Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-04-01
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
rcomp;led for ths=GFEeTAToR. ]

ICompiled for the =6FEeTAToR.1 $3.50
NATURALLY OILED HARRoRs.-The
anchorages of Narrakal and Alleppy, in
India, are stated to be perfectly smooth
and quiet, even when the sea outside is
tumbling in before strong southwesterly
gales. To explain this, DR.. King mentions
that analysis proves the existence OF oil IN
the muddy bottoms of these anchorages,
and he supposes that there are deposits OF
petroleum, either beneath the sea-bottom
or along the coast, from which oil contin-
ually oozes up, and Gains otherwise
troubled waters. a
Prof. Pollock, of Breslau, finds tha at the
''house. fungus (Merulius lacrymans),
which is become extensively spread in Eu-
rope, is most destructive to woods contain
ing most mineral matters; and, as such
constituents are several times more album
dant in trees when in sap than in the cold
season, he recommends that timber be cut
late in winter.
1t appears from observations made in
France that the development of vegetable
life is retarded by an average Of nearly
four days for each additional 100 yards of
altitude. The arrival of the chimney swal
low is delayed about two days for each in
crease of 100 yards in height.
An interesting case of phosphorescent
snow has been observed by Philadelphia
geologist, a mountain covered with this
snow shining in dark night as if illumi-
mated by the moon.
The forests of the United States COM
prise 412 species of trees, belonging to
15S genera. OF these, 4S genera and go
species are peculiar to Florida.
A French investigator has detected peri
odical variations of earth currents in direct
relation with the movement of the moon
or the tides.
TIP SOLAR CoRoNA.-The most impress
sive feature of total eclipse of the sun is
the corona, the aureole of light, at other
times invisible, which surrounds the hidden
disc and sends out rays far into space. DR..
W. Higgins, who has succeeded in photo
graphing the corona without the aid Of an
eclipse, remarks that it is variously explain
ed as coming from gaseous solar atmos-
phere, from matters elected by the sun,
from a ring of meteoric matter, from COM
cts tails, and from meteor streams travel
ing at distance from the sun but iliumi-
mated by it. He concludes, however, that
the phenomenon is complex one, in the
production Of which each of the suggested
causes may play some part. A very thin
gaseous atmosphere probably surrounds
the solar globe, but the coronal light must
be reflected from solid particles in tn, t at
mosphere. The existence of one particle
in cubic mile would account for the CO.
roma.
Experiments have been made in France
with electricity as an agent to prevent the
incrustation of boilers. The passage of
current through boiler not only caused
the impurities of the water to settle as
loose powder but detached the old incrus-
tation.
All accident in a Melbourne foundry has
led to the discovery that plunging iron
castings into mixture of treacle and water
softens the metal to such degree tha, il
can be punched, bored and tapped as readi
ly as wrought iron.
A botanical phenomenon was witnessed
last season on the shore of the Todos San
tos Bay, Lower California, where an apple
tree blossomed and bore large perfect fruit
on its trunk, an inch from the ground.
A January fog in London. lasting part Of
one day, cost more than $4,000 for extra
gas used III consequence.
LIFE OF ANCIENT AMERICA. gi
gantic animals which existed in the west
ern part of the United States during the
tertiary age, and which constitute an order
known to science as the Dinocerota, form
the subject of an elaborate treatise by
Prof. o. H. Marsh, of Yale College. A
basin in Wyoming Territory, drained by
Green River, is the only locality in the
world where remains of these creatures
have been found. This basin, now from
5000 to 5000 feet above sea-level, is the
site on an ancient lake, on whose borders
the great beasts, nearly equallipg elephants
in size, roamed in great numbers, and in
which many of them were entombed. In
the same region ancestral forms of the
tapir, the horse and the pig flourished at
The same geological period, and the lake
swarmed with crocodiles, tortoises, snakes
and fishes, while its shores were fringed
with palms and other plants which are now
characteristic of the tropics. Prof. Marsh
believes the age Of great mammals to be
past, and that the elephants must soon dis
Rppear from the earth.
A NEW SOLUTION OF AN OLD PUZZLE
A German physicist attributes the we'll
known phenomenon of the apparent en-
largement of sun and moon, when rising
or setting, to two physiological causes.
One is the greater sensitiveness of the eve
to angular magnitudes when seen horizon
tally; and the other is an effect of the d.
lation of the pupil under the feebler light
reaching us from the heavenly bodies when
near the horizon, such dilation tending to
magnify the images received. He finds
experimental proof of these theories, and
shows the absurdity of the common expla-
nation that intervening objects enable us
better to estimate the real size of the sun
and moon.
Under electric illumination, DR.. Theo-
dore Stein finds himself able to photograph
the throat and larynx in health or disease.
Road MACHINES From a communica-
,ion in the Leesburg Washingtonian we ex-
tract the following
''The right of the Road Board to purchase
machinery for use on the public roads, was
daoidah nv baC A.