St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1882-01-21
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

hshed theories of DR.. Book, of Seipslc,
who pronounces coffee and tea to be
the chief causes of nervousness and
peevishness SO common in our time.
Upon this point, however, doctors dis
agree, and we find DR.. Henry Segur ar
cuing that the effects OF that beverage
are far from injurious. AS remedial
agent he believes coffee to be OF great
value, while its use promotes digestion,
and otherwise exerts healthful infiu-
epce upon the system. To confirm this
belief he points to the fact that habl-
tual coffee drinkers are generally
healthy, and live to a good old age.
Balloonists, have unique method OF
taking "soundings" to learn their dis
lance from the earth when travelling
in the air at night. A loud shout is
given and the seconds are counted I'M
Ill the echo from the ground is heard.
From the time required for the return
of the sound it is easy to compute the
height of the balloon.
4 Russian sauant offers the novel but
absurd hypothesis that hail is OF cosml-
cal origin, and is captured by our world
in it's journey through space in the
same way that meteorites are attracted
10 this planet
4 new celluloid, made by treating
potatoes with sulphuric acid, is said to
make pipes equal to meerschaum, and
is employed for that purpose i'll France.
Under heavy pressure the material be-
comes so hard that billiard balls may
be manufactured from it.
A captive balloon is to be used at the
Paris Observatory for making meteoro-
logical observations at a height OF a
mile and half above the surface of
the earth.
In recent address, DR.. Siemens COM
s. mended the open fireplace for its SAM
tary advantages. Unlike radiating
stoves, it warns the walls and furnl-
ture Of room more than the air. II
the air within room is hotter than the
walls moisture condenses on the latter
causing mildew and fermentation, with
resulting liability to disease on the
part of the occupants of the room.
A curious application of electricity
is now employed in the Spanish army.
Conscripts wishing to escape military
service have, it seems, often resorted to
the trick Of bending the body while
being measured so as to bring their
stature below the limit prescribed for
the service. To prevent fraud of this
kind is the object of the new device.
When the man is standing perfectly
erect the backs of the legs at the knees
press against electric contacts, causing
two bells to ring; while third bell is
similarly rung by pressure Of the head.
For correct measurement the three
bells should ring simultaneously. The
ringing ceases when there is the least
bending.
When drop of nitric acid is allowed
to remain few moments upon the sur
face of piece Of metal, filed until
bright and clean, a pale ashy-gray spot
h is left if the metal is wrought iron,
brownish black if steel, deep black it
iron. The carbon present in various
proportions produces the difference in
color. This is therefore considered a
sure test.
H The curious phenomenon OF phospho-
resent ice, observed in the Arctic re-
gions, has been described by Mr.. j.
Allen. Whenever the observer saw
lump Of ice shattered at night by the
vessel carrying him, he perceived Pc
culiar light emitted by the frozen frag-
ments. The light is very like that pro-
duced by breaking piece of sugar in
the dark.
Mr.. E. E. Fish has noticed that many
birds seem to possess powers OF ventrl-
loquism. From distance Of few
feet, the cuckoo makes it's voice appear
to come from furlong away; singing
on low branch, the thrush seems to
be in the tree-top; the vesper-sparrOw
and the feld-sparrow are apparently in
distant field, although really on a
neighboring fence. The robin and the
cat-bird are endowed with similar
power; and the oven bird, singing at a
distance, almost causes the listener to
believe it to be within reach by its
sharp, ringing notes.
The ancients had theories to account
for earthquakes-andv very curious they
become in the light of modern investi-
CATION. Anaxaeoras, the RlOdian,