Avocet

“ Young avocets are very precocial and leave the nest soon after hatching. They are expert at hiding, even on the open flats and beaches; and they take to the water at an early age, where they can swim and dive like young ducks. I have seen a brood of four young, that could not have been hatched more than a few hours, swimming out in a lake, as if very much at ease. They soon learn to tip up in shallow water and probe on the bottom, like their parents, for their insect food.
Plumages.—The downy young avocet is well colored for concealment on an open beach or alkaline flat. ”

“ The bill is long, slender and sharp, like that of the Avocet, but straight; the wings are long and pointed; the tail small. They are about the size of the Avocet, and sometimes attain the height of twenty-six inches. They possess considerable powers of flight, but walk with difficulty; on the other hand, they are much at home on mud or in marshes and swamps, in which they bore with their long beaks for insects, larvae, and small molluscs, dainties to which they are very partial.
They are dull, shy birds, leading a solitary life, except at nesting time. ”

“ These and some other shore-birds live about tidal flats, and get their food in the soft mud. Their long bill is often flexible, and the tip is sometimes well supplied with nerves, so that it is sensitive. The bird can thus detect, in the soft mud, any animal that would serve for food. It can then open its bill enough to catch the animal without trouble. The Avocet's bill is sharply curved upwards, and is one of the most remarkable of such organs. The Australian Avocet is one species of a cosmopolitan genus. ”

“ It is clever in avoiding snares set for it by the fowler, and ingenious in escaping—either by flight or swimming—its pursuers. The nest of the Avocet is a very simple structure, generally made by placing a few blades of grass in a hole in the sand. Here it lays two or three eggs, of which it is frequently robbed; for, like those of the Plover and others, its congeners, they are regarded as great delicacies by the gourmand. The flesh, however, is not considered very tempting. ”

“ It swims buoyantly and gracefully, and on land runs swiftly, with partially raised wings, readily tacking or stopping in its chase after insect life. Its flight, says Goss, is not very swift, but strong and steady, with sweeping strokes, legs fully extended and head partially drawn back, after the manner of the Avocet, (see Birds, Vol. II, p. 15) , and like the latter, will often meet one a long distance from its nest, scolding and threatening. At such times its legs are as fully extended as its legs, the latter often dangling as it retreats. ”

“ There are those who give it a slight sprinkling of salt, others who dust it over with a little white pepper, but personally I would as soon think of flavoring my currant jelly with garlic or my chateau Yquem with Trinidad rum."
This sounds plausible, and I admit that a perfect avocado is better without than with vinegar and oil. An imperfect one isn't; and in most cases we have found in our dining-room that the avocado is rather too rich to be eaten without a little acid dressing. ”

“ Of tropical fruits the variety is endless; some are good, others we do not care for. Avocado pears or alligator pears are pear-shaped, but look more like green and brown fresh figs. The skin is peeled off, and the pulp, which is green next the skin and custard-color near the seed, is about like baked custard in looks, and is eaten as a salad. The seed is very large, and confined in a loose outer husk. These are ripe now, and continue a long time in season. ”

“ Persea gratissima.—The avocado or alligator pear, a common tree in the West Indies. The fruits are pear-shaped, covered with a brownish-green or purple skin. They are highly esteemed where grown, but strangers do not relish them. They contain a large quantity of firm pulp, possessing a buttery or marrow-like taste, and are frequently called vegetable marrow. They are usually eaten with spice, lime-juice, pepper, and salt. An abundance of oil, for burning and for soap-making, may be obtained from the pulp. ”

“ I cannot discover the advantage of making a pint of tincture with an ounce of the root, evaporating the filtered tincture to six fluid ounces, filtering again, and then adding water to bring back the measure of a pint. If the object be to get rid of the alcohol, it is an unnecessary exposure of the soluble principles of the ipecac to heat, for half a pint of diluted alcohol, especially with four ounces of water added by way of displacement, would exhaust the root equally well ”

“ Of a corresponding meaning with the Saxon name Blythe may be the Avoca or Ovoca of Wicklow, the Oboka of Ptolemy. Baxter refers it to Welsh awchus, acer, a word of no very cheerful association for the spot where
"Nature has spread o'er the scene
Her purest of crystal, and brightest of green."
The Gael. abhach, blithe, sportive, would seem to give a better etymon for the bright waters of Avoca. Whether the Ocker of Germany (ant. Obocra, Ovocra, Ovokare) , may be derived from the same word I do not know sufficient to judge. ”

“ Genesee. P. avium. A chance seedling of the Bigarreau type originating about twenty-five years ago and recently introduced by J. A. Morgan of Scottsville, New York. The fruit is above medium in size, cordate, compressed; cavity shallow, wide, flaring; suture a line; apex roundish; stem slender, long; skin medium thick, tender, adherent, dark red mottled with amber; dots numerous, small, obscure; flesh yellowish-white, juicy, meaty, crisp, mild, sweet; quality good; stone clinging, medium, ovate, flattened, smooth, slightly tinged red; use late market. German. P. avium. ”

“ On the 6th, a poor drummer of the Society brought me a present of some alligato, or more properly avogato pears and oranges, for having supported him, he said, in Holland against my servant, who had knocked him down. This trait of gratitude afforded me more pleasure than the coolness of my late friend had given me pain.—The avogato pear grows on a tree above forty feet high, and not unlike a walnut-tree: the fruit, which is about the size and colour of a large pear, viz. a pale green, is the most exquisite, in my opinion, of any in the colony, or even in the world ”

“ I prefer, therefore, the Acetum Stillatitium, or distilled Vinegar, it being an Acid of sufficient Strength, and of a pure Nature, which, joined with nervous and cordial Medicines, has fully answered my Expectations.
Doctor Jones mentions Acids in a secondary Degree, recommending the fixed and unfermented to be used, "when the Resin is not at Stomach," as he phrases it. That is, in other Words (as he places the whole noxious Power inherent in the Resin) when the Patient is not in Danger.
Nervous and cardiac Medicines have a known Property of comforting the Stomach ”

“ White flour has also been added to sugar as an adulterant, but that form of adulteration is not known in this country. The only adulteration which is found in American sugar, in so far as I know, is that incident to the process of manufacture which I have described. When sulfur is used in sulfuring the juice before clarifying a trace of sulfurous acid may still adhere to the finished product. When bluing is used the particles of ultramarine blue attach themselves to the sugar crystals and become an adulteration. ”

“ Adulteration and Substitution—Aconite root, though offered in abundance in the market, is by no means always obtained of good quality. Collected in the mountainous parts of Europe by peasants occupied in the pasturing of sheep and cattle, it is often dug up without due regard to the proper season or even to the proper species,—a carelessness not surprising when regard is had to the miserable price which the drug realizes in the market. ”

“ Put some drops of alcohol in the capsule which contains the alkaloid, and leave the solution to spontaneous evaporation. It is, however, very rare that the alkaloid obtained by the above process is pure enough to crystallize. Almost always it is soiled by foreign matters. To isolate these substances, some drops of water, feebly acidulated with sulphuric acid, are poured into the capsule, and then moved over its surface, so as to bring it in contact with the matter in the capsule. Generally we observe that the acid water does not moisten the sides of the vessel. ”

“ Under the most favourable circumstances evaporation to a greater or lesser extent will take place in hot climates; hence by long keeping, the tincture acquires increased strength, and in regulating the dose of the more active tinctures, as of Opium or Datura, the fact ought to be borne in mind, or serious consequences may ensue. ”

“ As one of the principal constituents [374] of fruit juice is sugar, it is seen that the natural sugar plus the addition makes up practically the total solid components in articles of this kind.
Adulteration of Fruit Sirup. —Fruit sirups have been extensively and unnecessarily adulterated. The principal adulteration is the omission of the pasteurization process and the preserving of the fruit juice by means of an antiseptic. The two antiseptics which have been most commonly employed for this purpose are salicylic and benzoic acids. ”

“ Preparations of the leaves are not official in the U. S. P. The root is five times stronger than the leaves.
Constituents.—The alkaloid representing the action of the drug is aconitine, which is precipitated by ammonia from an aqueous solution of an alcoholic extract of the root of various species. It is a colorless, crystalline or amorphous, gray powder, almost insoluble in water, and soluble in 22 parts of alcohol, in 44 parts of ether and 1 part of chloroform. Its salts are soluble in water. Aconitine or its solutions, unless very dilute, are too poisonous to be tasted. ”

“ A common method of manufacturing jelly has been to use a stock of apple juice or cider or a preparation made from the cores, skins, and rejected portions of the apple at evaporating factories or from whole rejected apples. This stock is used as a common base for the manufacture of jellies of different kinds. Whenever apple juice enters into the composition of a jelly made from any other fruit than the apple it becomes an adulteration. Apple juice is not an adulteration in the sense of being an injury to health, but in the sense of being substituted for other fruit juices. ”

“ Indian corn, cassava, yams, eddoes, tannias, sweet potatoes and ochroes are among the vegetables, while innumerable varieties of peppers are grown and used in large quantities by all classes. The dainty avocado pear, purple and green, grows readily. ”

“ Solubility. Alcohol takes up four parts in twenty of Ipecacuan; proof spirit six and a half; and boiling water rather more than eight parts; one pint of good sherry wine will dissolve about 100 grains; the alcoholic is more emetic than the aqueous solution; decoction destroys the emetic property of the root. Officinal Prep. Pulvis Ipecacuanhæ comp: L.E.D. Vinum Ipecac. L.E.D. [545] The powder is liable to become inert by exposure to air and light. The root is refractory, and is reduced to powder with difficulty, unless a few drops of oil, or an almond or two, be previously added. ”

“ It is especially by the different proportions of brandy contained in wines, that they differ most from one another. When wine is distilled, the alcohol readily separates. The spirit thus obtained is well known under the name of brandy.
All wines contain also a free acid; hence they turn blue tincture of cabbage, red. The acid found in the greatest abundance in grape wines, is tartaric acid. Every wine contains likewise a portion of super-tartrate of potash, and extractive matter, derived from the juice of the grape. These substances deposit slowly in the vessel in which they are kept. ”

“ The alcoholic tincture obtained by the complete exhaustion of 100 grammes of the fruit, is to be evaporated to the consistence of a syrup, and the alcohol is to be replaced by a small quantity of water. This leaves undissolved a thick green oil, entirely soluble in ether, and of which the quantity reaches the weight of 30 grammes. After having separated this green oil, we wash with ether the product of the alcoholic evaporation and obtain a yellowish resinous substance, which has no action on litmus paper and which has a strong odor, sui generis, different from that of conicine. ”

“ Take any quantity of green apricots, then two handfuls of salt, which wet with a little vinegar; take a coarse towel, put your apricots in it along with the salt, and rub them well in the towel till you see the apricots have lost all their down; be careful not to do them so hard as to break their skin; when that is well done, throw them into fresh water to make them lose the salt and vinegar, which is done by giving them three or four different successive fresh waterings ”

“ All vinegar shall have an acidity equivalent to the presence of not less than five per cent. by weight of absolute acetic acid, and in the case of cider vinegar shall contain in addition not less than one and one-half per cent. by weight of cider vinegar solids upon full evaporation over boiling water, and if any vinegar contains less than the above amount of acidity, or if any cider vinegar contains less than the above amount of cider vinegar solids, such vinegar shall be deemed to be adulterated within the meaning of this Act. ”