New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-03-31
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

A now use has been found for glycerine. 1t
Is smcared lightly the mirror of laryngoscope,
with the that the mirror is not dmmed by the
breath Perhaps It would prove equally effective 1t
similarly applied 70 spectacle glasses in preventing the
beng dimned when worn In cold or moist aT'
A series of experiments on water-meters at
wiesbaden to show the nperfections OF those
instruments The record is the more significant as the
climate to which they were exposed is not nearly SO
severe as our own About meter III every eight,
stuck fast of the year and had to be taken
out Beside these complete sioppages there were miAor
disorders which affected per cent Of the rest OF the o
Pour different kinds OF meters were employer; eno u, al
its own vices and Kind would not register AT az
with small ow. while another kind when 1t got out OF
order checked the flow altogether.
The notion of VOYAGES around the world for
scientific study extended TO France society mas
been organized carry out this object The president
NJ Emile Levasscur is member OF the Institute ihe
board Of directors also includes vscOunt baron ana
anaval lieutenant There is attached consulting com
,nittee of which the chairman is Ferd de Lesscps, OF
suez Canal fame Tho other members OF the committee
arc the naturalist GcorOy Saint-Ilare the botanist
Du Charre; p schwaeDle, the director OF the PARIS
bighschoo Of commerce. the Physicist and Astronomer
Jansen and Dr. Liouvile, expert in hygiene ana
ematolOgy The intention is To get eVeryl IN Ieau-
ness for voyage to last year. The expense is to be
paid nv the tourists who subscribe, and is estimated AZ
5000 TO 900 "Pfeg; apSpjces win have due
Weight Doubtless The society will be able TO furnish
unusual facilities for scientific investigation as wen us
for the pleasures OF sight seeing and extended travel
English astronomers are already bcStlrrng
themselves provide for careful observation Of the op
po,ition Of Mars sept 5. This event win give almost
perhaps quite. good opportunity as the transit oil
VEINS for ascertainng the suns distance Tho Astrol
omer-Roval OF England has been urging the matter
There is hope Of obtaining Government assistance 10 III
out an execution for the purpose TO 81 Helena OF As
censon Island if this aid il not forthcoming private
funds will he contributed; $500 was offered by ono Oh
the members at tire March meeting a. the EoN2i AStTo
nomcal SocCty ST. George b. Any Himself si'o 'A'' io
would give 500 toward dcimyins The expense
Some curious experiments IN respect 10 inc
transfer the vaccine virus have been reported 10 Ve
French Academy Of Sciences by NJ Raymond. TAXING
blood from newly yGccinated children. he ihoculaed
with il other children who had not been yaecnated
The results we're wholly negative. No eruption took
place and the inoculacd children had no immunity from
sInall.pox. But when precisely similar experiment
was tried with heers, the required immunity was at
tanned as completely as it would have been from direct
vaccination; hut there no vaccine eruption I'll
puch 10 be regretted that NJ Raymond experiments were
not successful with the human rs with the bovh race
method Of vaccination which is Dot followed by lie III
convenience and skin eruption OF the present mode
The following explanation rs to how petro
Ieuia has been formed the earth appears IL French
journal from NJ. Byasson II a mixture OF water
vapor carbon doxide and hydrogen suphidc be mace
20 act on iron heated 10 wilderness III tube quantity
of aud carbuTets will be formed analogous to petroleum
Similarly if water, having its usual constituents
shoad penetrate through cavity in the earth TO depth
where il would meet high temperature and metallic
sulpldes the conditions would be present Tor forming
petroleum There would also occur considerable cvo-
luton of heated gases NJ Byasson couples these state
ments with remark that petroleum is usually found
near to either volcanic localities mountain chams
md Is usually III the beds with salt water or lock
salt. He might have added that low o. gas y CON-
mon feature Ancricau oil wells. The varieties or
petroleum De attributes chiefly TO tie differences OF an
fm,Prfcc, dsii9tl0 which IL may have undergone ID
. the earth
III pleasant story is told by Sir John Lub-
boc qnof NJ from Weis,marn illustrative Of The means
Of protection wIicu possess. The cacrpi
lar sphinx moth is quito good food for birds as
any other scc hut is perfectly protected by its ug'
ness face is It's fortune, having two great spots on 1t
which look HEe eyes when the caterpillar wrigges. III
general the insect suggestive Of small snake, escc
ally when il is frightened that II draws back its head
and shows it's false eyes to advantage. NJ Wcissmam put
these cstrparS into seed tray wherchc usually
fed spalrows aud ether SNAIL birds. Tie first bird that
nishcd the edge of the tray pcrcci,ing the insect
became half paralyzcd with fear Eight or ten birds
io,ed the first one bpt al stood the edge OF the tray
afraid 20 20 IN. ono bird few into the tray az FIRST bat
seeing caterpillar oastly scrambled ont "dJ"ined
the c0np"ny tie edge that bOhinS their Leads
up aud down and hooking into the tray as ball tern
in;o tac Iray far seeds rs usual
There is another smashing blow at blue
glass The believers ii the virtues OF The azure have
asserted that brc light was specially efcacous in ex
ci.iug the GuN o: IN electric current through the
nerves Quite contrary rcsul, is indicated in the cx
pcriuents detailed by PREF. James D,war i'll the last
number Of Nature Fish Holsters, frces rabbits pigeons.
and even humanity ITSELF subjected 10 these ex-
periments which consisted in applying one pole 0f an
electric circuit 10 some place in the back Of the neck
and the other pole Of the eyes. gdlvanonctcr
waa introduced the circuit In most Of c eNeri-
meats the animals quetcd with aHPsct:cs. When
The arraIatus WAS arranged. light suddenly ad-
,ntcd and the result shown by the salvanometer,
was an immediate increase OF the flow of electricity
The process WAS also tried with 'arouS!ycoloIcd lights
Tie spectrum coors and those obtained by the nse OF
l. shat hc electrical excitement u simply I!Cp0IibCd
10 the amount Of cit. The most luminous rays have
s0,0rrd rays Counting rho power of yellow ~ IS that
q biuc Is oiiy 10; decided t!Ga u s1t PIN o
What UaRsS tEc matter H0tc gazing ~ mat I-Oi.
Roberts does not say Il word about blue glass
Mr. CroOkeS'S last accounts of experiments
with biz iadUIneter full OF interesting detai. BY
means OF pendulum vibrating within the glass bnb OF
The rad!ometcr, determined what lac calls the " Wis
easily" Of Imprisoned air. The rate at which the
Psnduums vibrations diminished indicates and
measures tins via"osy. While the air In the BUD is
rarcfed 10 such Point that the reV0ye they hay
ipg become susceptible radiation, hcrc is scarcely any
change i'll visccsity When me air is still further rare
fed, up 70 tho point wncn The most susceptible
tbe viscosy is thous not greatly dninShsd
hut after this IL the air lie further rarched The yScOsty
fails of with great rapidty. In tire most complete
vacuum alta nable, HE facility with which tc vaUcs 10
tate by radiation reduced Cncaf; the obstruction 10
the vibration uf the pendulum is reduced 10 twentieth