The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1883-01-02

Adoption Il IN evolution theory which has 70.
csived strong confirmation. One Of its principles
il that organs or functions Of lising creatures
gradually disappear il unused Ahmiliaf Illus
tration il furnished by the blind hsh OF caves,
whose eyes through long disuse have been re-
duced to rudimentary and sightlcss slate. 1t
appears. however, that the evolution view does
not always hold good, If il be true, as lately
stated, that in some European instances mice
have been raised in absolute darkness for many
generations without appearing to have lost in
the slightest degree the sensitiveness OF the eye
to light.
or hundred peas preserved in the free air by
Messrs. Van Tieghem and CASTOR BONNER, ninety
afterward terminated of a hundred enclosed
with air in a sealed tube, only forty five; while
OF like lot kept in carbonic acid gas, none grew
Similar results were obtained with other seed,
showing clearly that all seed should be stored
where pure air may have full access to them
A substitute tor cod-liver oil, which has met
with considerable favor. is extracted from the
dugong, an herbivorous cetacean inhabiling the
warm seas near Australia and the Eastern Ar
chipelago The dugong oil is free from the un-
pleasant odOr and taste so Objectionable in cod
liver OIL and is less liable to change in keeping
volcanic eruption from the karabetow
mountain in the Caucasus is reported. This
mountain has not before shown volcanic phe-
nomena during historic times
curious observation concerning some of the
Australian acacas (Acacia dealbata) acclimatzed
in India is recorded by Dr. Brands, director OF
the India Forest Department. These trees were
probably introduced on the Nilgiris several years
before 1S45. They were known to flower in 1S45
in October, the month of th9i- Australian flow
ering time but in 1860 they Powered in Sep
tember in 1870. in August; in 1878, in July;
and in 1882 they began TO flower in June-the
spring month in India, corresponding to October
in Australia. Ii is remarkable that il should
have taken the trees nearly forty years after re-
moval to regain their habit of Towering in spring.
1t has been found that sunlight has consider
able action upon glass. Colorless glass, for tx-
ample, has become yellow, and light yellow,
green and blue have turned to the darker or mel
low shades of those cOlors, while coffee colored
glass has been known to materially change to
rose and amber in The short space of five years.
1t is suggested that The rich tnts SO much adj
mired in the stained windows of old cathedrals
may be due TO the action OF the sunlight during
many years in toning down the originally quite
bright or harsh coloIs.
A medical authority states that the oyster con-
tairs fourteen per cent. of flesh forming material,
which is about the amount obtained from eggs.
1t has but five per cent. less of muscle-making
matter and two per cent less of tat than lean
beef 1t seems surprising that among the thou
sands of species of shell fish only very few
kinds are eaten, such as oysters, clans, pcriwink
les, cookies and mussels But two or three spe-
cies are known to be poisonous
In his last contribution 10 science, Darw in
showed the wonderful work that is performed
by earth worms in the formation of the yegeta-
BILE mould or soil W HIGH covers the earth in all
moderately humid countries The number Of
these creatures is vast, Henson's calculation
quoted by Darwin-beng that each acre of gar
den mould contains 81, 767 worms, while about
half tina, number must exist to the acre in Corn
fields A recent careful examination in New
Zealand, by Mr.. A. +. Urquhart, proves that even
these figures may be far below the truth. On
digging up quarter of an acre of pasture land,
and testing the soil in many places over consid-
cradle area, from four to iweniy-six earth-worms
| per square foot were found The alluvial flats,
slopes and richer parts of the upper lands aver
aged about eight TO the square foot, or 348, 480
| per acre-an annelid population TO each acre as
numerous the human population of ST. Louis.
Knowing of black retriever dog thirty -one
years of age, MIR. Cordiner of Oxford England
wishes to learn whether such aye is not an
extraordinary one for dogs to reach.
al foil e;J Of
Gulf of California shows remarkable difference,
according to Prof. Sillman, of Yale College. 1t
appears, for instance, that the eastern shore at
Culiacan the capital of the Mexican province of
Sinaloa, received twenty-lree inches of rain in
| 1870 and at Mazatlan, the chief seaport, thirty
| five inches in 1880; while on the western shore
of the gulf in the peninsula Of Lower California,
| the yearly fall of wafer rarely reaches four
| inches.