Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1884-04-03
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

been gwen b; II |. ah loom. IL a =
pear. tina, the southern part d the p-sA
Of kr2kstca Yet remains unchanged, aud
rises, with an almost perpeiIdi, u,.r north
ern edge, u height Of more ih..n ; > %
feet above the SD The northern p;r.
OF the island, however, has ,Hiirci, Ills
appeared, ani >Oundtn.s Oh til. pi4cp
where il had stood reached !; datth t..
! 500 feet without touching bottom. Tn
Lost ground Of kra.atoa is ofiIun;y
fousd few miles to the north, where the
depth Of the water has been greatly dun
isisAed and one Old island has been much
ealasged. while several new on,s have
appeared above the surface The entire
sxa0inatios Of the north OF krakatoa su.-
gesae3 the idea that the surveying ship
w. above a crater which had been filled
viii water aud quenched BY it.
Eabsts are being made to establish a
vsashey service in China, with the Hong
kosS Observatory as it, center Meteor
illogical registers are TO be Systematically
kept 1t the principal ports Of the country,
AID il is expected that the Government,
Assrosoner, who is at the head Of the
projecs, will ultimately be able to give
forecasts Of the weather and to furnish
information TO marines which will greatly
Lessen the dangers of their voyages
The pulse-bca,s Of criminal during
executions BY hanging have been recorded
After the rope was adjusted the pulse rate
vas l2l; Immediately after the drop it
feu 70 81, 81, 80, 20 and to in the 9th
minute; but the sixth minute it rose to
20, then to 73; eighth minute, o; ninth,
"a; after this no pulse was porceptible in
the arteries, but the heart beat two or
thres times between the ninth aud nine
teenth minutes, and once in the nineteenth
niaute. The death was from strangula-
tion, the acck not being dislocated.
Gu. of the 700 species of solanum
ksown to botanists according to a paper
read By Mr.. j. G. Baker before recent
meeting Of the Linueau Society of Lon.
don, there are only about six which pro-
duce tubes, and. only one of these, the
common potato, solanum tuberosum. has
yet been cultivated. The native home
Of the potato is in the dry and elevated
parts Of Chill. In other portions of the
same country is found another species, $.
Maglin, which should be much better
adapted to general cultivation, as it grows
In moist place. As long ago as 1926 the
cultivation of this species in England was
attempted, with most promising results,
but was soon abandoned because the plant
was believed to be identical with the com.
mon potato. Another species, S. Com
nersioni, from the eastern part of South
America, is now being cultivated expert,
mentally in France, aud is likewise suit,
able for damp soil, while third wild
species, ). Jamesil, is being tiled in the
United States This last species is the
one which Mr. J. G.. Lennon discovered
in Southern Arizon in 1881.
A French meteorologist has planted
n the ground near his house two bars
Of iron, from which wires run to a tele.
phone receiver. The earth currents which
are indicated by sounds in the telephone
never fail to give notice to the observer
Who consults the apparatus several times
. day, Of the approach of storm from
twelve 70 fifteen hours in adavace.
In 1881 the International Polar Con.
ference was organized in St. Petersburg
and planned the scientific expeditions
which were sent by various Governments
y fourteen points within or near the
Attic Circle. These expeditions were to
make meteorological and other observa.
tons during the year ending with August
1883. A committee Of the Conference
= = be held at Vienna in May of the
present year to receive reports Of the work
done BY the observers.
Our stock of knowledge of the animal
k'ngdom is increasing very rapidly. The
number Of mammals is now established
4 about 200, of birds 1900, of reptiles
1000, and Of fish 10,OO0--makins a
otal Of about 10000 species belonging
0 the higher classes. Near the close o,
eventeenth century these groups Of ami,
nals-now known as vertebrate-were j.
bought to include total of about p
,oVo species. As naturalists have be-
o"e familiar with the invertebrates their
81 OF those creatures has become enor.
'ous. Of beetles alone the museums Of
le world contain over 100000 species
bile the best estimates ,l,o, .