Morris tribune., 1884-03-19
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

It has been recently shown that a
much more sonOrous tone in stringed
instruments can be obtained with
metal strings than with those now
in use, the best results being given
by steel wires plated with silver OF
copper.
The period of the great comet OF
1882 has been variously calculated at
612,1, 1889. and 1881 years. If it
were given a period of Isl years it
would appear to be identical with the
bright comets recorded in the year
$40 B. c.. and in A. d. 1872.
Hydrophobia is said to be unknown
among the dogs of Australia, which
circumstance is supposed to explain
the action of New South Wales and
other colonies in forbidding the I'M
portation of dogs from Europe and
America.
DR.. Carlos Finally, Of Havana, main
tains that mosquitoes may spread yell
low fever, and reports having seen,
under the microscope, spores and Ill
aments of a peculiar nature on the
sting of a mosquito that had just bit
ten yellow fever patient.
Statistics show that blindness is
steadily decreasing in Great Britain.
It is thought that the decrease may be
fairly attributed to improvements in
surgical treatment of eye affections,
and to the diminished prevalence
among children of smallpox.
During years travel in Bolivia
Signor F. p. Monero, of Buenos Ayres,
has found many relics of the early in
habitants, has made plans and photo
graphs of the remains of ancient will
ages. and has secured. as he believes,
abundant material for study Of the
people who lived in that part Of South
America before the Spanish conquest.
When heated in forge fire in con-
tact with charcoal, platinum becomes
fusible. Boussingault has supposed
this to be due to u chemical union OF
the metal with the silica of the i'm
pure carbon, but the same phenom-
enon has been produced by two Ger
man investigators by heating to white
ness thin slip of platinum enclosed
in lamp-black free from silica.
In recent address before an Eng
lish institution, DR.. Il. Hudson stated
that very remarkable thing about
the s:rotifera,'' OF wheel animalcules,
is that under certain conditions they
may be dried and kept for three or
four years and then brought to life
again by moisture. The world OF the
rotifera, he added, is full of travels,
and they can be seen with microscopes
OF small power
It is usually suppose that dew is the
moisture of the air condensed by con-
tact with objects which are colder,
and that it does not form until radi-
alton has reduced the temperature of
the earth and objects below that of
the atmos phere. Late observation,
however, indicate that is
really the converse of this, viz, that
the dew Is formed by Vapor which
rises from warm soil and is con-
densed by the cooler air. Probably
both theories are correct, neither be-
ing true in all cases.
Physicists have lately been trying
to determine by experiment whether
the electricity of thunder storms is
generated either by the evaporation
of water or by the condensation of
yapor, Freeman and Blake have
each obtained results which indicate
that no electricity is produced by the
evaporation of pure water; and Mr.. ).
Kalischer who has since made some
Investigations with delicate apparat-
us which have failed to show that
condensation Of yapor or the forma-
ton of hail is q source of atmospheric
electricity.