Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1872-08-01
Scientific Notes.


HUDSON botanists are excited over a
floral monstrosIty recently discovered
in garden in that city. The flower
itself is n 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
whitewood glued together and attached
10y pivot to Il cross. bow shaped frame,
IS in useIon lake vessels. Atmospheric
variations cause the wildwood to ex-
pand or contract, thereby moving an
indicator in directions corresponding.
I IT is certain that the falling stars,
meteors, and erolites 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
universal 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-
parelli, for his remarkable discoveries
in meteoric astronomy. His study of
this subject received great impulse
from his observations of the meteors
which fell on the nights of August o
10 and II, 1866, and he was then con
tirmed in the opinion expressed three
years ago, that II great number of the
meteors which usually fall ut that
season are distinguished by their
starting from one point in the heavens,
which is called their radiant point.
The Russian corvette Witjas, 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
citic ocean, and its many clusters of
islands, directly to Nagasal in Ja-
pan, and i'll 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 bay of the Grand
Duke constantine.
4 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
captnred in the Washita river in such
abundance rs 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 OF Red river, and is navi-
gable within forty miles of Hot Springs,
a locality about tifty-five miles south
west from Little Rock.
IL an article in the June number Of
the American Natur list, Professor
Tenny announces the interesting fact
that the jumping-mouse (/ocai1ts hui-
sOnjuS) hiberuates during the winter,
IN the manner of various well-kuown
species Of mammals. His attention
was drawn to this fact by discovering
an individual of this species coiled up
IN the earth while making IN 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 annnal it
gradually became active, and that it
was thrown back into its winter sleep
by exposure TO the cold. The expert
ment was repeated number of times
in succession, always with the same
result.
The value Of earth rs n disinfectant
and deodorizer is well known and the
treatment of liberated and gangrenous
wounds with 1t is becoming general.
A new application has been described
by DR. L. S. Bunker, who states that
he has recently used clay as a dressing
for the face III two cases of continent
smallpox, busting it, in fine powder,
over the faces OF the patients rs soon
as the pustules became fairly develop
ed. This formed clean, dry, whole
some scab, absorbing the infectious
material, aud scaled off during conva.
lescence, leaving the underlying skin in
its natural and normal state. The pain
ful itching, which is one of the chnrac-
teristics of the disease, was entirely
abated. The earth used was fine
pipe-clay.
Ir IS long time since we have had
occasion to record so large numberof
deaths in the ranks of American natu-
ralsts 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 t. Robinson, Of
New York, gentleman well known for
the attention he has paid to the sub
lect of American lepidoptera. A man of
II l. md ,ll, L., j. ~