The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-12-13
( CompiIed /or TIs .4rkan5ap Tyep<ley.
 SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

A case of scarlet fever in a canary has been described by pr. Osstou, of Aberdeen.
 According to MT. ]. Harrington Douty, of the asylum at Worcester. England, an i'm perfect supply of oxygen, or simply breath Ing vitiated atmosphere, may suffice to pro- duce the mental disorder known as me'au- cholia.
 It is maintained by certain astrono- mers that the apparent diameter of the sun varies periodically, and pr. I. Hilfker, of Neuchatei contends that the periodicity CO., incides with that of the sun-spot minimum. and vice ve.sa.
 Dr. Koch, of Berlin, is reported to have succeeded in producing genuine cholera in rabbits by means of the bacilli which he has regarded as the cause of the disease. Two Swiss physicians, Nicati and Ritsch, claim to have met with earlier success in this important exper iment than pr. Koch.
 A Frenchman-Mons. Bouquet de la Grye-connects the inroads of the sea in the thirteenth century with the high temperature then prevailing, which permitted the culti- vation of the vine in England. He thinks that the unusual heat may have increased the volume of the ocean by melting much of the ice in the polar regions.
 Are the Ocean Beds Permanent.-The doctrine of the permanency of the ocean basins, about which geologists disagree, is strongly supported by Rev. O. Fisher who refers to a suggestion which he made inz,,ss2 tO for of .Lo
 sions which the oceans fill. Accepting Prof. G. H. Darwin's theory that the moon broke away from the earth more than fifty million years ago, he thinks the ocean basins may be the scar that was formed. and that the base ment rocks of continents are fragments of the crust which had already solidi6ed, and which were left behind.
 Coal Preservation.-ln the open air, mineral coal is liable to crumbling and often to spontaneous combustion. An Australian mining engineer, Wenzel Poech, has dis covered simple and inexpensive means of preventing loss from such sources, the plan consisting chiefly in treating the coal-pile with steam for the exclusion of the air and securing permanent retention of moisture. The theory is that the absorption of oxygen and other gases, for which the way is opened by the evaporation of the hydroscopic moist ure, causes the deterioration of the coat. and this cannot happen if the coal is kept full of water
 Metallurgical Skill.-Dr. ]. C. Booth, ofthe United States mint, states tha, the com moner metals of commerce have greatly im- proved in quality in the last few years as a result of improvement in the work of puri- hcation. Much copper now averages oo per cent pure, while large proportion of the silver from the mining regions contains oo and nine-tenths per cent of the pure metal. Concerning the waste in working precious metals, pr. Booth remarks that, while loss of ten per cent is tolerated in working iron in the fire, the government holds the mint re- sponsible fer greater waste in working gold than sne-tenth of one per cent, and the actual loss is usually far less than this.
 Indians as Naturalists-Dr. Washing ton Matthews has been shown that the Amer ican Indians, and especially the Navsjos, are in many respects superior in their knowledge of natural history to the white men who have not made the subject special study. They are keen observers, not only of the animals and plants which contribute to their susten- ance and other needs, but also of those which are unused, rare and inconspicuous. The Navajos have a name for every mammal, bird and reptile in their country, and for nearly every plant, and all the larger insects; and their knowledge of the several species is H. r ions into groups which are identical with those recognized by the Caucasian natural ist; and this sometimes occurs when it seems 1T credible that the Indians could have dis covered the characters on which the white naturalist bases his classification.
 The Worlds Temperatures.-Fromt the records collected by the Royal Meteorologi- cal Society for one hundred years, it appears that the lowest mean temperature for Ianu- ary in London occurred in I7o5, and was a5.s degrees Fahrenheit. The highest mean for January, 47 degrees-was reached in I7p6. The lowest mean temperature for July was 55.5 degrees, in IsI6. and the highest was os degrees. in I77s and lss9. The mean annual temperatures of different places have been found by the society to be as follows: Fer ozeyore, in the Punjaub, es degrees; Cal cutta, ST; Hong Kong, 75; Cairo, 7r; Rome, Go; Constantinople, s; Pekin, 8; St Peters burg 70; Hammerfest, s; Fora Enterprise, II Booihia Felix, 5, and Melville Island zero. The highest temperatures recorded at several stations are, for Murzuk, in Fezzan I5s degrees; Bagdad, I9o; Cairo, .rs; Ie-s- salem, Ioa; Greenwich, e7; Moscow, 90; Falkland Isles, 5. The lowest strecorded are, for Barhadoes, 7a degrees; Singapore, 66; Bombay, 8; Jerusalem, as; Constantiaople, r; Greenwich. 10; Chicago, %; Fort Re- haasne 70; and wersebiansk, sI. Greater sol9 than than that of the lass-aaned place has seea kaown, bat it was produced by arti- hsial means. temperatures below ago degrees