Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-02-06
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

A dangerous and Infectious dis.
ease among bees is reported from
Italy. 1t is caused by o microscopic
fungus. and spreads very rapidly.
In the north of England a habit
of ether-imbibing is said to prevail.
As "a drunk" on sulphuric ether is
less expensive than on alcoholic
liquids, the practice is increasing.
DR.. Siemans. the eminent scien.
fist, has estimated that the entire
coal supply of the world woull be
required to furnish sufficient power
to pump back the water which flows
over Niagara Falls in single year.
An eminent English astronomer
estimates the suns orbit to be about
1912, 600, 900, 900 miles in diameter,
with period of revolution equal to
about 2,46O,O0O of our years. This
is a mere speculation, however,
based on very uncertain data.
A puzzle to scientists is the re-
markable persistence of certain odors.
More than one thousand years ago
the mortar used in the construction
of the Mosque Of S;. Sophia, in Con-
stantinople. wae charged with musk,
the perfume of which permeates the
building to this day.
Forks have lately been found in
the debris of ancient lake dwellings,
proving their use in crude form in
prehistoric times. The relics found
were Of bone, and rudely fashioned,
although little doubt exists as to the
purpose for which the implements
were designed.
The first minor planet, or asteroid,
was discovered Jan. l, 1901, the first
day of the nineteenth century. Over
two hundred of these minute worlds
probably varying from ten to three
hundred miles miles in diameter
are now known. and, as everybody
is we'll aware, the number is being
rapidly increased.
Able Moigno regrets the selection,
as the unit of metric measurement,
of the ten-millionth of q meridinal
quadrant. as the meridians vary in
length and the unit would be an un-
uncertain standard. As q better
measure be proposes the cubit of
the Great Pyramid, which represents
the ten-millionth of the earth's p olar
axis. Sir John Hirschel made this
same suggestion nearly thirty years
ago.
1t is stated that NJ. de Brazza, who
has charge of an expedition to Sene-
gal, carries an electric battery in his
pocket communicating with two
rings on his hand and with other ap-
paratus about his person. When he
shakes hands with q savage chief,
that individual will be surprised by
an electric shock running up his arm
and lightning playin about the head
of his visitor. He will naturally be-
lieve the stranger to be the devil,
and treat him with due respect.
During the excavations now in
progress in the bed of the Rhone,
near Geneva, many interesting OBJ
jects, assigned by archaeologists to
the age of polished stone, have been
unearthed. The most interesting of
these relics is scraper of jade, high.
ly finished and as perfect as when it
left the hands of the workman. As
the mineral is found in a natural
state only in Asia, the learned arch
biologists are earnestly trying to
learn how the instrument found was
transported to the Rhone gravel at
Geneva; was jade ever an article
of trade between tho East and the
West in prehistoric times? A solu-
ton of the problem is calculated to
throw much light on the habits of
certain prehistoric peoples.
Meteorological observations have
now become so extended that'evi-
dence is rapidly accommodating to en-
able US to determine positively the
source OF tho cold aerial waves which
sweep across our country during the
winter season. The indications are
that we owe them to the great area
of high barometer in north. eastern