GARDEN HERBS. SAVORY. (Satureia.) "THERE be two kinds of savourie: the one endureth winter, and is of long continuance, the other an annual or yearly plant resembling hyssop, but lower, more tender, and brittle; it bringeth forth very many little branches, compassed on every side with narrow and sharp-pointed leaves, longer than those of thyme; among which grow the flowers from the bottom to the top, out of small husks, of colour white, tending to a light purple. The root is hard and woody, as is the rest of the plant, Summer savourie groweth up with a slender brittle stalk of a foot high, divided into little branches. The flowers stand hard to the branches, of a light purple, tending to white." GERARDE, 1597. The above accurate description, written at so early a period, seems to prove that the herb Savory was well known in England previous to the time usually assigned for its introduction here. Indeed we can scarcely doubt that this and the other herbs of Southern Europe, which familiar use had made almost necessary to the Romans, were cultivated during their residence in Britain. The generic name of this plant is most probably derived from the Latin word saturo, to cram or satisfy, in allusion to its use in seasoning broths, soups, and stewed meats. The English name is also evidently taken from the relish imparted by the herb to prepara tions of that kind. Savory is supposed to have grown abundantly near Troy, in a place called Thymbra. Both the winter and summer variety are natives of the South of Europe, and are noticed by Virgil among the fragrant herbs and shrubs that are desirable to be planted near a bee-hive, The verdant lavender must there abound, There savory shed its pleasant sweets around. The Romans employed this herb in a different manner from ours. Among them, it is used as a kind of spice to give warmth to lettuce and cool salads, and also as an ingredient in their acid sauces. "Certainly," says Phillips, "a more rational way of taking this hot acrid herb, than the present method of using it, to give heat to our already too inflammatory dishes." Dodoens tells us, that savory in its operations resembles thyme, and is very good, and necessary to be used in meats. Both kinds of savory are propagated by seeds. Those of the annual plant are raised on any light soil, early in April. When of a sufficient height the plants are to be thinned out to about five or six inches apart, and allowed to remain for use. After being once cut, they produce no succession of shoots, therefore the whole plant may be pulled up, more advantageously than taking cuttings from several. If required for drying, this herb may be treated in a similar manner to others, except that the plant, after cutting off the extreme roots, is to be preserved. Keep it dry by you, all the year," says Culpeper, "if you love yourself and your ease, and it is a hundred pounds to a penny if you do not; keep it dry, make conserves and syrups of it, and withal take notice that the summer kind is the best." 66 Winter savory may be propagated by slips as well as by seeds. If the slips or cuttings are planted in spring, they will readily take root, and become strong plants, which in autumn may be taken up, with plenty of mould at their roots, and transplanted out in beds or rows at a foot distance from each other. They should be planted in a poor soil: in rich earth they imbibe too much moisture to stand the severity of our winters. When placed in a congenial soil, winter savory grows to a considerable sized shrub. There are other species of savory now cultivated in this country, but they generally require the protection of a greenhouse, and are not in use as culinary herbs. Savory has a very hot, penetrating, and aromatic taste. It is an excellent seasoning for farinaceous food, as peas, beans, &c., preventing wind in the stomach. It was formerly much more used in made-dishes than at present, and was also an ingredient in cakes, puddings sausages, &c., being thought inferior to none of the European aromatics, for pleasantness of smell and flavour. Savory belongs to the natural order Labiatæ, · and to the Linnæan class and order Didynamia Gym nospermia. HOREHOUND. (Marrubium.) "White Horehound (Marrubium album), bringeth forth very many stalks, four-square, a cubit high, covered over with a thin whitish downiness; whereupon are placed by couples at certain distances thick whitish leaves, somewhat round, wrinkled, and nicked on the edges, and covered over with the like downiness, from the bosoms of which leaves come forth small flowers of round whorls, which turn into sharp prickly husks after a faint purplish colour, set round about the stalk in the flowers be past. savour, but not unpleasant; the root is thready." GEThe whole plant is of a strong RARDE. The The above is an admirable description of the common sort of horehound, which grows so plentifully not only in our gardens, but on waste ground, in various parts of England, in hot, dry, and dusty situations. English name is supposed to be given on account of the hoary or frosty appearance of the surface of the plant, and also from the resemblance of the herb to the common hound's-tongue, a plant which is said to have an odour like that of a kennel of hounds. Besides the common horehound, there are many other species of Marrubium cultivated in this country. Eleven are noticed in the Hortus Kewensis, and Miller enumerates fifteen. This herb was much extolled by the ancients for its efficacy in removing obstructions of the lungs. According to Pliny, the Romans thought it one of the most valuable herbs used in medicine, and chiefly for the disease above-named, though they also made use of it as a remedy for the ringworm, and an antidote against poison, The juice was likewise employed to mitigate diseases of the eyes. Horehound doubtless possesses some share of medicinal power; but its virtues do not appear to be clearly ascertained, and it is now very rarely prescribed by physicians. It has, however, its domestic reputation for relieving asthmas, obstinate coughs, and pulmonary consumptions. Its use is also thought beneficial in affections of the liver. Lozenges made of the juice of this herb and sugar, form a common remedy for colds. When recently dried, horehound has an aromatic flavour, which it loses when kept. In the modern Pharmacopoeias, we find statements somewhat varying in their nature respecting the virtues of this herb. According to one of these, it was formerly regarded as a tonic, expectorant, and diuretic, and was used in asthmas and coughs. In large doses it was also employed as a slight aperient; but it is altogether unimportant in any of these respects. Another informs us, that horehound is tonic, stimulant, deobstruent, expectorant, and vermifuge; excellent in humoral asthma, obstructions of the viscera, and violent salivation; and that although it is falling into disuse, it appears to be as good as many other bitters in fashion. The dose is half a drachm to a drachm of the powder, half an ounce to an ounce of the expressed juice, or two ounces of the infusion, three times a day. The Horehound is an annual plant, and may be raised by sowing the seed in any of the spring months. downy appearance of the plant and its strong but not very agreeable odour, make it distinguishable from other herbs. It belongs to the natural order Labiata, and to Class XIV, Order 1, (Didynamia Gymnospermia), of the Linnæan system. ON THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS. THE distinction between use and ornament should ever be borne in mind, in estimating the relative importance of different employments; but even when all necessary allowance is made for this difference, there still remains much which is worthy of our notice, in the arts connected with the production of articles of decoration and ornament. The processes involved in these manufactures are often as ingenious, and require as much practical skill, as those by which more important articles are produced. We are led to make this remark by a consideration of the mode in which artificial flowers are produced. Every one knows that attempts are made to imitate flowers and leaves, by various means, as ornaments for female dress, and that some of these attempts are remarkably successful; and it may not be uninteresting to the reader to trace in a general manner the mode in which these flowers are made. The Italians appear to have been the first Europeans who excelled in the art of fabricating artificial flowers. By degrees the art found its way from thence into France, a country whose people are singularly skilled in the arts calling for taste and delicacy. Before excellence was attained in the art, many different substances were employed as the material of which the flower was made. At first, ribands of different colours were used, plaited, curled, and twisted as nearly to the desired form as possible. This mode of imitation gave place to the employment of feathers, which are more delicate, and more easily worked into desired forms. To supply the colours which are not generally found in feathers of European birds, it was necessary to paint them; but the blending of the tints was seldom effected with the desired accuracy. It is said that the savages of South America, taking advantage of the gorgeous plumage of intertropical birds, succeed in producing therewith admirable imitations of flowers. The Italians afterwards employed silk, as obtained from the cocoons. No substance takes colour better, nor retains it longer than silk; while its transparency and softness imitate pretty closely the velvet-like texture of the petals. They also employed, but with less success, Italian gauze, as the material for the imitative flowers. Different artistes have tried in succession, shells, wax, and paper; but all have had some defect which rendered them unfitted for the production of flowers for sale. About twenty years ago a French manufacturer devised a mode for making these articles from whalebone; but the substances which have been most generally employed are those which we are about to describe. The exercise of this art is now carried on both in France and England; and it is probable that the modes of proceeding are nearly the same in both. We will therefore describe the general practice in France, taking a rose as an example of flower to be imitated. The petals are formed of the material called batiste, and the leaves of Florentine taffety. The batiste is chosen of a very fine quality, and is first pressed, then calendered, in order to render the surface as level and smooth as possible. The piece of cloth for each petal is then cut out, punched, or stamped, by means of a cutting tool having exactly the contour required, so that no scissors are necessary. A great number of these cutting tools are kept by the artificial florist, in accordance with the various sizes of the petals, and also with the shapes. When the petals are thus all cut out, they are prepared for painting. The pigment employed (supposing the flower to be a rose) is carmine in an alkaline solution, generally salt of tartar. The florist takes up each petal separately, by grasping it at one extremity by means of a sort of pincers, represented at a Fig. 1, and plunges it into the coloured solution; then immerses it into pure water, in order that the slight whitening of the tints at the edges may be produced by the partial action of the water. The deeper tint of the middle of the petal is then given by means of a pencil, in the manner of painting; and where the variety of the flower requires it, a striped succession of tints is produced. The colour is purposely made very faint and delicate; and if the tint resulting therefrom be too light, a second immersion deepens it. Any peculiar tints, or disposition of tints, belonging to the flower to be imitated, are given with the pencil, since the immersion merely gives the general colour to the whole of the petal. We have now to attend to the leaves. The taffety of which the leaves are made, is .coloured in pieces about a yard long, before being cut. When it is painted, the taffety is stretched over a frame, and left to dry. After this, a solution of gum arabic is laid on one side of the taffety, to produce the glossy appearance usually observable on the upper side of the leaves. The peculiar dull, soft, velvet-like appearance of the under surface, is then imitated with a coloured solution of amidou, applied with a pencil, and having the desired tint and strength: the art in this process consists in using the amidou in such a state that it shall dry without gloss. When the peculiar velvet texture of the under side of the leaf admits of it, the taffety is coated with a sprinkling of flock, or shreds of woollen cloth cut up into the minutest fragments; the taffety being first gummed, and, when half dried, coated with the flock. Those leaves and leaflets of which both surfaces are nearly destitute of gloss, are treated in a way accordant with their appearance, the taffety being coated with the amidou rather than with gum. When the taffety is dry after these operations, it is cut out into the requisite forms by stamps similar to those used for the petals; different sizes and shapes being employed for leaves differently situated with respect to the flower. The taffety, when about to be cut, is laid on a block of wood, a piece of sheet lead, or a sheet made of an alloy of lead and tin. After this, a curious process is performed, in order to give imitations of the veined appearance of the leaf. Moulds are prepared, consisting of two parts, similar in effect to those employed for pressing butter into small ornamental forms. The mould is made of copper, and the inside of the bottom contains an engraved representation of one side of the leaf. The stamp, forming the other part of the instrument, is made of iron, and has on its lower surface an engraved copy of the upper side of the leaf, the raised parts being represented by elevations, and vice versa. Several leaves are then placed one on the other in the mould adapted to their form; and the stamp, previously heated to a moderate degree, is then pressed down upon them, and left in contact with them for a short time. This process gives to the leaves not only the veined appearance, but also the curves and bends which we find in nature. In Fig. 2, b, the interior appearance of one of the moulds is represented, as seen in a direction perpendicular to it; and at a, the stamping The buds are formed of little pieces of taffety or some similar substance, filled with cotton, silk filaments, or flour, and made to the requisite shapes. They are then bound with silk to small pieces of iron wire, and stuck into a basin of sand (b, Fig. 1,) where they remain till dry. The stamens are made of little bits of silk, fixed to the end of a small piece of brass wire, and dipped in size or glue to give them a requisite degree of firmness; the different filaments being kept carefully separated during the subsequent drying. When they are dry, the end of each little filament is moistened with paste made of wheat flour and gum arabic, and dipped into a basin containing bran coloured yellow. Each filament or stammen thus takes up on its point a particle of bran, which forms the anther. The separate parts being thus made, the artificer proceeds to put them together. The leaflets are cemented or sized round their points; the petals likewise are cemented around each other, the smaller within and the larger without; a curved shape being given to them when required by appropriate tools. Then follows the calyx, which encloses the ends of all the petals, and also the leaflets enveloping the bud. All the parts are cemented in their proper places with cement made of flour and gum. The stalk is made of one or more pieces of iron wire, attached to the little piece of brass wire which holds the stamens: the wire is enveloped, first in cotton, and then in serpentine strips of paper having the necessary green tint. The leaves are mounted upon a piece of copper wire. These are arranged in threes, as presented by a natural rose; the most yellow and the smallest in size being nearest the centre. The stalk of the leaves is made in a manner similar to that of the flower, and is also united to it in a similar manner. Fig. 3. In the course of these operations, the contour of the several parts are given by tools called mandrins, of which three are represented in Fig. 3. They are cylindrical, conical, pyramidal, ellipsoidal, &c., according to the purpose to which they are to be applied. Such is the general mode of making an artificial rose; and it may easily be conceived that the processes for producing any other flower will be nearly the same, varied only in the colours with which the batiste and taffety are painted, and in the form of the stamps and moulds by which the requisite forms are given. RURAL SPORTS FOR THE MONTHS. JUNE. When with his lively ray the potent sun Has pierced the streams, and roused the finny race, Then, issuing cheerful, to thy sport repair; Chief should the western breezes curling play, And light o'er ether bear the shadowy clouds, High to their fount, this day, amid the hills, And woodlands warbling round, trace up the brooks; There throw, nice-judging, the delusive fly; A worthless prey scarce bends your pliant rod, game, UNLIKE the sports which have occupied our attention during the preceding months, the practice of Angling is of a quiet and contemplative nature, and, while it leads to scenes of the most picturesque description, it leaves the mind of its advocate at liberty to enter into the enjoyment of them, and gives him leisure to mark their peculiar features. He does not hurry through the scene of his sport in eager and exciting pursuit of but lingers for days together among the windings of some romantic river, and only needs the eye of a poet or a painter, to gather materials from the scene around him, that shall enliven many an after-hour, and afford him sincere pleasure when the amusement which gave birth to these ideas may be no longer practicable. Thus, when the sport itself has not answered the expectation of the angler, he is seldom found to acknowledge that his time has been wholly wasted. He is ready to say with an old writer (Lady Juliana Barnes) on his favourite art, that Atte the leest, he hath his holsom walk, and mery at his ease, a swete ayre of the swete savoure of the meede floures that makyth him hungry; he hereth the melodyous armony of fowles; he seeth the yonge swannes, heerons, duckes, cotes, and many other fowles, wyth theyr brodes; whyche me seemyth better than alle the noyse of houndys, the blastes of hornys, and the scrye of foulis, that hunters, and fawkeners, and foulers can make. And if the angler take fysshe; surely, thenne is there noo man merier than he is in his spyryte. It is well known that the term angling applies to the practice of taking fish with a rod, line, and baited hook, in contradistinction to all other methods of fishing. Of the antiquity of this practice we have proof in the early mention made of the implements used in angling, in the Scriptures. The book of Job contains several allusions to the use of the hook and the line; "Canst thou draw out leviathan with a hook, or his tongue with | a cord which thou lettest down," &c. Similar allusions are likewise made by the prophet Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos, and Habakkuk. Nor is it in the sacred writings alone that we find these incidental notices of the angler's art. Throughout the writings of the ancients, there are sufficient evidences to prove its existence at a very early period, and figures connected with this art are also found on some of the most ancient sculptured relics, It is amusing to observe the way in which Isaac Walton attempts to exalt and justify, from the charge of cruelty, this, his favourite amusement. He speaks of the sanction given to the art by the practice of so many devout and contemplative men as the patriarchs and prophets of old, taking it for granted, we know not why, that Moses and Amos were both anglers. He dwells on the fact of our Saviour having chosen four of his apostles from among simple fishermen, whom he never reproved for their employment or calling, as he did the scribes and the money-changers, And it is observable, (continues our honest enthusiast,) that it was our Saviour's will that these four fishermen should have a priority of nomination in the catalogue of his twelve apostles: as, namely, Peter, Andrew, James and John, and then the rest in their order. It is also to be believed, that all the other apostles after they betook themselves to follow Christ, betook themselves to be fishermen too; for it is certain that the greater number of them were found together, fishing, by Jesus after his resurrection. Without attempting to follow the worthy angler through all his laudatory remarks, we may still pronounce angling to be a very fascinating pursuit, and one which, without being either dangerous or expensive, is productive of much interest and amusement, so that, while many may prefer the more exciting diversions of the chase, there will ever be found a large number of persons equally devoted to this quiet and solitary sport. Simple as the practice of angling may appear to those who have never personally engaged in it, yet, in order to pursue it successfully, much patience and address are requisite, together with a peculiar skill and dexterity of hand, somewhat difficult to be obtained, and impossible to be described. for sale, and to make their purchases to better advantage. A very important implement to the angler is the fishingrod. This is made of various degrees of strength and elasticity, and is longer or shorter according to the kind of fishing for which it is required. Thus there is the bottom, the fly, and the trolling rod, the single and the double-handed rod, the bag rod, the walking-stick rod, and many smaller varieties. Much depends on a just adaptation of the different degrees of elasticity in the several pieces of wood of which a rod is composed, and it is necessary to ascertain the materials employed, before we can depend upon the uniform flexure of the rod as a whole piece. This is especially needful in a fly rod, which should be solid throughout, and should be adjusted so that the several joints shall have a just gradation of elastic properties, the butt being the lowest, and the point the highest in the scale of elasticity. Ash, hiccory, lance-wood, and split bamboo, succeeding each other, and surmounted by a splicing of whalebone, are said to form a good elastic rod. The materials used in making lines for angling are, first, as being most esteemed, the intestines of the silkworm, then silk, horse-hair, bristles, cow-hair, and also Indian and other grasses. These substances are employed singly or two or more together, and the lines may be either purchased or fabricated by the angler. The different varieties of hooks necessary to the completeness of fishing apparatus are too numerous for description. The principal kinds in favour with English anglers, are known as the Limerick, Kendal, Sneckbend, and Kirby hooks. The float, the reel, and the various descriptions of artificial fly, might furnish us with matter for much observation, but we are chiefly concerned with the sport itself, and the seasons at which it is pursued. Although there is not a month in the year in which the angler must necessarily discontinue his sport, for even the winter may afford some opportunities to those who can brave its severities, yet the period from April to October is found by experience to be the most advantageous time, and is therefore considered the regular angling season. The London angler has not the privilege of fishing in the Thames until the beginning of June, and it has been remarked that the interests of There must be a certain quickness of eye to judge where fishers in general would be promoted were the spawning the fish lies a precision and neatness of hand to cast the line fish equally protected in other rivers during the early lightly, and with such truth and address that the fly shall spring months. While the heat of summer lasts, the fall on the very square inch of the stream which you aimed at, and that with as little splash as if it were the descent of experienced angler will pursue his sport at a very early the natural insect; there is a certain delicacy of manipula-hour in the morning and will return to it again in the tion with which you must use the rod and reel when (happy cool of evening. As the season advances towards the man!) you actually have hooked a heavy fish; all of which colder months, the middle of the day may be considered requisites must combine to ensure success. There are the preferable. In winter any part of the day, when the same personal qualities requisite in shooting, billiards, and weather is open and mild, may be taken advantage of other exercises of skill, in the use of the turning lathe, and in the management of philosophical experiments. If thou known that on dark lowering days during summer, -for in frosty weather no hour is good. It is wellfish hest any of this species of alertness of hand and truth of eye in thee, go forth, gentle reader, with Salmonia in thy are well disposed to take the bait, especially in ponds pocket, and return with thy basket more or less heavy in and still waters. When there is a probability of proportion to thy perseverance. But if thou wantest this thunder, the angler has little cause to hope for success. peculiar knack, we doubt if even the patience that is exer- An electrical state of the atmosphere is prejudicial to the cised in a punt above Chelsea bridge would greatly mend appetite of fishes. On a bright sunny day, if a cool thy day's work: though thy dinner depended upon it, thou breeze prevails, all fish are likely to be alert. The south mayest go on flogging the water from morning till midnight, and south-west winds are most favourable to the sport, entangling the hook now in a bush, now in a stem, now driving it through the nose of some brother of the angle, and and an east wind the most decidedly unfavourable. now through thine own, but not a fin wilt thou basket, whether of full-trout or minnow; and thou must content thee with half the definition of an angler, and be the fool at one end of the stick and string, without the gudgeon at the other*. Great care must be taken in the construction of the angler's implements. It is well for all who enter with ardour into this amusement to become thoroughly acquainted with the formation of fishing-tackle. By this means they will not only be able to repair such articles as are accidentally injured during their excursions, but will be able to judge of the relative value of those offered From SIR WALTER SCOTT's review of SIR HUMPHRY DAVY'S Salmonia, in the Quarterly Review, Vol. 38. Many fishing enterprizes are defeated through want of caution in approaching the water. Salter, in his Angler's Guide, gives a very necessary warning on this head: After you have made choice of a place to fish, first plumb the depth truly and with as little disturbance to the water as may be; let your line, with the plummet to it, remain in the water while you make and cast the ground bait, by which less likely to break. If the water be still, throw in small time the line will be softened and stretched, consequently pieces of ground bait; if a strong current large pieces: keep as far from the water as you can, and go quietly and slyly to work, for fish have so many enemies that they are suspicious of everything they see, feel, and hear; even the shaking the bank of a river (under which fish frequently lie), will alarm barbel, chub, &c., and spoil the angler's sport: this occurs frequently by strangers walking to and fro, to see and inquire what sport, &c., and also, when two or three anglers are fishing near each other; therefore, avoid agitating the water by trampling on the bank unnecessarily drop your baited hook in the water gently, and you will kill more fish than two or three anglers who act differently. Thus, everything must be avoided which is likely to attract the attention of the fish. The angler will endeavour not to let his own shadow or even that of his rod fall upon the water. He will take care that there be nothing glaring in his dress, but will consider in this respect what is the prevailing colour of the spot in which he means to fish. If it be a rich pasture, a dark dress will not be unsuitable, but if he is going to stand on a sandy or pebbly soil, the more nearly he can assimilate himself to it by wearing something of a drab-coloured suit and hat the better. The baits used by anglers are varied with the seasons, the locality, the hour of the day, and other circumstances. There seems to be a particular intelligence among the finny tribes, guiding them to choose only a seasonable repast. The most tempting flies presented to a fish when they are out of season will scarcely entice his appetite, and the bait that will prove effectual at one part of the day, will be offered in vain a few hours later. It is impossible therefore to be an accomplished angler without studying the natural history of insects and worms of various kinds, and as they exhibit themselves in different localities. The flies which attract fish are not the same in all parts of England. In some districts, the May-fly, that especial favourite of anglers, is wholly unknown. The distribution of insects is affected by causes connected with climate and cultivation, and these must be considered in our selection of baits. It is impossible to give general directions on this head, but some attention to the habits and natural history of insects as may be acquired by reading and observation will soon teach the young angler to seek and employ the most killing baits. Where it can be effected, the use of artificial, instead of natural baits, is much to be preferred. It can add no pleasure to the sport to know that we are unnecessarily inflicting pain. it In order to remove from the mind of the angler any suspicion that he may be engaged in a cruel sport, the author of Salmonia urges that in all probability fishes are less sensitive than man. Under the favour of such high authority (says Scott), this is a point which none can know but the fish himself." The variety of modes in which the trout endeavours to escape from the hook certainly seem to show that his apprehensions are extreme, and the hurry and vivacity of his motions indicate irritation and pain. Being, however, a denizen of another element, our sympathies are not so strongly excited by the sufferings of a fish, as of creatures that share the same element with us. As the natural history of Fresh-water Fishes already forms the subject of a course of articles in this Work, we have departed from our usual practice of describing the animal to which the sport refers; and must therefore direct our readers to those articles for a particular notice of the more distinguished members of the finny tribe inhabiting our streams. "To miss the good which may be got by suffering evil," says one of our old divines, "is the worst of evils; to lose that gain which should be gotten by losses, is of losses the greatest; but to grow worse with suffering evil, is perdition itself." Men are often found under this condemnation; women, I think, but seldom. The sons of perdition are more numerous than the daughters. If women are not made of finer clay, there has been more of the dew of heaven to temper it. Or is it that "though the dews of divine grace fall everywhere, yet they lie longest in the shade," while men brave the wind, seek the sunshine, and are exposed to all weathers?-SOUTHEY. FRESH WATER FISH. THE common Perch is regarded as the type of a very fishes having bony skeletons, with prickly spinous proextensive family of Acanthopterygious fishes; that is, the common perch in general form, whence this fish is cesses in the dorsal fins. They all more or less approach called the type of the family. The perch is one of the most beautiful of our fresh the back much arched, and the side-line approaches near water fishes. Its body is deep, the scales very rough, pointed, and curving backwards, and disposed in the to it: the irides are golden yellow; the teeth small, jaws and on the roof of the mouth, which is large; the tongue is smooth; the edges of the covers of the gills sharp spine. When the perch is in good condition its are serrated, and on the lower end of the largest is a the sides being of a rich greenish brown, passing below colours are brilliant and striking; the back and part of into golden yellowish white, with five or six broad dark bands pointing downwards, owing to which, the fish when in the water appears very dark coloured with lightish stripings, but when taken out of the water it is altogether of a greenish cast. The first dorsal fin is brown; the membrane connecting the rays is partly spotted with black: the ventral fins are of a bright vermilion; the anal fins and the tail (which is a little forked,) are of the same colour, but rather paler. tril, surrounded with three or four large pores, destined The perch is furnished with two orifices to each nosapparently for the discharge of a viscous secretion, which defends the skin from the action of the water. This distribution of the mucous orifices over the head, is one of those beautiful and advantageous provisions of nature, which are to be so often observed and admired. Whether the fish inhabits the stream or the lake, the current of the water in the one instance, or progression through it in the other, carries this defensive secretion backwards, and spreads it over the whole surface of the body. In fishes with small scales, this defensive secretion is in proportion more abundant: and in those species which have the bodies elongated, as the eels, the mucous orifices may be observed along the whole length of the lateral line.-YARRELL. The perch has been known in all ages and in most civilized countries. The Greeks and Romans were well acquainted with it, and it is not a little remarkable that, in most countries of Europe its name does not greatly differ from the specific name given to it by Aristotle. It is very generally diffused throughout Europe and the corresponding latitudes of Asia; but it probably thrives better in cold than in warm climates; since it is stated that perches, three or four feet long, are taken in Sweden and Lapland; while in England and in France they seldom exceed a foot and a half. Linnæus has noticed a deformed variety of perch, with ring at Fahlun in Sweden, and in other lakes in the north the back greatly elevated and the tail distorted, as occurof Europe. Mr. Daniel mentions still more singular perch taken by him in the docks at Blackwall; these had each a solid mass of fat placed on the ribs, but not adherent to them; the stomach was apparently closed and impervious, and had not been distended by food for some time. He also mentions another singular kind of perch found in Malham water, not far from Settle, in Yorkshire: these grow to five pounds and upwards in weight, yet are all blind of one or both eyes, "and, therefore," as Mr. Blaine remarks, "might have been advantageously seized on by the punster, who observed of his friend's monocular dog, that he needs must prove an excellent guard, because he would have an eye out on all occasions." Specimens of perch almost entirely white, have been found in the waters of parti cular soils. The perch grows slowly, but its increase depends greatly on the nature of its habitation: in ponds and |