The Red Cloud chief., 1877-05-03
RAJ WORLD OF SCIENCE
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A nev use his been found for giycer-
Inc. II h sneared lightly rel the
mirror Of . lsryneuscope. with the r.
suit that the minor 10 not dimmed by
the breath Perhaps il would prove
equally effective II similarly applied TO
spectacle glasses. In preventing their
being dimmed when worn In cold or
moist dir.
1oDssSsseisa q Wssss-AsssnL
A series Of experiments On water
meters 1t Wiesbsden serves TO show the
imperfections Of those instruments. The
record 10 the more insignificant - the
climate to which they were exposed IL
not nearly 50 severe - our own. About
one meter in every eight, stuck fast in
the course Of the year. and had 70 be
taken out Besides these complete stop
pages. there were minor disorders which
Affected eight per cent. Of the rest Of
the lot -Four different kinds Of meters
were employed: each had is own vices
and one kind would not register At all
with . small dow. while another kind
when it got out Of order checked the
dow altogether.
The Planet Maaa
English astronomers are already be-
stirring themselves to provide for care
full observation Of the opposition of
Mars September s. This event will
give almost, perhaps quite. a. good an
opportunity a. the transit Of Venus, for
a~scertaining the suns distance. The
Astronomer Royal Of England has been
urging the matter. There is hope of
obtaining Government assistance to ft
out an expedition for the purpose to st.
Helena or Ascension Island; but il this
aid Is not forthcoming. private funds
will be contributed; $500 was offered
by one Of the members at the March
meeting Of the Royal Astronomical So
ciety; Sir George B. Airy himself said
that he would give 800 toward defray-
ing the expense.
TransIer Of Vaccine Virus,
Some curious experiments in respect
to the transfer of vaccine virus have
been reported to the French Academy
Of Sciences by N. Raymond. Taking
blood from newly-vaccinated children,
he inOculated with it other children
who had not been vaccinated. The re-
suits were wholly negative. No erup.
ton took place, and the ~inoculated
children had no immunity from small.
pox. But when q precisely similar ex.
pertinent was tried with heifeJs, the
required immunity was attained as
completely as it would have been from
direct vaccination; but there was no
vaccine eruption. 1t is much to be re.
GREETED that N. Raymond's experiments
were not as successful with the human
as with the bovine race. since they
might have pointed the way to an i'm.
proved method Of vaccination which is
not followed by the inconvenience and
skin eruption Of the present mode.
Formation OF Petroleum.
The following explanation as to how
petroleum has been formed in the earth
appears in q French journal as from NJ.
Byass0n. If q mixture of water vapor,
carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulphide
be made to act on iron heated to white.
ness in q tube, q quantity of liquid car.
burets will be formed analogous to pe-
troleum. Similarly if sea water, having
It's usual constituents, should penetrate
through cavity in the earth to a depth
where it would meet high temperature
and metallic sulphides. the conditions
would be present for forming petrole-
UNI. There would also occur a con.
siderable evolution of heated gases. NJ,
ByassOn couples these statements with
the remark that petroleum is USUALLY
found near to either volcanic localities
or mountain chains, and is usually in
the same beds with salt water or rock
salt. He might have added that a fov
Of gas Is a common feature Of American
oil wells. The varieties of petroleum
he attributes chiefly to the differences
of an imperfect distillation which il
may have undergone in the earth.
9 Of Protection Possessed by Iusects
A pleasant story is told by Sir John
Lubbock. quoting from Welssmann, il.
Illustrative Of the means of protection
which some insects possess. The cat.
1plil 3lE # The sRhipx moth Is quite as
good food for birds a. any other insect:
but it is perfectly protected by its usli-
ness. Its face is its fortune, having
two great spots ON it which look like
eyes when the caterpillar wriggles. In
general the insect is suggestive of q
small snake, especially when it is fright
ened 90 that It draws back its head and
shows its false eyes to advantage. N.
Weissmann pat one of these caterpil-
lars into . seed tray where he usually
fed sparrows and other small birds.
The first bird that alighted on the edge
Of the tray. perceiving the insect. BE-
came half paralyEed with fear. Eight
or ten birds Joined the arst one. but all
stood on the edge of the tray. afraid to
90 in. One bird few into the tray at
6rst but on seeing the caterpillar.
hastily scrambled out, and Joined tie
company on the edge that were bob
bing their heads up and down. and
looking into the tray a if half terri.
fed. After the caterpillar was removed