The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-08-08
Compiled for THE ARKAKsAw rRAvxr.xR.
 SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY,

nAdAS BCHCtAAly dAC 50 haicIy LOunQ alter Qeats
 The circulation of the blood, according to pr. Gordon, was familiar to the Chimes. a,ooo years ago. Harvey's discovery of i, was made about 26o years ago.
 A physician of India proposes making experiments in the treatment of cholera On criminals sentenced to death. The consen, of the prisoner would be obtained. with tn. promise of exemption from further punish. ment if the experiment should not be fatal.
 The most recent volcanic eruption in l the United States is believed to have oc. cured at Feather Lake, Plumas county, Cal. in nI85o. The site of the volcano is marked by cinder cone, and by lava field about three miles long and mile wide in which the lava may average as much as I5o feet iu | thickness.
 According to Dr. E. Parmly Brown, the Sandwich Islanders formerly had the soundest teeth of any people on the globe but their teeth have now begun to decay rap. idly-an effect, il appears, of eating large quantities of salt. This substance and sugar pr. Brown regards as leading factors in the destruction of human teeth at the presep, time.
 Xylonite, one of the most remarkable of recent products, is prepared first by treat.
 ing fine tissue paper with sulphuric and other acids and then with alcohol and cam. phor. The paper becomes much like parch. ment, and may be worked into plates of any thickness, and made transparent or colored brilliantly. It is much more flexible and less brittle than horn or ivory.
 Analysis has shown that the fallen leaves of maFle contain per cent. of vaua. ble matter (soda, pota.h, lime, magnesia, phosphorus and sulphur compounds), and poplar and willow per cent. or more, and that consequently the trees constantly maa. ure the surface soil beneath their branches. Other leaves examined contained about two per cent. of fertilizing substances.
 In Great Britain only holders of Ii. censes are permitted to make physiological experiments on living animals. During 18S. the number of licenses issued was 40. Of the I45 experiments performed, oo consisted simply in the introduction of virus ?. were experiments in cases of suspected pois- oning ten were to determine the action of fungi on fishes, and five were on the effects of absolutely pure water on fishes.
 American Wind Storms.-Lieutenan I. P. Finley, of the United States Signal Ser vice, has found that the west is not, as is pop ularly supposed, the peculiar home of the tornado in the United states, such storms be. ing much more frequent in the south. Of the I8o tornadoes which occurred last year within the boundaries of the Union, only 5 visited the western states and territories while the southern states had Io5. The west ern gales are, however, usually more severe and destructive than those of other localities.
 Glacier Changes.-The glaciers of the Alps have been observed to increase and di- minish in extent periodically. glacier of the valley of Chamounix, for instance, is re- ported by Forel to have reached a maximum size in I8I9, and again in 1854. It dwiadled to a minimum ip 1883, when it again com menced to increase. its extension last year being thirty three feet. The front of another glacier was pushed forward last year abou, I5o feet, and many others which have been growing smaller during recent years are again advancing down the valley.
 An Arctic Attraction.-Mr w. Mat. tein Williams remarks that the popular no. ton that mosquitoes are chiefly resident n tropical and sub tropical countries is quite mistake, the home of their mightiest legions being within and about the Arctic circle. n. vessels are invaded by maddening swarms al every stopping place. It is reported that in Alaska they form clouds so dense tha; i; is impossible for sportsmen to aim at objects beyond. Native dogs are sometimes killed by them, and even the great grizzly bear is said to be occasionally blinded by their at tacks and finally starved in consequence.
 The Limit ot Cold Fahrenheit sup. posed the absolute of temperature to be thirty-two degrees of his scale below the freezing point of water. Later physicists have found that ii must be 4o2 degrees below freezing point, or 46o degrees below Fahren- heit's zero. The temperature of the globe IS known to fall in polar regions as low as :; degrees below the Fahrenheit zero, and in reCCDt experiments III tue iqucldCtOu O1 gases two Russian chemists have produced an artificial cold of 346 degrees below zero. The latter temperature-II4 degrees above the theoretical zero point-is the lowes, which has fallen under the observation oi I man. A Remarkable Instrument-Among the iuis of the chalk formations is occasion ally found one which emits clear musical 1 sound when struck with another flint. lis; sandier tells of distinguished French musi E clan, H. Bsudre, who is a jealous collector of these musical stones, and who has just succeeded in making unique "piano " from [ them. In this instrument the aints are sus pended by wires above a sounding -board and are played upon by two other flints. The stones of the piano number twenty-six, form ing the two chromatic octaves, and were col | lected with much patient labor during Fe-