Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1883-07-12
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

and late Observes annouoce that IL - NJ"
scarcely pcrceptible. The spot, which is
nearly 10000 miles long and more than
5000 wide, has not changed materially
in size. but its red color has faded until
the "grcat red spot has become almost
indistinguishable from the surrounding
parts of the planet From its perman-
ency of form and size it is evident that
this spot cannot be cloud floating in
Julter's atmosphere, although it drifts
like cloud across the planets disc Va
rious theories have been suggested to ac-
count for the phenomenon, but none OF
them appear quite satisfactory.
From a consideration Of tho colors
named by Homer lecturer some time
ago attempted to prove that the ancicnts
were less sensitive to color-v variations than
modern people. Prof Thomas X. Price
has siace discussed Virgil's knowledge of
colors and sensibly maintains that the
words used for colors indicate the poverty
Of ancient language in color-names, and
do not necessarily bear on the state of the
color-sense. The human eye is capable
Of finding in nature about ! 100 disting-
Unstable colors. Virgil had names for
q high colors and Is more for shades
due to degrees of illumination. Roget
has 102 English color names, and modern
French is said to include not less than
500.
It is calculated that more than 10000
soldiers fall victims to malaria in Italy
every year, and great numbers of work
people are attacked. A map prepared
BY the Italian Minister of War shows
that Of the country's go provinces only
six are free from malaria; and in II prov
inces its ravages are very severe.
At late meeting Of the Academy Of
Medicine in Ireland, DIR. II. j. Smyly
read paper on case Of sudden change
in the color of an infants hair. When
four months old the child was attacked
with cute Inflammation, followed by an
abscess in the bone of the left temple,
and one morning the hair on the right
side of the head was discovered to have
undergone remarkable change from its
original mouse colored hue to reddish
yellow. The right eyebrow was similar
" affected, and the skin Of these parts
as well as that of the. right hand, had
assumed a jaundicc tingc. The pillow
was saturated with a reddish=yellow per
spiration, which DR.. Smyly was inclined
to think might have caused the change
in the hair by some peculiar chemical
property. DR.. Banks, the president of
the Academy, referred to the case of a
young woman who had half the lashes Of
one eye changed to snowwhitc, which
she attributed to the annoyance suffered
from the persistent gaze of wall-eyed
admirer, who had white lashes ON the
defective eye. DIR. Walter Smith related
the cAse Of a boy in whom the skin of
the lobes of both ears and that of the
back Of the neck was of sulphur-yellow
hue, the downy hair Of these parts being
. bright yellow and tho hair Of the head
being brown.
As an average Of observations recorded
during period of 33 years, Sir G. b.
Airy finds the temperature Of the Thames
to be 51.7 degrees, and that of the air at
the Royal Observatory 500 degrees. The
difference between the air and the river
temperature is two degrees during the
seven months from May to November,
and only seveu-tenths Of degree from
December to April. The river tempera-
ture reaches its highest monthly average
-65.70 degrees-in July, and its lowest
-39.4 degrecs-in January.
The Arctic expedition under Baron
Nordenskjold will try to learn something
this summer concerning Greenland's I'M
known interior, which is supposed-with-
out good reason, the Baron thinks--to
be deeply buried under vast field of
perpetual ice. Prof Fries-who shares
Nordenskjold's views-has offered the
novel suggestion that part Of Greenland
should be colonised by mountain Laps,
whose nomadis habits would probably
lead them to pretty thorough explorations
Of the surrounding territory, by which
our knowledge of the region might be
extended. He believes that the country
would be paradise to these people, as
they would be unrestricted in their wan
behring's and would find abundant forage
ortheir reindeer herds, while the cold is
No more severe than in their native noun
tsins in Laplapd.