Daily globe., 1883-08-06
CURIOUS AND SCIENTIFIC.


up the bulk of a timber tree are
nothing but cells of particular form
thickened by the deposit of woody mat
ter IN their interior and aggregated in
a special way.
PROF. TREADwELL, of Massachusetts,
found that half-grown American robin
IN confinement ate in one day sixty
eight worms, weighing together once
and half as much as the bird himself,
and another had previously starved
upon daily allowance of eight to ten
worms, or about 20 per cent. of his own
weight.
THE London Engineer in referring
to the power of the albatross, its weight
of twenty-eight pounds, its wings thir-
teen feet from tip to tip, and its ability
to keep in motion for whole day,
says: "We have in this bird q ma
chine burning concentrated fuel in a
large CRATE at tremendous rate, and
developing a very large power in a very
small space. There is no engine in ex-
istence which, weight for weight, gives
out anything like the mechanical power
exhibited by the albatross.
WE were taught that the ability of
flies to walk on the ceiling was owing
to power in their feet which enabled
them to hold on by suction. But Mr..
Fl. De WITT, of the Berlin Society of
Natural History, has discovered an ex-
udation of sticky matter from the
foot of fly by fastening the insect on
the under side of plate and viewing it
through a microscope. The adhesive
matter seems to pass down through the
hollow of the hair. Probably the same
method of holding on applies to all in
sects.-Foote's Health MonthN.
c PRESERVING BODIES AFTER DEATH
There seems to be a great deal of at
tehtion directed just now to the subject
of preserving bodies after death. This
fit or craze seems to be periodic. Of
course, at times it is desirable to keep
remains for long time. Natural scien-
lists would have very poorly supplied
museums it care was not taken to keep
specimens from decay. But as to this
business of embalming the abodes for
which the late human tenants cease to
have any further use, one cannot find a
more instructive lesson than in the
modern treatment of the mummies of
the ancient Egyptians. But it may be
well to note. though only as piece of
news, that if organic substances are
first stepped in an alcoholic solution of
nitrate of silver, wiped dry, exposed to
the action of hydrogen, sulphide or
phosphide, and then immersed in the
ordinary galvano-plastic bath, they will
keep for an indefinite length of time.
A FISH OF GoLD.-The curious story
of the finding of fish of pure gold in
Southern Germany to which we have
before made reference, says the
Acadenoy, is fully confirmed. The fish,
which is very good representation of
a carp, measures about fifteen inches in
length, and has bullion value of about
e200. It has been bought for e300 by
the Berlin Museum. It's surface is en-
tirely covered with incised figures,
showing great artistic skill. On the
head are arabesques; on the front part,
groups of animals-a stag seized by a
lion, boar attacked by tiger, and a
third group now indistinct; farther
back, sort of sea monster graphing
with fish and, on the tail, bird with
open wings. The whole is interspersed
with little fishes. It is said that several
other gold objects of smaller size were
found at the same time. The general
similarity between this fish and the
many gold objects that have been found
in tombs on the northern shore of the
Black sea will at once be recognized.
The DEVELOPMENT OF HEARING.-
With regard to the sense of hearing, it
is first remarked that all children for
some time after birth are completely
deaf, and it was not until the middle of
the fourth day that Prof. Prever OBJ
tanned any evidence of hearing in his
child. This child first turned his head
IN the direction of sound in the
eleventh week, and the movement in
the sixteenth week was as rapid and
certain as reflex. At eight months or
year before its first attempts atspeak-
ing, the infant distinguished between a
tone and noise, as shown by its pleas
ure on hearing the sounds of a piano;
after the first year the child found sat-
isfaction in itself striking the piano. In
the twenty-frst month it danced to
music, and in the twenty-fourth month
it initiated songs; but it is stated, on the
authority Of other observers, that some
children have been able to sing pitch
correctly, and even melody, as early
as nine months. One such child used
to sing in its sleep, and at nineteen
months could beat time correctly with
its hand while singing an air.-Lo7ado1s