KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



267 



forgotten, that we are bound to prepare food 

 for every class of consumers — Belgravia and 

 Wlritechapel, the dyspeptic and the peptic, and 

 what would alarm the pylonic regions of the 

 former would be cheerfully solicited by the 

 latter. I can only add, that the effect of tallow 

 greaves on chickens is marvellous, in egg-laying. 

 Throughout the past winter, with a small bri- 

 gade of poultry, we were never without eggs. 

 As the greaves are prepared in very solid square 

 cakes, the method of using them I adopt, is to 

 break them into pieces ; and then to steep them 

 in cold water about thirty hours. The better 

 plan of proceeding in pig-diet is to boil the 

 greaves. In the cooked form, this food becomes 

 a real palliative, and the whole duty of the 

 pig is confined to overloading his stomach, and 

 indulging in solid sleep. And that which the 

 pig leaves behind as a legacy, would be re- 

 garded a treasure even in Lobos Island. — 

 A. B. 



[The above appears also in the Agricultural 

 Gazette. As regards pigs, we care to offer no 

 observations; but as regards poultry, fowls so 

 fed will lay eggs both strong and unpalatcable, 

 quite unfit for the breakfast-table.] 



To Rescue the Weak in Distress ; Is it not a 

 " noble" task ?— 



In yonder glass, behold a drowning fly! 

 Its little feet how vainly does it ply ! 

 Its cries we hear not, yet it loudly cries ; 

 And gentle hearts can feel its agonies. 

 Poor helpless victim ! and will no one save? 

 Will no one snatch thee from the threat'ning 



wave? 

 Is there no friendly hand, no helper nigh ? 

 And must thou, little struggler, must thou die ? 

 Thou shalt not, whilst this hand can set thee 



free — 

 Thou shalt not die; this hand shall rescue 



thee. 

 My finger's tip shall prove a friendly shore: 

 There — trembler; all thy dangers now are o'er. 

 Wipe thy wet wings, and banish all thy fear; 

 Go, join thy num'rous kindred in the air ! 

 Away it flies, resumes its harmless play, 

 And lightly gambols in the golden ray. 



Smile not, my readers, at this humble deed — 

 Por you, perhaps, some nobler task's 



DECREED ! 



K.OSETTA. 



The Wasp. — Will you please to tell us, Mr. 

 Editor, what you promised about the contri- 

 vance of the Wasp, when in situations of diffi- 

 culty with his prey? You intimated that Dr. 

 Darwin had recorded a curious fact, connected 

 with this subject, and that you would transcribe 

 it. Will you do so ? Do, please. — Agnes. 



[Thank you, gentle Agnes, for your vigilance. 

 You do well to keep us up to our promises. We 

 never like to go from our word ; but we need 

 sometimes to be put in remembrance of what 

 might possibly escape our recollection. If you 

 saw the mass of correspondence now lying on our 

 table, you would hardly wonder if we were occa- 

 sionally forgetful. One head and one pen somehow 

 or other, " contrive," like the Wasp, to get through 



many "difficulties." — As Dr. Darwin was walk- 

 ing one day in his garden, he perceived a wasp 

 upon the gravel walk, with a large fly, nearly as 

 big as itself, which it had caught. Kneeling 

 down, he distinctly saw it cut oft' the head and 

 abdomen, and then, taking up with its feet the 

 trunk, or middle portion of the body, to which 

 the wings remained attached, fly away; but a 

 breeze of wind, acting on the wings of the fly, 

 turned round the wasp, with its burden, and 

 impeded its progress. Upon this, it alighted 

 again on the gravel walk, deliberately sawed off 

 first one wing, and then another, and having thus 

 removed the cause of its embarrassment, flew off 

 with its booty. Here we have contrivance and 

 re-contrivance ; a resolution accommodated to the 

 case, judiciously formed and executed, and, on 

 the discovery of a new impediment, a new plan 

 adopted, by which final success was obtained. 

 There is, undoubtedly, a most remarkable " in- 

 stinct" in all this.] 



Toads and Frogs. — Being most anxious to 

 get at the truth of the statement that has gone 

 abroad, respecting toads and frogs casting their 

 skins and swallowing them — I have just written 

 to Mr. W. Marshall, of Ely, on the subject of 

 his public statement, and entreating him to ex- 

 plain more fully what he has actually observed. 

 He, like ourselves, seems desirous of ascertaining 

 facts; and his letter in reply to mine, I now 

 forward you. He says — " With respect to toads 

 and frogs shedding their skins, and swallowing 

 them — I am sorry you should doubt my opera- 

 tions; but I must repeat, that ' seeing is believ- 

 ing.' I have kept about twenty-five toads, for 

 two years ; during all which time I watched their 

 habits and saw the operation performed at least 

 forty times. The change takes place in the 

 warm months; and occurs once in the course of 

 a month or six weeks — not annually, as you seem 

 to suppose. I have published a long account 

 of my experiments in a Public Journal (Aug. 

 10, 1850), but it is not now to be had. [Will 

 you be so kind, Sir, as to transcribe it? We 

 will then re-print it for you, in Our Journal. 

 It is a curious and interesting matter for in- 

 quiry.] So much for toads. I never saw a frog 

 swallow its own skin; but in dissecting a frog, 

 I found a perfect skin in its stomach, undigested, 

 and complete to the very fingers. Prom this 

 fact, I apprehend the inference is inevitable, that 

 frogs do swallow their skins as well as toads. 

 W. Marshall." — Now, Sir, allowing Mr. 

 Marshall full credit for his statement (as I am 

 in honor bound to do), it yet remains for me to 

 discover, how this most extraordinary operation 

 has escaped the eye of myself and family — some 

 one of whom has always borne them company, 

 and attended regularly to their wants and re- 

 quirements. I say, there is a grand mystery 

 " somewhere " — the more so, as Mr. Marshall 

 has seen the operation performed so very many 

 times. I hope Mr. M. will be able to send me 

 the long article he refers to, as connected with 

 his experiments. It will interest me ; yourself; 

 and the " curious " public generally. We must 

 not let this subject drop. — J. Lusher, 2, Exeter 

 Change. 



[We quite agree with our correspondent, that 



