Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-12-17
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

4 German scientist recommends
paratfne rs an efficient means Of pro
tecting wood against damp, acids and
allaleS The wood is first we'll dried.
and then covSred with solution Of one
part of melted parafiine in six parts of
petroleum, ether or hisulphide of car
bon. The solvents evaporate quickly,
leaving the paratline IN the pores of
the wood. Great care should be taken
i'll the use ofthe preparation, as all of
the substances mentioned are especial
~ intismmahle,
Prof, palmieri considers it proven
that great earthquakes are always pre-
coded by i season of preliminary earth
tremhlrngs He believes that, 10y
means of geographically connected
stations, for observing these tremhlngs
il would be possible To fortell, and Ia
issue warnings 10 all threatened districts
three days III advance.
During Il recent boring for water in
the Wimmen district. Victoria. tree
Was passed through for n distance of six
feet At i depth Of 80 feet Several
fruit stones were brought to the SUR
face. At some period in the worlds
history grove of trees is supposed
To have occupied this subterranean
spot, and the great depth Of earth now
covering the remains of the vegetation
indicates Il vast lapse of time since il
ilourished.
\ French WNm has made careful
comparative ANALYSIS Of the statistical
tables of suicides for France and Swrd-
en-. He finds that they establish two
laws, viz: that widowerS commit sui-
cidcs more frequently than married
men; and that the exeistance and pres
ence of children in the house dimin-
ishs the inclination To suicide both i'll
men and III women.
Prof Dufour, Of Paris, has devised u
thcrmometriC apparatus which is So
sensitive that it will denote-by de-
Election of the index needle of two
inches the change Of temperature
caused 10y the entrance ola person into
the room where II is placed,
\ new process OF Obtaining stereotype
plates for printing has been discovered
by NJ. Emile Jeanin, II sculptor Of
Paris, who proposes to employ for that
purpose the material known rs ccllu-
loid The process of preparation takes
only half an hour, when the the matter
is once in type, and the plates thus
produced are remarkably adapted for
working ON cylinder presses running
nj II high speed, being very light, tlcN-
| Isle and durable. In this last res
pect they are said to oven surpaSs
metal plates
At n recent Berlin bird show, several
canarirS We're exhibited which attract.
Ell much attention, ON account of the
peculiar eolorS of their plumage Some
We're green, others red and light brown,
and others of y soft gray TINT while
| all differed more or less from the
| hight yellow Of the common bird. These
variations of color were produced by
daily use of cayenne pepper III the
food of the birds, The pepper is given
iii small quantities III first, and the
birds appear to like it. The immediate
effects are, however, anything but
pleasing To the hcholdcr, for the fcath-
ers soon begin % fall, giving the bird
the appearance Of melting; but il
a short time new feathers appear, hay
ing the curious tints observed
1t is interesting TO note to what ex-
tent the doctrines Of evolution are
taught in our higher institutions Of
learning. In apaper upon the Critics
of Evolution" in the May and June
numbers of the inltricdn AdturdiiS
Prof Lippincott says that ut Harvard
every professor whose departments are
connected with biology -such rs Gray,
Whitney. \. Agassi2, Hagen, Goodale,
ShNlcr, Farlow and Faxon is an avo-
lutionist, and mans physical structure
they regard as no exception to the law.
| They ave said to hetheists, and all con
sentative mon. At John Hopkins I'm
versity. which aims TO be the most nd
vanccd III the country, evolution is held
and taught In the university OF
Pennsylvania all the biological pro.
frssors are cvolntionists Lcidy, Allen,
Rothrock and Parker At Yale, Michi-
gan Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth
Bowdoin and Princeton universities,
the biological professors are in the
same category. Wherever there is 4
working naturalist, he il sure TO be N.
most without exception, IN evolutlonist.