Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1880-12-18
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


% "A German scientist recommends rar
% hhe rs all efficient means of protect
le WOOD against damp. acids and alkali
Ihe wood is first woll dried, and til
o covered with q solution of one part
melted paraffine in six parts of pctroleu
either or bisulphide of carbon. The 81
vents evaperste quickly, leaving the pa
aftine in the pores of the wood. Gre
f care should be taken in the use Of Il
preparation, as all of the substances nc
toned are especially inAamablc.
The next United States Congress wi
act on bill, reported in tho last Co,
gross, in support of All International Con
mission to agree upon standard tests ft
coior-blindness and standard regu,r,
nents for visual power il navies an
Inc: chant marines
frof. Palmieri considers it proven tha
great earthqu axes arc always preoo.lc,
! by a season of preliminary Garth trent,
llngs. He believes that, by means of tel
esraphicaiIy connected stations. for ul,
serving these trombllngs it would be DOS
slble to foretell earthquakes lust as
storms arc foretold, and to issu., warn.
lngs to all threatened districts three l,vs
in advance.
During recent boring for water in
tho Wimmera district, Victoria, a trco
was passed through for distance of six
teet at depth of $50 foot. Several fruit
stones were brought to tho surface. At
some period in the worlds history q rrovo
OF trees is supposed to havo occupied tbis
spot, and tho great depth of
oarth now covering tho ROM aims of thc
vegetation indicates o vast Iapse Of t;,,e
since it fourished.
"A French sarant has made a careful
analysis of the Statistical
ables OF suicides for Franco and Sweden
10 hnds that they establish two laws
IL: that widowers commit suicide mora
requently than married mon; and that
10 existence and presence of children in
ne mouse diminlshes the inclination to
llclde both III men and in women.
Frof. Dufour, of Paris, has devised q
'erlhommetrlc apparatus which is so ,
'nsltlvo that it will denote-by dcflec-l
on OF the index needle of two inches
10 change of cooperative caused bv tho {
trance of a person in to tho room wbcro !
is placed.
IL IS Interesting to noto to what extent I
o doctrines of evolution arc taught in 8
II higher institutions OF learning. Ina f.
per upon the ssC;riItics of Evolution" in
Q May and June numbers 2f tho Ameri-
Naturalist, Prof Lippincott says ti& s
Harvard every Professor whose de- Z
:tmonts arc connected with hi ology- >.
Gu as Gray, Whitney, A. Ag:.ssiz, Ha- +
n, Goodale. Shaler, Farlow and Fax I
is an evolutionisJ, and mans physi-
structure they regard as no execution =,
The law. They are SAID to DO theists. y
Il all conservative mon. At John Hon. "
IS University, which aims to he the C,
st advanced in the country, ev olution II
leld and taught. In the University of
1nsylvania all the biogolical Profess q
are evolutlonists-Leidy, Allen, Ro TIL W
and Parker. At Yale, Michigan, II
'wn, Cornell, Dartmouth, Bowdoin
Princeton Universities, the bioloei is
professors arc in tho same caterorv. Il
lereVer there is a working naturalist,
is suro to be, almost without except.
an evolutionist. &C
new process of obtaining stereotypc Il
tes for printing has boon discovered n<
nj. Emile Jeanin, sculptor of Paris.
proposes to employ for that purpose '"
material known as celluloid. The IN
cess of preparation takes only half an ST
/, whom the matter is once in type,
the plates thus produced arc remark LII
adapted for working OH cylinder of
'scs running at high speed, being tr,
light, flexible and du urable. In this ;,
respect they arc said to even s,,rpass 'n
al plates. er
recent Berlin bird show several fo,
lrles were exhibited which attracted W.
h attention on account Of tho pocu-
colors of their plumage. Some were er.
H. others red and light brown, and 1r,
rs of soft gray tint, while all differ VI
ore or less from tho light yellow of Sr
common bird. These variations of m.
were produced by tho daily use of ,,,,
nne pepper in the food of the birds, "'
pepper is given in small quantities eXl
st, and the birds appear to like it. the
Immediate offeots arc, however, any nm.
but pleasing to the bcholdcr for WI
Gathers soon begin to fall, giving lf(
'lrd tho appearance of molting; but VIII
short time now feathers appear, hav- I
he curious tints observed.
- ha'
lEE1CAN GRAPES AND WINES.-Tho ,++
lantown Telegraph says tho ravages '
o great grape scourge in Europe, LIS