St. Landry democrat., 1878-04-20
SCIENTIFIC GOSSIP.

CLOCK work has been successfully sp~
oiled as q motor to sewing machines by
a nechanician of Vienna. 1t can be
wound up in few minutes, and it will
run fol several hours, its speed being
meanwhile fully under the control of
the operator.
IT has been noticed that European
bees, when imported in Australia for s.
year or two, keep their hives in good
order, and make very fair amount of
honey, but after that time they become
idle and wholly unpreductive. An ex-
PLANTATION of this curious fact would be of
great interest.
The origin of saltpetre appears to have
been satisfactorily explained by modern
research. Briefly, saltpetre is nitrogen
oxidised into nitric acid, and this oxida-
ton is brought about by living organisms
consisting of colorless cells. These bodies
are found not only capable Of living
without daylight, but light appears to be
! preiudicial if not fatal to their Develop
ment and growth.
In paper by Mr.. Herring, read before
the Academy of Vienna, is the following
explanation of the sense of temperature !:
The perception of temperature depends
on the height for the time being of the
temperature of the nervous apparatus of
the skin. Every temperature of the
nervous apparatus above the zero point
is felt as heat, every one below as cold,
and the distinctness of the sensation of
heat or cold increases with the distance
of the temperature proper for the time
being from the zero temperature.
The Whitehead torpedo has formid>
able rival in what is known as the La
boratory torpedo, which is now manu-
featured very extensively at Woolwich,
England. SO jealous are the British
regarding this latest invention, Mr..
Whitehead has not been allowed to ex-
anime it. In its general principles,
however, it is understood to resemble
the Whitehead torpedo, but its speed is
far greater. 1t will rush beneath the
water at the rate of forty miles an hour.
IT is only by the exercise Of the
will that the separate mechanism pos
sessed by each eye can be so controlled
that point can be seen singly and dis
tinctly. In other words, single vision is
the result of use, and is remarkable in
stance of the law Of adaptation. Raehl-
mann and Witkewski lately observed the
eye motions of persons asleep, of new
born children, of blind persons and OF
people under the influence of chloroform
or suffering from epileptic attacks, in all
of which cases there is failure of the
power of the will and in every instance
unco.ordinated movements were noted
FROM the ideographs and syllabices Of
Babylonia, Mr.. Boscawen has written an
interesting sketch of the probable primi
tive culture of the Babylonians. They
dwelt first in caves, then in structures o.
waffle and daub, and then in houses, sup
ported by wooden beams or columns, and
having doors and windows. These last
had gardens of some kind at the entrance
| Flame was obtained by the use of thu
frestick. Policemen patroled the early
cities by night and by day, and the
telegraph for prison is said to be "blact
hole" Women were held in the highes
respect by their children, the ideograpl
/ for mother being "house divinity"
y If string telephone with a parch
3 ment membrane be united at any poin
of bell telephone, one may hear through
7 t a person using the bell telephone
| Several string telephones may thus b
employed with good effect. 1t is worth,
i of note that the voices of woman and chill
/ dren can be heard best with telephone
l having plates of three to five centimeter
in diameter, and the voices Of men witt
f those having plates of six to eight cent?
f meters. When the gamut is sung into
7 telephone with a large vibrating plate
the lowest notes are easily heard Will
n the higher becomes less distinct, Wit
: a small plate the results are reversed.