Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-07-04
AECHANlCAL AND SCIENTIFIC.

AT last it has been apparently
| proved that copper is a normal con-
| Stituent OF the blood, not only of man,
! but of the lower animals. In the case
OF the blood OF man, the presence of
| copper might be thought to be acci-
dental, and introduced Through the use
of vessels of that material, in the
| preparation of food. But an ANALYSIS
of the blood of wild herbiyorous ami
mails also discloses copper. 1t has vet
to be ascertained whether the copper
belongs to the plasma or to the blood
globuleS, or both, or whether it is in
troduced In the food or drink. Chi
cage Times.
This is a great year for the study
OF natural history. The latest inter-
eStlng problem is whether there is any
connection between the appearance of
the seventeen-year locusts and the
mortality among the fish in the Della
ware River. In 1860, ii is stated, the
fish IN that river and in the ponds
throughout the Delaware Valley died
in large numbers, and this year. with
the return of the locust, the piscatory
mortality Is renewed. There is the
DRY that the fish die from eating
locusts which drop into the river. hat
a large number of dead fish having
been examined, in only one of them
was locust found; SO that it would
appear that the recurrence of the fish
All Is only Il coincidence -EIchan0e.
"A number of communications to
Nature have developed the curious fact
that the English sparrow is destructive
to beds OF yellow crocus, tearing the
blossoms IN pieces for some mex
plicabe reason. The white and
blue crocuses, although growing near
the yellow, are lett unulsturbed. 1t
has been suggested that the birds may
pick at the yellow flowers from mere
love of their bright color. one writer
gives, as an Illustration of the color
sense in birds, a description of a nest
built by Il pair of goldnncnes, ut the
end of "A branch, with nothing betwe
it and the sky above and The gravel
path below. The base OF the nest was
made OF materials exactly resembling
IN tint that of the tree, while the top
was built of the flowers of the forget
me-not. While at work, the birds
seemed to revel in the beauty of the
ilower-sprays, tossing them about i'll
joyous sport.
1t may not be generally known
that tln-tOll, as now 50 widely used III
the trade, is not foil made of tin
alone, but composed mainly of lead
with but a slight finn of tin on the
surface. The manifold appliance of
tin-foil to articles Of consumption and
medicine is not regulated with us by
any law such rs exists III European
countries, torbldding the use of lead
or composition, or otherwise impure
tin-ioil III all cases where it may,
through oxidation or contact with the
goods, become poisonous and injurious
to the health of the consumers. as Is
Che case IN some Instances. Too little
attention has been pad TO this subject
heretofore, and it Is To be hoped that
ignorance, and not wiliull oversight of
the facts, has lea many manufacturers
and dealers TO use an article accom-
panied with such risks for the sake of
saving trllc III the cost. Cases of
lead poisoning have occurred among
tobacco-chcWers who used their plugs
with tin-ioil; as the tin-ioil WAS most
~ lead. they chewed lead day after
day, and ut last We're poisoned, the
saliva aided by the tobacco Juice, dis
solving the lead. -Nann.tactner aud
BuitCier.