Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1883-05-03
sCIENyIFIc MISCELLANY.

A some of country in Hungary remark
ably affected by metcorites has been not
ID by Herr E. Doll. OF the eight known
neteorite falls recorded during the TWEEN
ty-fve years up to 1877, six occurred in
this region, and subsequently two more.
The great expense of the multitude
Of expeditions fitted out to observe the
transit of Venus across the sun face on
December 9th has been incurred simply |
to reduce an uncertainty in the parallax
If onc-tcnth Of second Although more
gAan hundrcdth part of the whole, Prof.
Young finds this tenth of second to be
10 moro than the angle subtended by a
single hair at a distance of 800 feet. The
most probable parallax may be taken to
b $50 seconds, which signifies that the
Gun is 92,985,0 miles from us. The
best authorities admit that this estimate
II the parallax, made from observations
thus far worked out, may be Inaccurate
within the limit of one-twentieth of al
second either way. This apparently slight
uncertainty, however, is not to be over
looked, as the one-twentieth of second
corresponds to about half a million miles
As the suns distance from the earth is
Ne unit adopted for measurements among
the stars, its accurate determination is a
matter of great value to astronomy, and
the Importance of transits of Venus and
Mercury rests upon the fact that they
afford means of finding the solar paral-
Ax.
In Norway woodpcckcrs bore into tel
sgraph posts, being misled by the hum
ming of the wires into the belief that the
wood contains insects; and bears mistake
the sound for the noise Of bees
During recent discussion at the Phil
adelphia Academy Of Natural Sciences it
vas doubted that the odors Of insects are
emitted as protection from the attacks
Of enemies; as is generally believed. At
least some Of the odors are very agreeable
70 man, and it is by no means certain
that scents repulsive to us are not delight
full to the most common enemies Of the
insects emitting them. DIR. Joseph Leidy
spoke Of some ants having the fragrance
Of Eucalyptus tree growing near their
nest instead Of the usual peculiar odor
Of formic acid.
An interesting experiment has been
made in Paris by Mons. Mangin. A small
incandesccnt electric lamp was attached
70 the inside of paper balloon about eight
feet in diameter. The balloon was then
filed with hydrogen gas and allowed TIC
ascend, being held captive by rope con
tanning two copper wires On lighting
the lamp by passing an electric current
through the wires, the whole balloon ap-
peared like globe Of fire. BY systemat-
10 interruptions of the current it was
shown that the dots and dashcs Of the
Morse code could be initiated, and the
value Of such method Of signaling in
military operations will be seen when thu
distance to which Illuminated balloons
could be made visible is considered.
The energy of the human heart, work
ing day and night while life lasts, is enor
nous. During an average working da,
q good climber can only raise his Owl
weight 1000 an hour, while the worl
Of the heart is estimated to be equivolen
70 raising its own weight TO ounces) ID,
$50 feet high in an hour. This is abou
fve times the energy of the most power
full steam engine ever made.
Writing upon ''the doomed comet" Mr.
]. A. Westwood Oliver. says that from
our knowledge of the nature Of cometar.
bodies, etc., we may infer that the ap
preaching disaster to the present celestia
visitor will bring to us nothing more thai
abnormal magnetic disturbances, auroras
or possibly nothing at all.
The smallest insects are proportional
the strongest Of all animals, according t
some ingenious experiments by Mons
Pateau. 1t was found that horse ca
pull six-sevenths of its weight, cock
chafer fourteen times its weight and
bee twenty times its weight.
In the environs of Poitiers Mons. Lisc
has discovered whole Gallo Roman tow
which he declares to be "a small Pompe
in the centre of France" Excavatio,
thus far made have disclosed entire street
in which are temple, theatre and mar
ether buildings.
Out Of l40,o 900 known species of plan
only about 800 are used by man, accor'
ing to memoir by Mons. de Candolle.
The-ontomologist of the british Roy
Agricultural Society, Miss A. Z, Ormero
-says that some kinds of caterpillars ma
n 4 4. Il