Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-03-17
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Compiled for the SPEcTAroR.1

Compiled for the SPECTATOR.
ORIGIN oE THE DANUBE.-A French pe-
ographer, Mons De Wogan, has made the
| surprising intimation that the true source
| of the Danube is not yet generally known.
| He has found, by means of a canoe-voyage,
that the great river is formed by the june
tion at Donauschingen of two small streams,
the Brig or Brigach, and the Breg or
Bregach. The former rises about mile
above the source of the Neckar, whose wa
ters flow into the Rhine.
ARTIFICIAL IRoN-oRE.-A curious phe-
nomenon has just been brought to light by
the removal of a lightning-rod. To the end
Of the rod, which had been imbedded in
ferruginous earth for about fifteen years,
was found attached lump of irOn-ore,
weighing ninety-six pounds, supposed to
have beer aggregated by the action of cleo
trieity from tbe surrounding earth.
CAMERA ASTRONOMY. A remarkable
discovery, illustrating the value of photog-
raphy il the study of solar physics has
been communicated to the Paris Academy
of Sciences oy Mons. Jansen. Or June %,
1885, there appeared on the suns Csc one
of the largest spots ever detected therS
which would hardly have been perceived,
however, if its occurrence had not been re-
corded by Photographic apparatus.
A German investigator, Semmola, has
succeeded in producing musical tones from
metal plate by electrifying it intermit-
tently from an induction machine, the wires
being attached to opposite sides of the
plate and the path of the current interrupt
ed so that sparks strike across.
Two comets-Tabry's and Barnard's--
are likely to be easily visible to the naked
eye about the beginning of May, both, toe,
in position where they will be above the
horizon all night. s$
MARVELLOUS MINUTENEss. - A micro
scopic slide in the possession of the Man
chester Philosophical and Literary Society,
in England, contains the Lords Prayer
written within the space of the 405, ,O00th
part of an inch. The minute speck can be
found with powerful microscopes only, with
great difficulty, as the focus-pOint of the
lens must be made to cover the exact spot
bearing the object. 1t was engraved by
Mr.. Webb some years ago by the aid of an
instrument now held by the Society.
BLACK SNow.-A 'black snow' which
fell in 1875 over an area of about fifteen by
twenty miles in the vicinity of Holland,
Mich, was found to contain a considerable
proportion of dark earthly matter. This
was subjected to elaborate scientific exami-
nation and pronounced volcanic dust from
some far distant crater. A dissenter from
this view has sought a simpler explanation,
and has since proven that the dust came
from the prairie soil hundred miles to the
Southwark.
From recent experiments by DR.. Parsons
on the disinfection of clothes and bedding
by heat, the conclusion is reached that the
germs of the ordinary infectious diseases
cannot withstand an exposure of an hour to
dry heat of 220 degrees Fahrenheit, or an
exposure of five minutes to boiling water or
steam of 21s degrees.
A French geographer reports that all the
peaks of the Alps, extending over a dis
tance of more than $50 miles, are easily
visible from the summit of the Dole, which
has an altitude of about $500 feet.
By a Japanese process sea-weed is made
into paper, SO transparent that it may be
ored it makes an excellent imitation of
stained glass.
NON-LoCALIZATION IN THE BRAIN. =
Says Mr.. Grant Allen
"To sum it all up, it is the brain as
whole that thinks, and feels, and desires,
and imagines, just as it is the body as a
whole that walks, and digs, and Dances
To locate, say, the faculty of language in
particular convolution of a particular hem
isphere is almost as absurd, it seems to me,
as to locate, say, the faculty of writing in
the last joint of the right iore6nger. Con-
volution and forefnger may be absolutely
essential or indispensable for the proper
performance of speech or writing; but to
say that is not to say that the function in
question is there localized. The brain as
whole is the organ of mind, but there is no
organ for the word Canobury or for tie
proper perception of Mrs. Pollock gera-
num-"
GEOGRAPHICAL PROGRESS The adj
vancement of geographical knowledge is
now encouraged by "a geographical socie-
ties, with nearly $4,000 members, and
total income of more than quarter of
million dollars annually. OF these societies
France has 26, with membership of 49,
900; Germany "a, with 5000 members; Italy
and Switzerland 6 each, with 5000 mem
bers; Great Britain and her colonies 5, with
| s, 900 members; the United States 2, with
| ], 500 members. There are 1876 periodicals
devoted to geography, of which 42 are pub-
lished in French; SO in German; 8 in Rus
sian; in Italian; 6 each in English, Span
| isI, and Portuguese; and 1 each 10 Danish,
Hungarian, Swedish. Roumanian, and Jap
anese.
In cannon foundry at Bourges, France,
electricity has been successfully applied to
mechanical purposes for more than five
years, two large movable cranes, each
weighing over twenty tons, having been
worked by electric motors without difficult
ty.
Nitro-glycerine is probably the most pop
ular of the new remedies recently adopted
by ply sicians.
Brother Talmage says that the most dis.
gushing thing on earth is woman who
never combs her hair until she goes out,
and the fashion journals tell us that ''sweetl