St. Landry democrat., 1881-01-01
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

anne rs Iu cUlClcuL luctuS VI plotSSeAhs
wood against damp, acids and alkalies.
The wood is first we'll dried, and then
covered with solution of one part OF
melted parattine in six parts of petro-
leun, ether or bisulphidc of carbon.
Tho solvents evaporatc quickly, leaving
the paraffine in the pores of the wood.
Great care should be taken in the use
of the preparation, as all the substances
mentioned arc especially intlammable.
The next United States Congress will
act on bill, reported in the last Con-
gress, in support of an International
Commission to agree upon standard
tests for blindness and standard
requirements for visual power in navies
and merchant marines.
Prof. Palmieri considers it proven
that great earthquakes are always pre-
ceded by season OF preliminary earth
tremblings. He believes that, by means
of GEOGRAPHICALLY connected stations
for observing these termblings it would
be possible to forotell earthquakes just
as storms arc now foretold, and to issue
warnings to all threatened districts
three days in advance.
During a recent boring for water in
the Wimmera district, Victoria, tree
was passed through distance of six
feet at a depth of $50 feet. Several fruit
stones were brought to the surface. At
some period in the worlds history a
grove of trees is supposed to have occu-
pied this subterranean spot, and the
great depth of earth now covering the
remains of the vegetation indicates a
vast lapse of time since it t1ou risbed.
4 French sauant has made careful
comparative analysis of the statistical
tables of suicides for France and Swe-
den. He finds that they establish the
laws, viz: that widowers commit sui
eide more frequently than married men;
and that the existence and presence of
children in the house diminishes the in
clination to suicide both in men and in
women.
| Prof. Dnfour, of Paris, has devised q
thermometric apparatus which is SO
sensitive that it will denote-by a de-
Election Of the index needle of two
inches-the change Of temperature
caused by the entrance of person into
| ha- harn II 30 r,locnl
It is interesting to note to what e1.
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 nun.
bers of the American Naturalist, Prof
Lippincott says that at Harvard every
professor whose departments are con
nected with biology-such as Gray
Whitney, A. Agassiz, Hagen, Goodale
Shaler, Farlow, and Faxen-is an evo,
lutionist, and mans physical structure
they regard rs no exception to tho law
They arc said to he theists, and all con
servative men. At John Hopkins Uni
versity, which aims to be the most nd
vaneed in the country, evolution is helt
and taught. In tie University o
Pennsylvania all the biological profes
sors are eyolutionists-Leidy, Allen
Rothrock and Parker. At Yale, Michi
gan, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Bow
doin and Princeton Universities, tn
biological professors are in the sam,
category. Wherever there is workin!
naturalist, lie is sure to bc, almost with
out exception, an evolutionist.
| A new process of obtaining stereotyp
plates for printing has been discovere,
by NJ. Emile Jeanin, q sculptor of Paris
who proposes to employ for that pur
pose the material known as celluloid
The process OF preparation takes onl
half an hour when the matter ia once i
] type, and tho plates thus produced ar,
remarkably adapted for working O.
cylinder presses running at higl
speed, being light, flexible and durable
In this last respect they arc said to eve
s"rpass metal plates
at recent Berlin bird show severa
canaries were exhibited which attrae
, ted much attention on account of tn
peculiar colors OF their plumage. Som
were green, others red and light brown
and of soft gray tint, while all differe
more or less from tho light yellow G
!, the common bird. These variation
of color were produced by the daily US
of cayenne pepper in the food of til
birds. The pepper is given to them j
small! quantities at first, and the bir6
appear to like it. The immediate Q.
ects are, however, anything but plcasin
to the beholder, for the feathers 500
begin to fall, giving the bird the al
pearance OF molting; but in sho
time new feathers appear, having Il
curious tints observed.
MesSrs. Mittelstrap, Of Madgebur
have invented y now optical milk tes
In previous instruments Of the kind tf
Q plan has been to add milk to water III
Il til layer of given thickness bccem.
{, Opaque, but in this new instrument
$ given quantity of milk with give
i quantity of water is examined by lool
T ing thrnngh different thicknesses
It layer until opacity is reached. The yc
schooling the liquid has glass bottol
). and cover in which is vertical gra,