Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-10-25
SCIENTIFIC NOTES.

All dil!iiCldl leather, say inc I-lSlNecG-
ing" mixed with five to ten per cent. of
s;new and pressed into sheets like ordinary
leather cardboard, has been recently made
in Germany. Both materials are made
separately. The leather pieces are washed,
cut, boiled III alkaline I've, torn, neutralized
with hydrochloric acid, and finally care
fully washed once more to remove all traces
of acid. The sinews are treated similarly,
but steamed in an acid bath until they are
like glue. When thus prepared the mate
rials are mixed, pressed into sheets, moist
ened on both sides with concentrated So
luton Of alum, and the upper surface is at
last given a thin coat of caoutchouc in So
luton with carbonic bisulphide.
Writing on Sebert's method of register
ing the velocity of shot within the tube Of
. gun, Prot. T. Neesen says: Sebert's ap-
paratus necessarily registers for space
somewhat shorter than the diameter of
the ball. This defect is remedied and the
registration extended to the whole length
of the tube by means of a revolving appli-
ance to which the registering tuning fork
is attached and disposed parallel with the
periphery Of the cross section Of the shot.
Pencils fastened to the prongs of the tun-
ing fork, and vibrating with it, are thus
made to describe curves indicating the
velocity of the ball in its course through
the tube"
NJ. Plateau gives the following account
of an interesting experiment: a flower,
in shape like lily, with six petals, was
made in outline with thin iron wire, the
wire being first dipped in nitric acid and
preoxidized. The flower is next dipped
into a glycerine soap solution, and when
withdrawn the petals were covered with
films of the solution. 1t was now in an
upright position placed under a bell-glass,
and soon beautiful colors appeared. If
the solution is right the films will last for
hours, and there will be Il continued play
Of color over the flower
On walking upon or disturbing the sand
of certain beaches a peculiar sound is
heard, which has been described as some
what resembling the bark of dog. The
sound seems to arise from the friction of
particles of dry sand. Until recently
these so-called singing beaches have been
known to exist at only two places, one in
Europe and one in this country, but sam
pies of the singing sands have now been
collected in no less than twenty-six locali-
ties in the United States
Elastic rubber tubing, perfectly gas
tight and free from SMELL has lately been
invented 1t is made of two LAYERS of rub
Der, with pure soft tin-foil between them,
and it retains the hexibility and elasticity
of a simple rubber tube. 1t ought to be
serviceable as q connection between 4
heating or Illuminating gas supply pipe
and a gas-burning apparatus which re-
quires to be movable, if this sort of rubber
and tin tubing can be manufactured OF
sufficient length.
Anne Girard regards the grain Of wheat
rs consisting of three parasitic she'll
(which forms 1876 per cent?, the germ
{ .43 per cent, and the farinaceous layer
(S4.2l per cent? In a recent paper on the
chemical composition and the alimentary
value Of the various parts of such grain
he considers that the introduction of the
shell and the germ into the -four is only of
an insignificant utility, and is attended
with serious inconvenience.
Prof. G. +. Wright infcrs that the Nj
agara river has worn the whole of the
gorge from Queenstown To the falls, with
perhaps some little help from pre-glacial
erosion above the whirlpool The rate of
erosion, calculated at about three feet a
year, would make the time required about
10000 or $4,000 years.
Scientific works by Agassiz, Buchner,
Huxley, Lubbock, Lewes, Moleschott,
Reclus, Adam Smith, Spencer, Vogt, Zim-
mermann have been added to the list of
those already prohibited by ukase from
circulation by libraries in Russia.
Prof F. H. Storer maintains that the
action of shell and rock boring molluscs
is not drilling or any other mechanical
operation, but distinctly chemical pro-
cess, the solvent being probably free muri-
tic acid.
After the summer Of 1885 science will
take equal rank with Greek and higher
mathematics in the examination of candi-
dates for admission to the Royal Military
College, Sandhurst, England.
4 recent estimate, made by means of a
very intricate testing apparatus, places the
rate at which an electric dot travels over a
telegraph wire at 10000 miles per second.