Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1882-12-21
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

VI tiiS ChShS A0AA~ SS-''~
the globe has an annual rainfall OF less
than ten inches, and a still larger part
has rainfall so small IS to make it
valueless for purposes Of agriculture
except in the limited districts where
irrigation is practicable. In North
America an almost rainless region is
found in Southern California and Ari
iona, and in large district above Save
lake the yearly precipitation Of water
is only about ten inches.
Mr.. F. G. Whitehouse contends that
the caverns of the island Of Stafla, in.
Guiding the famous Fingal's Cave, are
artificial, and created by the hand of
man at some very early period. He
bases his theory on the Gothic shape
Of the roofs, the sheltered location Of
the caves, the lack of evidence Of ero
sion of the rocks by water, and the in
sufficient mechanical power Of tho sea
waves at that island to excavate such
caves.
Mr.. Grant Allen has drawn this i'm
.aginary picture Of man as ev,lutionists
suppose him to have existed in miocene
times: "a tall and hairy creature,
more or less erect, but with a SLOUGH
ing gait, black faced and whiskered
with protruding jaws, and large, point
ed canine teeth-those Of each jaw
fitted into an interspace in the opposite
row. These teeth, as Mr.. Darwin sug.
ges,s, were used in the combats of the
males. His forehead was no doubt
low and retreating, with bony bosses
underlying the shaggy eyebrows, which
gave him fierce expression something
like that Of the gorilla. But already,
in all likelihood, he had learned to
walk habi,ually erect. and had begun
to devrlop humnu pelvis, as well al
to carry his head more straight"
Mons. Paul Bert, the French physi
ologist, has discovered that the blood OF
herbivorous animals acclimatized at
high elevations contains q much larger
proportion Of oxygen than the blood
Of similar animals living in regions but
little above sea.level.
1t has been found by Mons. l, B.
Dumas that water saturated with alum
is remarkably efficient in sxtiuguishins
fires, This property is supposed to b
due to the coating it gives to objects
wet with it, which prevents contac
with the oxygen Of the dir and thu
retards combustion. It 10 reported
that, as an experiment, French fremel
are TO be quite extensively supplies
with instruments for throwing such &c
lutIoHS VI aluM.
That great room for improvement il
the use of gas exists is shown by Dr.
G. w. Siemens, who says: 9TH
amount OF light given out by a gas
flame depends on the temperature t
which the particles of solid carbon i
the flames are raised, and DR.. lynda
has shown that Of the radiant snerg
set up in such hamo only the twenty
fifth part is luminous; the hot product
Of combustion carry off at least fou
times as much energy as is radiatee
SO that not more than one-hundredt
part Of the heat evolved in combustio
is converted into light. This pr,pol
ton could DO improved, however, y
increasing the temperature Of combus
ton"
Prof. Than, OF the Buda Pesth Sc
Ciety of Natural Science, has, from OK
periments, formed the opinion that n
risk Of fire from Illuminating gas OK
lists 80 long rs the gas forms less thai
five per cent. Of the atmosphere of
givenspace; but between five and lively
per cent. it begins to DO equitable, an
when it reaches twenty niue per cent
the liability to explosion Is great. 1
delicate apparatus used by Prof. Thai
causes an electric bell to ring if gas i
present even though the quantity b
no more than one half of one per cent
Another ingenious arrangement show
the actual PERCENTAGE quantity of tn
gas, while a control. manometer" re
veals the place from which the gas es
capped,
While bees are popularity suppose,
to be affected by sounds. Sir John Lut
books researches seem to show tina
these insects have no power of hearin,
ordinary noises. II they hear at al
they probably distinguish the highe
overtones at the verge Of or beyond on
range of hearing instead Of low, lou,