St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1881-05-28

sn'ning, observed by him during
hr; .nunderstorm last August. A very
oiight ball, somewhat e,ono.ted
90 ptsseu out OF a dark cloud and into it
annu uo.ler place but, just before dis
stn" 1t gave off little of its sub
stance' which fell vertically like a body
"s; Ing weight. The falling body,
winch left luminous track. divided,
ana was extinguished little above the
tops of the houses.
w. ieVe recently made the singular
observation that the fame of a lamp
appears brighter, and that a vertical
s"alt' a post, or mast is seen more dis
'inct'y through vertical than through
d horizontal slit; while house. q land
scape or the disc of the sun or moon is
perceived more clearly through a hori-
.oneai sllt. he finds similar differences
In photographs according as the light
passes from the object to the plate
through vertical or horizontal slit,
and ascribes the effects to the action of
dlHused light.
IL mas been proven by experiment
.nat the tarring of ropes slightly di,nin-
lshes their tenacity against a pulling
sCfaln' out preserves in them high av-
erage OF tenacity much longer than in
'''e untarred ones, on account of the
projection the tar affords against the
destructive action of the air and moist
ure.
scientists expect the activity of the
suns surface-shown by the number
and size OF the dark spots-to reach a
maximum in 1882 or 1888. The trench
dous energy of the solar commissions is
far beyond our conception. If caught in
the track of sun tempest a body like
our earth would be swallowed up bodily
and almost instantly.
Some Interesting statements concern
ing early dentistry have been lately
made in discussion in the British Med
zeal Journal. Sir Gardiner Wilkinson
declares that teeth stopped with gold
have been found in Egyptian mummies
"a thing which others pronounce i'm
possible. DR.. John Gaigor affirms that
he has seen in several museums teeth
bound together in skulls of ancient
date by threads of gold twisted around
them. Another gentleman once saw in
a Liverpool museum the jawbone of a
mummified Egyptian in which a num-
Der OF teeth were secured by gold wire.
These statements seem to show the ex-
istence of some sort of dentistry at a
very early date. The art of binding
teeth together was, it is claimed, prac-
ticed by the Hindoos about six hundred
years ago.
By means of the detective Camera"
"a new feat in photography-photo-
graphs may be taken in the street, or in
any other place, without the knowledge
of the individuals being photographed.
The apparatus appears externally like a
book or small box.
The museum at Boolak, in Egypt
contains what has been called 1.-THE old
est picture in the world"-a fresco
from tomb at Maydoom representing
six geese.
The desert interior of Australia prob
ably affords the hottest climate in the
world. A thermometer graduated to
1877 degrees Fair. was hung in a shaded
place, and the heat became so great as
to cause the expansion of the mercury
to burst the tube-indicating a temper
AZURE of not less than 1893 degrees in the
shade.
Two naturalists have found that the
trunks of trees undergo daily changes
in diameter. From early morning to
early afternoon there 10 a regular dim
mutton, followed until twilight by an
increase. This is repeated at night.
The following curious optical illusion
has been described by DR.. Candeze, of
Liege. Take a piece Of paper eight or
ten inches in length, and, having rolled
it into tube, apply it to the right eye
with the left hand. Keep both eyes
open, and look at an object few yards
off, say small statuette. 1t will ap-
pear that the right eye, imprisoned by
the paper tube, does not see the OBJ
ject; but that the left eye alone per-
ceives it, and seems to distinguish it
through an orifce open in the left hand.
The left hand holding the cylinder ap-
pears very distinctly perforated. An
other very interesting experiment con-
sists in holding the tube with the right
hand, and applying with the left to its
exterior surface small square of paper,
in the middle of which is drawn dark
circle the latter will have the appear
ance Of being suspended interiorly in
the centre of the cylinder.
A recent publication of the Brussels
states that there are at
present 118 astronomical observatories
in full activity, viz: "a in Europe, 2 in
Asia, 2 in Africa, 8 in Oceanica, ~ in
North and South America. The United
States has 10; Mexico, 2; Brazil, Chill,
Ecuador, the Argentine Re-
public and New Britain, each. In
Europe, Prussia contains the largest
80; England has ID; Russia,
L. /; Italy, 8; Austria, 6; France 6; Swift
4; Sweden, 8; Holland. Nor
uau and Portnnal each. Raloiun