372 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
February 10. 
I gave her some pounded 03 ster-sliells, and the third, this 
morning’s, was quite perfect. Wliat can he done for her? ” 
[The old story ; if poultry are fed with aldermanic diet, 
they must of necessity he subject to aldermanic diseases. 
The case of the pullet is evidently owing to a slight elfusiori 
into tho skull, which has produced not apople.\y, as in the 
previous case, and in the case related at page 298, where the 
eifu.sion of blood was very considerable, but paralysis of the 
lower limbs; nothing can be done in such a case. It is just 
possible that the effusion may be absorbed, and tho l)ird 
])artly recover, but this is very improbable. She should be kept 
j [lerfectly quiet, and fed on plain vegetable food. When she 
dies, I should feel obliged if the owner would cut oft' the 
heail, about five or six hours after death, iind forward it to 
me by post, as in that case I should be able to test the 
correctness of my opinion. I quite agree with an opinion 
expressed hy Mr. Baily, that boiled cabbage is worse thair 
useless, the greener parts of the leaves certainly are not 
digested; it maybe good as a medicine diet, but not as food. 
—W. B. Tf.getweier, Totlenham.'] 
HONEY HARVEST OF 1852. 
T SEND you a note of my last season's doings in bee¬ 
keeping. By “ net ” I mean the weight of the honey, bees, 
and comb in stocks, and of the honey and comb in supers 
and glasses. I may as well state that the weather in oiu- 
parts (North of England) from April to the end of June 
was-wretched—cold, wet, and windy; in July, magnificent; 
in August, moderate. 
No. 1 : Swarm of 1848.—The net contents of this hive, 
in September, 1851, were 24 lbs. On 24th of May the hive 
swarmed: no second swfu'm came ofi’. On 7th of August 
1 took a glass, net weight 74 lbs., and on the 22nd of Sep¬ 
tember fumigated the hive, and carried off 25 lbs. of honey. 
The swarm from this hive, which had to be fed constantly 
through June, weighed, on the 2Cth of August, 27 lbs. net. 
No. 2 : SWiUiM OF 1849.—In the beginning of .Tune most 
of the drones and drone grubs were turned out and de¬ 
stroyed, and towards the end of the month a few bees died 
from starvation. On 3rd of July the hive swarmed; no 
second swarm came off, and on the 20th a young queen was 
thrown out. On 2nd August, I took a small glass, 3 lbs. net ; 
on Cth of August, another small glass, 34 lbs. net, and a 
box, 2 lbs. net. On 20th of August this hive weighed 
251 lbs. net. The swarm from this hive weighed, on 20th of 
August, 25 lbs. net. 
No. 3 : Swarm of 1850.—In tho beginning of June most 
of the drones and drone grubs were turned out: in the 
I tniddle of the month the bees began to die. in hmge num¬ 
bers, and I was obliged to feed liberally. The hive did not 
swarm. On the 12th of August I took a small super, lbs. 
net; .and on the 26th another super. Bibs. net. On the 
20th of August this hive weighed 20J lbs. net. 
From this it will be seen that from three stocks I have 
taken 284 Ibs- of honey in glasses and supers, and have had 
two swarms, the net contents of which amounted, on the 
20th of August last, to 52 lbs.—in all 704 Ibs-i or an average 
of 234 lbs. for each hive; this, at a shilling, or even ton- 
i pence per pound, makes each hive a source of considerable 
I annual profit, even in a poor season like the j)resent. 
i Wliat a pity it is that we cannot induce our cottagers to 
! keep bees in greater numbers than they do; there is really 
no mystery about it—a slight knowledge of first jirinciples, 
and a little care and cleanliness, and “ there you are.” 
Flourish is of no use ; the picturesque is a sham. I believe 
that the improved cottage system is the simplest and the 
best; and I can for myself safely say, that I have derived 
more pleasure (to leave the profit out of the question) from 
bees than from any other amusement; though, when I do 
get stung, I present more the appearance of a prize-fighter 
; tlian an ordinary mortal. It is of no use beginning -without 
' some knowledge of tho habits of bees, and a fair stoclc of 
; apparatus. The greater part of the apparatus any intelli¬ 
gent cottager can make, and even if he cannot, 1 am sure 
T2 or T3 of his hard-earned savings would be well in¬ 
vested in providing what is necessary. K. 
PRESERVING SPECIMENS OF ANIMALS. 
(We have been favoured with a inauuscript written 
by the late Du. Latham, so favourably known by his 
“ History of Bu-ds.” "We are not aware if it has been 
published previously; but even if it has, we are quite 
sure that many of our readers will be glad to know the 
preservative process adopted by so distinguished a 
naturalist.) 
There are two methods of preserring birds or other 
animals, the one by preparations which ai'O antiputrcscent, 
the other by an heat regulated in such a manner as to cause 
the aqueous parts to evapor-ate, while the fiesh becoming 
thus dry nothing is left that can grow putrid, and the 
animal is immediately jiresorved witliout further trouble. 
Both those are liable to some exceptions, yet both uill 
answer well with care. 
It must be premised, in regard to the subject to bo 
prepared, that it be as free as possible from apparent in¬ 
jury in the killing, such as the loss of many of the feathers 
on the parts most in -view, or the feathers being bloody, 
ifcc.; though if a wing or a thigh bo broke, or even one 
side only disfigured, it vill not much signify. But if the 
bird can be had alive, being caught in a net or othenvise, 
it will be best. In this case, one way of killing it* will 
be by confining it in a towel, or other means to prevent its 
fiuttering, whilst a knot is made in a piece of fine twine, 
which being put round the neck and drawn tight will pre¬ 
sently strangle the animal. The feathers must be raised 
up where the twine is applied, lest it may rumple them. 
As birds are often obliged to be transported to some distance 
before they can an-ive at the hands of the person who is to 
preserve them, it may be not unworthy of notice that a bird 
will keep longer free from putrefaction if the intestines are 
not drawn. They will often keep fit for preserv'ation for 
ten days in winter, or even much longer in hard frosts, but 
in summer a much less time, according to the heat of the 
air. The bowels, therefore, should not on any account be 
taken out, except they cannot arrive at their journey’s end 
within the above time; in this case they should be extracted 
by an incision in the belly, without soiling the feathers if 
possible, and the cavity filled with wool, moss, tow, or the 
like, sprinkling here and there some p)epper and camphor 
mixed together, or pepper alone, also putting some in tho 
mouth and down the throat. But if it is possible to send 
them to their place of destination within a moderate time, 
nothing is to be done, except in each case the feathers, 
especially those of the neck, are to bo laid smooth; the 
whole bird to be laid at length, or, if more convenient, the 
neck to be doubled back with care under one of the wings. 
Each bird to be wrapped separately in clean jjaper, to be 
packed up with hay, &c., tight enough to prevent rubbing in 
the carnage. Another thing not to be omitted is, that as 
many birds have remarkable coloured irides (or circles on 
their eyes), it will be best to remark them at the time of 
their being killed, or soon after, as their colour will disap¬ 
pear in a few days. No more needs bo done than to draw 
with a pencil on paper the size of the pupil and iris, and 
remai’k the colour beneath it, lest the memory should not 
furnish a sufficient idea of it afterwards. The use of this 
caution is that the eye may be imitated by painting, as 
mentioned hereafter. 
Suppose a bird to have arrived as wished for. Drive two 
long pins or nails in a table or dresser, wide enough to 
admit of the neck of the bird, and to rest against them at 
the shoulders; two more are to be driven through the fiesh 
of tho thighs into the board, to keep them apart; by these 
means the bird is kept steady. Then open it from the vent 
to the breast-bone with a pair of scissors,+ being careful of 
* Small birds are killed by pinching them very tight with a finger and 
thumb under each wing, which, preventing them from breathing, soon 
finishes their life. 
t I now open it, on the side opposite to the sight, under the wing, all 
the way down, and, dissecting back the skin over the breast to the other 
side, I take out the breast-bone, flesh and all, as well as the contents 
within, and, sewing it np again, stuff the cavity with the stuffing. This 
I have adopted, as I think it easier than any other ; and if the edges of 
the skin are drawn back, as fast as dissected, by crooked pins, fastened 
with a string to each, and a loop to tack them down with, the danger of 
bloodying the feathers on the breast will be entirely avoided. When all 
is taken away that can be, I thrust up each thigh through the skin that 
