The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-10-16

h7gstdT, which torments the domestic
est, is found in all species of feLia
while the fox, so closely resembling tn,
wolf or the dog, is never troubled will
the t0snia sonata in the last mentioned
njmal
SULPHUR IN ICELAND. DIR. Blak,
gives a full and clear description of the
vast deposits of sulphur occurring il
Iceland, and points out the necessary
steps for its utilization. For its ship
ment he recommends the port of Husa
vk, which is accessible all the veal
round, and which is situated very Eeal
the sulphur beds of Lake Myvatu, Kra
bla, and Reykishlid. The mines are
not only rich and extensive, but easily
worked. The sulphur can be supplied
at half the cost of that furnished by
the Sicilian mines, which, it is believed,
will soon be exhausted. The earth i'm
pregnated with sulphur contains from
so to so per cent, and is from three to
six feet in thickness. Vapors arising
from the interior of the earth continu-
ally deposit fresh aunnliSs.
Doe DENTISTRY is well known
that the bites of rabid herbivOrous ami
mails are rarely dangerous, because THEN
teeth are made fat-faced, for grinding
their. food without penetrating or tear
ing the tissues. Hence their bite is lit.
tie more than severe bruise, differing
from that of a carnivOrOus animal
which pierces Immediately through the
skin. "A veterinary surgeon of Pals.
M. Aourrel, recently captured three mad
dogs, and, tightly securing them, pro
ceeded to file down their teeth. These
animals he let loose with six other dogs
The latter were Immediately furiOuslv
attacked and frequently bitten, but in
no case did the pOintless teeth infic'
more than bruise. Not content with
this, NJ. Bourrel put on a thin kid
glove and then worried he mad dogs
with his hand until they bit him several
times. Although pinchiDg quite hard
the glove was not broken in single in.
stor"n while the skin beneath was uu-
injured.
SNATLs EGes.-The eggs of the
common LAND snail are like homeo-
pathic pills-the same size, color and
shape-and are generally deposited in
little clusters. The eggs of the COM
mon garden snails of Britain are as large
rs peas, and are laid inst under the sur
L
hOrtensis, land snail, are very phos
phOrescent for the first fifteen DAYS
The spwan of sea snails consists OF in
Vulnerable eggs adhering together in
masses, or spread ont in rows in the
shape of a strap or ribbon. This nida-
mental ribbon is sometimes coiled M
spirally, like a watch-spring, and at
tached by one of its edges to some
solid surface. Some Of the tropical
species of snails are very large. AMI de
post eggs as big as a robins. The
bu6mi cement leaves together to pro
tect and conceal their bird like eggs.
One species of oceanic snail attaches
It's eggs, which are enveloped in a cap
suie, to floating raft, and gives them
over to the tender mercies of the waves
and fishes.
ARE FEATHER BEDS 4 PROTECTION
FROM LIGHTNING ?-Feather- beds are
not a protection from lightning, and
the popular belief that t ey are doubt
less results from O misapprehension of
the laws that govern the passage of
electricity. The human body is a bet
ter conductor of electricity than feath-
er beds or other objects ordinarily con-
tanned in the apartments of dwellings,.
and therefore a priO7'i, when the light
ming enters an apartment the human
body is likely to form one in a chain of
induc'ions. determining the path of an
electrical discharge, unless better con-
ductOIs are in its vicinity to divert this
action. The only place of absolute Sc
curity in a thunderstorm is an iron
building; or next IN safety is q build
ing properly protected by lightning
FNu NyV nc Ns.Ars koI IL C
iron manifestly stand in no need of
lightning-rods at all, because the cleo
trio fluid, on striking so good cOnduc-
tor, would rapidly diffuse itself in all
directions and flow into the ground.
provided, of course, that the construc
ton of the building is such as to allow
its free escape.
CARBoNIC ACID AS \ MoToR.-The
possibility of employing carbOnic acid
as a motor-the successor of steam, as
it is termed to the author-is foreshad-
owed by paper by DR.. Fl. Beins. pub
lished in the English Chemical News.
The writer considers that he has dis
covered a very cheap way of producing
carbonic acid in liquid state, and con
sequPntlv at Ugh tension. When ma
trium carbonate, or the corresponding
salt of kalium, in a dry, pulverized
state or in a watery solution, is heated
in n closed space, part of the carhouic
acid is given off and condensed in a non
heated portion of that space, so that, AZ
temperature of from 636 deg to St3
deg, Fahrenheit, liquid carbonic acid
says DR.. Beins, can be distilled ont of
those salts, with tension of from 80 to
co atmospheres. This liquid carbOnic
acid, or carbOleum, as it is called, it
Is proposed to develop gas with which
engines are to be driven. The paper on
the subject contains a dissertation Cd
the advantages of the ulaD, but gives so
few details regarding its practical appli-
cation, or with reference to the manu-
facfure of carboleum or liquid carbonic
acid, that the gist of the matter is sum
med mp in the above lines.
SCIENTIFIC BALLOON AsCENs1oS.-A
ho1loou aarension made on the second
November, 1873, at Charkow, in Rus
STA, by Bunvlle, Is worthy of special
mention. Ia 81 hours the balloon
travelled 100 klOmetels, going always
in the same direction towards the n.
n. e. The greatest altitude was about
5000 feet; and the small quantity of
ballast (35 pOunds) that was used shows
now We'll the aerOnaut managed the
length of his voyage. The movement
of the lower strata of air was always
greater than that of the upper strata.
At an altitude of 5. 600 feet the hourly
velocity was 81 miles, while in the i'm
mediate neighbsrboOd of the earth the
force of the wind was so great that
Bunelle could with difficulty effect a
landing. The shadow of the balloon on
the earth was was a very well defined
black spot, whose movement across the
country gave, by means of an accurate
map, the means of determining the We
lOcity Of the current of air. At sunset
a heavy rainfall was experienced in the
interior of the clouds. Above the
clouds the aeronaut found a beautiful
+ and a very pleasant temperature.
The condition of the atmosphere APP
pears to have been directly the opHo-
site Of that experienced by Glasier on
July II, 1868 The latter found him.
self in northerly current, which was
warmer the nearer he approached the
earth.