Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1871-11-25
CURIOUS AND SCIENTIFIC.

Professor Wyville Thompson, c
the University of Edinburgh, say
that it IS impossible TO draw a def
mite line between the animal and We.
etable kingdom.
The fact seems we'll establishe.
that certain articles, such az old aY
psrnl, well.dried wood. ETC.. are CAP
able Of generating sufficient heat {
induce combustion within the appli
cation of fire. We think that not
few ofthe numerous fires suppose.
TO be the Or6 of inceudiarias' ar
caused by perhaps q rag which Ia.
been used with beDzine BY the fruga
housewife to clean a coat, or by tn
heat which il knowntO be generated
from articles, of silk, cotton, etc, shu
up in a close room.
| The substitution of slate for box
wood in engraving has been latel]
found TO be both economical and eff
fcient for the desired purpose. Es
pecislly il it adapted for engraving.
in reliet. lis stated that while block.
OF slate are easily cut, they will weaI
A well IL eletrotypes, and turni-l
| over one hundred thousand sharI
impressions without loss of detail
The plates are not affected By oil oi
water, do not vary with Temperature
and become warped, which is the
great fault with lockwood under Ger,
tain conditions.
A swarm OF bees have been sent by
mail from Lancaster, Pa, to Wash,
ington. The means employed fol
their transit consisted OF a block OF
wood about six inches in length,
four inches wide, and about an inch
and a quarter thick. -Four holes
about an inch in circumfrence were
bored through with an anger, in each
Of which were confined a queen bee
sud some half dozen others, the
foundation for a colony or hive.
Each end Of the sugar-hole was pro-
tected by a wire screen, alTordinc
plenty of ventilation. The postage
amounted to p cents.
Mr.. IetiodoFo Ruiz, Of Opln in
Columbia New Granods(, reports to
his government the successful treat.
nent OF snake bites BY cante .ization.
That country abounds in venomoua
snakes, aad their bites are quite fire.
quent. In all, this gentleman had
treated some seventy cases. His
method Is to drop melted sealing
wax on all the fang-marks, and be
looks upon the result as due not 80
much to the Cauterant action of the
hot wax q, to the complete exclusion
Of the air which the adhension of the
wax secures. At first the wax was
given internally as well as applied to
the wound, but that part OF the treat
ment has been long since abandoned
as useless.
In a late murder trial in London
DR.. Letheby gave evidence, stating
the results of his examination Of
blood stains found upon the clothes
OF the prison. lie testified that the
blood was tina. of a vertebrate ami
nal, but whether it was human blood
he could not say. To q question of
the Judge as to how long it takes for
A blood stain to dry up and change
20 q, 10 be ins0lub.e in water, be re-
Piled fortnight. When rc1ue.ti0n-
ed, he said i, depended upon the
state of air. DR.. Taylor saws it Il,
difficult after week TO give an opin.
ion as TO q blood :-ain, but q good
deal depends upon the acidity or
otherwise Of the atmosphere. In
London a bloOl stain would become
insolublc quicker than in the cogn
and, after Z large experience. tie
result OF his observations i. that the
'o'u5ility might remain for a fort
night.
Ia tie Departmental zoology snd
st the lat meeting Of the
Association, Mr.. e. ". Leach
cad a paper describing s %railles-
ottrout. specimens OF which .
we're exhibited. They we're taken
a a lake about one thousand feet
above the se3-.eveI, and not ADORE an
tcrc in extent. This was 90 shallow
hat a man could wade through il.
lad q hard firm bottom, with but
weeds, and although surrounded
other lakes, these t%ailless trout
5ere found only in il, They fed on
he small c~rustaccaus occurring in
be lake, and were al! in good con.
a sportsman who had fish.
d the place for thirty years had
lever found one with a perfect tail.
It wss suggested that the
rout, being unable to mix with 9th
IT trout. were perpetutaed in this
Cases were cited Of streams
where the trout were found with de-
fins, the tails, 10 attempt was
made to account for the pecuIiaritv,
mt the author mentioned as one Of
he popular notions regarding it that
because Of the shallowness Of the
water the ish had ground their tails
way against the bottom.