The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-02-10
Scientific Miscellany.

OI nadia
Scientific Miscellany.
Fresh charcoal has been found TO
absorb ninety times its volume of am.
monia gas.
The digestive process of u mosquitoes
stomach is so slowly performed, that
when the insect has dined on Il human
being it continues for forty-eight hours
to exhibit blood corpuscles.
The inquiries of Prof. Cohn, of Bers-
lain, indicate that short-sightedness
is rarely or never born with those SUBJ
iect to it, and that it is almost always
The result of strains sustained by the
eye during study in carly youth.
1t has been found by Gustavc Hausen
that the antennae of insects serve as
organs OF smell. On their removal or
when coated with paraffine, the insects
become quite Indifferent to the most
odorous substances-fies, for Instance,
taking no forlher notice of tainted
meat.
A prize of $500 in gold has been Of
fered by Mr.. H. ii. Warner, Of Roehes-
ter, N. Y, for the discovery of anv
comet during 1881. The comet must
be unexpected (with the exception of
the comet of. 1922 and telescopic, and
Prof. Lewis Swift, of Rochester, must
be Immediately notified of its discovery.
According to DIR. Maclaran, of Scot
land. The types ofinsanity have chang
ed with modern times. Acute delirious
mania, for example, is comparatively
rare, but mental enfeeblement, attend
ed with paralysis, is becoming more
and more common, as a result of the
overwork and worry of the struggle for
existence at the present day.
1t is asserted that If person exposes
himself TO the electric light for some
time in a close Inspection OF the same,
his hands and cheeks will show-if he
be Of fair complexion-all the symptoms
of 'sunburn," even in midwinter, and
he will develope freckles on his counten-
unprotected by sun umbrella in mid
summer.
An old sportsman has carefully pre-
served in his house spiders web,
which serves as novel and very deli
cate barometer. When the insect fiDds
it necessary TO shorten the threads
which suspend the web, rain and wind
may be expected; if reefs be let out, fine
weather is certain if the spider remains
inert, rain will probably follow within
u short time.
Chemists have discovered that the
presence of very minute quantities Of
certain substances in certain liquids
may be detected by means of the elec-
trio spark and a Photographic appara-
tus. II the coioring matter known as
anthracene is mixed with fifty million
times it weight Of alcohol, the presence
of the color is shown by a photograph,
which will show the characteristics
bands Of the absorbed rays pertaining
to anthracene.
It's generally supposed that the colors
of flowers are due to so many different
materials, each color being chemical
combination entirely distinct from the
others. Prof. Schueizler, however,
now advances the theory that ehlorophyl
(Ihe green coloring matter of leaves) is
the only coloring matter which plants
possess, and that the varying colors
and shades are produced by the action
of the acids or alkalies of the plants
upon the chlorophyl. Experiments
confirm this view, to which further
support is given by the quite well es-
tabiished fact that the changes in color
of leaves i'm autumn are due to the action
OF their tannin upon the chlorophyl.
The changes in level of the earth's
surface, which must have been rapid
and vast In early geological ages, are
yet in progress. Aside from paroxysmal
changes, such as the volcanic upheaval
Of an island now aud ;hen, great areas
of land in different parts of the globe
are undergoing slow process of eleva-
ton or subsistence. In Greenland, a
subsistence is taking place. For six
hundred miles, from Disco Bay to the
Firth of Igaliko, the coast has been sink
ing for four centuries past. Old build
ings an1 islands have been submerged;
and the Moravian settlers have had to
put down new poles for their boats, the
old ones standing, Lyell observes. 'as
silent witnesses of the change" On
the North American coast south of
Greenland, from Labrador to New
Jersey, 1t is supposed that similar
changes are going on. G. ii. Cook, con-
cludes that slow subsidence is In pro-
gress along the coast Of New Jersey,
Long Island aud Martha's Vineyard;