The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-01-11
CURIOUS. USEFUL AND sCIEs rIrIc.


CURIOUS, USEFUL AND sCIEN TIEIC.
DR.. Oyston, of Aberdeen. describes a case
Of scarlet fever in a canary.
According To Mr.. J.. Harrington Douty. Of
Tia asylum at Worcester. England, an inn
perfect supply of oxygen, or simply breath
ing q vitiated atmosphere, may suffice to
produce the mental disorder known as mel
anchoiia.
Ii is maintained by certain astronomers
that the apparent diameter of the sun varies
periodically, and DIR. J. Hiifiker. OF Neufcha-
tel. contends that the p~eriodicity comedies
with that of the sun-epot Minimum, and
vice versa.
Or. Koch, OF Berlin, is reported to have
succeeded IN producing genuine cholera in
rabbits by means of tas bacilii, which he
hiss regarded rs the cause OF the disease.
cialni to have met with earlier success in
this III poriant experiment than DIR. Koca.
SDsil in a slate of captivity can, Dr..
Rawi.z, of Berlin, has discovered, be fed On
paper. DR.. kossel confirms this fact by a
statement based on his own observations
De says that alter feeding snalls with q
highly calcareous paper Tor some time he
found abnormal caicafeous deposits in their
nonstrously developed shells.
Botanists have evidence that trees may at
tain very long lives. The age OF an elm has
been estimated at $50 years; that of some
palms at from 500 TO 100 years; that Of al
olive tree at 7G0 years; OF a plane tree at
20; of q cedar at 500; OF an OAK at 1900;
OF q yew at 2 $50; OF a tsNodiIm at 4 900, and
Of a ba0bab tree n. ZOO years.
For hygienic reasons wallpaper should
not be made either air or water tight. The
paper on the walls is like clothes on the per-
ccn md Tho wofla NJ f,a hnuuo ahnulA ho ~a
free intercourse with the open air. When
the paper is weter-proof the daInpness OF the
walls ID increased and prolonged, injarlng
health and producing other evils.
Professor Il. 5. Bal, astronomer royai OF
Ireland, declared il 70 be MS belief that the
masses OF stone and iron which fall to the
Earth SIS meteorities were originally thrown
out by terrestrial volcanoes at q remote per
loo ia our planets geological history. III so,
the fragments nus have been projected be-
you'd the influence OF the earth's attraction
OF explosions giving them the tremendous
initial velocity OF six miles q second.
The whale leeds by putting its gigantic
strainer INTO operation ss 1t swims through
the shoals or minute moiiuscs, crustacPans
and fishes which are constant thy found at the
surface of the sea- Opening It's capacious
mouth and allowing the sea-water with its
m~uititudADous tenants 10 fl the oval cavity,
the whale shuts ITS lower Jaw npon lis horny
plates, and straining the water through
tneul. swallows the prey stranded u'on lis
vast tongue.
Professor Huxley lends scant countenance
10 what has been called by our English
brethren the ''mackerei scare In 3 letiss
he says: 1T Is quite true thst msckersl,
like other fish, are more or less Infected by
parasites, one OF which, . small t~hread-worm,
ia often so bunda az to be conspicuous
when the fish is opened. But ii is not trne
hat there 10 any reason TO believe that this
thread-Torm would bs injurious to a man
even il swallowed uncooked and alive, and
TO speak Of il as . possible source of cnoiera
is sheer nonsense
4 hundred and 6lty millions OF tons OF
matter in solution, In addition TO suspended
matter, are poured down into the Gull OF
Mexico by the Mississippi. Ii this quantity
IL added TO tba. known 10 be carried down
IL suspension, il will reduce from 6 600 year,
10 1000 years the time necessary to lower the
entire basin one loot. Similar calculations
have been applied - the La Plata. ST. Law.
rence ard Amaze: 3 by SIR. r. NJ Rssde, wac
tins tnds that loo tons per square mile are
snnuaIiy removed from the American cont.
nant. This agrees with results previously
arrived az for Europe.
The oldest known laud animal is q sc,r
pion recently iornd by Professor G.. Lind.
strom IN the uppsrmcst layer Of the siiutiau
rocks % Cortland, Sweden. This f,ssil
scorpion has. like sxisiiog ones, seven seq
ments ia the tail, the last shaped into Il sting,
anu seven abdominal segMents. There ars
eight ie2s. and both the great claws, or pal
pi std remain. The legs differ from those OF
existfIg scorpions In ending In i point IL
stead oi ciaws. The sbreathiDg nature OF
the animal Is made evident by tile preserva.
ten Of It's sti2DIa. or breuIaing hole, on the
right side. IL Will he renlsmo-red that ali
siiurIan arims,s hitherto discovered have
been hShss, cruslacoa, mollascs. Crabs po0
e., etc.-aii OF th IN sqnasic animals, ret ge-
Gissls;s have always ~s0pp0sed that land, aud
probably iaod Sn'Uals, nrt have eyisted in
siiuriea ages. The sea, the estuary add the
like =ubalm their dead In sediments, but
The land fails TO do This, and h-uce tins sb
strte OF fossil examples of land animals IN
ally formation Goes not prove taa noa-exist-
ence oi such animals.
Dr. Hahn, a recent German writer. suu.
mela'e- ninety SIX more or less extensive
tracts known 10 be sinking or rising. The
isisid Of Jersey, one o. TIE Channel Islands,
had no existence IN Ptoiemy's time, anu was
protsbiy not fully cut of from the conti-
srent before the fourth or fifth century. Prof.
Hull. from his researches on the spot. con-
clrdes that the land between the Suez and
the Bitter AXE has risen since the exodus
There may thus have existed AZ that time =
tract which at times Was overlooked. Ben
nett Isiend hiss risen 100 feet in recent times.
Noftenski 0id found upon elevated terracss
III Martins Leland the remains OF whales
which had beer killed bv the early Datch
whale iish ers. With the knowledge of these
aud many Other chsagss-sach ss the recea
appearance ola new island Off Iceland. the
Torn stion and dissppsarancec of two is
lsncs near krakatoa. aud the uphsavel OF .
new volcano as an s~ppendsge to Bogoslof
Island Behrins Seat viii not do 70 neg
iect the Chinese tradition that the no
Lsks OF Issy X XII. in rurkistan. was formed
BY q ~convn'sion Of nature some 100 years
ago; nor even The Japanese legend thar the
majestic Volcano. FosIrams, 1900 fest
hieh) was suddeo's thrown up three cea.a.
r;es before Christ.