Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1882-11-09
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

practice. An exposure of only hun
dredth Of secoDd may be had.
Among the curious phenomena lie
vealed by the sinking Of wells in Al
geria is the existence of fishes, crabs
and FREE water mollusks at considera
BILE depths in the subterranean waters,
as has been found in the artesian wells
called Meier, situated in the desert Of
Ued-Rir, quite near one of the brack
ish lakes so common in the region.
These creatures were still alive when
brought by the sounding line from a
depth of 230 feet, and one of the crabs
was boiled by its captor and proved to
DO Of excellent taste The fishes were
covered with sand-mud, but the shells
of the crabs we're quite bright ard gilt,
tering-eyidence that they had inhab-
tied pure water.
An electric battery which gives a
current only when exposed to the light
has been devised by Mons. Saur. The
intensity of the current moreover varies
with the intensity Of the light.
By vaporiziug two quarts OF tobacco
joice over slow fire, Baron Roth
schild's gardener at Paris, Moes. Boi
4ard, destroyed ali the troublesome in
sects that may be contained IN the hot
house in which the operation is per.
formed. He considers the remedy
infallible, and says it rarely Injuries the
tenderest plants.
Among the creatures which attracted
Prof. Haeckels attention during q re-
cent tour in Ceylon was the great black
scorpion nearly a foot long which
be found to exist in such numl ers that
he collected half dozen specimens in
the course Of an hour Snakes were
also noticed in great abundance. Slen.
der green snakes hung from almost
every bough, and at night the great
rat snake hunted rats and mice over
the roofs OF the huts. Although these
ratsnakes are harmless, Prof Itaeckcl
considers II by no means pleasant
surprise when one Of them, Eve feet
long, suddenly drops through hols II
the root into ones room, perhaps alight
ing on the bed
1t is reported that Mr.. Werdermar
has succeeded in dispensing with Thu
vacuum in incandesscnt electric lamp
by using crystalline silicon in place O
carbon. The silicon can be fused int,
bars which may be heated to whitenes'
in the air without undergoing on,
change.
Mr.. Grant Allen says that changes
in color Of flowers appear to follow ,
regular and definite order. All flowers
it would seeISi were in their earlies
form yellow; then some Of them became
white; after that few Of them grew
TO be red or purple; and, finally, com
paratively snail number acquire,
shades OF lilac, mauve, violet or blue
Even the successive stages Of q sinsl
flower sometimes afford us hints of
progressive law Of color change frou
yellow to blue. For example, an Eng
lish forget-me- not, NJ yosotis versicolo,
Is pale yellow whsni it opens, gradual
becomes faintlyspihkish, and ends b
being blue; and : Lantana noticed i
South. America BY Fritz Muller wa
yellow on its FIRST day. orange on tn
second, and purple ON the third. Sue
changes are net rare among flower
and the dolor always varies In the sam
gensral direetion. a as
Asystem of'pipes and tanks is bein
placed at the entrance to Aberdes
harbor to serve as q permanent NEAR
for pouring oil on the water to calm
in stormy weather and Thus facili,a,
the passage Of vessels. tits con6den
" believed that the scheme will pro,
entirely successful, the only Difficult,
that has thus far presented itself cir
that the pipes will obstruct dredgir
operations. Common fish oil, procur
bic at low price, is the material viii,
will be used to soo.he the troubl,
ocean.
1t seems probable that the electr
light may be found very valuable
Submarine work, such as the examiu
ton Of wrecks, etc. In an apparat,
devised for this purpose by NJ. Baz
powerful arc,lamp is placed in a 9,
Under closed by glass plate at Il
lotion and by q reflector Mt the tn