The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-04-21
COnaDfted for The Arkaas0sC TrapeIer SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


 cry of new species, says Prof. F. W. Clarke, is no longer the main object of the mineralogist, who is learning to look upon the correlation of known minerals as much more important.
 One of the human footprints found in volcanic rock in Nicaragua several years ago is described by Dr. D. G. Brinton as being 91 inches long, 3 inches wide at the heel and 4 at the toe. The apparent length of the foot itself is inches. Dr. Brinton con- siders the footprints genuine, but is uncertain whether they are so ancient as has been supposed.
 According to General Tillo, the continents average 3 degrees c. GA degrees F ) colder than the oceans be- tween the attitudes of 90 degrees N. and 50 degrees s. The new continent is 3 degrees colder than the old; and the Atlantic 2.6 degrees colder than the Pacific. The northern hemisphere contains II per cent of the cold re- gions, 35 per cent of the temperate, and 51 per cent of the hot.
 A table prepared for a working mans society in Leipsic represents that the loss of different parts of the body reduces the capacity of gaining living in the following percentages: Loss of both eyes, or arms, or hands, or legs, or feet, 100; loss of right hand, 40 of the right thumb, 333 of one eye, 22; of the left thumb or right index finger, IA or left index, or any other finger of the left hand, 5.
 COFFEE PorsoNING.-Chronic poison ing by coffee has been studied by Guelliot, of Reins, who finds it among well-to-do overfed individuals, while tea poisoning occurs in hard worked and half starved women. The symp- toms of coffee poisoning are want of appetite, sleeplessness, and nervous tremblings, with various indications of indigestion and torpor of liver. Tea poisoning requires rest and nourishment; but the victim of coffee excess usually needs to unload his system by exercise on low diet.
 FERTILIzINC A DEsERT.-The Oued Rir', now becoming one of the most prosperous regions of Algeria, is a great oasis in the Sahara. It overlies vast subterranean reservoir from two and one- half to eight miles wide, which, in a distance of some IS miles from north to south, is now tapped by about IA French spoutipg wells and 492 native ones, with total dis charge of 63,425 gallons of water per minute. The Oued Rir' has nearly 520,000 palm trees in bearing condi- tion, and an annual date production of more than $500,000. The population, which, like the productive land, has more than doubled in thirty years, is about 13,000, distributed through thirty one centres.
 ELECTRIC PIANO PLAYING.-Elec- tricity has been invoked to supply substitute for musical education. By means of the Stephonium, or "electric music interpreter" MT. J. c. M'gee, of Edinburg, proposes to en- able persons ignorant of music to play the piano and other instruments of similar action. The music sheet is placed behind wires spaced to corre- spond with it's scale, and each success i've note is sounded by touching the wire over it with metallic pointer, which closes an electric circuit, and strikes the proper bell or string. It is only necessary to follow the notes with eye and hand until the piece is played. By sliding the sheet up or down the whole range of notes is quickly transposed into another key. The Stephonium may be removed to any distance from the piano or other source of the musical tones.
 AN ASTRONOMICAL PUzzLE.-Since Jupiter's satellites were discovered by Calico in 1910, astronomers have been greatly mystified by the phenomena of their transits across the planets disc. The fourth, or farthest, satel- lite grows rapidly and increasingly fainter as it hears the edge of the disc, shines with moderate brilliancy for ten or fifteen minutes after contact, then disappears altogether for like period, and lastly comes out as a dark spot which becomes darker and darker until it equals the blackness of its own shadow on the planet. The sec- ond satellite, however, seems never to have been seen otherwise than as pure white during transit. The appearance of the third and first is different still, the former having been seen as per- fectly white, and yet, even on the next succeeding revolution, so black as to be mistaken for the fourth; while the latter is sometimes a steel gray and a little darker. These singular anomalies, says Newcomb, are very difficult to account for ex- cept by supposing very violeLt changes constantly in progress on the satellites surfaces. Aster a special study of some years. Mir E. T Snitfa