Queries and Answer's. 7 1 9 



Art. V. Queries and Answers. 



Additional Information to that of J. D. as to the Mode of taking Impres- 

 sions of the Leaves of Plants. (Vol. IX. p. 629.)— Sir, IfW.Whiddon should 

 not come forward with his method of taking the impressions of leaves, 

 &c., the following, I hope, will meet the wishes of J. Polleck : — 



Directions for taking Impressions from Plants, on Cotton, Silk, Lawn, Mus- 

 lin, or Lineii. — The colours, which may be obtained from any chemist's, 

 must be prepared with cold-drawn linseed oil. The balls are to be 

 made of soft leather, and stuffed with wool. If the impressions be taken 

 on paper, they may be coloured afterwards with any water-colour. 



Directions for making the Colours. — Lampblack or ivory black makes 

 black ; king's yellow or orpiment makes yellow ; Prussian blue and king's 

 yellow, added together, make green ; rose pink or drop lake makes pink; 

 smalt or Prussian blue makes blue ; vermilion or carmine makes red. 

 A thimbleful of roche alum, added to one ounce of any of the above co- 

 lours, will make them stand washing and wearing. 



I am entirely of opinion, with J, D., that " no practical advantage 

 seems derivable from this knowledge (the knowledge itself is very well) ; 

 for dried specimens of leaves, and such other flat objects as one can take 

 profiles of by means of it, are far more useful, and as easily prepared." 

 I had all the necessary implements for the process, and took many im- 

 pressions, but I gave it over as waste of time, compared M'ith that em- 

 ployed in preparing specimens themselves. If the botanical knowledge of 

 plants be the end in view, the, I may almost say, indelible, impression 

 of the name and habit of the species, left on the mind by the necessary 

 attention and labour attendant on drying them, and afterwards anointing 

 them with a mixture of the muriate of mercury and camphorated spirits 

 of wine, for their final preservation from insects, is of quadruple the im- 

 portance, in promoting the knowledge or remembrance of them, that 

 taking the mere profiles of their leaves is. Indeed, if a person has in his 

 possession the Encyclopcedia of Plants and Hortus Britannicus, and under- 

 stands botanical terms (which, if he does not, they will explain to him), he 

 may almost determine the name of any species contained in these volumes. 

 — I am. Sir, yours, &c. — George Thomson. High Elms, Oct. 26. 1833. 



By luhat harmless Means can Martins and Swallows be induced to cease 

 building and breeding in the Places in which they have been long allowed to 

 build and breed? — The affection for locality is so strong in the swallow 

 and martin, that they can scarcely be driven away from an old establish- 

 ment. Chicherley Hall, Bucks, having for several years been neglected, 

 a free opportunity has been given to the birds to affix to it some 

 hundreds of nests in a season, under the cornice of the mansion. Last 

 year, I tried to scare them away by nets, feathers, gas tar, destroying their 

 nests, &c., and all to no purpose. [The martin has been known to renew 

 its nest four times in one season, in one place.] As I do not wish to kill 

 the little creatures, I solicit some correspondent to inform me of a means 

 by which I can drive them away. — William Whiddon, Chicherley Hall, 

 Bucks, Feb. 28. 1833. 



To this query, which we have published in the Magazine of Natural 

 History (vol. vi. p. 456.), a correspondent (Mr. Fennell) has replied, and 

 recommended Mr. Whiddon " to obviate the possibility of the swallows' 

 and martins' being at the trouble of erecting their nests, by spreading a 

 thick coating of soap upon the sides of such places as the birds have been 

 in the habit of appropriating to their own use. Whenever the birds at- 

 tempt to stick their muddy materials up, its moisture will moisten the soap, 

 and the sliminess of this will prevent the adherence of the muddy mate- 



