The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-01-05
sCIENTIFIC CHAT.

The best remedy for burns is now said to con-
slst IN letting the contents OF settler sphon trcke
over the injured part,
in Venezuela prize of S4, 900 has been offered
to any person who will suggest means of profita-
bly, and successfully converting loeusts into grease
or any other useful article
An old sea Captain thinks that he has good
answer for the question: Where do sea birds OBJ
tain fresh drinking water?h He says that he has
often seen birds far from land that could furnish
water, flying aroundand under storm clouds. drink
ing the drops of water they fell. and ehattering
like ducks 10 pond on hot day. They will
smell rain squall 100 miles away and fly for it
with tremendous speed,
Though the appearance of artificial pre-
cious stones is SO exactly initiative Of
the genuine article as to render the
judgment even of expert frequently at
fault IL s claimed that the test of hardness is still
iDtalhble. Thus, the beautiful French paste, from
which such attractive imitation diamonds are made
is kind Of glass; with mixture of oxide of lead
the more o the latter the brighter the stone, but
also the softer and this latter is the serious defect
But by careful selection of the ingredients, and
skill and manipulation, the luster color, fire and
water Of the choicest stones are to the eyes OF the
ordinary purchaser, fully REPRODUCED; there are a
few delicacies of color that cannot be perfectly CIV
en-, depending as they do on some undiscoverable
pecullariIes OF muleculaT arrangement, and not on
chemical composition--these however, not being
apparent to the uninitiated NJ. Sidot however, a
wellKDown French chemist is reported to have
nearly reproduced the pecutiarities in question
including the dIctiroism of thesappbire-by means
of composition, Of which the base is phosphate of
lime; and other chemists have produced rubies
genuine stones, and alni9t as hard.
AS is well known, thS Australian country Is SO
oyerrun with rabbits tint they have become an
uncomfortable pest, and the Government has finally
offered prize of sI25 600 for any effective means
OF getting rid of these nuisanees. Monsieur Pas
teur, the eminent bacteriologist has suggested a
way which he THINKS VIII be effeetual. He thinks
that it should be done by poison. endowed. like
animals. with life and multiplying with similar
rapidy. His idea would be TO introduce disease
among the rabbits which would become epidemic,
and he thinks that probably the malady known as
" hen cholera would do the work. He has made
experiments, the results of which go far to confirm
this belief This disease does not affect four footed
domestic animals, and as the fowls do not live IN
the open country where the rabbits are they would
not suffer from il to any appreeiable extent.
- Two years ago the State of New York appoint
ed commission of three TO consider whether there
could not be humane method of capital
punishment than the present one in in this
country. The gentlemen have made an exhaustive
study Of the whole subject and will make report
next month which viii favor electrical apparatus
whose effect will be to extinguish life at once.