The Field Book: or, Sports and pastimes of the United Kingdom: compiled from the best authorities, ancient and modernMaxwell, W. H. (William Hamilton)
History
The Field Book: or, Sports and pastimes of the United Kingdom: compiled from the best authorities, ancient and modern
Maxwell, W. H. (William Hamilton)
Amusements -- Great Britain; Sports -- Dictionaries; Sports -- Great Britain
The following curious fact is recorded by Mr. Swallow, some years since
the British Consul-General in Russia:—Having occasion to go from
Petersburgh to Moscow, where eels are a great rarity, he ordered some,
to carry as a present; upon being taken out of the water, they were
thrown upon the ground to be frozen, and soon appeared quite dead, and
almost a piece of ice; they were then packed in snow, and when arrived
at Moscow, which was four days after, the eels being put into cold
water, and so thawed, discovered gradually signs of life, and soon
perfectly recovered!
* * * * *
The eel was anciently said to possess the power of enforcing sobriety
upon the most devoted subject of the jolly god. “If you would some
notorious drunkard and common swil-bowle to loth and abhorre his
beastlie vice, and for ever after to hate the drinking of wine, put an
eele alyue into some wyde mouthed potte with a couer, hauing in it
suche a quantitie of wine as may suffice of itselfe to suffocate and
strangle the eele to death; which doone, take out the dead eele, and
let the partie, whom you would have reclaymed from his bibacitie, not
knowing hereof, drinke of that wine onely, euen as much as he
listeth.”—_Jesse_—_Daniel_—_Sir H. Davy_, _&c._
EFT, _s._ A newt, an evet, a small lizard.
EGG, _s._ That which is laid by feathered animals, from which their
young is produced; the spawn or sperm of creatures.
_Eggs of Birds._—By experiment it appears that birds do not
instinctively know the necessary time of incubation.
Those who suppose a bird capable of producing eggs at will, or that any
bird is excited to lay more eggs than usual by daily robbing their nest,
are certainly mistaken. In a domesticated fowl it is probable the desire
of incubation may be prolonged by leaving little or nothing in the nest
to sit on. It will therefore lay the number allotted by nature, which is
determined before the first egg is produced.
It is but few birds, if any, that would produce a second lot of eggs in
the same season if unmolested; but if their nests are destroyed, it is
probable three or four separate lots may be produced.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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