The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-01-02
Compiled for THE AExAHsAw rnAvnIxn.
 SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY

degree.
 Tin is converted by extreme cold ip,o semi-crystalline mass having large cavt., The pipes of a church organ have been ,o effected by cold as to be no longer sonorous
 An exposure to light during twenty-6v. years has produced remarkable changes in the colors of beetles in an English museum Fiery red has turned to bright green, paleye,. low 10 brown, blue to black, and green ,o purple.
 Prof. P. Wagner has published analyses supporting his opinion that steamed potsto.s are far more nutritious than boiled one, Not only is more water taken up by the la,. ter, but nutritious salts are extracted by ,b. surrounding water.
 More and more of the work of scienc. is being done by women. recent contribu. tion to the proceedings of the Stockholm Academy of Sciences is paper by Miss Al. bertha Carlson on the remains of feet in ,h. anatomical structure of snakes.
 In recent experiments on the behavior of different paints on iron-work it has been shown that red lead best resists the action of the atmosphere. The discovery was also made that the coat holds better on iron cleansed by pickling than on that scraped o, brushed.
 The Cucumber's Coolness.-Amop0 the results of a series of observations on the temperature of growing fruits, pr. Ord has learned that the traditional coolness of the cucumber is not a mere fancy, growing cu- cumbers having proven to be cooler than the surrounding air. The same is also the case with bananas.
 An investigation by Mir. w. F. Smith. an American chemist, indicates that good cider never contains less than three and one. half per cent. of alcohol, and should have about five per cent. The acetic acid in gen. uine cider vinegar may fall below four per cent but good article should contain five per cent, and from five and one half to seven per cent when prepared from the better grades of cider.
 Paper Pianos.-An interesting experi. ment has beeR made in Germany with com pressed paper-capable of high polish-asa
 
 instrument is reported to be not loud but very sweet; and, unlike the short broken note of the ordinary piano, the sound is soft, full and slightly continuous, resembling somewhat that of the organ. This modification of tone is ascribed to the evenness of texture of the compressed paper.
 Minute Wholesome remarkable rep- resentations of a bouquet were made by Henry Dalton, the late English microscopist Each of them was prepared on glass, from the scales and hair of Brazilian butterflies, and to the naked eye looked like small shot, but under powerful instrument showed eighty two distinct flowers of various shades and colors. There are some fifty of these micro- scope slides in this country, it is said, and they are held so valuable that money can scarcely purchase them.
 Flora and Fauna of Burmah.-The nat. ural history of BuTmah, to which the war has attracted attention, is in many respects De- culiar and interesting. The flora is richer in color than in most tropical regions, and abounds in orchids and fragrant creeping plants. The moon ere eper is remarkable vine, bearing flowers that open only on moen- lit nights. Insects are numerous, including voracious mosquitoes and many gorgeous butterflies. Crocodiles and catfish of great size abound in the rivers. Small deer and jungle fowl are the principal game. The CO., bra, attaining length of six feet and more, is the most dangerous reptile.
 A Storms Journey.-The first storm ever followed day by day from the Pacific to Europe has been described to the Royal Me neurological Society of London by MT. Harry Harries. It originated as typhoon near the Philippine Islands on September 27 passing over Japan and the Alentian islands, and en- tering the United States on October 10. Crossing the Rocky Mountains, it proceeded through the northern states and Canada to Labrador and Davis Strait. Encountering two other disturbances in its passage of the Atlantic, it reached the French coast on Octo- Der 27, causing extensive destruction and on November I, in the Baltic, it quietly dispersed, after accomplishing over 6oco miles in $ days.
 Glass Houses for -Throwers.-A discovery which is expected to revolutionize the art of glass making is credited Mir. Fred eric Siemens. lis in effect that any desired degree of hardness, within a rather wide range, may be communicated to glass, and that by so simple means as uniform heating followed by uniform cooling. The difficulty of heating and cooling glass at an equal rate throughout is overcome by the application of radiant heat and the surrounding of the edges with a material that prevents the heat from leaving them more rapidly than that from other portions. The glass may be made much harder than the ordinary product, and three times as strong. It is adapted to many of the purposes to which iron and steel are applied, and it is not impossible that people now living may inhabit glass houses, with no