National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-03-18
SCIENTIFIC NOTES.

A truly giant water lily was found in Lake Nuna
in Peru, The leaf had a circumference of nearly
25 feet and weighed between l3 and II pounds A
flower was feet inches round and Weighed az
pounds; its outer petals were inches long.
A parasitic plant has been discovered by Mr.
Berkeley, on the lilac ltbecomes manifest In large
brown patches, sometimes occupying almost the
whole Of the leaf II belongs to the order of FER.
OnospOres, and has been name OptddriG Syring9
An important memoir has been presented by
Icchnntier to the French Academy of Sciences, OH
the notifications which plants preserved in slos
undergo. Indian corn and clover lose much glu.
cose sugar, starch, and cellulose, and the amount
of faty matter Is increased There is little loss of
nitrogenous matter
During the past year several insects assumed n
new role In relation to crops, and suddenly devel-
Oped as formidable enemies TO the agriGulturst
one of these (CrdHbus I7tgird0etLs) has seriously
injured pastures; another (PhyiORoplRS puRctatusl
the clover plant; and third, a new Pgralid has
very generally ravaged the corn plants in the
south,
The Second International Congress for Ethno
graphical Sciences will be held Mt Geneva, COM
mencing April 10, 1882; There will be seven sec
gin and migrations of peoples" ~ "Ethnology;"
l0 Descriptive ElhnOgraphyi" ~ Theoretical
EthmogrGphhyi" 0l Manners and Customs;" (6l
political Ethnographyi" and ~ international
Law"
Mr.. Arthur strNdling, by reason of his own ex.
petience, ana in opposition TO the general belief
prevalent among snake keepers, has come to the
conclusion that snakes thrive better and are more
healthy whom admitted to moderate changes OF
Under such conditions he has never known anv
of them to suffer from "that irritable condition Of
the stomach, so often noticed In menageries which
gives rise to constant rejection of the food, and
death from inanitoA"
A memoir on tho celebrated electrical eel OF
South America (Ggmnotus e'ectricus) has been pre-
sented 10 the French Academy Of Sciences by the
celebrated Berlin physicist, Du Bos- Raymond
II Incorporates the observations of the late DR.,
Sachs, who went to Venezuela some five years ago
for the express purpose of studying the fish In lis
native waters, The work, LETT incomplete by DR..
Sachs, has been extended by Dr. FTtsch. Ii has
been almost demonstrated that the electric organs
have been developed from striated muscles by
metamOrphosis,
The recent work OF Mr. Darwin on the earth
worm has aroused great interest in the subject,
and an English gentleman resident in HertfOrd-
shire has made renewed inquiries MS to the num-
Der Of worms TO be found IN given space. He
found In his poorest land as many as 100 to the
cubic yard, ana IN Il rich strip bordering vines not
less than $50 animals In an equal area-L e., from
4Si 900 to 81, 200 to an acre. Hensen in Germany
had estimated lhat the number TO an acre averaged
53,767, and Darwin assumed those figures In his
calculations or course the numbers would vary
greatly according 10 the character of the land and
It's surroundings, ana Darwin would not have been
justified In taking maximum figures for his pur.
pose.
plsclvorous bat inhabits a cave in Mono Islet,
on the coast of the island of Trinidad. Accord.
ing TO Dr. a. ii. Kingsley II catches It's fshy food
al night, but IN manner not quite clearly ascer-
laiued lie thinks that either they scoop the fishes
OF the surface of the water by means Of the mem.
bnne extended between their hiud legs, Or-wholP
Is more probable catch them with their exceed
ingly sharp and Curiously arranged claws. But
however the feat may be performed, the fact that
the bats had actually fed on fish was evident from
the examination Of the stomaohs Of various speci.
mems No data have been given for the deteTml-
nation Of thespecles TO which the bats belong but
this we may hoH sill be effected soon.