16 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Jan. 1, 1865. 



consist of two troops or bodies ; of which one con- 

 tains the sable, and, as it ■v\'cre, mourning nobles, 

 having red or bloody spots at the basis of their 

 wings. These receive names from the Trojan 

 nobles; and the most splendid among them bear the 

 name of Priam. The other body, ornamented with 

 a variety of gay colours, are distinguished by the 

 names of the Grecian heroes ; and, as in both 

 armies there are kings as well as officers of an 

 inferior rank, those elegant butterflies whose hinder 

 wings resemble tails are distinguished by some 

 royal name. Thus when Paris is mentioned (know- 

 ing that he was a Trojan, and of royal blood) we 

 look for him among those of the first section ; i. e., 

 those of a sable colour, spotted in the breast with 

 red, and having their hinder wings resembling tails. 

 When Agamemnon is named, we at once find him 

 among those nobles which have variegated and 

 swallow-tailed wings. But when Nereus is spoken 

 of, we readily know him to belong to the last 

 section, having wings but no tails." The Equites 

 are the first of the six classes into which naturalists 

 divide the genus Papilio ; the others being 2nd, Heli- 

 coiiil ; 3rd, Faniassii ; ith, Banal ; 5th, Nymph- 

 ales ; 6th, Plebeii. — Translator'' s Note to Iloff- 

 meisteis Travels in Ceijlon. 



FISH TATTLE. 



risii-LADDEKS ON THE TiiAMES.— Two ladders 

 have already been erected, one at Moulsey and the 

 other at Teddington. Mr. Buckland thus describes 

 them : — " Two walls are constructed from the top to 

 the foot of the weir (on its slope). Slabs of iron or 

 stone (the stops) are then fixed at right angles into 

 these walls, reaching about four-fifths of the way 

 across the passage. The slots (or passages for the 

 fish between the wall and the end of the stop) come 

 alternately to the right and left, so that when the 

 water runs down the ladder it describes a zigzag (or 

 rather serpentine) course ; the fish nosing about the 

 foot of the weir like timid foxhunters galloping up 

 and down a severe bullfinch in search for a gap, are 

 attracted to the foot of the ladder by the current 

 coming down it ; they then make a rush through the 

 lowermost opening into the first box or step, then 

 into the next, and next, and so on till they get to 

 the top. If they are tired, they can rest as long as 

 they please in the eddies between each of the stops. 

 It is found, however, in practice, that it does not 

 answer to make the ascent of the ladder too easy, 

 as, if the fish find themselves too comfortable in the 

 eddies, they will stay there, and be liable to become 

 a prey to poachers, as a reward for their laziness." 



Angling roii Tench.— Bustling men, who can- 

 not work and wait, may sneer if they will at the 

 silent patience of the angler ; what know they of 



the still charm which creeps over the senses, helping 

 them to take in with half-unconscious appetite the 

 blessed influence of evening, when the coolness of 

 the earth meets the sinking fire of the sunbeam, and 

 sends an equal pulse of life through every blade and 

 leaf ? Then the watcher who stands beside the pool 

 receives into his being that calm which marks the 

 brethren of his craft. He is angling, it is true ; he 

 speculates on the indecision of the fish, which — 

 may be, even now deep in the cool water — are 

 circling with suspicious hunger round his bait, loath 

 to swallow, still more loath to leave, the luscious 

 worm. Yet meanwhile, he gathers in, through open 

 senses, store of Nature's truth ; he sees and marks, 

 with tenacious observation, countless traits of life — 

 the persevering industry of the insect, the sociable 

 intelligence of the bird, the short history of the 

 summer plant, the steady progress of the growing 

 tree, the shifting architecture of the clouds, the 

 ceaseless machinery of all around that dies to live 

 and lives to die in perpetual succession. But, look! 

 there is a bite. See, the float is uneasy— makes 

 little rings in the water. Now it moves slowly off — 

 and dips a quarter of an inch — now it rises up, and 

 lies on its side : that is sure symptom of a tench. 

 Draw in your slack line, lest you hit your rod against 

 an overhanging branch. Now, strike ! Yes, you 

 have him. He is a fine fellow, too. See how he 

 rolls the water up with his tail, like the blade of a 

 revolving screw ; down again, head first ! Give him 

 play, but by all means keep him in the midst of that 

 clear spot. Ah! he is yielding to the — to him — 

 mysterious power from above. Another last dive, 

 and tlien he can barely keep his head below the sur- 

 face. Be quick, but gentle, with the landing-net; 

 tow him within its open mouth. There ; he is safe 

 — at least, in our view of his position. No, poor 

 fellow, that muscular curving of your strong back is 

 of no use to you in the new element to which you 

 are transferred ; your slimy life among the weeds is 

 over now ; you have swallowed your last mouthful, 

 and must play an altogether passive part throughout 

 your next appearance at a feast. — Jones's Holiday 

 Papers. 



Salmon in Australian Colonies. — The young 

 salmon deposited some time since in Badger's 

 Creek, a tributary of the Yarra, are doing well, and 

 are now about three inches long. Wc have not 

 heard lately how the Hobart Town portion of the 

 great naturalization experiment is getting on, but by 

 last advices it was proceeding prosperously, 



Salmon in Asia. — It is a remarkable fact tliat 

 no trout or salmon inhabit any of the rivers that fall 

 into the Indian Ocean. This widely distributed 

 order of fish {Salmonidte) is, however, found in the 

 Oxus, and in all the rivers of Central Asia that flow 

 north and west. The central Himalayan rivers often 



