The Baltimore County union., 1886-03-06
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
FISH OFT OLE WATER

FISH OUT OF WATER.
Mr.. Grant Allen remarks that the helplessness
and awkwardness of fish out of water have been
much exaggerated by the thoughtless geueraliza-
ton of unscientifc humanity. While most fish
may prefer the water, many of them cut better
figure on dry land than most of their critics them
selves would cut in mid-ocean. There are fish
that wriggle across country intrepidly with the
dexterity and agility Of the most accomplished
snakes fish that walk about on open sand banks,
semi-erect on two legs, as easily as lizards fish
that hop and skip on tail and fms in a manner
that the celebrated jumping frog himself might
envy; and fish that fly through the air with
grace and swiftness that would put to shame hosts
of their feathered competitors. There are even
fish, like some kinds of cells and the African mud
fish, that scarcely live in the water at all, but
merely frequent wet and marshy places, where
they lie snugly in the soft ooze and damp earth
that line the bottom. Fs Ntt
ELECTRIC INSECTS.
Certain insects seem to possess the remarkable
and little understood "electrc" power of the elec
tric eel. Gen. Davis of the British army received
q shock from wheel-bug that paralyzed his arm
for considerable time, red marks being left on
his hand as impressions of the insects feet. This
popularity is also mentioned by Kirby and Spence,
and other naturalists have received shocks from
some of the luminous beetles. Such shock was
given by an unknown caterpillar picked up by
Capt. Blakeney that his entire right side became
paralyzed, and he was dangerously i'll for long
time.
OUR COLD WAVES.
The first appearance of cold waves within the
territory of the U. S. Signal Service is nearly al
ways at Helena, Montana, according to Lieut.. I.
A. Woodruff, their place or origin probably being
the first regions of ice and snow near the Arctic
Circle. From Helena they usually reach Omaha
in s to 16 hours, the distance being $50 miles
ST. Louis, in "a to 80 hours, distance l,O3O miles
Galveston, "a to 40 hours, distance 1000 miles
Nashville, the same; Buffalo, "a to As hours, dis
tance 1850 miles; Washington, 80 to Sc hours,
distance 1858 miles. The waves are found to
follow areas of low pressure and to precede areas
of high pressure They move in different ways;
first directly eastward, over the great lakes and
New England, not being felt south of the
Ohio valley second, southeasterly, covering the
entire country in their progress; third, soutnery
from Montana and Dakota to Texas, thence
through the Gulf States, and finally northeast
ward over the Atlantic States such wave being
sometimes felt at st. Louis and Shreveport before
reaching St. Paul and Chicago. The number OF
waves belonging to the three classes during the
years 1881 to 1884 was 81, AZ and ~.
ELECTRIC AGRICULTURE.
An interesting experiment, showing the lntu-
ence of electricity on the growth of roots has been
made in Germany by Prof. Holdefeiss. Plates
of copper were thrust upright into the earth and
connected by wires with similarly placed ENC
plates about 100 feet dstant-an electric battery
being thus formed, with the earth between the
copper and zinc in the circuit. Both potatoes and
beets planted between such plates gave an in
creased yied-beets Is per cent, potatoes % pei
cent.-as compared with other parts of the same
field.
MISCELLANEOUS
The theory that abnormay brilliant skies, like
those of recent years. are due to volcanic dust oil
vapors appears to be not a new one. Attention
l.oa IoI nop ch do xrhi
mention remarkable sky -gows in 1886 and again
in 1882 in each case the effects being at the time
attributed to emissions from the great volcanic
eruptions which had taken place in Iceland.
The interesting discovery has been made in
Switzerland of bright-green moss growing on
calcareous rocks two hundred feet below the sur
face of Lake Leman. No other moss has been
known so far under water, and how chlorophyl-
the green coloring matter-could have been SC
richly developed in place so remote from the
light is problem.
A French writer has described a curious phe
nomenon observed in very intelligent parrot
the birds eyes invariably becoming red by the
contraction of the iris on the appearance OF lit
tie boy for whom an extraordinary affection hao
been acquired. Flashes of red appear in moments
of anger, but the noticeably lasting effect is only
produced by the joy of this particular child;
presence.
An English physician, Dr. Evans, has reported
what is probably the greatest fall ever survived
by human being-the case being that of gir
who on May Sth jumped from bridge $50 feet
high, and was convalescent and free from pain
within twenty days thereafter.
By the use of gold coated selenium plates, Mr.
G. E. Fritts expects to accomplish the important
object of converting the greater part of the energy
of light into electrical energy, which may be again
transformed into light as required.
An electrical furnace for reducing refractory
ores has been devised by Prof. T. sterry Hunt,
the eminent Canadian physicist
From studies in Sicily, Drs. Buchner and EN-
merich find evidence that the occurrence of cholera
has connection with the character of the soil
and that it makes its way into the system through
the lungs rather than through the alimentary
canal.
holic sJssvn OF the green tar OF the pircn, widen
he expects to render them almost indestructible.
Muller German chemist, has fed animals ten
weeks with dry and with stepped unground In
dian corn. The former showed an average in
crease in weight of nearly seven pounds more than
the latter.