The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-06
SCIENTIFIC.

England, the whole interior of the sloping
| roof was found to be covered with honey
| comb and honey. The quantity reached
| hundreds of pounds, much of 1t black with
age, but some still good.
| A new mole has been found in the cen
| trail Australian desert. 1t is of a pale gray
| color, and the female has a pouch for its
| young. It's face is simply horny plate
crossed by dividing line, and having two
| nose holes where there is no nose The
| mouth is underneath this plate, and there
are no eyes. 4
| The color of the black diamond has been
proven by M. Henri Moissan to be due to
carbon differing from that of the diamond.
On powdering a small black diamond and
heating it in a current Of oxygen to a
point 200 degrees below the combustion tenn
perature of the diamond, carbonic acid was
given off and the diamond became white
and transparent Only the powdered dia-
mond was thus affected.
The trees of Germany are in the care of
an army of about II, 900 thoroughly trained
foresters. More than % per cent. of the
land is covered with trees, while the pro-
portion in England is only per cent. A
recent writer, Mr.. G. A. Daubeny looks
upon this mark of German stability
He attributes the decadence of Syria of
GREECE and of Spain to the neglect of their
forests, and urges the afforestation of land
as a means of developing national re-
sources.
The native vegetation of New Zealand is
A very destructive influence on the more
delicate species is being exerted not only
by man, but by the close feeding of sheep
and rabbits, and by the black rat Even
more destructive are the animal and vege-
table parasites which the introduced plants
bring with them. A catalogue of the natur-
allied plants of the country. published in
1855, embraced forty-four species, while one
authority is now acquainted with 304 spe-
cies, and others put the number as high as
1872.
Wooden fishhooAs of two different types
are reported to be still in use near Bor-
deaux. The hahn is of broom wood spindle
shaped, sharp at both ends, and swelled in
the middle about an inch long and carried
by a line tied to the middle. The clabeon
is of hawthorn, somewhat shorter, pointed
at the lower end with a thorn projecting
laterally at the upper end. The forms be-
long to most primitive times. The first is
found in bone and ivory IN prehistoric lake
dwellings, while the second is like the
thorned hooks of Negritoes of the Malay
peninsula.
Extraordinary claims are being made for
electrolyzed salt water, or hermitine, which
has not only proven useful disinfectant
for sewage but is said to have been adopt
ed as an antiseptic in Paris hospitals. Ac-
cording to DR.. ProgeI, OF Asnieres, it is
neither caustc irritating; it may be
applied to the mucous membrane as to the
skin: it Instantly removes all bad odors;
stops all putrescent fermentation; kills mi
crobes more effectually and rapidly than
any other antiseptic, cleanSeS and heals
fetid wounds and sores; and is, in fact, an
ideal antiseptic. He urges ITS advantages
from a domestic point of view for deodor-
izing and cleaning, and from medical
point of view an antiseplic and healer:
He reports successful use OF it IN asses OF
angina, coryza and incipient diphtharia.
An interesting case is reported by DR..
W. H Miller, in which a boy. apparently
dead from drowning, was resuscttated after
lying in a cold room for an hour. All eff
forts to revive him had been without re-
suit. The patient was alternately sus-
pended by the legs, head downward, for
eight to four seconds and laid upon his
back for two seconds. The tongue
pressed down and the throat tickled and
cleared with the finger during the. suspen-
sion. and air was forced from the lungs by
pressure on the chest while the body was
lying down. At the fourth suspension a
slight pressure of the jaw was felt, at the
fifth a faint whisper was heard, and at the
was then completed by stinnulants, rubbing.
hot bricks and blankets and putting to
bed.
The "Great Rift Valley, whose existence
was first pointed out by Suess. is believed
to be an immense fissure resembling the
cracks seen on the moon. 1t is supposed to
extend from the Zambesi valley on the
south to the Jordan valley and the Dead
through the trough of the Red sea. It's to-
tai length Is four thousand miles. 1t was
said by the discoverer to contain thirty
lakes of which only one has outlet to
the sea but a more recent exDlorer-Dr.
Gregory-has traced a western branch of
the rift, which seems to include the Lakes
Albert Albert Edward and Tanganyika,
and thus to be drained by the Nile the
Congo A section of 120 miles, extending on
both sides of the equator, was studied by
DR. Gregory, who finds the depression to
be let down by faults on each side. The
fact that the resulting cliffs have not been
removed by denudation seems to show that
the valley is of comparatively recent for
nation while evidence is found that great
changes of elevation have taken place 4
throughout the area. During ole of these 4
changes a great lake was formed, of which
traces are still left
The magnetic poles not only do not cor
respond with the geographical poles, but
they are constantly shifting. and our de-
pendence upon the compass gives great
Importance to the expedition now being
planned bv Professor Langley for deter
mining the present position of the magnetic
north pole. A study of polar movements
has been made by Professor Weyer. Of
Kiel. from the long-kept magnetic records