Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-12-19
{, ompiltd for the Free Press
Scientific MISCELLANY,


full signal in surveying. In recent work
of triangulntion in Algeria it is stated
that the light was seen at distance Of
one hundred and sixty-four miles.
After some $4,000 examinations, DR..
Jeffres affirms that about one male in
twenty five is color-blind to greater or
less degree. He finds the defect to be
largely hereditary, although sometimes
occasioned by disease or injury. In the
former case ii is incurable but in the
latter, it may be only a temporary diff
Guilty
Recent comparative measurements of
the crania of eminent men and of crimi-
nails show that while capacious intellect
requires a large skull large Uranium is
not always attended by high order of in
telhgence, The crania of a considerable
number of criminals were found to have
capacity much above the average.
Berlin reioiees in the possession of
scientific cooking association, formed by
housewives Of the city. 1t has school
of instruction in cookery and a quail
lectures in practical chemistry. A labora-
tory las been established, in charge of
the chemist, for the examination of arti-
cles of food, and, also, of utensils en-
ployed in cooking
recently discovered fossil animal,
Anlrhicaelias JragiJiSsid,us, is described
as monster considerably more than one
hundred feet in length with spinal verte-
bre six feet across, hind legs forty feet
long, and a large and powerful tail I'M
agine the monster in life, standing on its
hind legs and catching its pley with its
fore-paws, and striking picture is
brought to mind from the ages long
agone.
From a study Of the action of tea, Mr.
". J. Morton has reached these conclu-
sicns 4; rs with any other drug, there is
proper and an improper use Of it. In
moderation 1t is mild and harmless slim
uiant Its immoderate use leads to seri-
GUS symptoms, such "a headache, vertigo.
ringing in the ears, tremulousness, ner-
vousness, exhaustion, irregular action of
the heart, and dyspepsia. Many of the
symptoms of excessive tea-drinking are
such as may occur without a suspicion of
the real cause
Major j. W. Powell, who has given
much attention to Indian mythologies,
finds the philosophy of rain and snow en-
tertained among certain tribes peculiar
one. According to the Shoshones, the
armament Is made of ice, and when a
monster serpent-god coils his back against
the ice, flakes are rubbed off, which fall
as snow in winter and melt to form rain in
summer. The Oraibi believes that an
upper god makes rain by dipping feathers
IN the lakes of the sky and sprinkling the
earth but in winter the god brushes the
ice Of the sky-lakes and filings down snow.
Although the near approach to the earth
of several comets has been known, the
least distances of only two have ever been
determined with any degree of accuracy.
On July l, ITO, comet was within l.
100000 miles of the earth-the closest
approach of one of these bodies of which
astronomers have any certain knowledge.
Its apparent diameter was two and one
half degree, or nearly five times the ap-
parent diameter of the moon. 1t is not
surprising that the apparition of such a
monster should cause a panic of terror
among unenlightened and superstitious
inhabitants of our globe.
A recent estimate Of the date OF the
neolithic period by Mr.. Sidney B. J.
Skertchly, M eminent English scientist,
well illustrates the processes by which
the ages OF the different epochs in the ex-
istence of mankind are alphabetically de-
termined 1t is known that during long
period prior to historic times the nipple
ments of the human race were made en-
tirely of stone. These relics, with the
bones of prehistoric man and contempt
rsry animals, are now found covered by
the earthly deposits of ages. The earlier
forms of stone implements were very
roughly fashioned while at a much later
date they were well-formed and polished.
From these facts the stone age is consid-
cred in two distinct periods-the pale
olithic told stone) and neolithic new
stone). The latter period, although of
much shorter duration than the former, is
regarded with greater interest on account
of its nearer approach to historic times.
IL Is Tue pIODuDlC GsllG VI ILLS BC1lOu
which Mr.. Skertchly discusses The
pies an area of thirteen hundred square
Wash The inland portion consists of
peat, buried in which are found neolithic
implements. Between the peat and the
sea wide stretch of silt land has been
gradually deposited by the waves. As
this land has been built up, from the
time of the Roman occupation at least,
banks have been erected to reclaim the
newly-formed ground The dates of these
banks are known, and thus very accurate
estimates can be made OF the rate at
which the deposition Is going on in differ
ent parts. The maximum rate Is fifty
nine feet per annum. The geological
evidence shows that, rs the sitting went
on and the area became converted into
land, peat grew and gradually spread
over the surface. In the course of time,
however, the climate became untitled for
the growth of peat, which ceased to form.
Hence, wide stretch of silt land borders
the Wash on which no peat ever existed.
From the Roman banks to the sea is a
distance of four miles, for the accumula-
ton OF which seventeen hundred wears
have been required. Between these banks
and the peat is stretch of twelve miles
of silt land, which at The same rate Of
formation would be accumulated in five
thousand one hundred years. Adding
these numbers together gives six thou
sand eight hundred years as the least pos
sible age of the newest peat. by which
the neolithic implements are covered.
Two Swiss estimates have been made
from different data, each confirming this
result. Further evidence leads Mr..
Skertchly to conclude that the commence
ment OF the neolithic era in England must
date back ten thousand years, and per-
haps twenty thousand