2G4 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, ArorsT 2, 1859. 
springs through another door, and seizes a club. Madam 
Jones catches the broom and breaks the handle the first blow, 
as she shouts “shu! ” and brings it down on the ground with a 
tremendous force. Dolly Jones throws her apron over her 
head, and, as she rushes round the corner of the house, tears a 
whole breadth opt of her dress on a projecting nail, while 
“ Bub ” Jones, the four-year-old, tips over the teapot in trying 
to get at the sugar-bowl in the absence of the rest of the family. 
A fifteen minutes’ chase drives the cattle over and through the 
fence, breaking it down in half a dozen places. Kate, surnamed 
“Stupid,” having with her mop carefully guarded the “gap,” 
“ to keep the rest of ’em out,” as she averred afterward, though 
John Jones, jun., was heard to mutter that “ the stupid f-1 
didn't know what she was about.” It cost a full half-day’s 
labour to repair damages, little of which was done by the cattle, 
but all chargeable to the account of leaving the bars down.— 
(Prairie Farmer.) 
The Spider-Crab.—I delight in watching the habits of fish, 
insects, &c., in a good aquarium. We are indebted to these 
inventions of more modern times for some curious discoveries 
in natural history', especially those which refer to the hitherto- 
unknown habits of marine animals. Let me here mention one 
instance of a peculiar instinct in a small crab, which may 
interest the reader, and which afforded me much pleasure, 
(specially as I believe the facts I am about to relate are not 
generally known ; or, if known, only' to a very few persons, and 
those few not of the scientific world. At the same time I am 
unwilling to claim any credit for the discovery'. It was first 
communicated to me through an amiable clergyman and his 
wife residing in Scotland, who, having an aquarium, and living 
close to the sea, had frequent opportunities of ascertaining the 
facts I am about to relate, and which I was able myself to 
verify during a recent sojourn I made at Bognor, in Sussex. 
The facts are these. There is a very small species of crab, 
called by the fishermen at Bognor the spider-crab, and which 
has its body and claws covered with numerous very minute 
hooks, scarcely perceptible to the naked eye, but perfectly so 
with the help of a magnifying-glass. It may be asked, “ What 
can be the use of these hooks?” You shall hear. This crab is 
a prodigious coxcomb, and very careful of its own precious 
person. Either, then, for the purpose of concealing itself from 
its enemies, or from an innate love of finery', it selects a 
quantity of seaweed, always preferring the most gaudy colours 
-—those chiefly red. Having selected them, he cuts them into 
fine thread-like slips, and runs them through the hooks. 
When he has completed his toilette, he appears one mass of 
seaweed ; thus not only disguising himself from those enemies 
which might otherwise make him their prey, but perhaps feeling 
himself the best-dressed crab in the neighbourhood. It is also 
remarkable that this labour for making his toilette is renewed 
every morning, so that the quantity of seaweed consumed is 
very great. This may be observed by any one who has the 
opportunity of keeping those comical little crabs in an aquarium, 
although, I regret to add, they do not live long in a state of 
confinement. They are caught in considerable numbers in the 
bloters and prawn baskets at Bognor, together with another 
crab, about the same size as the spider-crab, but which is not 
furnished with hooks. On speaking to the Bognor fishermen 
respecting the latter, I found they all entertained the idea that 
the seaweed grew on them. The thread-like weeds may, how¬ 
ever, be drawn out one by one until the little dandy is left 
perfectly baie. I am not aware in what other localities this 
crab is to be found beyond those I have mentioned. I could 
not hear of it either at Brighton or Eastbourne; but I hope 
that this notice may induce others to prosecute some inquiry 
into the habits of this singular little animal.— Edward Jesse. — 
( Once a Week.) 
Plants of Ceylon. —The Guava and the KatumbiUe are 
certainly very numerous throughout the Ouva district; the latter 
being a dark red, rough-skinned kind of Plum, the size of a 
Greengage, but free from stone. It grows upon a thorny bush 
about fifteen feet high; but the fruit is too acid to please most 
palates. The extreme thirst produced by a day’s shooting in a 
burning sun makes it refreshing when plucked from the tree; 
but it does not aspire to the honour of a place at the table, where 
it can only appear in the form of a Red-Currant, jelly, for which 
it is an undeniable substitute. Excellent Blackberries and a very 
large and full-flavoured black Raspberry grow at Newera Elba; 
likewise the Cape Gooseberry ( Physalis edulis ), which is of the 
family Solanacece. The latter is a round yellow berry, the size of 
a Cherry; this is enclosed in a loose bladder, which forms an outer 
covering. The flavour is highly aromatic ; but, like most Ceylon 
wild fruits, it is too acid. The sweetest and best of the junglo 
productions is the “Morra” ( Litchee , or Nephelium Litchi). 
This is a berry about the size of a small Nutmeg, which grows in 
clusters upon a large tree of rich dark foliage. The exterior of 
the berry is brown and slightly rough; the skin, or rather the 
case, is brittle, and of the consistence of an egg-shell; this, when 
broken and peeled off, exposes a semi-transparent pulp, like a 
skinned Grape in appearance and in flavour. It is extremely 
juicy ; but, unfortunately, a large black stone occupies the centre 
and at least one-half of the bulk of the entire fruit. The Jambo 
Apple (Jambosa vulgaris, or Rose-Apple), is a beautiful fruit in 
appearance, being the fac-simile of a snow-white Pear formed of 
wax, with a pink blush upon one side. Its exterior beauty is all 
that it can boast of, as the fruit itself is vapid and tasteless. In 
fact, all wild fruits are for the most part great exaggerations. I 
have seen in a work on Ceylon the miserable little acid berry of 
the Rattan, which is no larger than a Currant, described as a 
fruit : Hawthorn berries might with equal justice be classed 
among the fruits of Great Britain. I will not attempt to describe 
these paltry productions in detail. There is necessarily a great 
variety throughout the island ; but their insignificance does not 
entitle them to a description, which would raise them far above 
their real merit. It is, nevertheless, most useful to a sportsman 
in Ceylon to possess a sufficient stock of botanical information 
for his personal convenience. A man may be lost in the jungles, 
or hard up for provisions in some out-of-the-way place, where, if 
he have only a saucepan, he can generally procure something eat¬ 
able in the way of herbs. It is not to be supposed, however, 
that he would succeed in making a good dinner; the reader may 
at any time procure something similar in England, by restricting 
himself to Nettle-tops—an economical, but not a fattening, vege¬ 
table. Anything, however simple, is better than an empty stomach; 
and when the latter is positively empty, it is w r onderful how the 
appetite welcomes the most miserable fare. At Newera Ellia the 
jungles would always produce a supply for a soupe maigre. There 
is an esculent Nillho (a Nymphcea, or Water Lily), which grows in 
the forest in the bottoms of the swampy ravines. This is a most 
succulent plant, which grows to the height or length of about 
seven feet, as its great weight keeps it close to the ground. It is so 
brittle that it snaps like a Cucumber when struck by a stick, and 
it bears a delicate dark blue blossom. When stewed, it is as 
tender as the Vegetable Marrow ; but its flavour approaches more 
closely to that of the Cucumber. Wild Ginger also abounds in 
the forests. This is a coarse variety of the Amomum zingibei\ 
The leaves, which spring from the ground, at tain a height of seven 
or eight feet; a large crimson fleshy blossom also springs from 
the ground in the centre of the surrounding leaf-stems. The root 
is coarse, large, but wanting in fine flavour, although the young 
tubers arc exceedingly tender and delicate. This is the favourite 
food of elephants on the Ceylon mountains ; but it is a curious 
fact that they invariably reject the leaves which any one would 
suppose would be their choicest morsel, as they are both succulent 
and plentiful. The elephants simply use them as a handle for 
tearing up the roots, which they bite off and devour, throwing 
the leaves on one side. The wild Parsnip is also indigenous to 
the plains on the mountains. As usual with most wild plants of 
this class, they have little or no root, but run to leaf. The seeds 
are very highly flavoured, and are gathered by the natives for 
their curries. There is likewise a beautiful orchidaceous plant, 
which is very common throughout the Patinas on the mountains, 
and which produces the very finest quality of Arrowroot. So 
much is this valued in the Napaul country in India, that I have 
been assured, by a person well acquainted with that locality, that 
this quality of Arrowroot is usually sold for its weight in rupees. 
In vain have I explained this to the Cingalese; they will not 
attempt its preparation, because their fathers did not eat it; and 
yet these same men will walk forty miles to cut a bundle of 
sticks of the Galla Gaha tree for driving buffaloes !—their fathers 
did this, and therefore, they do it. Thus this beautiful plant is 
only appreciated by those whose instinct leads them to its dis¬ 
covery. The wild hogs plough up the Patinas and revel in this 
delicate food. The plant itself is almost lost in the rank herbage 
of the Patinas; but its beautiful pink Hyacinth-shape blossom 
attracts immediate attention. Few plants combine beauty of ap¬ 
pearance, scent, and utility; but this is the perfection of each 
quality—nothing can surpass the delicacy and richness of its per¬ 
fume. It has two small bulbs about an inch below the surface of 
the earth, and these, when broken, exhibit a highly granulated 
texture, semi-transparent like half-boiled Sago. From these bulbs 
