The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-07-16
written for the Citizen,


leaves, has been suggested by Mr..
Francis Darwin 1t consists in the
use of the "Chinese sensitive leaf" a
thin sheet of specially treated horn,
which acts as a MICROSCOPE and curves
away from the source of moisture if
the stomata of leaf on which it is laid
are open, remaining stationary if they
are shut. A simple scale may be made
to record the degree of curvature. The
apparatus opens the way for variety
of experiments by home botanists, and
shows, among other things, that the
stomata regularly close at night as the
leaves pass into something like "A
"sleep," often opening again in the
darkness if that be long continued.
British astronomers are taking a
lively interest in the next eclipse of
the sun-to take place on January %,
lS9S-and the Royal and Royal Astro-
nomical Societies are arranging to
send out three parties of observers. The
central line crosses Western India, the
duration of totality at the most favor
able stations being about three miu-
utes. The prospects of fair weather
are considered exceptionally good, as
the January skies of India south of
Bombay are remarkable for their free
dom from clouds, and the probability
that any given January day will be
rainy is less than in 40 in the Kon-
kan.
In the evolution of the trotting
horse, Mr.. A. ]. Weston, of Pittsfield,
Mass, has traced the predominant in
fiuence of one horse-Hambletoni
10 (lS49-1S76) This influence has ex-
/ tended to 90 per cent. of the 2.10
trotters and 81 per cent of the 210
PAGERS; aud the pacing speed without
| Hambletonian blood has fallen two
seconds behind the best record, aud
the trottiug speed four seconds
Though Trowbridge wrote this year
/ that electromagnetic waves could not
be detected more than 100 feet from
their source, Marconi's wireless tee-
graph has already sent signals eight
miles.
Some astonishing changes in the
physical type of races as a result of
intercourse with foreigners have been
pointed out by NJ. Albert Gauttard to
the Frend2s'Ethnographic Society. The
japanese, who since the revolution of
1868 have been rapidly adopting Euro
pean modes of life, are losing the &C.
centricty of their eyes aud the promi-
hence of their cheek bones. while the
recently born children have less flat
tened noses than their ancestors, with
a skin not so yellow. Europeans set
Ting in. Japan, on the other hand,
gradually lose the rosy color of their
skin, and tend to acquire an eccentric
ity in the eye. Another instance is
reported by Adhemar Leclere, who
observed in Cambodia a striking
change in his countrymen, the French
residents soon beginning to acquire
the type and the gait of the natives.
The aerial sea that surrounds the
earth is in constant but unequal agi-
tation, certain parts of it being little
disturbed, while other parts are rapidly
varying from very high barometric
pressure, marking heaping up of the
atmosphere, to very low pressure. A
study of the "centers of action of the
atmosphere" or regions of mean baro-
metric maxima and minima, has been
made by DR. III. II. Hlldebrandsson of
the Meteorological Observatory of Up
sala. The monthly differences of pres
sure from the mean were calculated for
the years 1875 to 1884 at IS widely dis
tributed stations, and show that the
differences are greater in winter than
in summer aud increase from the equa-
tor to the poles the variations at certain
localities as the Azores and the vicin-
ity of Iceland-being almost opposite
in sign, and that the greatest differen-
ces are found in January and July in
the vicinity of Greenland and Iceland,
on the one hand, and the north of Rus
STA, between the White Sea and st.
Petersburg, on the other The fact
seems to be established that kind of
oscillation exists at all places in the
pressure of air between center of ac-
tioniof high pressure and an adjacent
center of low pressure.
A yellow or Orange-yellow coloration
of glass is found by Nj. Lemal To take
place when the glass is heated to $500
TO 600o G.. in contact with any salt of
silver. Glass into whose composition
salt has entered is especially susceptible
of coloring in this manner
Natural perspiration and the extracts
prepared from it have been found by
NJ Aroing, French biologist, to pro-
duce poisoning when injected into the
veins, large doses causing the death of
dogs and enthusiastically within three
DAYS, though sometimes not for several
weeks. Smaller doses produce cores
ponding effects. The degree of toxicity
varies with the environment of the sub
ject and the mode of preparing the ex.
tract, the perspiration attending ardu-
Gus muscular labor being % to 80 per
cent. more poisonous than that pro-
duced under ordinary conditions. Ar
tificial sweating yields the least poison
Gus perspiration, unless the patient is
suffering from a cold, when the per-
spiration is decidedly poisonous.
Monthly Current Charts of the At
lantic Ocean for six months of the year
have been prepared by the British
Meteorological Office from about 49,
500 mariners logs extending back to
1880. Among the interesting facts
brought to light is that the velocity Of
the Gulf Stream varies with the season,
being about 100 miles a day in June
| not mora than 10 miles in 0ctoher and