Kyan's  process  must  absolutely  be  adopted ;  and  it
must  also  be  adopted  to  secure  wood  from  what  is
called  dry  rot,  in  places  where  a  free  circulation  of
air  cannot  be  introduced.  I  consider  Mr.  Kyan's
process  perfectly  unexceptionable.  The  long  ar-
rows which  the  Indians  use  in  Guiana  are  very
subject  to  be  eaten  by  the  worm.  In  1812,  I  ap-
plied the  solution  of  corrosive  sublimate  to  a  large
'quantity  of  these  arrows.  At  this  hour  they  are


HINTS    TO    ORNITHOLOGISTS.  309

perfectly  sound,  and  show  no  appearance  that  the
worm  has  ever  tried  to  feed  upon  them.
I  have  penned  down  these  transient  remarks  by
way  of  preface  to  others,  which  I  may  possibly
write,  at  some  future  time,  on  decay  in  living
trees.
HINTS  TO  ORNITHOLOGISTa

MOST  men  have  some  favourite  pursuit  —  some
well-trained  hobby,  which  they  have  ridden  from
the  days  of  their  youth.  Mine  is  ornithology ;  and
when  the  vexations  of  the  world  have  broken  in
upon  me,  I  mount  it,  and  go  away  for  an  hour  or
two,  amongst  the  birds  of  the  valley ;  and  I  seldom
fail  to  return  with  better  feelings  than  when  I  first
set  out.  He  who  has  made  it  his  study  to  become
acquainted  with  the  habits  of  the  feathered  tribes,
will  be  able  to  understand  their  various  movements
almost  as  well  as  though  they  had  actually  related
their  own  adventures  to  him.
