Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1882-03-23
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

A year or more ago gate pos
which had been painted with socalle'
xinc-white was noticed to appear blacl
all day, gray in the twilight and whit
during the night. changing to blacl
again very soon after sunrise. Mr.. 7
L. Phipson was led to investigate thi
singular chameleon property of tn
paint, and after much research ha
shown the cause to exist in new met
al, which has been named actinum OF
account Of its peculiar actinic effects
1t is found in zinc ores, and resembles
zinc.
In an experiment by NJ. Paul Bert
upon q live crocodile, the animal be
ing made to forcibly close its mouth
exerted pulling force of 30S pounds
upon q rope attached to the end of its
upper jaw. The extremity of the jaw
being the end Of a long lever, the real
power exerted by the muscle was much
greater, and was computed to Le $40
pounds. This experiment was made
upon crocodile already weakened by
cold and fatigue.
A schoclmaster, of Nice, has formed,
among his pupils, a society for the pro-
lection of vegetation. The members
are to destroy injurious larval and pro.
tect harmless birds. Their interest in
the work Is kept up by the election of
laureates and the award of prizes. In
four months of 1881 the children de-
stroyed 1866 belts of moth eggs, rep.
resenting no fewer than 1868, 500
larvae; 1914, 1928 cabbage larvae; 1883
grasshoppers, 629 butterflies; 5S,9ll
slugs and snails; 1874 grubs; and 49,
72l insects of various kinds. The work
is both very valuable and very instrsc
tive.
Attention has been called to some
new facts in relation to color blindness.
Careful Investigations have shown the
Chinese and the Nubians t, be prac-
ideally free from the defect. DR.. Rob
erts has observed that color-b lindness
10 most common among persons of red
dish or red hair, and it is very preva.
lent among the Jews, who are the most
decidedly red haired of all known races.
II is thought probable, therefore, that
there may be some correlation of color.
blindness with fermentation, and in
directly With racial peculiarities.
Sounds produce id certain individu-
ais the impression of color. This cur.
ious phenomenon, which was first de-
scribed by Nussbaumer in 1873, has
recently been made the subject Of sys-
tematic study by Herrn Bloulen and
Lehman, Of Zurich. They find that
the colors associated with different in
dividuals, being as rule light fer high
notes and dark for low notes. Chords
either cause the colors which correspond
to their notes to appear to the mind
side BY side or give mixture of those
colors. The same note in different keys
changes in color, and to many persons
different colors appear when the same
piecetis played by different instruments.
Noises. - we'll as musical notes, are
accompanied by colors, varying with
the intensity and pitch Of the sound.
OF SOC individuals examined, one
eighth were 'color. hearers" Four per.
sons perceived sound as result of SEN
sations of light and color. A broad,
q1ietly-burning gas flame led to the
perception Of sound formed of W and
. light vowel like e; but when the
fame dickered the sound became that
OF J. These cases can generally be
explained by an association of sounds
with colors by the individual minds,
and the phenomenon is largely here
ditary.
The newly completed observatory
on Mount Etna is 5000 feet above the
sea level, and tho clearness of the at
mosphers at that height leads astrono-
mers to expect some important obser-
vationa
In june, 1883, Stephen and Joseph
Mnntgolfer sent up the first balloon.
To commemorate the centenary of the
event, it IL proposed that an interna-
tional exhibition of serial arts" be held
a. Paris next year. The serial arts"
arc to include every industry, science
or art relating to gas or the atmosphere
which u supposed to have any connec-
tion directly or indirectly with erostic
experiments.
At Antilles, on the southern coast
Of Frsnce, remarkable lowering of
the sea leve! to the extent of foot or
more was lately observed, the phenom
enon lasting fortnight. High atmos.
pheiie pressure is thought, by NJ. Faye,
to have been the cause, although NJ.
Naudin suggested an elevation of the
ground. Tides in the Mediterranean
are barely perceptible.
The Chinese in Hong Kong are re-
ported to practice vaccination so thor
II