The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-10-02
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
GREAT EATERS.

GREAT EATERS.
Birds have wonderful appetites, and the insect
eaters must do great execution among the insect
enemies of the farmer. This is illustrated by
Prof. Woods estimate that man would have to
consume in every twenty -four hours sixty-seven
feet of sausage nine inches in circumference in
order to eat as much in proportion to his bulk as
the abreast, whose daily food is considered as
equivalent to an earthworm fourteen feet long.
CURIOUS POISONING.
A remarkable case is reported from Central
Warwickshire, England. A child five years old,
who had eaten large quantity of green sorrel,
took drink of soapy water the next day, which
was soon followed by death. A post norton ex-
animation showed that poisoning had resulted
from oxalic acid set free from the sorrel by the
alkaG of the soap.
AN ENERGETIC FoREsr-PLANTER.
The crow, according to Mr.. j. T. Campbell, is
one Of the most industrious and persistent seed
transporting agencies known and to its efforts are
probably due the founding of many new forest
This bird has an aimless and mischievous habit
picking up and flying away with any small OBJ
jects which happen to attract attention, dropping
them in an equally aimless manner. The crows
often gather by hundreds, holding noisy conven-
tons, and as they dispense each drops something
the articles proving to be acorns, walnuts, hck-
ory-nuts buckeyes, sycamore-balls, sticks, egg
shells, pebbles, etc.
GENESIS OF SALT-MINE.
On the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea curious
phenomenon is in progress. The Kara Baghaz is
an estuary nearly separated from the main body
of the sea by bank through which there is an
inlet. The evaporation from this gulf is so great
that current continually sets in from the Caspian
and as there is return current the water of the
If L. l.
post of salt is in course of formation. In time
this gulf will be cut off from the Caspian and will
then be dried up and become an extensive salt
bed.
THE KING OF SPIDERS
A French entomoogist has described the bird
spider of tropical America, the largest of the
eral hundred known species of spiders, as for
midable creature having body four and quar-
ter inches long, diameter of seven inches with
the legs extended. Its nest in the center OF
which its 1900 or 1000 eggs deposited, is SO
strengthened as to be capable of arresting small
bird ; and the spider is sufficiently powerful to
destroy not only young birds and adult humming
birds but large lizards and reptiles.
MISCELLANEOUS.
On the Devonshire coast in England sea grass
(Porphyra laciniaia) is boiled, chopped, mixed
with q small proportion of oatmeal, and made
into bread, which keeps from four to eight days,
and is much used by the poor Welsh people, most
of it being sent to Swansea.
The coolest place known is at Werkhojanck,
Siberia, observations made during 1885 giving
mean temperature of the year as one degree Fab
renheit, of the month of January as Sc degrees
below zero, and the lowest temperature of the
same month as 80 degrees below.
1t is affirmed by Mons. Lessenne that needle
puncture in the skin of living person will close
at once, and that if the puncture remains open it
is sure sign of death.
Experiments have been made by GRADER which
indicate that eyeless animals sensible to light.
Bees are said to have such an antipathy to
dark colored objects that black chickens have
been stung to death while the white ones of the
same brood we're untouched, and man in black
plug hat is rarely stung on account of the atten-
ton the bees give to the hat
1t is estimated that about 100000 species of
Towering plants are now known to botanists, but
more complete exploration of the globe may
largely increase or even double the number.
A German engineer is reported to have con-
structed steam engine in which the dead-centre
point is obviated.
A botanical phenomenon in which the people
of Leominster, England, take pride, is pair of
trees-an oak and an ash-which appear to have
but single trunk. They grow together for about
four feet, and then divide.
The use of the electric light for schools is not
recommended by Prof. Fl. Cohn, who has found
that long exposure to arc lights, even when they
protected by "opaque" glass globes, is injuri-
GUS to the eyes of school children