The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-11-22
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 acl1NTIFlc MISCELLANY


 cs.risS fev zzs Ayle.ssv x,s,ezv. acI1NTIFlC MlocRLI.A1eY. A late investigation sbows sAat Aus- sralia contains soe species of snakes-as of them harmless. and 3 venomous.
 At the Danish scientific station in South Greenland, at Namortalik. hea, and mosquit 1es In summer are SO srcublesom~ as to be suggestive of tropical climate. Attention has been drawn to . tree of Southern India-she ruchmig" l" ef the Chinese or Pramesia glandulifera of botanis,. from which ii is said large supplies os caoutchouc can be drawn.
 Quite successful ezpesinenss in dis ,ribufiag the electric light so great distance. have been made in connection with the Turin Electrical Exhibition. Siemens dynamo of thirty horse power generated . current which was simultaneously used by three electric light systems distributed over a circuit of 2, miles.
 St Ssephens' college, Delhi, boasss of a prodigy in the person of blind ssuden, named Chanda Singh. He cannot read or write, bst has such a wonderful memory as to be able to repeat all bis text booAs-En- glish, French and Urdu-by rote, and to rap idly work out sums in arithmetic, even the multiplication of any number es 6xures by another equally large.
 Authorities are not agreed concerning the poisonous properties of the aniline dyes. Dr. Grandhomme, who has had the benefit of prolonged observations in German aniline is of the opinion that they are poisonous only when containing arsenic. Messrs. Poincase and Nassias, however, consider them dangerous even in a state of purisy, magenta being the least dangerous of all
 Another Effect of the Great Eruption.-N IL has just been made kno~n that during the great volcanic disturbance at Krakatoa .ele- phonic communication was almos, impos- sible in Singapore, 500 miles away. On subterranean cable, of about two miles in length, words were drowned hy peculiar sounds resembling pistol shots. The phe- nomenon seemed to be of an electric nature. rather than acoustic.
 In recent experiences, the images of candles were seen through the clear water of Lake Geneva when sunk 10 a depth of about 100 feet. the electric arc being still visible when some ten feeslswer. At greater depths the clear images disappeared, being replaced by diffuse light, faintiy pereeptible when the luminous bodies had reached little more than 200 feet in depth. Sunlight affects pho tographic plates after passing through . thickness of shout soo feet Of the water.
 Mans Ignorance.-The littieness of any one persons knowiedge is astonishing. "i do not even krow an astronomer" says Mir. Richard A. Proctor, who is DO, ignorant in some departments of his osn Subject; nor any chemist, geologist, bo,anist, entomolo- gist, CT other specialist who-if really master-will not admit that there are de- partments of his special subj .ct about which he knows very little. How much more ig- norast must he be of subject outside the few he can have made his own"
 An Interesting Discovey.-The gov ernor of the Island of Samos has jus, dis covered an ancient tunnel, about sooo fee, long, and constructed at least nine centuries before the christian era The old seaport received its drinking water through this tunnel, which was mentioned by Herodotus. It is we'll preserved. with water tubes about ten inches in diameter. The precision of the equal to that of the presen, day, the tunnel being bent in the middle.
 An Astronomical Prediction.-The planet Neptune, it will be remembered, was discovered in a remarkable manner, its place in the heavens having been mathematically found. After long investigation Mons. Camille Fiammarion, the eminent French as- ironomer. has become convinced of the ex- lstence of yet another planet its orbit being outside that of Neptune. He predicts that t will be finally discovered, but not for some years to come, and that t will appear as a star of the twelfth magnitude quise large enough to be seen and followed by many telescopes now in use.
 Endurance of Heat and Cold--Trav. elers in polar regions have survived exposure 10 cold as great as s degrees below sero ahrcnheit. On the other hand, the inhab- tants of some parts of the globe are forced 10 endure at certain periods a natural tenn perature considerably higher than TOO de- grees above zero. A still greater heat greaier even than 300 degrees-may be borne bY the human body for short time. Brew 'ter mentions that Chantry and Eve or six friends remained two minutes in the scuip- or's drying furnace, bringing eut a shes- nometer which stood at sao degrees. Chan zy's workmen entered the furnace when the emperature was as high as 3.o degrees.
 A Scientific Use of Brandy.-At the South kensingson Aquarium the effect of brandy in resaseisatiDg fishes nearly dead has 'een demonstrated sy fresh and remarkable