Daily globe., 1882-07-09
FACTS FOR THE CURIOUS.

THE African negro is remarkable for
his length of arm and leg; the Aymara
Indian, of Peru, for his shortness.
The microscope shows the hair to be
like coarse, round rasp, but with the
teeth extremely irregular and ragged.
THE traveller who would make the
circuit Of the would in eight days would
require nearly twenty-four years to cir
cumnavigate the sun.
The Greeks held garlic in such alb
horrence that those who partook of it
were regarded as profane. The Romans,
on the contrary, gave it to their soldiers,
with an idea that it excited their cour-
age, and to their laborers to strengthen
them.
The tallest trees in the world are in
Australia. A fallen tree in Gippsland
measured 435 feet from the root to the
highest point of the branches. Another
standing in the Dundelong district. in
Victoria, is estimated to be 45O feet
from the ground to the top.
THE Scientific american refers to
observations of the actions OF carp in
the Berlin aquarium to settle the fact
that fish do sleep. In Bermuda, where
fish are abundant, there are places where
fish can be seen asleep any day-for
they sleep during the day as we'll as at
night = aad sometimes they sleep so
sound that a long pole tickling their
ribs will not arouse them.
The suns surface is nearly II. 600
times, and its volume or bulk more than
], 300, 900 times greater than that of the
earth. If the earth is represented by a
three-inch globe, the sun, on the same
scale, will be more than twenty seven
feet in diameter, and its distance 5000
feet If the sun were hollow, and the
earth at its center. there would be room
for the moon 240, 600 miles away. and for
another 10000 miles beyond her.
A LEARNED Swiss has pointed out that
a poplar, or other tall tree, may, if its
roots strike into the damp soil, serve as
a lightning conductor to protect house;
and he thinks he has verified the con-
lecture by examination of number of
individual cases of lightning stroke. In
the case, however, where the house
stands between the tree and piece of
water, pond, well or stream, the short
est path for the lightning from the tree
to the wet conductor may be through
the house.
ONE of the most singular mechanical
operations imaginable is the making of
gold wire for what is known as gold lace.
The refner first prepares solid rod of
silver about an inch in thickness he
beats this rod, applies upon the surface
sheet of gold-leaf, Furnishes this down,
and SO on, until the gold is about Tooth
part the thickness of the silver. The
rod is then subjected to train OF pro.
cesses which brings it down to the state
of fine wire, when it is passed through
holes in a steel plate lessening step BY
step in diameter. The gold never de-
serts the silver, but adheres closely to it.
and shares all its mutations it is Tooth
part the thickness of the silver at the
beginning, and it maintains the same
ratio to the end. AS to the thinness to
which the gold-coated rod of silver can
be brought, the limit depends on the
delicacy of human skill. It has been
calculated, however, that the gold actu-
ally placed on the very finest silver wire
for gold lace is not more than one-third
of one-millionth of an inch in thickness !:
that is. not above one-tenth the thick
ness of ordinary gold-leaf.