Roach and Dace; their Mode of Spawning in 

 Ponds.— The very delightful account you have 

 given in former numbers, of the artificial mode 

 of impregnating the ova of fish, has brought to 

 my recollection a curious circumstance that I 

 witnessed some years ago, in or about the month 

 of May. I was staying at Kilbourn House ; and 

 one fine sunny morning, I strolled out in the 

 grounds for a walk. Feeling tired, I lay down on 

 the side of the fish-pond; and almost immediately 

 afterwards my eye was arrested by a violent 

 agitation observable among the weeds, on the 

 top of the water. I at once attributed this to 

 frogs; but on closer examination, I found it pro- 

 ceeded from fish. The surface of the pond was 

 alive with roach and dace, averaging in length 

 from six to eight inches each. The} r were 

 spawning. I eagerly watched this most in- 

 teresting process, and can tell you how it was 

 managed. The male fish, in every instance 

 seized the female by the gill fin; which caused 

 her to move rapidly among the weeds. By the 

 violence of her motion, the ova were ejected ; and 

 this accomplished, the latter were immediately 

 taken charge of and rendered fruitful by the 

 male. There were many hundreds of fish, in 

 pairs; and I observed for three successive daj r s 

 the same things I have now recorded. I imagine 

 that three days only were thus occupied, assum- 

 ing that the operations commenced when I first 

 saw them. Paying a visit here daily, I think 

 we may take this for granted. — Verax. 



The Camels Voice to Man. — It is not need- 

 ful, Mr. Editor, that the inferior creatures should 

 bo able to speak, in order to teach us wisdom. 

 Their patience we witness; and does not that 

 speak ? The following " Lines" on a Camel 

 kneeling down to receive its burden, are worthy 

 a place in Our Own Journal: — 



Emblem of what my soul would be, 



When called my lot to bear; 

 My " duty" in thy act I see, 



Unconscious monitor ! 



Resigned like thee, oh, may I stoop, 



With unresisting will ; 

 Ready to take the burden up, 



And all my task fulfil! 



M. 



American Aloe. — A fine specimen of this Aloe 

 (Agave Americana) is now in bloom, at Moreby 

 Hall, York, where it forms a very stately and 

 conspicuous object. It is grown in a box nearly 

 3 feet square, plunged centrally on the ground 

 level of the spacious gravel-terrace on the east 

 wing of the mansion, in which position it has 

 stood about ten years. It has been protected 

 during the winter season by moveable glass 

 frame-lights, within which a small stove has 

 been placed daring severe weather, to exclude 

 frost. Previous to the formation of the flower 

 stem, the leaves extended between 40 and 50 

 feet in circumference, the heart or central part 

 of the plant being up to the above period 2^ 

 feet in diameter. The length of the leaves 

 averaged from G to 1 feet ; and they were from 

 12 to 16 inches wide at their lowest part, in con- 

 nection with the stem. The flower scape is 20 



feet in height; and at the elevation of about 10 

 feet, the side flower branches, which are 28 in 

 number, commence diverging horizontally from 

 the main column. These lateral flower-stems 

 are about 18 inches in length, progressively 

 shortening towards the top, thus forming an 

 elegant candelabra-like pyramid or outline. 

 Each of the side branches again branch off into 

 three smaller ones; these immediately converge 

 into one large, flat, umbel-like cluster of densely 

 crowded floral envelopes. Hence issue numerous 

 projecting yellow stamens, or male organs, sur- 

 rounded by imperfectly developed floral leaves 

 or sepals. It is calculated, that the aggregate 

 number of blossoms contained in the 28 fascicles 

 is between 4000 and 5000. The excellent pre- 

 servation of the plant for such a period, through 

 all the vicissitudes of weather incident to such a 

 situation, reflect much credit upon the manage- 

 ment. — W. Wood, Fishergate Nursery, York. 



Effects of the Mild Autumn, in Ireland. — The 

 present autumn, in the north of Ireland, has 

 been unusually mild, and several of our oldest 

 and scarcest plants have come into bloom. In 

 the garden of the Marquis of Londonderry, at 

 Mount Stewart, in the county Down, a beautiful 

 specimen of Littcca geminijlora has flowered, and 

 with a flower-stem of some sixteen feet high. In 

 the garden of the Earl of Caledon, county of 

 Tyrone, there is a magnificent specimen of Agave 

 Americana, var, variegata, in full bloom. The 

 stem is about sixteen i'eet in height; and at the 

 present time, the plant is an object of much 

 interest. It has been in the garden more than a 

 hundred years. In the same place, is a remark- 

 ably fine specimen of Doryanthes excelsa, now in 

 bloom. The stem is about nine feet high, and 

 very strong, having made rapid growth for some 

 months. In the Belfast Botanic Garden, the 

 Victoria Regia has flowered for the first time ; 

 and a beautiful plant of Zamia integrifolia has 

 also flowered very recently. The trunk of this 

 plant is about nine inches in height, and twelve 

 inches in diameter, on which two or three rows 

 of leaves arc produced from the centre of the 

 leaves. The plant, in its present state, is a very 

 curious and interesting object. The flower is 

 about twelve inches in length, and twenty-four 

 inches in circumference. It is very like a pine- 

 apple in form ; but it is of a brown-green color, 

 and a large quantity of gum exudes from its 

 surface.— S. S. S., Lisburne, Antrim. 



To the Lovers of Muslirooms. — Among the few 

 fungi that are fit for food, there are very many 

 fine-looking ones that dare not be tampered with ; 

 and no amount of colored plates or letter-press 

 will ever render it safe for a person to cull and 

 eat fungi unless a living guide guarantee the 

 true characters of the species. There are really 

 no bounds to the variations of fungi affected by 

 local circumstances. The lower orders of (cryp- 

 togamic) vegetation, have their generation 

 hidden ; consequently, we find well-educated 

 people puzzled with them. Newman, author of 

 "British Perns," acknowledges that without 

 living guides, he could not make sure of more 

 than two species of ferns, after consulting authors 

 without end. This was when he first commenced 



