The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-08-09
Cs@tsdsS fer 7zs Arkesssw Tbspszev.
 SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY

Miss E. A. Ormerod, the English er,o-
 mologist, finds that the Engiish sparrow
 IS probably of little value as an insect.
 destroyer, even in its own land, as i, is
 showing preference for grain diet. The iaet that steam pressure gauges
 for boilers are sometimes unreliable has
 led Sig. G. Clodig to propose the use Of
 thermometers to replace or accompany
 them, as the temperature of the water
 gives an accurate indication of the pres.
 sure of the steam.
 After careful weighing sf all avail
 able evidence, Prof. Att6eld, F. R. S.
 concludes that there is not the faintes,
 cause for alarm concerning the occur
 renee of tin, lead, or any other metal in
 canned food. When injury has resulted
 from eating of suca food, it has probably
 been due to unsoundness of the food and
 not to poison derived from the can.
 A Rain Machine.-A project for lessen
 ing the duration of droughts has been
 submitted to the Australian Minister for Water Supply. It is proposed, on the appearance of clouds during dry season. to send into the air balloon cazrying be- meath it dynamite charge which is to
 be hred by wire reaching to the earth.
 The idea of producing concussions for causing the vapor in the air to condense as rain is not new one, and it is not probable that it win prove an economical plan for getting water.
 Notwithstanding the belief of physicists that sunlight cannot penetrate far into the sea, MT. s. l. Smith remarks that a con- Parative study of deep-sea fishes and those from caves shows conciusively tha, the darkness beneath 1000 fathoms of sea-water is very different from that of ordinary caverns, and that while it may be possible that this modification of the darkness of the ocean abysses is due to phosphorescenoe of the animals them selves it does mt seem probable that it is wholly due to this cause.
 A Cause of Blindness.-A resolution adopted by the Ophthalmological society of England recommends the circulation of card warning all who have charge of young infants that if a child's eyelids be- come red and swollen physician should be consulted at once. The socie4y finds that young children are very liable to a form of ophthalmia, which, if neglected, is likely to result in permanent blindness. An inquiry among many institutions shows that the percentage of cases of blindness which are traceable to this in- fantile disease is very large, being no- where less than thirty per cent.
 Ceysers.--Dr. A. C. Peale states that the geyser region of Iceland covers an area of about 5000 square miles; that of New Zealand, a,soo square miles and of the Yellowstone National Park, 3,s7s square miles. Besides these great geyser regions of the world there are a number of places where few individual geysers are known, as in Thibet, the Azores, Mexico, Japan and Java. In the number of springs and noted geysezs, the Yellow stone National Park and New Zealand tar exceed Iceland, in which the Great Geyser and Stokhr are the only two prominent spouters. The number of springs in New Zealand appears to be large, but is not kaown. Over ayooo springs in the Yellowstoue Park have been enumerated and mapped, and among them are seventy-one geysers, of which about twenty are known to spout 10 height of not less than fifty feet. There is probably but little difference between the three regions in the heights b which the column of,water is thrown, although the Yellowstone Park has, per- haps, greater number which erupt repu- ariy to height of one hundred feet or more. The maximum recorded heights are 300 feet for the Excelsior of the Ma ional Park, 2Ia feet for the Great Ceyser ,f Iceland, and\aoo feet for one of the New Zealand geysers.
 Comet Families. There is a family sf comets" says Mir. R. A. Proctor, every member of which travels in an 'rbit passing near the orbif of Jupiter; mother family every member of which an be similarly associated with Saturn: 'thers depending in the same way on Uranus; others on Neptune and, in fact, 70 fully has this sort of relation been ecognized that the idea has ever been brown out that planst travelling outside he orbit of Neptune but as yes unknown night be detected by the movements of comet insersecting the great plane of planetary movement far hevond N.r