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KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



every year. In these ponds the fish are allowed 

 to remain from ten months to three years. Upon 

 taking them out, the shell is cut through with a 

 fine saw, the pearl is separated from the shell, and 

 the pellet, or other substance within it, extracted. 

 It is then filled with white wax, and a piece of the 

 shell carefully attached, to conceal the aperture. 

 Several millions of pearls are thus produced 

 annually, worth from about a penny to eightpence 

 a pair. — E. J. 



Locality — Particular places become dear to the 

 heart of man ; more generally by the associations 

 attached to them than by their beauty, convenience, 

 or fertility. Nor is this the case only as affecting 

 individuals ; for attachment, founded on memories 

 or traditions, binds tribes and nations likewise to 

 certain spots. And this is c arried so far, occasion- 

 ally, that the mere name uf a distant country will 

 excite in the bosom feelings of affection and devo- 

 tion, joy, pride, and hope. — Mimosa. 



The Umbrella Bird. — This singular bird is about 

 the size of a raven, and is of a similar color ; but 

 its feathers have a more scaly appearance, from 

 being margined with a different shade of glossy 

 blue. It is also allied to the crows in its structure, 

 being very similar to them in its feet and bill. On 

 its head it bears a crest, different from that of any 

 other bird. It is formed of feathers more than 

 two inches long, very thickly set, and with hairy 

 plumes curving over at the end. These can be 

 laid back so as to be hardly visible, or can be 

 erected and spread out on every side, forming a 

 hemispherical, or rather a hemiellipsoidal dome 

 completely covering the head, and even reaching 

 beyond the point of the beak ; the individual 

 feathers standing out something like the down- 

 bearing seeds of the dandelion. Besides this, 

 there is another ornamental appendage on the 

 breast, formed by a fleshy tubercle, as thick as a 

 quill, and an inch and a-half long, which hangs 

 down from the neck, and is thickly covered with 

 glossy feathers, forming a large pendent plume or 

 tassel. This also the bird can either press to its 

 breast, so as to be scarcely visible, or can swell out, 

 so as almost to conceal the fore part of the body. 

 In the female the crest and the neck-plume are 

 less developed, and she is altogether a smaller and 

 much less handsome bird. It inhabits the flooded 

 islands of the Eio Negro and the Solimoes, never 

 appearing on the mainland. It feeds on fruits, 

 and utters a loud hoarse cry, like some deep 

 musical instrument; whence its Indian name, 

 Ueramimbe, " trumpet bird." — Wallace. 



The Goat Moth. — I see, in the last number 

 of the " Naturalist," page 45, the following note 

 on the caterpillar of the goat-moth (Cossus Lig- 

 niperda). " I met with a singular instance of 

 tenacity of life in the caterpillar of the goat-moth. 

 It had escaped from the box containing it, and 

 when upon the floor was in fortunately trodden 

 upon. A tea-spoonful of thick, cream-like matter 

 was squeezed out, and speedy death seemed 

 certain. It lived, however, under these painful 

 circumstances, more than a week. It laid upon 

 its back, apparently lifeless ; but moved when 

 touched. — T. P., Fernie, Eimbolton, December 

 22nd, 1853." Now, I really must take upon 



myself to plead for the caterpillar of Cossus Ligni- 

 perda, and for every sort of larva. I am ready 

 to allow that these creatures are not probably 

 endowed with such exquisite sensations of pain 

 and suffering as are some other animals; but 

 surely this is a positive record of torture; which 

 cannot be justified by any gratification of curiosity 

 whatsoever. An accident befel this larva. It 

 was seen by T. P. Fernie, of Kimbolton, to be 

 fatal ; and yet he continued to let this poor cater- 

 pillar drag out to the veriest extreme its length 

 of torture ! This is the ne plus ultra of cruelty, 

 for it was merely to gratify his own curiosity that 

 this shoeking cruelty was inflicted. He knew, 

 immediately, the wound must be fatal. Let T. 

 P. Fernie (should this ever reach his eye) con- 

 sider kindly the advice of an old entomologist, 

 and be certain that it is unwise as unnecessary 

 to put any creature to torture, for the simple 

 gratification of our own curiosity. We were all 

 created by the same Almighty Being ; and man 

 can have no right to torture any of his creatures. 

 If we cannot discover the peculiarities of any 

 particular insect without inflicting pain or torture, 

 depend upon it we had better remain in ignorance. 

 — Bombyx Atlas. 



Butterflies of the Valley of the Amazon. — I 

 send you herewith an extract from No. 135 (page 

 4179) of the "Zoologist," — having reference to 

 the position of repose in the species of moth, Cato- 

 cala ; a subject on which Mr. Westwood and Mr. 

 Curtis differ : " Proceedings of the Entomological 

 Society. — Butterflies of the Valley of the Amazon. 

 — Mr. Westwood, in reference to a remark in Mr. 

 Wallace's paper, that a certain species of Hes- 

 peria, with a very beautiful under surface, sat 

 with its wings erect, observed that Nature gener- 

 ally provided that adornments of this kind should 

 be exhibited. It was particularly the case with 

 the Catocalidce, which, having very beautiful 

 under wings, rested with the upper wings open, 

 so that the under wings were exposed. Mr. 

 Curtis differed from Mr. Westwood. He thought 

 that in the genus Catocala (especially in C. 

 Nupta), this was not the case. — T. W. D." 

 Now, my dear sir, is it not wonderful, that two 

 gentlemen so eminent in the entomological world 

 should differ upon such a very simple subject ? I 

 do not presume to give an opinion, but I will state 

 a matter of fact. I have caught hundreds of 

 Catocalido3, and seen hundreds more in a state 

 of repose ; yet never did I see one vain enough to 

 exhibit the beautiful under wings, however proud 

 he might be of them. No, Mr. Editor; they are 

 all a modest family (at least in a state of repose), 

 and conceal the richness of their under dress 

 beneath an upper garment of sober ash -color (in 

 some, more or less tinged with fulvous). This 

 holds good whether we talk of the blue, the red, 

 or the yellow underwing. There is one of this 

 species, however, I am bound to confess, which is 

 rather coquettish. I mean Electa. The others 

 of the species are mostly found with their heads 

 upwards, and their abdomen downwards, or a little 

 inclined to the right or the left. Electa, forsooth, 

 must invariably have his head downwards, and 

 his abdomen raised. Why he does not behave 

 like others of his family, is more than I can dis- 

 cover. I merely mention the case for the amuse- 



