Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1854-07-15
HARMONY OF coLoRs IN NATURE.

Raphael was not more choice about his
painting than we find the sun TO be. AS
winter departs, the modes, violet first bios.
SONS beneath veil Of leaves. The modes.
! ty needs means OF shelter. Protecting leaves
radiale back upon the fragran, little flower
all the heat that departs from it. AS the
SHOWS disappear, blossoms of other flowers
open, which display themselves more boldly,
but they are blanched or nearly SO. In the
passage from the last SHOWS Of winter 10 the
| first blossoms of spring, the harmony OF coler
is preserved; hillsides and orchards are laid
with a delicate white, varied rarely BY a
! pink upon the almond.trees. Petals of ap.
! pie blossoms, floating on the wind, mimic the
J fakes Of snow that were so lately seen. As
the warm season advances, colors deepen un-
| til we come TO the dark crimson Of autumn
| flowers, and the BROWNIES of the autumn
| leaves. This change is not only meant TO be
Seauliful--it has its use. Why are the first
spring flowers all white-or nearly white .
| Because, when the winds are still cold, and
the sun is only moderately kind, a flower
would be chilled TO death if its hea, radated
from it rapidly. But radiation takes place
most freely from dark colo!s- from black,
from the strongly.defined green's and .bues
and reds. In the hot weather, flowers and
leaves so coored, cool themselves more read
lily OF nights. and form upon their surfaces
the healing dew, or of facilities for cooling.
|
The delicate spring flowers are. therefore, OF
color that is least ready TO encourage radi.
alton. For the same reason, because white
substances give out the least freely The heat
that they contain or cover, arctic animals are
white as their native SHOWS. For the same
reason, too, the snow itself is white, when
cold becomes severe, falls and hangs like a
fur mantle about the soil. If snow were
black, or red, or blue, it would still lei some
Of the heat escape, which is retained under
its whi,eness. Household Words |
VIvIPARcUs Fish, formerly deemed such
rare and remarkable natural wonders, arc
now getting known as abundant in various
quarters. The first were discovered on the
coast of California about year ago. One
species has since been said to have been Ia
ken in the Canadian waleis, and United
States officer AYERS that the s,ingray of the
Carolina coast is viviparous. Professor f
S. Holmes subsaniiates this, and says ,ha
,he Devil Fish also bears its young alive.
singular discovery connected with this sub
jeci in thus described By Charleston, S, C.
paper:
ga discovery of very great interest has re
Gently been made by Mr.. Henry W. Raven
el, young na'uralls, who has lately won al
honored name in the department OF Botany
In limestone spring, in ST. Johu's Barkeley
he has discovered a species Of vivparon
scale fish the first iha; has been au,hen,i
Gated as existing in fresh water. His speci
mems are now in possession of Prof. Holmes
from whom we may expect before long
scientific description of this very interesting
species. The largest of these specimens ma
} be l ! inches long, and it is as delicate as tn
5 silver fish. At the season of breeding tn
breast becomes greatly dstended, and o
opening j., there is found adhe ring near /
, the spine, a sack full Of embryo fishes, whic
exhibit unmisakeable proofs of the deve
opement of animal form and life."