The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-02-17
Points Of Science.

Points Of Science.
SCIENTIFIC education has found it,
way even to Constantinople, and lee
lures on natural philosophy are now
being delivered in the Turkish Ian.
guage.
PROF FISHER has been removed from
the chair of chemistry in the California
State University because he declined TO
assay some ores gratuitously for one OF
the trustees.
THE longitude of Moro Lights, Hav.
ana, Cuba, as given in the latest edition
of the British Admirety list of lights
in the West Idies, is nearly mile in er.
ror. So Professor Hardness, of the
United States Navy, has ascertained.
WHEN the leaden rifle bullets are fired
against iron targets, the lead is melted
and spattered upon the target in the
form of a star. This fact is stated as the
result of careful experiments recently
made at Basic, in Switzerland
A BEAUTIFUL spider from Greece, which
feeds on grasshopper, was exhibited at q
meeting of the London chronological
vas alive and well, although he remained
without food since last July.
THE French Academy of Sciences has
held its sittings regularly since the COM
mencement of the siege of Paris, and
its journal has been regularly published
IL has been largely devoted to discus
sions of military science and balloon
travel.
Books which have been handled dur.
ing recovery from scarlet fever should
be burned after they have served their
purpose for the patient. A writer in
the Aheneum says that in the stages OF
recovery such books frequently become
charged with the germs of the disease.
THE strongest vegetable fiber known
is said to be that of the New Zealand
flax. 1t has long sword-like leaves, ten
to twelve feet in length. 1t is used by
the settlers for binding their sheaves,
fastening their gates, tying up their
horses, and in almost every possible
way.
THE extravagant tendency of the
present generation suggests to clergy
man the inquiry whether it would not
be better to devote half of ones ener.
gies to learning to live on very small
income, than to devote all of ones en-.
ergies in struggling and waiting for
large income?
GREAT numbers of caterpillars, of
species hitherto unknown there, have
made their appearance in the country
about Halifax, Nova Scotia, and their
presence and the immense injury which
they did last summer to the caulihower
crops have recently formed topics of
discussion at the Institute of Natural
Science.
DR.. OLDHAM, an Englishman of scien.
tific attainments, confident that no coal
beds existed in that portion of India
known as the Madras Presidency, once
remarked that he would eat all the coal
ever found there. The Times of India
states that excellent and abundant de.
posts have been discovered, and that
great anxiety is consequently felt for
DR.. Oldham, as he is man of strict
veracity and honor.
THE microscope reveals the fact that
speck of potato-rot the size Of q pin
head contains about two hundred Zero
cious little animals, biting and clawing
each other savagely and microscopes
find in every teaspoonful of raw sugar
about a thousand of the ugliest little
wretches wriggling about, with horns
and daggers ready to poke them through
our vitals at any moment, and without
the slightest conjunction in fact, they
rather like it.
THE most curious ant in the world is
the parasol of the West Indies, if the
accounts which we receive of its habits
are correct. These ants walk in long
procession, each one carrying cut leaf
over its head as parasol in the sun, and
they deposit these in holes ten or twelve
feet under ground, apparently with no
other object than to form comfortable
nest for species of white snake, which
is invariably found coiled up among
them on digging out the deposit.