more or less obliterated: Boil half an ounce of best Aleppo-galls in 4 oz. of water, till one half of the fluid be evaporated; filter the decoction through blotting-paper, and apply it, by means of a soft painter's brush, to the effaced part of the writing; on which it must be suffered gradually to dry: thus, the illegible letters will, in most cases, become black, and re-appear. If, however, this mode of recovering them should not prove successful, the following application has often effectually answered the purpose: Take a leaf of white unsized paper; moisten it with a strong solution of green vitriol in water; so that it may be damp, without being wet. Next, apply such paper to the illegible part of the writing, by means of the flat hand, in order to communicate its moisture to the latter; when it must be allowed to dry in the open air. In this manner, the almost dissipated astringency of the galls will be renovated, so that the vanished characters will generally re-appear on the surface. Let it, however, be remembered, that both preparations must not be tried on the same paper; as they would certainly change the whole to a black colour.
WRY-NECK, or Jynx torquilla, L. is a bird of passage, somewhat larger than a lark; of a brown and black colour, with wave-like stripes; appearing in Britain in the spring, and preceding the Cuckow: it has received its name from a whimsical habit of turning and twisting its neck, so as to bring the head over its shoulders: it also possesses the faculty of erecting the feathers of its head, similar to those of the Jay.
Wry-necks construct their nests of dry grass, in the hollows of trees: the female lays 6 or 8 white eggs, which have a very thin shell: it is remarkable, that the young brood, while in the nest, utter a hissing noise, not unlike that of snakes. During the period of incubation, the male attentively supplies the hen with ants, which furnish to these birds a very agreeable repast.
M. Buffon informs us that, toward the end of summer, the Wry-neck becomes exceedingly fat; and that its flesh, in point ot delicacy, is equal to that of the Ortolan.
Wymote. See Marsh-mallow.
Y.
YAM, or Dioscorea bulbifera, L. is a native of Ceylon, whence its culture has been introduced into the West Indies, and other parts of America: it is divided into two varieties, known under the names of red, and white; from the colour of their bulbous roots.
Yams flourish best on poor soils; and retain their beautiful verdure till a late period in the year: hence, they are said to ameliorate the ground nearly as much as a crop of turnips. Being propagated by setting the eyes, their culture corresponds with that of potatoes;
