Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-07-31
Scientific Notes.

Scientific Notes.
HUDSON botanists are excited over
floral monstrosity recently discovered
in garden in that city. The flower
itself is a perfectly formed rose of I'M
usual fragrance, on the top of which
are seven buds, completely filed and
ready to burst.
A NEW style of barometer, composed
of two slender strips of cedar and
wildwood glued together and attached
by pivot to cross bow shaped frame,
is in use on lake vessels Atmosphe ic
variations cause the wildwood to ex-
pand or contract, thereby moving an
indicator in directions corresponding.
IT is certain that the falling stars,
meteors, and @rolites differ in size
only. and not in composition. Hence
we presume that they are an example
! of the materials of the universe; and
as they contain no elements foreign to
| those to the earth we may infer the
! similarity of composition in the whole
universe fact already suggested by
the spectroscope.
The gold medal of the Royal Astro-
nomical Society of London has re-
Gently been presented to Signor Schia-
parelb, for his remarkable discoveries
in meteoric astronomy. His study of
this subject received a great impulse
from his observations of the meteors
which fell on the nights of August 8,
10 and II, 1866, and he was then con
frmed in the opinion expressed three
years ago, that a great number of the
meteors which usually fall at that
season are distinguished by their
starting from one point in the heavens,
which is called their radiant point.
The Russian corvette Witias, of nine
guns, has lately made an interesting
voyage. She passed from the Bay
Islands in Upolu, of the Navigator
group, through the middle of the Pa
cific ocean, and its many clusters of
islands, directly to Nagasaki in ia
pan, and in her course entered many
almost or entirely unknown bays.
Among these was one in New Guinea,
where no European had ever been be-
fore, and where the inhabitants do not
know the use of iron, and are canni-
balls. Captain Nisimow gave to the
bay the name of the 'sBay of the Grand
Duke Constantine.
| A CORRESPONDENT of the Weekly,
writing from Hot Springs, Arkansas,
on the 9th of May last, communicates
the very interesting intelligence that
| for two seasons past shad have been
captured in the Washita river in such
abundance as to furnish an important
article of food to the people of the
neighborhood. No statement is given
as to whether these fish are from shad
| purpOsely introduced in the river, or
whether they made their way there
spontaneously from the gulf. The
Washita, as our readers may be aware,
is tributary or Red river, and is navi-
gable within forty miles of Hot Springs,
locality about ifty-fve miles south
west from Little Rock.
! In an article in the June number of
the American Natur list, Professor
| Tenny announces the interesting fact
that the iumping-mouse (JdcuJats h2Gd-
sO13uS) hibernates during the winter,
IN the manner of various well-known
| species of mammals. His attention
was drawn to this fact by discovering
an individual of this species coiled up
in the earth while making an excavation
during the past winter in an Indian
mound. Although he at first sup
posed it to be entirely dead, he discov-
cred that on warming the animal it
gradually became active, and that it
was thrown back into its winter sleep
by exposure to the cold. The expert
ment was repeated a number of times
/ n succession, always with the same
result.
TIE value of earth as a disinfectant
| and deodorizer is well known, and the
| treatment of liberated and gangrenOus
wounds with it is becoming general.
| A new application has been described
| by DR.. e. S. Bunker, who states that
he has recently used clay as a dressing
| for the face in two cases of continent
smallpox, busting it, in fine powder,
over the faces of the patients as soon
as the pustules became fairly develop
! ed. This formed clean, dry, whole
some scab, absorbing the infectious
material, and scaled off during conva
lescence, leaving the underlying skin in
its natural and normal state. The pain
full itching, which is one Of the charac-
teristics of the disease, was entirely
abated. The earth used was a fine
pipe-clay.
Iris a long time since we have had
occasion to record so large number of
deaths in the ranks of American natu-
ralists as we have been obliged to chron-
icle within the past few weeks. The
names of Simpson, Curtis, Swift, and
others have already been mentioned :;
and to the list must now be added the
name of Mr. Coleman L. Robinson, of
New York, gentleman well known for
the attention he has paid to the sub
ject of American lepidoptera. A man of
wealth, and able to crafty his tastes in
this direction, he acquired, by his own
efforts and purchase, a very extensive
cabinet, embracing over 10000 speci-
, mems, which, not long ago, he present
ed to the American Museum of Natural
History in the Central Park, a collec-
ton to which he proposed to devote q
| good deal of his time and attention in
the future, and which purpose would
l probably have been realized but fol
| his untimely end. Mr.. Robinson pub
: lished quite extensively upon American
lepidoptera-a paper upon the
sphinges of Cuba being perhaps the
t most important. In some of his labors
l he was associated with Mr.. Grote.
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A TELEGRAM from Madrid, Friday,
5 says: g At midnight last night an at
tempt was made to assassinate the Kine
: and Queen of Spain. Their carriage
t was fred on One of the assassins was
: killed and two captured. The King
: and Queen were driving home from the
Palace Garden, when the would-be as
= sassins fired upon them. There il