The morning news., 1892-03-19
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

The French soldiers have recently been en-
gagged in an extensive series OF experiments
with bicycles. That machine has now taken its
place as an appliance of war.
No ANIMAL is met over so wide an area of the
earth s surface as man. The creature which
most nearly approaches him in this respect is un-
QouDted the dog, which, in one form or another
IS to be found everywhere except In the West
Indies, Madagascar and the Oceanic Islands.
IT Is STATED that there has been discovered
the forests Of India strange plant, which
possesses, to a very high degree, astonishing
magnetic power. The hand which breaks
leaf from 1t Immediately receives q shock equal
to that which is produced by the conductor Of
an indication coil. The energy of this singular
influence varies with the hour of the day.
WHEN Herbert Sprauge of Bangor. Me-. went
to bed the other night he carried to his room
bull terrier pup. At midnight Sprauge snored,
and the dog scratched his face to awake him.
Sprauge cuffed the dog, whereupon the animal,
with true terrier instinct, seized his master by
the nose and shook him as he would rat. The
dog is dead now, and Sprauges nose has lost
much of its beauty.
A PECULIAR FREAK OF NATURE on the farm of
E. A. Grove of Kings Park, L. L, attracts much
attention. 1t is a lamb that was born without a
lower jaw. The little white heeced animal
seems to be perfectly healthy, and romps about
the lawns with as much celebrity as the other
quadrupeds on the farm. The lamb manages
sence of the lower jaw.
THE phrase "a hair of the dog that bit you"
though now confined to symbolic and alcoholic
Interpretation. has an accurately canine origin
In the Caucasus it is still common for any one
who is bitten by dog to lay handful of hair,
taken from the same animals coaC. upon the
wound before cauterizing and bandaging it. In
some mystic way the hair is supposed to pre-
vent untoward consequences.
AwoNDKRFUL ARTEsIAN WELL is found in HUI
ron, N. D. 1t throws up water to the height
OF about 100 feet. and the amount is es-
timated at from 5000 to 10000 gallons per min
ute. Even at the lowest figures enough water
is elected to furnish every man, woman and
child in the state of North Dakota with at least
four gallons Of water every four hours. AS to
the pressure, that has not been ascertained but
from tests already made it is known TO be con-
siderably more than 200 pounds to the square
inch. With fair test it Is likely to reach 22S
pounds.
ATTENTION has recently been recalled by John
81. Cooke Of Boston TO the fact that the shapes
of permanent hills are altered, sometimes to a
wonderful extent, by the blowing of the wind
against them. This ts especially true where the
bills are partially composed of some form OF
rock that readily disintegrates under the in
huence of the weather. The crumbling rock ia
blown away, leaving the more solid rocks be-
hind in curious forms. The famous sirocco or
southwesterly wind that blows across the Medi-
terranean sea from Africa has 81 aped and
nodded many hill and valley. Mr. Cooke as
serts that an extensive bay on the east coast of
the island OF Malta owes its origin and extent to
the agency OF the Srocco, which blows directly
into it. The rapid changes from dampness to
dryness which are characteristic of the sirocco
and the crystallzation of the salt which it de-
posits upon the rocks, are reckoned among the
powers Of destruct which this wind possesses
In eoUT the skin secretions take a special
odor, which Sydenham compares to that of
whey, says writer in the Doctor. In iaundice
the odor is of musk; in oppilaton, of vinegar:
of sour beer in scrofula stark apud Hebra): of
warm bread in intermittent fever (Heim); in di-
abetes when there is perspiration the smell is Of
hay tLatham), or rather of acetone (Picet) but
according to Bouchardst, midway between al.
dehyde and acetone being due to mixture in
variable proportions, of these two bodies In
cholera the odor is ammonlacal Drasch Par
kerr; it is acid in what is called milk fever:
sweet in the onset period of tho plague DIE
merbroeckl or honey like, according to Dopp-
ner, who observed the plague at Vetlanka
(Ldncet, Feb. 1, 1879; acetoformic in rheuna-
tiSm. particularly in the region of the engorged
artlculatlons tMonin); Of new w-plucked feathers
In measles (rougeole); Of new-baked bread in
scarletina; in smal-p pox the odor is that of the
falow deer; in typhoid fever It is that Of blood
(BeheirJ.
CAPr. W. F. PEEL. of the British army, has in
vented and tested contrivance for adding to
the effective fighting strength of the cavalry
The invention consists of an attachment for
rifles or other fire arms to the cavalry horses in
such manner that they may, while so at
bstCucus US iTeu dJ Inc Will OF LDe rider. Fitted
to the upper side of the girth, or bellyband. is
clip or other suitable appliance for sustaining
the fire arm IN a central position, ,longitudinally
under the body of the horse, the muzzle end of
the firearm projecting forward in the direction
Of and preferably beyond the chest of the
animal, the attachments are alGo fitted to the
harness to support aud adjust the fire arm
The rider is provided with means for dis
charging the firearm. while the latter remains
in the position above described. These means
may consist of mechanical, electrical, pneumatic
or other appliances. In working be means of
electricity, a battery, accumulation or DYNAMO
may be fitted as to operate the trigger of the
hre-arm, the connection being effected By wire
so arranged that by touching button the elec-
trio forca causes the piece to fire. the operation
being repeated as required until the fire-arm
has discharged its ammunition. A bearing
rein or other attachment to the bit
or bride is arranged to prevent the ami.
mails head being lowered when the gun is
being fired. Experiments with Capt. Pesrs
attachment were made recently at the Curragh
and at the Pirbright, and proved that the rife
could be fired with the attachment without
starting the borse, and with q fair degree of ac-
curacy at short ranges. 1t has been objected
that Capt. Peels invention could not be used
with the present cavalry drill, but it may verv
fairly be argued that drill should depend on
weapons and not weapons on drill; that if cav
airy would be advantagsd by the addition of
this new mode of offense, the drill must be mod
ihed so far as may be necessary to admit of its
Introduction.