The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1882-07-29
the CARBoN ADvooATE.1
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

, hoh Dg tne waters OF I've ocean is rough
ly estimated at two million tons
-Transitory colur-hlindness has been
produced by a lew hours stay in snow
fields illuminated Ivy Tie sun, all artiHci-
al lights appearing green for a short time.
1t has been estimated that there are
about 6,0o0 speci' Of birds, of which
5 6lhs are known. The Cones list Of
North American birds now embraces sSS
species, lS0 new species having been
added during the last eight years.
In the operation known as skin
grating, Dr. Lomallee, Of Paris, re-
Gently t'sei at tbe same time CRAFTS from
the abdomen of rabbit and from the
iorea~m of man. The skin from the
rabbit gave much the better results, as it
readily adhered and grew while the other
did rot Three months after Il e opera
lion the healing Of the sore had continu-
cd to Progress favoral ly, and the en-
| grated skih showed no trace Of ns ori=
gin.
BY what he terms a galvano-plastio
method, member Of the Berlin Physical
Society he's succeeded in coating organic
bodies with metal, so that they may be
indefinitely preserved. He has show n
numerous afticles-suuh as beetle, a
butterfly, a crab, mulberry leaf, ahd 4
rosebud--plated with gold, silver and
copper. and showing perfectly every de-
tail of their external forms.
Before an English committee of in.
qnirg, DIR, John Hopkinson has express
6 a the belief that the whole of the elee-
trcity generated by one horsepower
would not do more than boil n gallon end
half of water an hour. This opin OH
was given as evidence that electricity is
not likely to ever become economically
useful for heating purposes.
A prize of $40 900 has been offered
by the French Goyerrmert for the most
useful application of Voltaic electricity
made during the fve years ending July
l, 1877, the competition to be open to ali
persons. Several of these so ca lied sVol=
ia prizes have at different times been
awarded, the first having been offered by
Napoleon just after Volta invented his
celebrated pile" The last award was
made to Prof. A. Graham Bell in recop-
milton of bis telephone achievements.
The electrical exhibition soon TO be
held at Munich will be of especial inter=
est, las it isl roposed to use the 5000 horse.
power Of the river Isar to drive the dyna=
mo-electric machines, and to show tho
possibility Of Employing il to light the
streets and houses at distance of some
miles IS we'll MS to distribute the force to
the various workshops.
DR. Husselbetg, of Puikota, has been
able to trace to some distance in the tail
of the C met the bright lines of sodium
seen by many observers in the spectrum
Of Comet Wells. This observation Is an
important one, and must explode many
Of the theories advanced concerning the
constitution of those remarkable aud
mysterious Appearances known as comets
tails.
Prof William Ramsay suggests that
the vibration theory be applied to oaccount
for the sense Of smell. as he deems it pro-
bable that smell is excited by vibrations
of "A lower period than those which give
rise to the sense of light or beat. Thess
vibrations are conveyed to the network OF
nerves in the nasal cavities ly gaseous
mc lecules from the substance giving the
cdcr, The difference of smells is caust d
by the nature and rate Of such vibrations,
just as difference in tone of musical
sounds depends on the nature and rate 6f
vibrations.
One OF the obj tlions urged against
the proposed tunnel across the English
Channel is, that it would open highwa
for the invasion of Great Britain in case
of war with Continental powers. DR..
Semeus sugg' SITS a novel plan of defense
from snch il vnsion, should the tunnJl
be constructed be vohld Rrihhse chains
bers of cl ak, in communication With
the shore ends Of the tuunel, in such
manner that the chalk chambers might
be readily flooded with dilute muriaiid
acid. The result Of turning on the acid
would he the rapid filling Of half n.ile
or more of tie tunnel with cnrbonic acid
gas. through which no human beings
could pass alive.
DIR. Bersnger-Ferand has described
a curious people-tbe itineraut musicians
who travel in every part Of Central Afri:
ca, from tie Atlantic to the Indian Ocean.
They are known as Griots, and constitute
a distinct confederation, under tho au-
thori,y uf q chief, whose il huence is very
powerful among its scattered members,
and Who yi,s leavy tax from the their
general r.c in's Tb,ynr, rerarded with
fear Rud roiu ,uuuce by the negro natives
of tae Lands which the! huverse, aud are
looked upon as memherr at an impure
caste, whose dead are capable of bringing
sterilty and prpeIunl drou;h to The
ground in which they are buried. They
are skillml in improyising and reciting;
some l.lsy The violin and guitar. whils
others beat the tendon. or play on vafi-
oas dr.c rrdant viuI instruments. Their
confederation is ~ double, ly Of long
standing. They naiutirn some degree Of
iuteI among the African
races, but frequently make mischievous
uso oi the extraordinary license grauted
them cf going VIII rcthcy will by fcnient--
ing quarltl, smcng the various tFibse.
What N ghiy contests rise from triy-
i'll thug!
Ideas generate ideas. like potato
which cut in pieces reproduces itself in
a multiplied form.
-ILc wish otiel i.lls warm upon my
la.g, a rt iuty am ttot. .fltt, hera H. 4