Fish, Gold and Silver, s.
When I happen to visit a family where gold and silver fishes are kept in a glass bowl, I am always pleased with the occurrence, because it offers me an opportunity of observing the actions and propensities of those beings with whom we can be little acquainted in their natural state. Not long since I spent a fortnight at the house of a friend where there was such a vivary, to which I paid no small attention, taking every occasion to remark what passed within its narrow limits. It was here that I first observed the manner in which fishes die. As soon as the creature sickens, the head sinks lower and lower, and it stands as it were on its head; till, getting weaker, and losing all poise, the tail turns over, and at last it floats on the surface of the water with its belly uppermost. The reason why fishes, when dead, swim in that manner is very obvious; because, when the body is no longer balanced by the fins of the belly, the broad muscular back preponderates by its own gravity, and turns the belly uppermost, as lighter from its being a cavity, and because it contains the swimming-bladders, which contribute to render it buoyant. Some that delight in gold and silver fishes have adopted a notion that they need no aliment. True it is that they will subsist for a long time without any apparent food but what they can collect from pure water frequently changed; yet they must draw some support from animalcula, and other nourishment supplied by the water; because, though they seem to eat nothing, yet the consequences of eating often drop from them. That they are best pleased with such jejune diet may easily be confuted, since if you toss them crumbs, they will seize them with great readiness, not to say greediness: however, bread should be given sparingly, lest, turning sour, it corrupt the water. They will also feed on the water-plant called duck’s meat (Lemna), and also on small fry.
When they want to move a little they gently protrude themselves with their pinnæ pectorales; but it is with their strong muscular tails only that they and all fishes shoot along with such inconceivable rapidity. It has been said that the eyes of fishes are immoveable: but these apparently turn them forward or backward in their sockets as their occasions require. They take little notice of a lighted candle, though applied close to their heads, but flounce and seem much frightened by a sudden stroke of the hand against the support whereon the bowl is hung; especially when they have been motionless, and are perhaps asleep. As fishes have no eyelids, it is not easy to discern when they are sleeping or not, because their eyes are always open.
Nothing can be more amusing than a glass bowl containing such fishes: the double refractions of the glass and water represent them, when moving, in a shifting and changeable variety of dimensions, shades, and colours, while the two mediums, assisted by the concavo-convex shape of the vessel, magnify and distort them vastly; not to mention that the introduction of another element and its inhabitants into our parlours engages the fancy in a very agreeable manner.
Gold and silver fishes, though originally natives of China and Japan, yet are become so well reconciled to our climate as to thrive and multiply very fast in our ponds and stews. Linnæus ranks this species of fish under the genus of Cyprinus, or carp, and calls it Cyprinus auratus.—White’s Selborne.
Quitter, s. A disease in horses.
This is a disease of the foot, originating in a bruise or tread upon the coronet, or thin parts of the hoof. Superficial injuries on the coronet are often inflicted by the horse scratching himself with the opposite heel. But the bruise which causes quitter is of a more serious nature, and is inflicted by the horse stepping with great force upon the higher part of the inside of the foot, in endeavouring to save himself from slipping; and from this it is that the disorder generally or almost always takes place in winter, when the roads are slippery. It is well known that smiths, and the most ignorant of farriers, often succeed in their treatment of this disorder, and that veterinary surgeons often fail. The cause is, that they are not sufficiently attentive to such cases, and do not follow up the dressing as it is necessary to do, in order to get at the bottom of the injury. In order to cure a quitter effectually, let the following directions be carefully attended to.
Ascertain carefully, by means of a probe, the direction and extent of the sinuses, or pipes, as they are termed, then let them be completely filled with sublimate.
To do this effectually, the sublimate must be wrapped up in small pieces of whitey-brown paper, and introduced by very small portions at a time, so that they may be forced, as near as possible, to the bottom of the sinus. But however carefully this may be done, the sinuses are always so crooked or winding, that the first dressing can seldom be got to the bottom of them. In six or seven days a large slough or core will come out, when the dressing has been properly applied; and as soon as this has taken place, it may be necessary to dress in the same manner as at first; and even this must be repeated if the bottom of the disease is not found, and that generally is the lateral cartilage. Nothing more is necessary after this than to keep the sinus filled with lint, dipped in friar’s balsam, taking care to introduce it quite to the bottom every time of dressing. The sinus will thus be gradually filled up and healed. Quitters are sometimes cured by syringing the part, after it has been cored out, with sublimate. For this purpose a tube is forced into the wound, so as to reach the bottom, and through it a strong solution of blue vitriol, or tincture of myrrh, is injected. When these means fail, the foul cartilage, or bone, may be scraped by a very small chisel or gouge, or other more convenient instrument. I have seen quitters cured, or rather dried up, merely by dressing with tincture of myrrh, after coring it out with sublimate. The opening has often remained, and appeared to have become horny within, so that no inconvenience was felt from it. Another method of curing quitter is one commonly practised by farriers or shoeing smiths, and is called boring. This is done by pasting a red-hot iron, of a suitable size and form, to the bottom of the sinus, and then filling it with sublimate, or strong sublimate ointment. Sometimes another opening is made through the sound parts, at a little distance from the quitter, but in a slanting direction, so as to communicate with the quitter: this also is filled with sublimate ointment.
When much pain and swelling take place after the operation, the foot may be wrapped in a large poultice. After the cure of a bad quitter there is often a permanent defect on that side of the hoof, which is named a false quarter; that is, the new shoot of horn that grows down is imperfect, depressed, of a light colour, and is apt to split, and become a sand crack. When a horse receives a wound or bruise on the foot or coronet, by treading upon it, or by other means, the most likely method of preventing a quitter is to bathe the wound or bruise with a strong stimulant, such as tincture of myrrh, friar’s balsam, spirit of turpentine, or camphorated spirit. This seems to deaden the sensibility of the bruised or wounded nerves, and thereby prevent inflammation more effectually than a poultice. Should inflammation take place, however, afterwards, a poultice should be applied.—White.