Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-02-27
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

clocks BY electricity.
A German chemist claims to have
discovered a substance which may
be used as substitute for phosphor-
us in matches.
The honey bird Of South Africa is
about the size of q sparrow, and pos
sesses remarkable intelligence.
Being unable, by it's unaided efforts.
to procure its favorite food, it at
tracts the attention of mon by it's
shrill cries and conducts them to
trees, often miles away, where wild
honey is stored. The bird then
awaits share of the spoils.
A new process for copying draw
ings. prints, ETC., consists of coating
paper with solution of perchloride
of iron, and, when dry, exposing it
to light under the drawing. The
black lines in the latter protect cor
responding portions of the paper
beneath, while the other parts are
bleached white. 4 wash in q solu-
ton of gallo ar''. now changes the
protected lines into a beautiful blue
black, forming, in tact, o real ink.
A lake, so long as it is not frozen,
is o reservoir of heat, which tempers
the cold of winter. DR.. Forel calcu-
lates that the heat evolved from the
Lake of Geneva during five days Of
extreme cold in December was equal
to that produced by the combustion
of / $50 600 tons Ct coal. The sky
having been generally covered with
clouds during those five days, most
OF the heat must have been retained
in the lower atmosphere, and no
doubt served to mitigate. for that
region, the cold that was SO severe
elsewhere. ,t.. .
Sir William Thompson lately sug.
gested that hot water might prob
ably be economically distributed
through the streets of city in the
copper tubes used to convey cleo.
tricity for power, the heat being pro-
duced by the resistance of the tube
to the electric current. Prof. Geo.
F. Baker has made experiments con-
firming the theory, and expresses
the belief that boiling water may be
distributed for heating purposes
wherever tho electric light is in use.
without interfering with the eff.
cheney Of tho latter or increasing ma.
terially the expense. 4.
The east coast OF Hudson's Bay
is reported to be undergoing very
considerable changes in it's level.
Since the posts Of the Hudson's Bay
Company were established at the
mouths Of the various rivers, there
has been an increasing difficulty in
approaching them with large craft,
and this rising of the earth is esti-
mated at from FIVE to ten feet within
the last hundred years. Similar
changes have been observed on the
west coast Of the bay, at the mouth
of the Nelson and Hayes rivers, near
which is on island called Mile Sands,
now several feet above high water,
which, within the memory Of man,
was always submerged at food time.
A French scientist has examined
the effects produced by cold on
COWS, milk, and finds that tho nearer
the temperature OF the milk is kept
to freezing point for twenty-four
hours or more after being drawn. the
more rapid is the collection of cream
and the larger is the quantity, more
butter being produced, while the
skinned milk, the butter and the
cheese are of better quality. He
thinks it probable that the freezing
arrests the evolution Of the living
organisms which set up fermenta-
ton and hinder the changes which
are due to their growth. These
facts indicate room for great i'm
provement in the methods of stor-
ing and preserving milk. showing us
they do the necessity Of extreme
cleanliness and low temperature.
Arc the oceans disappearing ?"
is, doubtless, a rather surprising
question to most persons; but the
question has been asked and an
swered sfirmatively. The studies
of VI. Frantschold, of Moscow, upon
g. Al