, 1874-10-31

| 1t 1B not now dcclsively lnorn whether tho uoa.
assfa ii1'ost,ng In tho stnosplore aud those
| dffforont species. -
DR.. G. linccc,m, OF Texas las lato1y oon,.
1ntnieatcd 10 tho smithhonian Institute nome H.
torostlnE discoveries regarding tho foatinE eos.
Henry, in tho October Nataralist. Acootlinr to
him, tho architect OF these satiowy balloons In
"grayisa- -pca-green " spider, with rathor lonu
leRs M 8 and weight OF about Fratns. It is quick
dronping It's, work and dartlng out Of u
alght ns tue approach ot T. stran-
gor. DR.. Lincocu,n Inns enjoyed tho op-
porsunity Of watching the work Of Ito spiders
~ building tlleao balloons, md doacril'oB 1t with
careful pasttcu!arity. From lia observations, l,e
domonatlatcd that the gossn,per IL. spun wstll
tNo Intention Of smiling through tho air. mud
conveying its weaver and her progeny to dis
tsncca which q could not otherwise DO accomplish
Habsn Ar < NRs. LIZ .S snsnntod sss sft Of t, sae
nozen 70 Young oneB sitting down upon 1t. cutting
lss faBtonings, soaring aloft, anl guiding ita
nasHago to the point desired by means Of skil-
fnlly.nianaaed ruddcrs and gaiIg.
nr. Lincecnm has noted that In Toxas these
balloons begin to aAcon,l ut about oolooI, and,
for tile succeeding three hours, arc to bo seon
o. V"i1ou" altltntos, sailing In the direction Of
tue tue. VIM wind Each balloon Is furnished
which probably a!d in keeping tic craft I
in IN eauable position. On board eacll norin
bark - . mother.spider aud half-dozeu or
more little ones. About O'Clock tho balloons
negin TO, to a,easond wl,irling slo~ly downwarda
grass, when the passengers instantly loap out
md swinE themselves By rneana Of d thread, to
the ground. Sometimes these balloons sail at
rapid ratio On tho wind. q: m altitude Of 1000 or
1000 fece: One cannot toll Of them, n,y moro
thnu Of the wind, whence thov como or whittier
travel l50 or zoo miles. ''~s S'' A'"'
~: Ltneecum onco watched eossnuaer-apldar
o%Hg :a baoGn on shS upper Of n
aho waB CARRYING about with her-not in her arms,
but cllnging 70 her tliorax-n olustae OF little,
taoy sp!ders. Loving. faithful littio mother,
did Hho feel as tired and worn when ller tank Nas
done, aid Bio had caat her bark afloat. as many
human mother does when tho davis task ia
over. and her troop Of lads aud lassiea are at
last tucked up under tle covcrlid?
SPLITTING WOOD ny LIGHTNING.
The theory that tho splitting Of tho trunks Of
trees by lightning Is tho result Of tho sudden
evaporation Of the liquids contained In shom,
has received SUPPORT from series Of expert
monte conducted by Osborn Reyuolds. BY pass
ing tho electric spark through them, he succeed
cd in splitting small sticks OF wood after thoy
had been impreguated with water. Flo also burst
email glaBs tubes which we're filed with water.
When the tubes were empty, tho electric apark
passed through them without injuring them.
His most striking experiment was upon tubo
three-eighths Of all inch exterior and one-ciehth
interior dtemetor. Tho tube Was IA inches In
length, aud waa bett ut a right angle. It could
resist pressure Of at least 200 attnuaplacros to
the Square iucll. A large electric faah being
sent through it, It ras split by tho frat dis
chsfgo sna to poees thrown several feet COM
by a hammer. Mr. Reynolds estimates that The
pressure must have been moro than ]. 900 atmog.