The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1859-02-18
a STRING or CURIOUS FACTS.

The following striking scientific facts were
picked up in The course OF our reading from va
rious reliable authorities. We thing many Of
them will be new 10 our readers
The difference between the skulls Of the do
nestle hog and wild boar is as great as that be-
tween the European and Negro skull. Domes-
t:cated animals that have subsequently, run wild
in the forest. after few generations lose ali
f'aees OF their domestIcaiion, and are physical
" d.'ierent from their tame originals.
+ IS not natural for COW, any more than
for ether female animals, 10 give milk when
she has no young to nonrsh. The permanent
rrcjuciion of milk is modified animal func-
tio9. produced by an artificial habit for several
sgfstFaiiions. Ia Columbia, the practice ofmil-
sssy ls-frirss 49,, iaid oe,sl. ~, natural
state of the function has been restored. The
sec .tion Of milk continues only during The
sucking ni the CALI and is only an occasional
phenomenon. Il the calf dies, The milk ceases
10 low, aad it is only BY keeping him with his
dam by day, that an opportunity of obtain
ing milk from COWS by night can be .ound.
The barking Of dogs is an acquired hereditary
instinct, Supposed 10 haze originated in an al
Tempt TO initiate the human voice. Wild dogs
and domestic breeds which become wild, never
bark, but howl. Gals, which so disturb civIli-
zed communities by their midnight "catawaui," f"
/ ia The wild stale in South America are quite ST.
( lent.
! The hair Of a negro is not wool, but curlpi
and twisted hair. The distinction between hair
and wool is clearly revealed by the micro
scope.
The dark races have less nervous sensibllity
than the whites. They are not subject TO ner-
vous disease. They sleep soundly in every dis
ease nor does any mental disturbance keep
them awake. They bear chrurgcal operations
much better than the white people.
| A certain species OF fungus has been known
10 attain the size of gourd in one night: nd
| it is calculated that the ceIlules, of which it is
composed, must amount to forty-seven thousand
millions. II it grew in twelve hours, this would
| give four thousand millions per hour, or more
/ than sixty-sIx millions each minute.
( Anmalcules have been discovered 80 small
| that one million would not exceed gram OF
sand, and FIVE hundred millions would sport on
| drop OF water Yet each of these must have
blood vessels, nerves, muscles, circulating flu
ids, SC, like large animals.
! One of the most wonderful achievements of
astronomers, is the weighing ofthe bodies of the
solar system. II is Certain that the mass of Ju-
piter is more than 5 D, ard less than 323 times
! the mass Of this globe--so accurately has this
I work been accomplished. The mass of the sun
| is 339, ,55l times great than that OF the earth
and moon, and 100 times greater than the uni
ted masses of all the planets.
| The planet Saturn is composed of matter on
| " half as heavy as water Mercury is conSid-
erably heavier than quicksilver. and third
heavier than lead and our own globe is twice
as heavy as lead-a fact showing the great dem
sity of internal parts.
A flash of lightning on The earth would be
visible on the moon in second and quarter
| on the sun in eight minutes on Uranus IN two
hours on Neptune in four and a quarter on
the star Vega, Of the first magnitude, in forty
FIVE years on a star in the eighth magnitude
in four thousand years and such STARS are vlsi-
BILE through the telescope.
La Place, the great astronomer, says: 81
have, ,ascertained that between the heavenly
bodies all attractions are transmitted with We
locity which If il be not infinite, surpassrs sew
era thousand times the velocity of light. His
aunoator estimates il at eight times greater than
that Of light.
The circumference of the earth is $4,000
miles. A railway train, travelling necessarily
night and day, al the rate of twenty-six miles
per hour, would require six weeks 10 go round
il. A tunnel through the earth from Eng land
to New Zealand, would be nearly eight thou
sand miles long.
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