the habit of taking tea 

 at a particular hour, suddenly relinquish it altogether. The 

 result will be more or less unpleasant, in some cases 

 seriously so. My symptoms were a dull headache and 

 intellectual sluggishness during the remainder of the 

 day — and if compelled to do any brain-work, such as 

 lecturing or writing, I did it badly. This, as I have 

 already said, is the diseased condition induced by the habit. 

 These symptoms vary with the amount of the customary 

 indulgence and the temperament of the individual. A 

 rough, lumbering, insensible navvy may drink a quart or 

 two of tea, or a few gallons of beer, or several quarterns of 

 gin, with but small results of any kind. I know an 

 omnibus-driver who makes seven double journeys daily, and 

 his " reglars " are half-a-quartern of gin at each terminus 

 — i.e., If pints daily, exclusive of extras. This would 

 render most men helplessly drunk, but he is never drunk, 

 and drives well and safely. 



Assuming, then, that the experimenter has taken suffi- 

 cient daily tea to have a sensible effect, he will suffer on 

 leaving it off. Let him persevere in the discontinuance, in 

 spite of brain languor and dull headache. He will find 

 that day by day the languor will diminish, and in the 

 course of time (about a fortnight or three weeks in any case) 

 he will be weaned. He will retain from morning to night 

 the full, free, and steady use of all his faculties ; will get 

 through his day's work without any fluctuation of working 

 ability (provided, of course, no other stimulant is used). 

 Instead of his best faculties being dependent on a drug for 

 their awakening, he will be in the condition of true man- 

 hood — i.e., able to do his best in any direction of effort, 

 simply in reply to moral demand ; able to do whatever is 

 right and advantageous, simply because his reason shows 

 that it is so. The sense of duty is to such a free man the 

 only stimulus demanded for calling forth his uttermost 

 energies. 



If he again returns to his habitual tea, he will again be 

 reduced to more or less of dependence upon it. This con- 

 dition of dependence is a state of disease precisely 

 analogous to that which is induced by opium and other 

 drugs that operate by temporary abnormal cerebral exalta- 

 tion. The pleasurable sensations enjoyed by the opium- 

 eater or smoker or morphia injector are more intense than 

 those of the tea-drinker. Mr. Gaubert tells us that he 

 enjoys his cup " immensely." The gin-drinker enjoys his 

 half-quartern " immensely," as anybody may see by 

 " standing treat " and watching the result. The victim of 

 opium has enjoyment still more immense, and in every case 

 the magnitude of the mischief is measurable by the 

 immensity of the enjoyment. 



Again I say that I am not denouncing the proper use of 

 any of these things. There are occasions when artificial 

 stimulants or sedatives cautiously used are most desirable. 

 ]My condemnation is applied to their habitual use, and the 

 physical and moral degradation involved in the slavish 

 dependence upon any sort of drug, especially when the 

 drug operates most powerfully on the brain. To the brain- 

 worker tea is worse than alcohol, because it exaggerates 

 his special liability to overstrain. I can detect by physio- 

 gnomical indications the habitually-excessive tea-drinker 

 as readily as I can detect the physiognomy of the opium- 

 victim, as may anybody else who chooses to make careful 

 observations. 



