Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1885-02-12
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

system. The quantity present varie
with the quality Of the grain and the sol
on which it is grown. The darker vari
lies contain more than the light Tn
hruising and milling Of oats very rapidly
dimiuishes the quantity Of this substance
which Samson calls Avenin, but quicken'
Its actions.
Ina paper read before the Academy
Dei Lincei Of Rome, Prof. Carlo Maggi
orani has described some experience prov
ing that the presence Of powerful mag
nets excrts powerful Influence upon the
Matching of eggs. The effect is to arrest
the development Of the cmbryos or to SC
retard it as to produce imperfect chicken
At recent lecture at the Lowell In
stitution, Boston, Prof. i. s. Ball, As
tronomer Royal of ireland decar it to be
his belief that the masses Of stone and
iron which fall to the earth as geteorites
were originally thrown out by terrestrial
volcanoes at rem tic period in our plan
cts geological history. II so, the frag-
ments must have been projected beyond
the influence Of tho earth's attraction by
explosions giving them the tremendous
initial velocity Of six miles "a second
Spectroscopic researches have led Mons
c Fievez, of the Royal Observatory, of
Brussels, to infer that sun spots have
higher temperature than the brighter
solar disc.
A German botanist has given instances
Of the modification of plants by insects so
AS to produce naw varieties,
Acclle' ton of stockings covered with
injurious aniline dyes is shown at the
London Health Exhibition.
During the past summer y geologist Of
Iceland, Mr.. Thoroddsen, has systemati-
cahy exploded considerable portion Of
that country under a commission from
the government. In the peninsula Of
Reyk james and its upland connections he
determined the existence aud site OF no
less than thirty volcanoes, and at least
seven hundred cratcfs, although up to
The tine Of his visit il was only supposed
that there werc two volcanoes in these
plits which had been active within his
t,ric times In other localities volcanoes
of colossal size are found, in addition 10
mary hot springs, sulfataras and boiling
c'ay-rits. Mr.. Thoroddscn believes this
peninsula to be one of the most thor
olghb burut spots on the face Of the
globe.
A great rock standing il tn, middle
of thu Aar glacier, in the Alps, Of Swift
xerlan,l, formed the principal part OF the
Hotel des Neuchctelois, rough shelter
used by Agsssiz and his friends while IN
vastigating Che phenomena of glaeiars
from 1910 to 1913. Frost has since
split the rock into a thousand pieces, three
Of Which have just been identified BY
Mons Forel From the record Of the
hotels original position left by Agassiz
and the measurements made by Forel, it |
appears tina, the fragmentary blocks have
been carried down the mountain by the
glacier at the rate Of 1870 feet Year,.
Pref. Moseley, Of the famous Challen-
ger expedition arounl the world, has dis
covered eyes in the shells of chitonidae,
no less than 1900 being contained in
the shell Of a single animal. As The
shell grows larger new eyes are for,ael |
No other mollusea have any sense organs /
in their shells, but tie chitonilae, ia all
dition to eyes, have elaborate organs Of
touch persDeating their shells.
Van Rysselberghc, in Belgium, hss
succeeded in transmitting y telephone aud
= Geographic message along the same
wire at tho same time. and has exhibited
The achievement at the Antwerp Uniyer-
al Exhibition ordinary Instruments
ind ordinary telegraph lines being EN-.
'loyed.
In paper read before the Franeh
Aca,lemy Of Sciences, Mons Minard has
roposed diminishing the violence of
'ornas hy attaching large number Of
.9sh;nlng rods total telegraph poles aud
onneetins thaa with tl.e metals of rail- !,
lays Others haze advocated the dis
harge Of nftiaery fur tho same rurpose.
lesinlf'er plan Of bell-rinw has been
ip;sss;a'ssl BY Mr. ", Mattiea Williams
J A rSs<snt reference in the French Aca
sihy to tae deplorablc custom Of ringing ,
'rfsl bells during thunicrstorms which !
IL prevails in certain pa.t of France. =
4, remarks Mr Williams, .sthare is
y truth in ihe theory which assumes .