The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1882-09-16
For the Carbon ApvocArE.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

years Ny tne erOSlNe ncliOn OF wafer.
MANY sigular creatures are known to
science, but probably none Of the lower
animals have more remarkable method
Of securing prey than the chaetodon, .
beautiful japanese fish. Seeing a fly
| lighted near the surface of the water, this
fish gently approaches and with unerring
nj n prof cts a drop Of water at the un-
suspecting insect, knocking it from its
perch, VIXEN il is easily secured.
Mr. Robert E. C. S'carns bns sugs
gesLed the possibility Of making valuable
Investigations into the periodicity Of
climates and the direction and effects of
prevailing winds by systematic study
of the annual ring of trees. 1t may be
found, for example, that thick and thin
rings record wet and dry years, and that
greater growth on one side of layer than
on the other may be traced to difference
in The amount of heat striking the two
sides. The record oil some trees covers
long period.
The body heat of birds is greater
than that of any other class of anlmals.
ranging from LOG to ll2 degre S Fahren-
belt. Among the mammalia it is from
80 to l05 degrees, varying in adult man
from 50 TO 100. In sleep it is about
| degree and bali lower than whom awake,
and in f,vers it rises several degrees
above the formal temperature. Ia the
| young Of all animals the body heat is
greater than in the adult--the diff, renee
being few degrees.
-Lectrring upon the storage of cleo
tricity, Prof Sylvanus Thompson has de-
clared the two great recent discoveries in
science to be that the Gramme macliue
is rev rsibe and that the Voltaic battery
is reversible. The former has solved the
problem of the electrical transmission of
power, and tile other the problem of the
electrical storage of energy. Such stor-
age, however, must not bs mistaken for
the storage of the electricity itself.
DR.. George johnson has given an ins
teresting list Of articles of food aud drink
which should be used and avoided by
those who do not wish to,grow fat Such
persons may eat lean mutton and beef,
veal and lamb, thin soups, beef tea, poul-
try, game, fish and eggs, bread in moder-
alton, greens, crosses, lettuce, green peas,
cabbage, cauliauwer, onions. and fresh
fruit without sugar; but should abstain
sugar, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, rice,
sago, tapioca, mncaroni, custards, pastry,
puddings and sweet cakes.
| The experiments in chemical horti-
culture of NJ. Dudouy, of st. Owen, bave
been very successful. He has'tried sim
ultaheously three methods of cultivatipg
legumes, flowers and trees, viz: with or
dinary manures, with chemical manures
in garden soil and with special COM
pound in pure sand This special COM
ponnd-which he calls contains
uitrogea. phospho;ic acid, potash, mag
nesia and sui hur, in so concentrated
form as to require dilution with 90. 600
times their volume of water. During a
p.riod of FIVE years the artificial soil pres
pared by treating sand With floral has
yielded plants strikingly better in every
respect than those grown by the other
methods.
of the II ,yol Society of London Prof.
Diaper says: 1--WE have only to turn
over the pages of It's transactions TO dis
teru how muuh this society has done for
the progress OF humanity. 1t was incor-
porated IN 1862 aud has interested itself
in ali the great scientific movements and
discoveries that have since been made,
II published Newton's "Principia;" it
promoted Hlley's voyage the first scien-
tlfc expedition undertaken by any govs
eminent; it made experiments on the
trlusiusion Of bluod, aud accepted Hars
veys discotery Of the circulation, The
encouragement it gave to inocrlation led
Queen Caroline to beg six condemned
criminals for experiment. aud then to
submit her own children to that opera
ton. Through it's encouragement Brad
the alteration of the fixed stars, and that
of the mutation of tLe ea@th's axis to
these two discoveries, Delambre says, We
owe the cxaclness of modern aslron ,my.
1t promoted heimprovemeut of the ther-
nom meter, the measure of temperature, and
in Harrson's watch the chronometer, the
measure OF tame, III rough it the Greg
orian calendar was introduced into Eng
land, IN 1862, egalust a violent religious
opposition. Some of its members we're
pursued through the streets by an ignor-
ant and niuriated mob, who believed it
had robbed them of eleven days Of their
lives! II i were to attempt TO do
justice TO this gr at Society, l should
have to devote many pages Ia such sub
jects as the .caromaiIc TELESCOPES OF Dol
Ian !; the dividing engine OF Ramsden,
which first gave precision TO aSironomi- :
cal observation; the measurement Of a
degree on H., ear;h's -ur'aoe by Mason
and Dixon; the expeditions of Cook. in
connection with the transit of Venus; his
circumuayigutlon Of the earth; bis proof
th1t scuryy, The curse of long sea yoy-
age, m y bo avoided 10y the use Of veGet-
able SUD, aneesl the polar expeditions;
the determination Of the 6en-iiy If the
earth by Maskeline's experiments at
Schehall.ou. and 10y those of Cayendish.'
a------------------------- 4,
A man gathers wi,dom Ly financial
loss, lisra + zor he is sharper for be-
ing strapped.
"A pnillAnlil.in mnla has killed a