The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-06-19
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
MALARIA AI.r1runrs


While malaria has its ordinary habitat in low
lying regions, it may under favorable conditions
exist at great elevations. On the Tuscan Apen-
mines it is found at height Of LOO feet above
the sea on the Pyrenees and Mexican Cordilleras,
5000 feet on the Himalayas, 6,400 feet; on the
island of Ceylon, $500 feet; and on the Andes,
1900 feet. At present, the elevation of entire
security has been thus approximated for various
places in Italy, 400 to 500 feet; in California,
1000 feet; along the Appalachian chain of the
United States, 800 feet in the West Indies, 400
to 1880 feet. In any of these regions, however,
malaria may drift up ravines to an indefinite
height.
TIDES ON THE ATLANTIC COAST.
The great tidal wave which makes nearly two
complete circuits Of the globe in every twenty
four hours is very slight in mid ocean, but in
creases in height in traversing shallow souDdngs,
andis still further augmented by converging coast
lines. The eastern coast of North America has,
as laid down by Boehe, a great southern bay"
between Florida and Cape Hatteras, "middle
bay" between Hatteras and Nantucket, and an
"eastern bay" north of Nantucket; and, while at
Southern lorida the tide is l to II feet, at Cape
Hatteras feet, at Southeastern Nantucket only
l foot, the height within the southern bay" at
Savannah, is feet, in the "middle," at the en-
trance of New York Bay, feet, and in the "east-
ern," Boston, 10 feet, and in the narrow Bay OF
Fundy from 40 to 20 feet.
Two English experimenters, Messrs. u. j. and
G.. Stoney, find that man can exert more power
upon the bicycle than in other way, such use OF
the human muscles appearing to be the most eco
nomical possible. To drive bicycle at speed OF
nine miles an hour required about $500 foot
pounds of energy per minute, while more than
10000 foot pounds per minute were often applied
to the machine. The power of a horse, accord
ing to a wel-kno engineering formula, is 49,
600 foot pounds per minute.
A VOLCANIC REGION IN THE ATLANTIC
Recent observations indicate the existence OF a
submarine volcanic crater between the Canary
Islands and the coast of Portugal. From cable
laying steamer, in latitude 80 degrees % minutes
north, logitude degrees 81 minutes west, the
water was found to measure 1900 fathoms under
the bow and 500 fathoms under the stern, show
ing the ship to be over the edge of deep depres-
sion in the ocean bottom. An English geologist
Mr.. 7. Mellard Reade, remarks that great ine
qualities are found in the bed of the sea of Lisbon
due, probably, to submarine chain of mountains
ENDURANCE OF CLIMATIC VARIATIONS.
A scientific Frenchman, Marquis de Nadaillac
estimates that Europeans can endure temperatures
as widely apart as 255 degrees at least. Thus
on Jan. rs, 1882, two vessels in the Kara Sea
were exposed to cold of S. degrees below zero
while in the country of the Touaregs, In Centra
Africa, Duveyrier has known the Thermometer to
rise as high as 152 degrees.
MISCELLANEOUS.
An English Psychologist, Mr.. F. W. E. Green
remarks that the function of memory has not yet
been decsively localized, but there are reasons
for hoping that its particular place in the brain
NAV some day be quite exactly known. To cul-
tiyate the memory Mr.. Green recommends econ
centrate your attention, classify and condense,
make associations, substitute letters for figures,
and localize your IDEAS"
From Scotch census returns DR.. j. B. Russell
finds that there is very close relation between
mortality and the number of inhabitants per IN
habited room. For instance, the number OF per-
sons per room was 1877 in Dundee, l.9l in Green
ock. les in Paisley, and 2.05 in Glasgow; and
the mean death-rate rose steadily in the same
order to 257, 27.S, and 2S6 per 900 respectively
in these.four towns.
The Prince of Monaco and the French Admiral
ty are perfecting a scheme for determining the
direction and force of the Gulf Stream by means
of numbered floats, which will be launched at in
tervals with request that finders report the Time
and position of picking them up.
In Burmah, the latest addition to Great Britain 8
territories are grown forty varieties of rice, vary
ing in hue from white to black. Many other
kinds of edible grains are also produced, one OF
them being known as "Job's tears" on account OF
the round, shining, tear like fruit it bears.
Vaseline has heen found by DR.. Dubois to exert
no harmful effects upon dogs, although its use
for butter in food preparations was lately con-
demned by French hygienic commission.
Military reports lately published show start
ling prevalence of blindness in Russia. In that
country one recruit in every 125 is totally blind
while in England there are LOIS persons to every
one who is totally blind, and more than 400 to
each sightless person in Saxony and Denmark.
Very singular eyes have been found in a new
crustacean- Boreomysis scyphops-taken by the
Norwegian North Atlantic dredging expedition.
These organs have concave outer surfaces; they
have no specific coloring matter.
A French physiologist has ascertained that
highly poisonous principles-known as cryptic
maines-may be developed in edible mushrooms
under certain conditions.