The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1895-05-17
SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL.

Electricity is now made use of to
dry tea leaves in Ceylon.
The otter excels every animal in
swimming. It's speed is superior to
that of many fishes.
It is asserted that the best, strong
est and most fibrous material in the
shape of wood, now used as pulp for
paper, is made from spruce logs.
A good chin, viewed in profile,
shows marked depression above it
and below the under lip, and an
equally marked prominence beneath.
Fish balance themselves in water by
the muscular contraction of the air
bladders. At death the muscles relax
and the air bladder expands, with the
result that the fish is thrown on one
side and rises to the surface.
Sir John Lubbock says that ''dur-
ing the many years he has had ants
under observation, he has never on
any occasion seen anything like a
quarrel between any two ants belong
ing to the same community"
Coral islands are never more than
ten or twelve feet above the surface,
that limit being assigned to them by
the action of the waves. The vegeta-
ton is characterized by it's uniformity,
the entire fora consisting of scarcely
score of species.
A remarkable historical fact, which
has frequently been noted by scientific
writer's, but never accounted for salts
factorily, is that Julius Cesar, We'll
lington, Napoleon and the Archduke
Charles, of Austria, four of the great
est generals the world has known, were
all subject to epileptic fits.
The electric light was invented in
1916, and as late as 1875 was pro-
nounced by high scientific authority
''a pretty toy" and the prediction
made that it would never be anything
else. At present over 200 cities and
thousands upon thousands of offices
and dwelling are lighted by means of
electricity.
1t is proposed to build an immense
bridge over the. Mersey River in Eng
land, connecting the cities of Liver
pool and Birkenhead According to
descriptions in the Liverpool news
papers the bridge will be of the arched
suspension type, in three spans, the
roadway being suspended from an
arch instead of the usual chain.
The idea has been suggested that in
certain well-known conditions of hys-
terra a judiciously administered pinch
of snuff might have beneficial effect.
Familiar to every one is the perverse-
ness with which such hysterical at
tacks resist ordinary remedies, and it
seems not improbable that some of
them might be curtailed by period of
vigorous sneezing.
Analysis of the air, water and soil of
Spitzbergen has brought to light the
extraordinary poverty of these regions
IN bacteria. While the air of the
streets of Paris contains on an average
81, 900 bacteria, that of the Arctic Sea
contains only three per cubic metre.
AS to the water of Spitzbergen, not
only is it devoid of any pathogenic
heterogeneous whatever, but all
bacilli are absent.
The Canadian Architect suggests
that in building brick houses where
they are not protected by surrounding
property, not to forget that hollow
walls will add greatly to the convent
ence of the occupiers. They will render
the house cooler in summer and warmer
in winter, and will assist materially in
keeping the house dry. The cost of
hollow walls is only very little higher
than that of walls built solid.