1879.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
193 
Concealed Verbs.— 1. Kid, ride, bee, go, do. 2. Swell, 
prop, run, stand, standing, go, act. S. Play. lay. say, go, do, 
4. Fly. flying, sing, singe, do, put, utter, is 5. Head, grin, tee. 
Is. trace, race, ate. go be. 
Double Acrostic. 
Iliad—Homer. 
I— ne —H 
L- -O 
I—conis—M 
A—uster—E 
D—octo—R 
Geographical Puzzle.— 
1 Henry. 2. Melville. 3. Fox. 
4. Horn. 5. Sleeping bear. 6. 
Superior. 7. Rainy. 
Alphabetical Arithsie- 
tic. — (Key — Only a tiger.) 
1064)5205739(4892. 
Anagrams—1. Irrigation. 2. Mathematics. 3. Wearisome. 
4 Advocates. 5. Martyrdom. 6. Contrivances. 7. Daunt¬ 
less. 8. Undesirable. 9. Departure. 10. Governess. 
Drop-Letter Puzzle.—1. Caravansary. 2. Grimalkin. 3. 
Denunciatory. 4. Apochrynhal. 5. Empyrean. 0. \\ inter¬ 
green. 7. Predaceous. 8. Pragmatical. 
Square Word. 
AZOV 
ZONE 
ONUS 
VEST 
Numerical Enigmas— 1. 
Patrick Henry. 2 Periwinkle. 
8, Love one another 
Cross Word—A ffliction. 
(an a Tiling Move and Remain 
Still? 
“ Can I believe my own eyes is a common expres¬ 
sion with persons when surprised. In many cases, it is 
safe to reply to this question—“you can't.” In former 
volumes, we have given several curious illustrations 
of the fact that “ things are not what they seem,” by 
showing you what are called optical illusions. Not long 
ago, we showed how a collection of perfectly circular 
black spots would look six-sided, in spite of all you 
could do. We have shown how two lines, exactly par¬ 
allel, may be made to appear spread apart at one end, by 
simply drawing other lines across them. We have given 
two curved figures, one above another, which you were 
sure were very unlike in size, until they were measured, 
or when one was put over the other it was seen that they 
were exactly the same to the breadth of a hair. To make 
something appear in motion that you know to be per¬ 
fectly still, is an easy matter. Draw upon a card a series 
of black circles, one within another, with spaces or cir¬ 
cles of white, of the same width between them, to form 
a sort of black and white target. Now move the card in 
a circle—you will soon get “ the hang ” of it—just move 
it, face towards the eye, as if you were trying to run the 
central dot around in a circle about six inches across. 
When you get the right motion, and it need not be very 
rapid, the whole target will appear as if it were revolving 
on its center, and you will also see a sort of dim, hazy 
cross, that seems to be going in the same direction. The 
effect is most curious and striking, for there is the thing 
going round and round as plainly as a cart wheel goes 
round, yet you know that it doesn’t budge a particle. It 
is better to draw tbe circles upon a piece of card, or 
of stiff paper, neatly inking every other one to make it 
as black as possible, but it will be all the better if you 
can paint them with India ink. It will show very fairly 
AN OPTICAL ILLUSION. 
by using this target as printed here—fold the paper 
back, then crosswise, so as to show the bottom half 
of this page, and move it as directed. “ Why is this 
so?”—will, of course, be asked. It is not so easily ex¬ 
plained. If we say it is a confusion of the impressions 
made upon the eye by parts of the circles “ coincident 
with the path of the card,” you will have what the phil¬ 
osophers say, but not any clearer idea than before. The 
better way will be, as it can not be explained so that 
every one will understand it, to call it a very curious op¬ 
tical illusion, and amuse yourself and others with its 
strange motion—or rather what appears to be motion. 
The Doctor’s Correspondence. 
Another letter from James F. W., and very welcome it 
is. James is not a •‘jug-handle correspondent.” You 
will at once wish to know what kind of a correspondent 
that may be. When you consider that the handle of a 
jug is “all on one side,” you will infer that James is one 
who gives as well as asks. In answer to his inquiry, I 
told him last month something about “ setting up “ 
large butterflies and moths, and In return he gives his 
method, and other things that will interest those who 
are studying insects, or making collections. Concerning 
SPECIMENS OP BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS, 
James writes: “Dear Doctor—X was much obliged to 
you for your hints on raising butterflies. Would you 
think me impertinent if I suggested an improvement to 
your method of pinning their wings to a board ? I take 
a piece of shingle, gouge a groove up through the center 
of it (as you describe in fig. 5, page 149. of the March 
number). I cut two little slits in the edges of the shin¬ 
gle (as herewith shown in fig. 1), and draw the end of a 
long piece of thread through one of them. I pin my 
butterfly (as shown in your fig. 5 and my fig. 1), and then 
fasten the wings into the required position, adjusting 
them carefully with a pin, by winding the thread over and 
over the wings and shingle, and fastening the last end of 
the thread in the second slit. When the wings are “ set,” 
and I remove the butterfly from the wood in the course 
of a few days, I wind the thread around my shingle, and 
it is always ready for my next specimen. Shall I tell 
you how I made my net? [Of course.] I cut from a 
tree a long stick having two equal, slender, widely- 
spread branches at the end—a stick shaped like a very 
long letter Y. Then I fastened the ends together, as in 
fig. 2. A square of mosquito netting or coarse lace an¬ 
swered for the net. I fastened the edges of this together 
like a‘jelly bag;’ cutoff some of the point, then sew¬ 
ed it around the bow part of my stick, and my net (fig. 
3) was complete. When I catch my butterfly under 
the net, I endeavor to get hold of it very 
carefully through the net, and so prevent its 
fluttering and destroying its plumage ; then 
I take my little bottle of ether out of my coat 
pocket, remove the cork with my teeth, put one 
drop of ether on the butterfly’s ‘nose,’ and 
straightway it becomes a ‘ specimen.’ I am 
much obliged to you for the suggestion about 
the Cyanide of Potassium. (I’ll be very care¬ 
ful with it, will label it ‘ POISON!’ and put 
it out of the reach of children and others.) I 
wish I had known about it before I caught a 
huge beetle, summer before last. Why I killed 
that thing seven times!—or thought I did. I 
gave him ether, camphor, hartshorn, drowned 
him, smoked him, until I felt sure that if Mr. Bergh 
knew about it, he would have me arrested for cruelty to 
animals, but what could I do ? I thought he was dead 
every time, and when he would lift up his head and be¬ 
gin to stretch himself, I would say, ' Oh, you poor beast, 
what am I to do with you !’—I put him under a tumbler 
with some cockroach powder one day, and in the even¬ 
ing he was ‘ stretched.’ ‘ At last!’ said I, and I pinned 
him to my wall (which was a simple wooden partition), 
and went to bed thankful that the poor thing was dead 
at last. In the middle of the night I woke, hearing 
some peculiar sound, a sort of regular scratching; got 
up, struck a light, and if there wasn’t my beetle alive 
once more, dancing around that pin, on the wheel prin¬ 
ciple, as though he rather enjoyed the exercise. Now, 
if I had oDly known about the Cyanide of Potassium, I 
need not have so prolonged his discomfort and my own. 
I have been told that it is necessary to sprinkle my 
chrysalides with water occasionally, as they are expected 
to be left out in the rain. With thanks, James F. W.” 
HOW TO MANAGE BEETLES. 
The best and quickest way with beetles, large and 
small, as well as the true “ bugs ” and some others, is to 
drown them in alcohol. Keep a wide-mouthed bottle— 
or, better, two, one for the minute specimens. As soon 
as caught, pop tbe beetle into the alcohol, and it is soon 
beyond all such revival as James describes. The insects 
may be left in the alcohol for months if need be, or un¬ 
til ready to set them up.... Miss Maggie wishes to know 
“about artificial coral, 
and what It is made of.” The real coral, as she no doubt 
knows, is the product of a sea animal, often incorrectly 
described as an “ insect,” and there has been much fine 
writing about the industry of the minute “ Coral Insect ” 
that in time builds up islands through its constant and 
united labors. There is a “coral-animal,” but it is no 
more an insect than it is a fish. It is a polyp, one of 
those strange compound animals with a manner of life 
more like that of a plant than of other animals. But I 
cannot now tell you more about real coral other than to 
say that it is not built. It grows, so to speak, and the 
animal can no more help or prevent it than you can the 
growth of your bones. Indeed the coral itself serves the 
creature the same purpose that bones do other animals— 
it strengthens and protects it. Most corals are quite 
coarse, but the red coral is very fine in texture, takes a 
high polish, and is of such beautiful color and comes in 
such irregular and quaint forms that it is valued for 
ornamental work. Imitation coral is a substance called 
CELLULOID] 
an article of recent invention and manufacture. The 
name means something resembling cellulose, and that— 
cellulose— is the material of which the minute 
cells of plants is made. One of the purest 
forms of cellulose, in the natural condition, 
is cotton ; the fibres of linen are also nearly 
pure cellulose, aud wood of all kinds consists 
largely of it. Yon perhaps know that cotton 
(and other forms of cellulose) may be so treat¬ 
ed with acids, that while continuing to look 
like cotton it becomes very explosive (gun cot¬ 
ton). and will dissolve in ether, which common 
cotton will not. This solution of gun cotton 
in ether (collodion), is used for various purposes 
asavarnish. It dries and leaves a transparent 
coating or film, which, while it is not at all 
like cotton in appearance, is nearly the same 
substance. This example shows you how 
cellulose, in the form of cotton may be changed. 
In making celluloid some form of cellulose is 
dissolved, and so treated in the manufacture 
that it becomes a mass which may be moulded 
into a vast number oi useful forms, and when dry has 
EVERT APPEARANCE OP IVORY, 
being white, hard, and taking a fine polish. Celluloid 
has an advantage over ivory, as having no grain it can 
not crack in aDy particular direction. Various articles, 
sucli as were formerly made from ivory, hard woods, etc., 
are now made of celluloid. After adding the proper color¬ 
ing material, celluloid is moulded into the proper shape 
to form artificial coral, superior to the original in being 
more durable, and equal to it in every respect save one— 
it can be furnished more cheaply_“T. Z. S.”—Your 
question requires more research than I can now give it. 
It is one of those things that may improve by keeping. 
Tlie American Devil-Fish. 
When we speak of the “American Devil-Fish,” you 
naturally suppose that there are other Devil-fishes 
that are not American, and we may also add that there 
are Devil-fishes that are not fishes. There are several 
large creatures of the sea to which the not very elegant 
name of Devil-fish has been given. One of these, having 
been an important character in a generally read work of 
fiction, is widely known, but is not a fish. The Devil¬ 
fish of which Victor Hugo tells an exciting story is a 
Cephalopod. If you will turn to page 107 in March last, 
you will find that the class of animals called Cephcdopods 
is briefly described in telling Aunt Sue about her 
“ Squid .” It is there stated that the Devil-fish of the 
story is very much like an enormous “ Squid,” with 
arms 20 or more feet in length, instead of half as many 
inches. This is all we need to say about that Devil-fish 
which is not a fish. Some true fishes, creatures with a 
regular back-bone, are called Devil-fish, and one is so 
much larger than the others that it seems to have a right 
to the name. The picture ou the next page shows this 
fish as it lies upon its back. Its form at once suggests 
that of the Bat, and we do not wonder that the name of 
“Sea Vampire” (Vampire being the name of a large 
kind of bat) has been sometimes given to it. But what 
a huge bat—as you can see by comparing its size 
with that of the negro pulling at one of the wings l 
Several have been taken that measured 14 to 16 feet 
from tip to tip of the wings, and about 12 feet from the 
top of the head to the end of the tail. A fish of such 
size as this may be truly called a monster. But you will 
notice that there is very little about this creature that 
Fig. 1.—SETTING UP A BUTTERFLY. 
Fig. 2.— FRAME FOR NET. Fig. 3. —THE NET COMPLETED. 
