A YO UNG NA TURA LIST. 1 8 f 



" You quite forget the cocUearia, or scurvy-grass, so useful to 

 sailors as a remedy for scurvy ? " said Sumiclirast. 



" You are right ; but I think I 've said enough about the 

 Cmciferce for Master Sunbeam to remember." 



A few paces farther on, whilst we were looking for insects 

 under the leaves of a shrub, Lucien drew back in surprise at 

 seeing it covered with the pretty little creatures called tree-frogs 

 (hyla viridis). Instead of flying towards the water, these reptiles 

 made for the woods. Sumiclirast explained to the young natural- 

 ist that tree-frogs have sticky discs on their feet, and by the aid 

 of this mechanism they could move about on leaves and even on 

 smooth surfaces. 



" In Europe," he added, " the peasants shut them up in bottlee 

 half full of water, and assert that the animal predicts good or 

 bad weather by either coming up to the top or keeping under 

 the water. The tree-frog, like all its fellows, buries itself in the 

 mud during winter, and remains torpid. This lethargy, which 

 in glacial climates has the effect of preserving it from hunger, 

 must in Mexico have some other cause, for in the latter country 

 it can find food all the year round. The skin of the tree-frog 

 secretes a poisonous matter." 



" Come here, and look at an apple-tree ! " cried Lucien, sud- 

 denly. 



I hastened to the spot, and found a shrub about thirteen or 

 fourteen feet high, covered with berries of a yellowish colour, 

 spotted with red. I recognised what is called in the Antilles 

 the soap-tree. This discovery came just in the nick of time, 

 and Sumichrast helped us in gathering some of the useful fruit 

 which would assist us to give our clothes a thorough wash. 

 Lucien tasted the little apples, which were as transparent as 

 artificial fruit made of pure wax ; but he did not like their 

 astringent flavour, and threw them away with every expression 

 of disgust. 



A quarter of an hour later, we were all kneeling on the banks 

 of the stream and trying who could perform the greatest amount 

 of washing, the fruit of the soap-tree aff'ording us a plentiful supply 

 of lather. In the Terre-Tem^Me, a root called amoU is a substitute 



