The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1882-03-25
cURusu .>,rENrIFic AND UshFUL.

A single plate of perforated zinc, about a
foot squart, suspended over gas jet, is said
to retain the poxious emanaiisns from the
burning gas, which, it is well known, de-
stroys the bindings OF books. furnishes the
gliding, and vitiatcs the atmosphere for
breathing.
Professor Langen beck, Of Berlin, has re-
Gently performed su ,cessful operation,
during which the patient was kept i'm
mersed in water for sixteen days. These
permanent baths" so-called, are likely to
play a great part in modern hygiene, more
especially in cases of burns, for which bed
heat is known to be very dangerous.
Iron Stag is ceasing rapidly to be waste
! product At an English iron works it is
employed as a non-conductor of heat.
When it is erouno it is nodded into bricks
of great toughness, which are also imper-
vious to f:ost, and so per cent lighter than
common clay bricks. Cement, concrete,
and artificial stone are likewise made from
the Stag.
genuineness we can be perfectly certain, is
diminishing with alarming rapidlty. The
latest vict m to science is mother of-pearl,
WniCh hccc GA PCIiAh CASdiicb uhe euC-
ceeded in initiating to perfection. His new
material has the advantage of being capable
OF being nodded into any shape and en-
dowed with any hue.
Mr. Arthur Stradling publishes the follow
ing note or the offensive and defensive
habits of animals: A serpent's Arst instinc-
tive impulse Of sels-preservation, like that
OF ever, other anil.al, lies in escape. If
surprised suddenly. or brought to bay at
close quarters, it may be too terror stricken
to attempt flight: then it bites, following q
curious general rule which seems to obtain
throughout nearly the whole animal world,
from passionate child down ward, no mat
ter what the natural methods of offense may
be. Young Felid@ will keep their talons
sheathed until they have exerted all possible
force with their soft milk teeth, and lizard
will seize the hand which restraints it with
IFS Insignificant little jaws when its tail or
claws might infict far more injury. The
BoidG never use their constructive powers
in self-defense, (unless they are gripped,)
and it seems probable that if venomous
snakes fangs lay in its tail it would use its
teeth first when attacked before bringing
them into play. Indeed, it must be remem-
bered that very few animals are provided
with exclusively defensive weapons, and
that the python's enormous strength in con-
striction, the viper's poison apparatus, and
the electric discharge of The gymnotus are
given them primarily for the purpose of
securing their food.
By q process known as enfeurage, which
is the exposure of beef fat to fresh flowers in
close boxes until it is thoroughly permeated
and charged with their odors, the perfumes
| of six flowers are obtained, which could in
no oth,r manner known to science be pre-
served apart from the fresh petals. Those
flowers are violet, jssmin, tuberose, rose,
| orange flower and casaic cinnamon flower. }
From those six there are fifty or more COM
binations made for the stimulation of the
oders of other flowers Sweet pea is made
with jssmin and orange flower; hyacinth is
counterteited by jasmin and tuberose; lily
of the valley by violet and tuberose. Bat
the resources of the perfumer are by
no means confined to the pomades,
as the scented fats are termed. He
uses many essential oils, the prin.
cipal of which are sandalwood, berga-
mot, lemon, rosemary, neroli (made from
bitter orange fowers), patchouli and ottar
of roses. 1t is very difficult to get the last
named in q pure state, because its great
cost tempts to dishonest adulteration. Ve-y
| often rose geranium oil is substituted for it.
Musk is another important ingredient, en-
tering, as it does, into almost all perfumes,
except those which are actually limitations
of flower odors, or, as styled by perfumers,
"natural as, for instance, heliotropes
tuberose, white rose and violet.