The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1886-10-07
SIZE. &c MISCELLANY.

An English cXperimenter finds that
contrary TO general opinion, a growth
OF ivy over house renders the interior
entirely free from moisture.
The Malays, who frequently find an
cient stone axes in the soil, call then
''thunderstones," believing that they
proceed from thUnderbo.ts.
Birds, according 30 Mons Dcsplats.
evolve three times as much heat az
mammals, absorbing thrice as much
oxygen sad emitting tar;ee ss much
carbonic acid.
A line Of sozndihgs jus; completed
across the South Pacific from New Zes-
land 10 the STsits o: Magellan. hy Com
fathoris, near Chatham IsiGna, the
greatest depth.
A member Of tie ROYAL Horticultural
Society of London has observed that
dahlias collec. much dew on their
leaves; the peach, rose. and evening
primrose, v1y little; while the ounce
and mulberry sre Oaly very lighly
wet
Major-Gencral E F. Burton has de-
scribed certain large yellow hornets Of
India which dispose themselves in regu-
lar circles upon their nest, with their
heads to the center. They thus appear
like the spokes of = yellow wheel, and
nest of them is sometimes mistaken for
sunhower.
Meteorologists have found that there
can be no thunder and lightning with
out rain When thunder is heard
beneath , clear sky. the reports must
either come from distant clouds or be
the result Of some other cause than .
discharge of electricity. Harvest or
heat lightning ie produced BY distant
storm Thunder seldom accompanies
heat lightning. the sound reaching only
about twelve miles. while lightning Is
often seen, by reflection upon nearer
clouds, =. much greater distance.
Captain H. Toynbee, OF the London
Meteorological Society, has arrived al
the conclusion thst clouds of less than
1000 feet in thickness are seldom ac-
companied by rain. and if they are it is
very gentle. consisting of minute drops.
With thickness of between 1000 and
1000 feet the size of the drops is mod
crate. With increasing thickness comes
increasing size of the drops, and at the
same time their temperature becomes
lower, until. when the thickness is
greater than 6,000 feet, hail is pro-
duced.
In recent lecture In London, Mr..
]. G. Baker estimated the total number
of Enthusiastically tropical plants as
from 10000 to $4,000. The plants of
the north temperate zone embrace
about 10000 species. The Arctic zone
has less than 1000 species. while the
higher mountain regions possibly fur.
nish 1900 mora total of 5000 species
of what gardeners call alpires, that is
plants specially adapted to cold, |
damp climate with short summer. |
Mr. Baker estimated that $4,000 species
Of plants arc represented in the posses
sions of Crest Britain |
A striking illustration of the value OF
the camera to astronomy is furnished by 1
the recent discovery of a new nebula
near the star Maia in the Pleiades.
Until photographed at the Paris obscr-
vatory this rebula had never been seen
with the best glasses, although it has
since been detected with the great tele-
scope of the Pulkova observatory. The
Emperor of Brazil now announces his
determination to Cooperate at the Rio
lie Janeiro observatory, in the general
project Of photographing the entire
heavens, already begun at Paris with
'uch unexpected success.
The Investigations of the Prussian
commission have shown that
1any mine explosions attributed to fire
lamp, or outburst of gas, are really due
o fine coal dust, all kinds of dust ap- :
,earing to be capable of exploding
when ignited. The expert
rent relative to this inflammability of {
'oal dust were devised as nearly as pos
:ble in accordance with the conditions
',eyailing in practice. srd more than
40 hundred tests were made, explosions
occurring in every case where an cleo
nc spark was produced in q dust .
loud.