Chapt. xhi. Waxy. 179 



and can only give as it was given to me on the word of 

 my medical adviser. "Carbolic acid solution, of which 

 "Culvert's is the best; one part of it to four or five of olive 

 "oil preserves gut, silk, and any organic matter, but does 

 "not act on minerals." If this be the case, it is invalu- 

 able, as gut spoils all too quickly in India. 



Wax you must have. Cobblers' wax you 

 Wax- can get from any boot-maker, but now-a- 



days you must be careful to call it shoe-makers' wax, or 

 you may be told he has not got any. For white fly mak- 

 ing wax here is a recipe: "Two ounces of best yellow rosin, 

 "one drachm of bee's-wax; put them into a pipkin over a 

 "slow fire till completely .melted. Then add a quarter of 

 "an ounce of spermaceti; and let the whole simmer, con- 

 stantly stirring it for a quarter of an hour longer. Pour 

 "the melted mass into a basin of clear cold water. It will 

 "instantly become thick. In this state, and while yet warm, 

 "work it by pulling it through the fingers till cold. This 

 "last operation is necessary to make the wax tough, and to 

 "give it that silvery hue it has when made in perfection." 

 (The Angler and his Friend, by John Davy, m. d., f. r. s.) 

 Francis Francis substitutes tallow, I see, for spermaceti. 

 It is satisfactory to know the weight of 

 fish. fish killed. For small fish you could not well 



desire a handier little thing than the instrument commonly 

 sold for weighing up to 3 lbs. parcels for the Post in Eng- 

 land. It is on the principle of the steel yard, but is neatly 

 arranged with a self-adjusting dial plate on one side. 

 The price is I think one Shilling ; Indice eight Annas. 



23* 



