St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-02-09
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

protection from the phylloxera. Plants
thus treated are not attacked by the
phylloxera, and the incubation process
does not injure the vines.
Various means have been tried by the
planters of the West Indies to re-
duce the ravages of rats, which cause
great damage in the cane-felds. The
most effective rat-destroyer has been
the mungoose, a small East Indian ami
NAL. Nine mungooses were introduced
into Jamaica in 1879, and the creatures
have SO multiplied that they are now
abundant throughout the island, with
some prospect that they may increase
SO as to become pest themselves. At
present it is estimated that they save
the planters of the island more than
100000 year.
In new work on the habits of ami
mails MIR. Arthur Nicols gives this obser
walton on the love dances of the gaudy
king lory: SIN few minutes he few
on to a tree well within range of the
binocular, and shortly afterWard a fe
male joined him in answer to his call.
The swain was ardent, the damsel coy ];
they fitted from branch to branch, and
whenever she perched he circled round
her, threw himself underneath the
branch, and swung to and fro with out
spread wings, displaying the full glory
of his scarlet breast. In every move
ment, whether on the wing or swaying
at the end of a bough, he studied to
present in the most effective manner the
brilliant adornments o. his plumage.
I do not think it possible for any
one who had seen this little episode in
bird life to have resisted the conclusion
that the male was conscious of his beau
tiful breast, and that he adopted the
best method Of showing it by swinging
himself beneath the branch, whence the
female could look down and admire the
display"
The great herring fisheries of Norway
are to be studied, from commercial and
scientific standpoints, by a government
commissioner appointed for that pur-
pose.
Signor Payesi has shown that diluted
nitromuriatic acid is an excellent pre-
servatiye agent, in which meat and 9TH
animal substances may be kept unalter-
ed for years.
From a table prepared by DIR. Won
Boguslawski to show the greatest trust
worthy ocean soundings made up to
1889, it appears that the deepest water
was found in the northern Pacific IN
1874. by Commander Belknap of the
Tuscarora. The depth recorded was
about five and one-third miles. In the
japan Sea Commander Thomson OF the
Challenger measured, in 1875, a depth
of FIVE and one-fifth miles; in the North
Atlantic Commander Mares of the Chal-
lenqer reached, in 1878, nearly five
miles; and in the Caribbean Sea Com
mander Bartlett of the Blake made
soundings OF nearly four miles, in 1880.
According to an assertion made to the
French Academy of Sciences by Mons.
Bouley, the American pork imported
into France almost Invariably contains
trichinae.
The Bo tree Of the sacred city or
Amarapoora, in Burmah, is the Oldest
tree of which any records exist. A
statement which Sir James Emerson
Tennent shows to be we'll founded
places its age at 2,170 years, and refer
ences have been made to it III historic
documents dating as far back as 1S2 A.
ID. Other trees are believed to be older
specimens Of Africa and California hav-
ing a computed age of 5000 years-but
there is no certain evidence that such is
the case.
A Frenchman has discovered on the
African coast spider which spins a
long, firm webb closely resembling yell
low silk in appearance and nearly equal
to the product of the silk-worm in quail
ity. The new silk-producer will proba-
bly, be introduced into France expert
mentally, at least.
Since 1883, when the first balloon OF
tile Montgolfer brothers assembled into
| the air, no material advance has been
made toward a solution of the problem
OF aerial navigation, although the cen
Ietury has been a period Of unprecedented
scientific and mechanical progress
The barrenness of result in this field
cannot be attributed to lack of Interest