Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-02-13
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

teul, DfOnZe, is TtHueIeu GS ulaIleaDIe
as copper or iron by the addition of
one and half or two per cent. of
mercury.
Prof. Hagan has decided that the
application Of yeast OH Insects pro-
duces fungus which proves fatal to
the insects. Potato-beetles sprinkled
with diluted yeas: die within twelve
days.
A French sardnt has succeeded in
killing the phylloxera by means of
electricity. He passes Il powerful
current through copper wire wound
about the infested vine, when both
eggs and insects are killed by the
shock.
Marat, the notorious hero of the
first French revolution, the same
who met his death at the hands of
Charlotte Corday, was the author of
several important essays on electri-
cal science; while Napoleon Bona
parte on many occasions dabbled in
scientific lore, ana was the liberal
patron of men Of ..ence.
Among it's 'A..ny objects of histor-
Ipo1 tntaract ,Ln D,r,, q.
Museum contains pair of NIerca-
tors globes, dating from the middle
of the sixteenth century. That fig
uriug the earth is the first on which
meridans of longitude and latitude
were laid down. 1t is reported that
the great equatorial lakes of Africa
are all to be found on it.
Excavations in the vicinity of
Bonn, Germany, have brought to
light the site of an old town, sup
posed to be of Roman origin. The
remains of large Roman villa were
discovered near by, situated little
below the site of an extinct volcano
II circumstance tending to show
that at the time of the Roman occu-
patton, volcanoes of the Rhine had
ceased to be dangerous.
A foreign journal states that in a
recent experiment thirty-seven cats
belonging in the city of Leige, Bel
GUM, were taken in bags long dis.
lance into the country. The animals
were released at 2 o'clock in the af-
ternoon, and at GAS of the same
day one of them reached its home.
His feline companions arrived at
Liege somewhat later, but within
twenty-four hours every one had
reached it's home. It is now pro-
posed to substitute cats for carrier
pigeons, and to establish a regular
system of Recommendation be-
tween Leige aud the neighboring vii
lagos.
Concerning the subject of voice
in fishes, Mr.. S. E. Poole states that
some six years ago he made an in
teresting observation. While seated
in small canoe on the Disang river
in Eastern Assam, he suddenly be.
came aware of the presence of n
number of fish called mahsir."
They were evidently attracted by the
canoe, and Mr.. Poole surmised that
they might possibly think it huge
dead fish. While watching their
movements, he became aware of n
peculiar " cluck" or persuasive sound
Frequently repeated on all sides,
and coming from below, but near at
hand. This was soon traced to the
mahsir, and one of them made dis
tinct sounds which were answered
by others, Mr.. Poole also says that
in some parts of Eastern Assam a
large bivalve sings in concert with
others.
Sir William Thompson last year
commenced Il new AMI curious eX-
pertinent on shoemaker's wax rs
viscous material. a large circular
cake OF it, about eighteen inches
across and three inches thick, was
made. This was put into shallow
cylindrical glass vessel, which was
filled with water to prevent any
sudden change in the temperature.
Several corks were put beneath the
cake, with some bullets on its upper
surf ace. The result is that, in u
year, the colks ave iioated up
through the wax and are coming out
ut the top, while the bullets have