Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1882-09-28
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

by those who do not wish to grow fat.
Such persons may eat lean mutton and
beef, veal and lamb, thin soups, beef
tea, poultry, game, fish and eggs, bread
in moderation, greens, crosses, lettuce,
green peas, cabbage, caulllowor onions
and fresh fruit without sugar; but
should abstain from fat meat, bacon,
ham, butter, cream, sugar, potatoes,
carrots, parsnips, rice, sa ., taploca,
macaroni, custar!s, pastry, pnddlngs
and sweet cakes.
It has been estimated ti,at the North
American continent is b lug reduced
in height at the rate f OF In
every $500 years by the erosive
action Of water.
Many singular creatures are known
to science, but probably none .. III.
lower animals have more remarkable
method Of securing prey than the
cheatodon, a beautiful japanese fish
Seeing fly lighted near the surface
of the water, this fish gently approach
es and with unerring aim projecs a
drop of water at the unsuspectiug in
sect, knocking it from its perch, when
it is easily secured.
Mr.. Robert f. c. Ste Ms has suggest
ed the possibility tf making valuable
Investigations into the periodicity Of
climates and the direction and effects
of prevailing winds by systematic
study Of the annual rings of trees. l.
may be found, for example, that
thick and thin rings record wet and
dry years, and that greater growth
on one side Of layer than on the
other may be traced to dille, ence in
the amount of heat striking the two
sides. The record of some trees covers
q long period.
Of the Royal S ciety Of London
Prof. Dropcr says: 1--WE have only to
turn over the pages Of its transactions
to discern how much this society has
done for the progress of humanity. 1t
was incorporated in 1862, and has in
'terested itself in all the great scientific
movements and discoveries that have
since been made. 1t published New.
toms "PrincIpia;" it promoted llalley's
voyage, the first scientific expedition
undertaken by any government; it
made experiments on the transfusio
Of blood, and accepted Harvey's dis
co7ery Of the circulation. The encJur
agement it gave to incubation led
Queen Carolina to beg six condemned
criminals for experiment, and then to
submit her own children to that opera
ton. Through its encouragement Brad
ley accomplished his great discovery,
the alteration of the fixed stars, and
that of the mutation of the earth's axis;
TO these two discoveries, Delambre
says, We owe the exactness Of modern
astronomy. 1t promoted the improve
ment of the thermometer, the measure
oftemperature, and in Harrisons watch
the thermometer, the measure Of time
Through it the Grcgorian calendar was
introduced into England, in 1852,
against violent religious opposition.
Some of its members were pursued
through the streets by an ignorant and
Infatuated mob, who believed it had
robbed them Of eleven days of their
lives! = If | were to attempt
to do justice to this great society, |
should have to devote many pages to
such subjects as the achromatlc tele
scope Of Dolland; the dividing engine
Of Ramsden, which frs gave precision
to astromical observations; the meas
urement Of degree on the earth's sur
face by Mason and Dixon; the expedi
tons of Cook, in connection with the
transit of Venus; his circumnavigation
Of the earth; his proof that scurvy, the
curse Of q long sea voyage, may be
avoided by the use of vegetable sub
stances; the polar expeditions; the de,
termination Of the density of the earth
by Maskeline's experiments at Sche,
hallion, and by those of Cavendish."
Leeturins upon the storage of cleo
tricity, Prof. Sylvanus Thompson has
declared the two great recent discove.
ries in science to be that the Gramme
machine is reversible and that the Vol.
taic battery is reversible. The forne,
has solved the problem of the electri,
al g |