The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1885-01-02
scientific Miscellany.

In Switzerland, the minnow reaches
an altitude Of about 7,900feet above Sea
level, according to Mons. V. Fatio, and
the miller's thumb one Of 1900 feet.
The perch stops at $500 feet, and no
others pass above 1900 feet, although
the carp, tench, rudd and club have
been successfully introduced at $500 to
5000 feet.
DR.. Klein, appointed by the govern
ment Of India to investigate the chol-
era question, has satisfied himself that
the minute organisms, or microbes"
discovered by DR.. Koch are not the
cause Of cholera. He has shown the
strength Of his conviction by swallow.
ing some OF the microbes-an no evil
result followed.
From recent researches it appears
that chlorophyl, the remarkable SUBJ
stance to which the vegetable world
owes the color Of It's foliage, is made up
OF two coloring. matters, q green and o
yellow; the relative proportions being
100 OF the former to one OF the latter.
Both have been lately obtained in the
crystalline state.
Some of the dwarf race of men re-
ported by several travellers as jewellers
In equatorial Africa are now at the
Royal Aquarium, London, to which an
thropologists are invited for studying
this remarkable people. The tallest Of
the dwarfs is only four feet and a.half
In height, and he processes to be q giant
among his own people.
A Frenchman has devised process
Of giving TO felt slight coating Of
plumbago or metal, by which the ap-
pearance of Furnished steel, copper.
bronze or silver may be initiated. The
product is likely TO prove very useful
when applied to stage properties, as
besides being inexpensive, it does not
materially increase the weight Of arti-
cles treated with 1t.
The hair of young girl. who died at
the age of fifteen in an insane asylum
Of Hamburg, is reported to have shown
alterations of color coinciding with
periodical changes in the patients men
tai and physical condition. Besides
epileptic fits, IL was noticed that she
experienced while in the asylum, quite
regular alterations OF excitement and
calmness. each of about weeks dura-
ton; and that the color Of her hair was
rod during each period of agitation,
while IL became blonde in her quiet in
tervals, a complete change of tint tax
ing place in two or three days.
Mr.. +. z. Beddard states that earth
worms two feet in length have been
found in the British Isles, and various
species as large or larger are known to
exist in South America, Western Afri-
ca, Australia and New Zealand. The
largest species known, however, inhab-
its South Africa. Forty years ago
specimen WIS described winch rfesas=
ured six feet two inches in length, but
IL seems to have been nearly forgotten
until the other day when gigantic
creature OF the same species, nearly five
feet long and half an inch in diameter,
was sent to the London Geological gar
dens from Cape Colony.
One of the most remarkable of cleo
trical manifestations is that known as
globular or ball lightning, which is so
rare that physicists have had little OPP
portunity Of studying il. A similar
however, has been pro-
duced in the laboratory on a small
scale. 1t has been caused accidently
on various occasions. and, on having a
piece of apparatus destroyed by one of
the discharges, Mons. Plante, the well
known French electrician, has been led
10 experiments in which q successful
imitation Of ball lightning has evident
ly becn obtained. With q powerful
from secondary batteries heha
produced in an air condenser, formed
Of two moistened pads of filter paper
placed near together, a small incandes-
cent globule, lasting some minutes, and
moving slowly in a most curious and
erratic path. When a condenser was
used in which the insulating material
was ebopite sound was emitted like
that Of toothed wheel rapidly rotated
against piece Of cardboard.