The true northerner., 1872-08-09
Curious, Useful and Scientific.

w AICH cases are now made OF India
rubber.
MICROSCOPIC lens was recently made
In London, at cost of ESQ, from a dia
mond. The magnifying power of The
lens is an increase over that of glass in
the proportion of eightto three.
A NEW style of railroad has been con
structed in Assyria. 1t has single
rail, with springs on either side pressing
against it to preserve the balance. The
cost is only from $50 to $500 a mile.
A LARGE snake of strange species
was killed in Virginia the other day,
which had head in the shape Of a
diamond, tapering from the eyes
TO the nose, and from the eyes
back, with beautiful diamond scales
covering the top of the head, a long,
pointed tail, and which. when attacked,
made a kissing or blowing noise that
could be heard at a distance of 100
yards.
FROM immemorial time the economy
of honey bees and the exact system in
variably pursued by them in building
Nheir comb cells have been subjects Of
interest. There is no departure from
six-sided cell, and the exact manner of
construction and character of the mate.
rial used is always ihe same in any
country, whether in Asia, Europe,
Africa or America.
The experiment some time ago tried
by Philadelphia, of bringing fresh meat
from Texas, Is being tested by other
Northern cities. The entire hold of the
vessel in which the meat is brought is
lined with non.conducting felt; and by
chemical means cold below the freez
ing point will be kept up, yet not so low
as to freeze the meat.
IT is a mistake to suppose that tn
greatest present desideratum in locomo-
uves is a saving of fuel. In England,
locomotive repairs cost more than all
the fuel consumed by railway engines.
They burn about FIVE millions Of dol
lars worth Of coal per annum; but if
this consumption were lessened by one
half, the annual dividends would not
be increased more than one-thrd of one
per cent.
The milk and flesh of cattle afflicted
with typhus are not pleasant to con
template as articles of food; yet NJ.
Husson, French chemist, who has
anyalized these substances, asserts his
belief that they may be eaten 10y man
and all but ruminant animals, without
danger that the disease will thereby be
communicated to the consumer.
WE believe that the article sold in
Europe as Abyssinian gold, and some
times as Zalmi gold has not yet been
offered for sale, at least under those |
names. in this country: but it is well to |
know that it is in reality brass, COM
posed of ninety one parts Of copper and |
eight parts of zinc, veneered with very |
thin sheet of gold. This is stated in the |
German PolytechaiScheS Journal von De,2g.
Ter. on the authority of DR.. G. Winkler. |
Nh. GARRoD reports, in the Journal Of |
Aaatomy and Physiology, some observa.
tions made on himself showing that the |
exposure of the nude body to tempera-
lures below 20 0degrees Fahrenheit causes |
a rise in the internal temperature of the
body, which is greater the lower the |
of the surrounding air. |
When the temperature was 70 degrees |
or upward, no rise was observed.
VAN NosTRAND's Eclectic Engineering |
Magazine for March reports the inven.
ton of DR.. Robert Hunter, of an India |
rubber plate, to be attached to the stern
of canal boat, and moved by steam in
the manner Of fish's tail. The expert |
ments with this method of propulsion
are said TO promise great success.
II addition to its eyeless fish, the
Mammoth Cave furnishes beetle which |
is totally blind two varieties of eye
less spiders, one brown and the other
white blind centipede with very long
hairs, by which the creature guides it.
self, and blind crawfish. Regarding
the last of these, DR.. Telkampf remarks
that ''the eyes are rudimentary in the
adults, but are larger in the young"
Prof Hazen caught a specimen with
the eyes well developed"
SOME improvements have lately been
made in the manufacture of parchment
paper, by which its quality is improved
and its usefulness increased. The pro.
cess consists in mixing together of two
parts of sulphuric acid and one of water,
and after it has become cool immersing
in it, for about second, blotting or un.
sized paper, Immediately washing it in
several changes of water, and then al
lowing it TO dry spontaneously. 1t is
thus made strong, tough, semi-trans
parent, and adapted to the same uses
as parchment.