PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1935, 26 March 1891, Page 35

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Preserving Spiders.

A good while ago one of my young readers, whose name I forget, aßked me if I could tell him how to preserve spiders. He had been making a collection, but the bodies shrivelled up. I asked such of my friends aB I thought would be likely to know, but could get nothing satisfactory except preserving in spirits. This, however, doeß not always work well. I happened to come across a book last week which is apparently a good guide to those " collecting, preparing, and preserving animals, birds, reptiles, insects, &c," and make the following extraots from it for my young friend'a benefit if he should still ba a reader of this column. The price of the book is 2s 6d, and if the lad will forward me his address I will give him the name of the bookseller who has it. Ido not give the name of the book, because I saw only one copy, and I wish the one who asked me for the information to get first preference :— " Immediately after killing the spider, priok the body with the triangular awl, extract the entrails, then inflate it with a blow-pipe ; if yon require to keep the colours, you must take out no more of the inßide than \a necessary to prevent mouldiness, for the colour often depends on what lies below the skin. After the entrails are pressed or hooked out, fill the body with fine cotton or down pushed in by a heckle-tooth, or bodkin, or probing-needle, blunted a little at the point. Fine sand haß answered the same purpose admirably. When the body is stuffed, close up the small aperture with a little cement or strong solution oi gum arabic. Then to assist in preserving the colours and to protect the specimens from atmospheric action the spider is to be covered with the solution of corrosive sublimate, and in an hour after with a thin coating of a very weak, white spirit varnish. For this purpose take a teaspoonful of the ordinary white spirit or elastic vaxnish and add to it two spocnfuls of spirits of wine ; apply this with a very fine camel-hair brush, whioh will quickly dry and have a strong tendenoy to proseiva the colour. The varnish beiDg thuß reduced in strength will not leave ony rlobs on the insect, nor will it be at all perceptible.

SOLUTION OF COBBOSIVE SUBLIMATE,

"To prepare this put a large teaspoonful of well pounded corrosive sublimate into a winebottlefnl of aloohol (spirits of wine). Lat it stew over night, and the nsxfc morning draw it off into a clean bottle. Wheu the solution is applied to black substances and little white particles are perceived on them, it will bo neosssary to make ift weaker by tha addition of some alcohol. A black feather dipped into the solution and then dried will be a good test; of its strength. If it be tco strong it will leave white particles on the feather, and it must be reduced until these do not form."

Tha book ia full of illustrations of processes and instruments; and has a nun: her of useful recipes at the end.

The Dominion Federal Parliament.

Last weak I promised to Rive you an outline of the functions of the proposed Federal Parlia»

ment, and also of the functions of the Provincial Parliaments. But I may be allowed to add a few lines by way of a preface. The Quebec Conference met on the 10th of October 1864 ; the deliberations lasted 18 days. Two important decisions were arrived at at the outBet — one, that meetings should be held with closed doors ; the other, that the voting Bhould be by provinces — that is, each province Bhould have one vote, irrespective of the number of its delegates. The conference holds its proceedings secret bo that the newspapers adverse to the Federal movement should not have the opportunity of building up an opposition from the speeches of tha delegates until a definite scheme was drawn up to be laid before the British Parliament ; besides, it gave the delegates greater freedom of speech, and they could give in or change opinions without their change of front being publicly known. In Sydney the debate is being published in full daily, though the meetings of the several committees have not been open to the press. As" for the second point, the voting bas not, at time of writing, been decided whether it is to go by delegates or colonies.

Your geographies will show you that Ottawa, about the same sisSe as Dunedin (35,000), a oifcy f mailer than Quebec (65,000), Montreal (200,000), or Toronto (180,000), is the oapital of the Dominion. It owes its position to the jealousy of the larger cities, not one of which cared for any of the others being in the influential position of the political centre. The Bame jealousy in Australia will probably result in Albury, Albany, Ecbuca, or some similarly sized town being seleoted as the Federal* capital.

On examining the matters controlled by the Federal Parliament it will be noticed that they are all of national importance,! while the provincial Parliaments control provincial taxation j and have full power in what may be called provincial business— all affairs that do not interest other provinces and that do not ooncern the Canadian people as a nation, , The Dominion Legislature was given sole control of the following matters : — 1. The publio debt and property. 2. The regulation of trade and commerce. 3. The raising of money by any mode, or system of taxation. 4. The borrowing of money on the publio credit. - 6. Postal service. 6. The census and statistics. 7. The militia, military, and naval service and defence8. The fixing or and providing for the salaries and allowances of oivll and other officers of the Government of Canada. 0 Beacons, buoys, and lighthouses. 10. Navigation and shipping. 11. Quarantine, and the establishment and maintenance <5f marine hospitals. 13. Sea coast and inland fisheries. 13. Ferries between a province and any British or foreign country or between two provinces. 14. Currency and coinage. 15. Banking, the incorporation of banks, and the issue of paper money. 16. Savings banks. 17. Weights and measures. 18. Bills of exchange and promissory notes. 19. Interest. SO. Legal tender. 31. Bankruptcy and insolvency. '' 23. Patents of inventions and discoveries. 23; Copyright. 34. Indians -and lands reserved for the Indians. 25. Naturalisation of aliens. 96. Marriage and divorce. 27. The criminal law, except the constitution of criminal jurisdiction, but Including the procedure in criminal matters. 23, The establishment, maintenance, and management of penitentiaries. - 29. Such olass of subjects as are exoepted in the' enunolation of the olasses and subjects assigned exclusively to the legislatures of provinces.

The Frovinoial Legislatures were entrusted with the management of the following mat* ters :—: —

1. The amendment from time to time of the constitution of the province, except as regards the office of Lieutenant-governor.

2. Direct taxation within the province in order to raise a revenue for provincial purposes. 3. The borrowTdg ot money on the sole oredlt of the province.

4. The establishment and tenure of provincial offices, and the appointment and payment of provincial officers,'

5. The management nnd sale of the publio lands belonging to the province, and of the timber and wood thereon.

6. The establishment, maintenance, and manage ment of hospitals, asylums, charity and eleemosynary institutions in and for the province* other than marine hospitals.

7. Municipal institutions in the province. 8. Ship, saloon, tavern, auctioneers', and other licenses, to raise a revenue for periodical, local, and municipal purposes. 9. Local indebtedness and works other than lines of communication beyond the limits of the province, and works for the general advantage of the dominion.

19. The incorporation of companies in provincial objects 11. The solemnisation of marriage within the province.

12. Property and olvll right* within the province. 13. The administration of justice within the province, including the constitution, maintenance, and administration of police courts, both of civil and criminal jurisdiction, and including procedure in civil matters within these courts.

14. The imposition of punishment by fine, penalty, or imprisonment, for enforcing any law of the province made in relation to any matter coming within any of the classes of subjects enumerated ia the section.

The following matters were dealt with jointly by the dominion and its provinces : — 1. The amendment of the constitution. 2. Kxtenslou and formation of prorinces. 3. Treaties. 4. Public properties. 5. Public debt and taxation. 6. State management and administration. 7. Administration of justice. 8. Statistics. 9. Education. 10. Property and civil rights. 11. Tra'le and commerce. 12. Monopolies. 13. Mon<-y and banking. 14. Agrioulture. 15. Immigration. 16. Local affairs. 17. Alteration of the law existing at the time of the union.

By referring to the telegrams it will be seen that many of the delegates attending the Sydney Convention are in favour of Federation on the "Doited States model. If any cf my readers can lefc ma know in what the two Federal systems differ I shall be very glad.