The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1880-12-23
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

A German scientist recommends
paraffine as an efficient means of pro
tecting wood against damp, acids and
alkalies. The wood is first well dried,
and then covered with solution of one
part of melted paraffine in six parts of
petroleum, ether or bisulphide of car
bon. The solvents evaporate quickly,
leaving the parattine in the pores of
the wood. Great care should be taken
IN the use of the preparation, as all of
the substances mentioned are especial
ly inflammable.
Prof. Palmieri considers it proven
that great earthquakes are always pre-
coded by season of preliminary earth
tremblings. He believes that, by
means Of Geographically connected
stations, for observing these tremblings,
it would be possible to fortell, and to
issue warnings to all threatened districts
three days in advance.
During recent boring for water IN
the Wimmera district, Victoria, tree
was passed through for distance of six
feet at a depth of 250 feet. Several
fruit stones were brought to the sur
face. At some period in the worlds
history a 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 vast lapse of time since it
hourished.
a French sava1H has made careful
comparative analysis of the statistical
tables of suicides for France and Swed-
en-. He finds that they establish two
laws, viz; that widowers commit sui
cides more frequently than married
men; and that the exeistance and pres
ence of children in the house dimin-
ishs the inclination to suicide both in
men and in women.
Prof Dufour, of Paris, has devised
thermometric apparatus which is so
sensitive that it will denote-by de-
Election Of the index needle of two
inches-the change of temperature
caused by the entrance of a person into
the room where it is placed.
A new process of obtaining stereotype
plates for printing has been discovered
by NJ. Emile 1eanin, sculptor of
Paris, who proposes to employ for that
purpose the material known as cellu-
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
at a high speed, being very light, fex-
ible and durable In this last res
pect they are said to even surpass
metal plates.
At recent Berlin bird show, several
canaries were exhibited which attract
ed much attention, on account of the
peculiar colors of their plumage Some
were green, others red and light brown,
and others of a soft gray tint, while
all differed more or less from the
light yellow of the common bird. These
variations of color. were produced by
daily use Of cayenne pepper in the
food of the birds. The pepper is given
in small quantities at first, and the
birds appear to like it, The immediate
effects are, however, anything but
pleasing to the beholder, for the feath-
ers soon begin to fall, giving the bird
the appearance of molting; but in
a short time new feathers appear, hav-
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 paper upon the Critics
of Evolution" in the May and June
numbers Of the american Naturalist.
Prof. Lippincott says that at Harvard
every professor whose departments are
connected with biology-such as Gray,
Whitney, A. Agassiz, Hagen, Goodale,
Shaler, Farlow and Faxon-is an evo-
lutionist, and mans physical structure
they regard as no exception to the law.
They ave said to be theists, and all con-
servative men. At John Hopkins I'm
versity, which aims to be the most ad
vanced in the country, evolution is held
and taught. In the university of
Pennsylvania all the biological pro-
fessors are evolntionists-Leidy, 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 a
working naturalist, he is sure to be al
most without exception, an evolutionist.