§06 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
iAuG0STf, 
Fig. 2. — TAIL. 
much BO. that they (five them difFurent names ; tlie Lob- 
ster being called Honiarus, aud the Crawfish Astacus. 
""W. I. N." is not the only oue who has aj-ked about the 
animal, which is found in mo? t streams, and is especially 
abundant in the South and West. This, the Crabs, the 
Lobster, the Shrimps, and others, includiuo; some very 
email animals, called '' Sand-fleas," all belong to the 
CLASS OP CRUSTACEANS, 
so-called, because they have a crusta, or outside crust, or 
shell. Some of them may be mistaken for insects, to 
which they are closely related ; they differ from insects in 
the number of divisions of the body, and number of legs ; 
the true insects have six legs, while llicse have 10 or more, 
and breathe by gills; so you will see that the crustaceans 
are very unlike insects. To describe our Crawfish, we 
must borrow an engraving fiom Prof. E. S. Morse's 
''First Book of Zoology," a work which I wish evei-y 
wide-awake boy or 
girl, who wishes to 
study animal life, 
coiild have. Here, 
fii^ure 1, is Prof. 
Morse's portrait of 
one of the Crawfish- 
es, for we have sever- 
al. Ton will see that 
there are two unlike 
parts, the body and 
head are not distinct, but all in one piece, or shield, and 
make the upper part, while the lower parr (that we in the 
lobster incorrectly call the " tail," but which is really the 
abdomen.) is made up of rings, and in the engraving is 
shown curved nnder the body ; at the very end of this 
part are some broad phites, or fins, which are shown sep- 
arate in fiirureS: these the animal uses in swimming, 
and can go backwards very rapidly. Beginning at the 
head end, you will notice its curious eyes, which are set 
upon stalks, so that the animal can push them out and 
turn them, to see in all directions ; then there is a pair of 
long feelei's, and a pair of shorter ones, which are doulile. 
If you shonid carefully examine the mouth, you would 
fi,nd it well guarded by six pairs of parts, some of which 
are jaws, and others are more like paws or feet. Thi;n, 
from the under-side of the body, are five pairs of legs, the 
forward pair mucli larger tlian the others, with powerful 
pincers at the end ; these they nse to fi^rht with, to calch 
their prey, and, sometimes, to nip the toes of l>oys who 
are not on The lookout. The next two pairs of legs ei:d 
Jn small nippi-rs, and the other two pjiirs have only a 
single claw. The lower half of the animal, or abdomen, 
is made up of rings, jointed together, and underneath, on 
each ring, is a pair of flipper-like bodies, which are used 
like fins in swimming forwards, and in the female they 
hold the eggs until they hatch. There are many other 
curious thini^s abcmt the animal, but we can not now look 
inside of it to point them out. The shell is hard, and tlie 
animal can not giow, so occasionally (once a year it is 
supposed) the creature gets out of its shell. Lobsters 
and Crabs, moult, as it is called, in a similar manner ; the 
body part separates from the abdomen, and the shield of 
the body cracks down the back ; the animal wriggles its 
Fig. 1. — A CRAWFISH. {From Morse.) 
body out of the opening, and then pulls out one leg after 
another, 
LIKE PULLING OFF ITS BOOTS, 
until at last it is quite free. The animal is then a help- 
less, weak, soft thing, unable to defend itself, so it hides 
away from all enemies, increases in size; its skin 
gradually hardens, aud at lengtli becomes a shell. Some- 
times one of the legs is too tight a fit, and will not come 
out of the '* boot " ; in this case, after trying for a while, 
the animal finding that it will not come off, just leaves its 
leg, and goes away without it. You will think that, hav- 
ing so many legs, one the less will make no difference. 
Not so— the leg grows again ! These animals have a droll 
way with their lege; if, in fighting, the enemy gets fast 
hold of a leg, they let it drop, aud get off with the rest. 
The Crawfish feeds on any kind of animal food, living or 
Fiff. 3. — sowBUG. 
dead, even eating carrion. In some places they cause 
mncli trouble by making holes in embankments, as they 
are fond of burrowing, and sometimes they live in low 
grounds at a distance from streams, in holes containing 
wali-r. The European Crawfish is larger than ours, and 
is much esteemed as food There is another animal 
that I was asked about tome time ago — 
THE COMMON "SOWEDG." 
I was asked if it were an insect, and if it did any harm. 
No doubt every boy and giri, almost, knows this animal, 
which is very common in celhtrs, under logs and boards 
that liave laid long on the ground, and in other damp 
places ; because it is called Sowbuir, they have most like- 
ly supposed it was a l)ug. or insect. The engraving, fig. 
3, also from Prof. Morse's book, 
shows the form of the animal 
magnified, and the line at its side 
gives the natural length ; it is of 
a bluish or lead-color, and, having 
an .abundance of legs, it travels off 
in a lively manner. Tlie Sowbugs 
arc called Wood-lice in England, 
and sometimes, on account of 
their color, "Slateis." This is 
not an insect, hut a crustacean, 
and belongs to the same class with 
the Crawfish. I have not room 
to point out how it is like, and 
how it is unlike the Ciawfish, but one of the differ- 
ences is in the number of f>et, for which reason it 
is placed in a different division of the class. Like the 
Crawfish, the Sowl)ug carries its eggs under tlie body. 
While these creatures can, and do, live on decaying 
plants and other useless matter, they are so fond of other 
things, that we must, on the whole, look upon 
THE SOWEUGS AS ENEMIES ; 
they are fond of fruit, and, though they do not eat much, 
they make unpleasant holes in strawberries and other 
fruits; then there are some delicate garden plants that 
tliey destroy, and in the greenhouse they will uiake great 
mischief. They are especially fond of the roots of those 
plants known as Orchids, which are, perhaps, the most 
costly of all hot-house plants, and gardeners have to keep 
a sharp look-out, and catch the Sowbugs in tra])smadeof 
a scooped-out apple or potato... Master "J. W. W.," 
Gilmores Mills, Va.. wishes me to describe 
THE COMMON HODSE-FLT. 
I do not wonder at his wishing to know something 
about this very common, and very annoying insect— I 
should like to know about it too. Dr. Packard, one of 
the recent writers on insects, in ft jiopular work on 
'* Our Common Insects," tells us that the changes of the 
fly have not been traced in this country! It is strange 
that our entomologists give very full accounts of far-away 
insects that few care about, but when it comes to the 
commonest of all. the pest of every house, thej' admit 
that they are not sure whether (Uir fly is the same as that 
of Europe, or a difterent species! The English works, 
that 1 have access to, tell but little. From what lean pick 
up here and there, it appears that a few flies, enough to con- 
tinue the breed, live through the winter^ hid- 
den in the cracks and crevices of our houses. 
These come out whfii the weathergets warm, 
and the first that we see are those that have 
been wintered over. Doct. Harris wrote, 
over 25 years ago, of our fly, '' It is probable 
that, like the domestic fly ofEnropi?, it lays 
their eggs in dung, in which its larvse [mag- 
gots] live, aud pass through their changes of 
form," and so far as I can find out. the scien- 
tific gL-ntlemen. who study insects, are con- 
tent with this "probable" statement, and 
have added nothing, so far as I am aware, 
to the history of the house-fly The same 
correspondent asks if I think it proper to 
KILL THE BLACK SNAKE ; 
he has heen told that this snake should 
be spared, because it kills rattle-snakes, 
while he thinks it should be killed, because 
it destroys so many insect-eating birds. 
I have never considered the question. I very much doubt 
the rattle-snake story; if I were sure that the Black 
Snake did kill useful birds, I should prefer to dispense 
with the snake. As a general thing. I protest against the 
killing of snakes, merely because they are snakes. My 
young friend must act according to his knowledge ; I can 
not decide for him.. .Master ''J. W. W." has still an- 
other point. He was told by an "intelligent yoimg 
man," that the 
COMMON EARTH, ANGLE, OR PISH-WORM, 
was the lai-val, or grub, state of the Fire-fly, or " Light- 
ning-bug," and that, in the course of time, the worms 
would turn into the perfect insect. — This is a great mis- 
take. The Earth-worm does not " turn into " anything ; 
it is as complete an animal in its way, aa a dog, a horse, 
or even as a young man is, according to his kind. 
Aunt $ue's Cliuts. 
J. B. W. and several others have asked for canvas-pat- 
terns for tidies, etc. It does not seem worth while to go 
to the expense of engraving them for the Atne7^can 
Agriculturist, when they may be procured for a few cents 
at almost any worsted store. 
Florence M. — The prettiest way of arranging flowers 
that I have seen latelj', is to fill your saucer or dish with 
fresh, moist, green moss {polytrichum is the best), aud 
stick your flower-stems into it. The effect is vei-y pretty, 
and a few flowers make quite a show. Keep the moss 
wet. With that arrangement you will not need a "cover 
to hide the stems." For answer to your other question, 
see notice to J. B. W, 
M. R. asks, "Is it proper t« have a spit-box in a 
parlor?" — I should like to be able to answer, most 
fmphatically, "7M>"; but if your guests have acquire! 
that most abominable habit— spitting— it may be neces- 
sary to have the horrid thing in the room, to save the 
carpet. There are times, however, when I think the * 
mere appearance of the utensil invites contributioiw. I 
would not have selected this subject for a lecture, but as 
M. R. has started me, I should like to add. to all the 
boys (I dare not say men), who read thes^e lines, please 
don't ever. spit, if you can avoid it. It is an ungentle- 
nuuily habit. 
Mary Augusta writes: June 11, 1877. 
''Darling Aurd Sue:— I am a country girl, aud .is I am 
a blonde, I of course have plenty of freckles, as all girls 
and boys do that are not afraid of the fresh air. Now, 
Aunt Sue, I want you to be so kind as to publish a recipe 
for making a wash for my face, to take them off', one that 
will not spoil my skin, as all, or nearly all, of these ad- 
vertised washes do. Now, if it is in your power to do 
anything in that line, or if you can't, I will always be 
your loving friend, Mary Augusta." 
Well, my "darling," Mary Angustii, I have often read 
recipes for removing freckles— lemon-juice, borax, and 
water, etc., but I never saw or heard of any that were 
cflicacious (except those which took " skin and all "). I 
suppose you could get rid of them if you should stay in 
bed, send for the doctor, and not go out of the house for 
tliree montlis or so. How would you like to have a clear 
complexion at that expense? The best remedy for 
freckles that I know of, is to be so pleasant, unselfish, 
good-natured, and jolly, that everybody will be glad to 
see your freckles come into the room. I spent one sum- 
mer at the sea-side, where there was a young lady with a 
very fair complexion, but she always muffled herself up 
in veils aud wraps, even when she went in bathiug. I 
noticed that, although strangers were attracted by her 
good looks at first, the attraction didn't lasL long, and the 
" strangers " soon deserted the biJauty and had a good 
time w ith the freckled girls. So never mind your freckles, 
dear. I rather like them. 
Answers, too late for notice, to the liquor agent's ac- 
count, have been received from Mrs. R. H. S., TFilliam 
S. F., Jesse M., Vox Pueri, O. H. L., C. C. W., and 
John L. D. (Jesse M., yon will liave to try again.) 
Very clever answers have also been sent to the " Puz- 
zling Puzzle" in the May No., page 1S7, by C. H. Hill, 
W. C. HaiTcy, George AVhite, W. S. Fuller, Webfoot, 
O. W. West, G. A. W., aud W. W. 
The latter offers a puzzle, which, though not original, 
is very good, and may be new to many of our readers. 
Place 24 sticks (toothpicks 
or matclies) so as to 
make nine squares, thus: 
Required the removal of 
eight sticks or matches, so 
as to leave two, and only 
two, complete squares. 
When sending the prizes 
to those who answered the 
prize enigma, I requested 
an acknowledgment of the 
l)arcels, and asked most of 
the recipients to tell me 
what word gave them the clew to the whole. Only eight 
have responded. I trust that the other four prizes have not 
gone astray. I should like to publish some of the pleas- 
ant letters received on the subject, l)ut lack of space for- 
bids. Many inform me, conscientiously, that they were 
assisted by other members of the family. That was all 
right, provided that only one of that family sent the 
answer. Geo. M. Taylor says that he fixed npou " Ounce" 
for the animal, and " stuck to it." And adds, " I sent a 
copy to two friends, who are reputed experts, and they 
liave been working at it since. One of them has the aid 
of a philologist, who is trying also, but none of them 
have got further than 'tii:er' yet, for the 'carnivorous 
animal.'"— J. B. M. and C. S. Campbell guessed the 
squirrel-fur (•' Vair ") ; and Jessie L. Eirk, Mrs. Thomas, 
and Abraham Resh found "Macaroon," and now /wonder 
how they ever found that word as a definition for fop. 
Will Frederick Bruce, Jas. A. Windsor, Jr., Edward D, 
