The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-10-16
Inspector Hides and Animals.
II WARREN
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

The late Mr.. Darwin confirmed the
observations of HuffmeiSter that, al
though destitute of eyes, the ordinary
earthworm is sensitive to light.
Astronomers appear to be directing
their whole energies to the solution of
the question of the physical constitu-
ton OF the sun. The evolution theory
begins TO obtain that the suns heat is
the result of the gradual consolidation
Of the solar globe.
The tendency among late writer's
among them Mr.. Tyndall-is to the
conclusion that the present system of
worlds planets and stars, is destined
10 havean end, after an uncomfortable
duration of time-millions on millions
OF years-when the physical forces of
the universe have come to an eQuili-
bfium; when the planets, by the weak
ening of their motion, have all fallen
into the sun, and that luminary itself
shall have gone out and become dark
body plunging through space. What
viii be after the end none can tell
any more than we know what was be.
lore the beginning.
It Is generally understood, and the
TACT Git II is fact) has been almost
universally accepted, that the horse
was unknown in the New World pre-
! Vlous to the advent of Spaniards in
North and South AmeIiIa. Late dis
GOV cries and Investigations extending
from Behring's straits to Patagonia
have revealed the fact (see Prof
Marsh in Encyclopedia) that
ID North and South America we have
twelve fossil species of the genus
eQuus, and thirty more species allied
to them. Prof. Marsh has proved con-
clusiveiy the filiation of equine ances-
Try from the Quaternary to the Eocene
and the progressive evolution of the
horse from a many-toed ancestry. His
reductions have been accepted as con-
elusive and as an irrefutable proof of
The evolution theory founded upon the
close study of ancient fossil remains.
The thirty-three year periodicity of
what is known as the November me-
teor shower is explained on the hypo-
thesis that these bodies are travelling
around the sun in an ellipse considera-
efably elongated, such that the periodic
time Is about SSl{ years; that the point
u nearest sun distance is at that point
Of the earth,s orbit corresponding to
fhe earth's place at about Nov. 12-14;
that the two orbits are inclined to each
other st slant of about 16 degrees;
|itaf the meteors are in sort of a
&.oud elongated over considerable
ertion of the orbit, so that the forward
3,Ig6 OF the cloud coming from above
<.oVpWard reaches the level of the
<1rfRs orbit some years before the
Backward edge; that the cloud moves
x est. the earth moving east; and that
the collision of these bodies with the
I'I-shcIl Of the earth is the cause of
their being seen as flaming or glowing
e;1r5.
Some years ago the question whether
tir<,s, IN their migrations, dip not fly
a night and at great elevations, was
solved some years ago by Mr.. W.D.
Scott While with some friends, look
11r through the 95S inch equatorial at
{ ,i1ceton. n. J., at the moon, his at
<fQflon was arrested by numbers of
t,n3Il birds, more or less plainly seen,
4ssih1 across thu field of observation.
Most ~ The birds We're the smaller
sid Dl=<z.s among which were plainly
f.toeuized Varblers, finches, wood
<ekers and biackbirds, the relative
InbelS being in the order of kinds
gwen. Among the finches Mr.. Scott
-lsntiiied Chrysomitris tTistis, and the
I-4ckbird was the quiscalus purpureus.
- ith rare exceptions, the birds were
1ef1 70 oe flying from the northwest
10 southeast BY observing the height
q the moon above the horizon In de-