The National tribune., 1884-10-30
SCIENTIFIC CHAT.

Another danger is added to modern house
keeping. DIR. Austen has discovered that water
containing organic matter will, when under press
ure, dissolve compounds of lead zinc and copper
more rapidly and in much larger quantities than
when pure and under ordinary conditions. He
claims that many eases of dySentery result from
drinking such water that has stood all night In
lead or zinc pipes.
in excavatng well at York, Me-, the roots of
neighboring oaks and hickories were found en-
bedded in the rock 40 feet below the surface. From
either pressure absorption they had in many in
stances formed cylindrical channels in the stone.
The use of bitter willow in fayOring and color
ing tobacco Is bitterly denounced by Prof Des-
champs of Paris as causing softening of the brain.
DIR. Deschamps asserts that the microbe of
scarlet fever is bacillus shaped like hair with a
long swelling on the upper part. Ii reproduces
rapidly, but is easily killed by all the leading disn
fectants particularly by the new chemical, thymol.
Capt. Kostowitz, the Russian aeronaut, is quite
confident that he has solved the problem of steer
ing balloon which is being constructed at St.
Petersburg IL is of the shape of huge cigar,
driven by but it is also provided with sails
The inventor calculates that his air ship will be
able to make 100 miles an hour with All equipage
of 16 men, 10000 pounds ballast and engine of
5O-horse power. The whole balloon. with its ap-
purtenanees will be 200 feet long and 50 feet high
and will probably make its first excursion from st.
Petersburg in a few weeks
The Lnncetsays it is sheer wsntonness to throw
away game because il happens to be little high"
1t will generally suffice to cleanse the game and
wipe 1t quite dry with soft cloths rubbing little
salt into the worst parts. Game which Il simply
high without being putrid," says the writer, is
OF UlSestlOnr great value
invalids"
The eminent botanist De Candolle gave the
age of an elm at SS5 years The ages of some palms
have been set down a; from 900 to 200 years, that
OF olive tree at 200 years of plane tree At 30
of a cedar at 800, of an osk at | 500. of yew At
2SS0, of taxOCiium at 1900, and of baobs.b tree
at 5OOo.
The report of the Agent General Of Immigra-
ton in Fiji shows that, OF l7 Polynesians in
troduced into the Fiji Islands from tile Western
Pacific, ,2.O have died in four years.
The reason that when lost or not able TO see
walk in n circle. is still undetermined Mr.
George III. Darwin believes that IL il because We
right left legged. our "leggedne-s" being
generally the converse of our 'handedness.' and
that therefore right handed men. being lefl-leg-
ged. most apt tn deviate to the right. and left
handed men to the LEFT. Himself and Mr.. Galton
and Others making personal experiments In walk
ing blindfoid. found themselves describing circles
not more than 50 yards in diameter, TO the right.
OF eight schoolboys, six, vino totally right
handed strobe longer from lefl To right than from
right to left, hoped on the left leg; one boy pur
sued the opposite course and the last walked ir-
regularly, with no average difference between his
strides. Walking a match for straightness, the
left-legged boys ali diverged To the right the
enth hoy to the lsft and the eighth won the prize
Measurements of Dir. Darwin's own stride and Of
the strides of his friends, showed the same con-
nection between divergence and comparative
length of stride. Mr.. Thomas Hawksley believes
that the for the divergence is to be found in
differences in the length of the legs enough TO
affect the visible step, bat sufficient to reveal itself
in q considerable walk.