New-York tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1841-1842, 1842-01-07

w cen the electric hud and the principle 81 NE,
we're briefly noticed. Two OF the most csleofa'eu
phi!ophers oithe presentd day, 9r y q sHsI Il
and DR. ARsoTT have thought 1t not unilSei: tha'
Tho h-,in nav be an electric pile, sending along
n.ry.s the electric shock and causing thus he
,Isa,ion of thu heart and all ;he other phenon1e
~ ~ organic life This hypothesis receives an air
Of probability from the fact that there several
,oecie- OF fish which are known to have en- cleo
,rc battery in their heads capable Of giving
shock according to HUMBOLDT, of sufficient power
80 xii man and even hor.e. In Surnam, for
the sake OF experiment, several horses were once
placed among number OF these ea!s and were
soon nearly depriy~dci HE.
The facts OF Chemistry were aext passed under
brief review The atoms Of matter are subject 20
,nutaal attraction and repusion: when the former
power prevails, solids produced; when the LAT
fer. case. result; and when he two are balanced
they produce liquid. Hear i. the anita gonist OF az
fiat.; anditis only the different proportions il
Hhicll this princip is toand in different bodies,
that determines their character solids or fluids.
The greater portion Of heat 10 ali bodies is latent,
and no body is so cold that great degree OF heat
hlay not be elected from il. Were all the hea:
contained in the ice and snow suddenly extricsted,
II Is probable that a general cOhi!agration ct the
Earth. surface would result Naturalists have
mt combinations. give birth the various object;
IN TIE globe. Chemists enumeIate about fifty:
which sixteen sufficient construct nearly the
whole mass and four only essential for the ye
yetabic and animal kingdom. II Is wonderful to
notice the different properties OF the several sub
stances produced by various combinations OF these
simple agents. Oxygen and nitrogen, when united
IN the proportion OF one part Of the former and foar
If the latter, constitute the atmosphera-the very
| perbulum af=hi- il eight parts of the former be
combined with fourteen of the latter, exhara;ins
| gas is the products eight mere parts of oxygen
give gas instantly fatal to animal life. How
slightly differ tn. elements of life and Of DEATH
y difference in the arrangement Of the con-
,titnent parts of q substance produces most
ierful difference in It's character Suppose your
| COOK, On being ordered TO prepare sumptuous
east, should place upon the table dish Of charcoal
4nd water and tel! you that all his skill could pro-
| tncc nothing more, although he could combine
hem IN different propositions: although his stale
nent be strictly TRUE, your appetite would scarcely
be nppeased by this display Of chemical knowledge.
| Suppose that, Instead of the diamonds upon her
crown TIE leweler to Queen Victoria had given her
nmps OF charcoal telling her that the constituents
we're the same, and slight difference in the
engagement Of the parts could be OF no Importance:
MS statement light DC true, but would be deemed
scarcely satisfactory Every one knows how in
iayEnaEle is phosphorus yet every one has In bis
bones more than pound of this combustible mat
.er II all tho chlorine Of the ocean were to be
liberated This fair world would al once be swept
! oi It's beauty But these mighty agents, by the
,roporiloA. in which they arc combined, are dis.
armed st their destructive power.
The sciences OF Anatomy and Physiology abound
IN facts the most wonderful and interesting. Cern-
>ara,ive Anatomy has Of late been subiec, of
lose attentions and So perfectly have il rrinci-
lies been established that from siasle bone
tooth the character Of the animal may be Inferred,
with its food habits, hauu,s and althe circumsan-
:esolits existence. Comparative Anatornists have,
rom single tooth described and made drawings
II the extinct creature to which il belonged which
nas been found 10 agree exactly with skeleton
,ttcrward discovered. We cannot fail to be struck
with the cilunge as we go from the Anatomy OF the
human body to that of the lower animals, and with
Inc perfect adaptation Ut the organs TO the circum-
,tances and character of the different animals.
Looking at the eye, for instance cannot see in
water. while on the other llund fishes are blind in
,r. BY the USE Of very convex speciaces, how
yer, vision may be distinct in water ard there
li,te doubt that skiitul optlcian could furnish
Whale who might wish to travel on the CONT
aent' with glasses which should enable him
As distinctly and observe 10 much purpose
muny of our own species have done. Some Insects
which live upon the surface Of the water ure fur
=nished withtwo pair ofevcs-one for seeing through
he air and the other through the water As the
eyes of insects are usua!ly fixed in the head so
that they easily be directed to different OBJ
ects, they are made polygonal furnished with
almost infinite number Of plane surfaces and each
ii these surfaces Is IN tact distinct eye. he
common house-ly has 1000 of these surfaces in
each eye. aud the butterfly II 900. The crystalline
lens o; the Goldfish which is never half inch ia di
ameter, IS made up OF above five millions OF
hbres held together by more than sixty-two thou
sand millions of teeth. eiind it Difficult; to con-
cceive how animals exist without heads but
there Is a class OF animals, which live in shells,
winch tor the very reason that they are headess.
are named acephalouS. The skill these headless
creatures evince in constructing the shells they in
habit moreover. throws completely into the shade
the skill o.! the biped that Only boasts Of having
head, bat OF being absolutely the head Of the
whole creation The CONSTRUCTIONS OF their nests By
| wasps--a single queen Of whom frequently rules
over 80, GOO subjects all her Children ,oo--is
worthy oil our hg hest admiration. liao character
al the spider too, ascsrtaned by the grca, ,a,u-
ralSt HUBER who placed them under glass case,
and examined them closely with highly powerful
microscopes. Is peciay wonderful. This issect
80 long il remains IN possession Of the cocoon il
has span will detendit with desperate vAor against
Al! assailnnts but when this ia taken away it will!
50 perte:tIv simulate death that all its limbs MAY
be torn of and it will evince no life but if its wet
be again brought within lis reach j, srasps it with
ihe herccst energy. The trap.door spider, found
in the West Indies, digs hole in the ground some
six inches deep, lines it with thick coating Of
six and closes It's mouth with lid which springs
down so as to shut ont al! enemies. Zone of thes.
webs WAS exhibited by the lcctIrerz
The transformation OF metamorphoss of animals
which change their form is also curious and inter-
esting. Thus serpcnts throw OF their skins annu-