The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-23
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

" ISuldAh mat tne newest ARRIVAL, SlOlH,
with Its white, dark-brown and gray color,
is extraordinarily like a lichen-covered ex-
creseence Of a branch. This color is be-
lieved to be a case OF protective mimcry,
calculated to deceive the sloth's enemy, the
jaguar.
The great periodic star shower, which
is seen at intervals of 1872 years. is due
Nov. y or 10, 1899 On the same dates
this year, also, a considerable display Of
these meteors is expected. They are sup
posed TO consist of matter which is cold
until rendered incaudescent by friction
with the earths atmosphere.
Within very recent times several inves-
tigators have studied the action of various
agents on the Photographic plate, and it
is now wen known that light is by no
means the only form of energy which can
impress lis effect upon the sensitive film
silver bromide. Becquerel in France and
DR.. Russell in London have given in
stances of ineXplicabl BILE action on the finn
and DR.. Percy FARMLAND has recently
published some results which seem to show
that there are still other agencies which
will impress their presence in some mys-
ferrous way on the sensitive film. DR.
FARMLAND has studied the action of living
structures in This direction, and has found
that ordinary bacterial cultures on gela-
tine and agar-agar are capable of affect
ing any Photographic film at a distance of
half an inch, while, when placed in con-
tact with photogra phic film, definite pic
lures of the bacterial growths can be OBJ
tanned. This action he finds does not take
place through glass, and is, in all proba-
bility, due 10 the evolution of volatile
chemical substances, which enter into re-
] vii
ton is exerted both by bacteria which
| liquefy, and also by those which do not
| liquefy the gelatine, and those bacterial
| growths which are luminous ia the dark
exert a much more powerful action on the
| Photographic plate than the non-luminOus
bacteria. In the case, however, of those
| phosphorescent bacteria the action on the
Photographic film is not perceptibly dimin-
ished by the interposition of glass plate.
M Moissan, so well-known for his re-
searches with the aid of the electric fur
mace, described recently before the French
Academy of Sciences the preparation and
properties of calcium nitride, a body which,
| could il only be produced at reasonable
rate, would once for all solve the question
| of the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen,
| and consequently also the direct produc-
| ton of ammonia from the air. Starting
! with pure crystalized metallic calcium,
| the metal of which our ordinary lime is
| the oxide it is easy 10 prepare calcium nj
| tride by the direct combination of the two
elements. In the cold nitrogen gas has no
action upon the metallic calcium, but on
| gently heating a slow absorption takes
place, the white metal becoming a bronze
yellow color At a low red heat the calcium
catches fire and burns in the nitrogen, the
| absorption of the gas being very rapid.
| Water decomposes the nitride with violence
ammonia and calcium hydrate being
| formed. OF course calcium is by no means
| the only metal which has this power of
absorbing nitrogen, the metals lithtium
and magnesium, among others, being also
readily capable of forming nitrides. In
every case, however, the energy required
to dissociate the metallic oxide into metal
| before it can be employed commercially
for the fxation of nitrogen renders all such
| processes a present far too expensive, and
the method, foreshadowed by Sir William
| Crookes, of the direct combustion of nitro
gen in oxygen with the formation of an
alkaline nitrate will probably be the meth
Cd our descendants viii employ some gen
erations hence.
Popular notions about races, derived
for the most part from historians. who
were not anthoropolOgists, and who classi-
fled peoples by their languages, are very
far wrong, and as the observations of an
| thropologists, professional or amateur,
| multiply, this becomes more apparent.
Most of our public speakers, authors,
| critics, and politicians continue to regard
| the Irish, Welsh and Highlanders, for ex-
| ample, as what they call Cells although
| it has been well known to science for
nearly thirty years that not only are they
! Ca1k Nv hut how
of the same race. The average Highland
| er, for example, is some inches taller than
| the Welshman, his features are very diff
| ferent, and his complexion is fair rather
| than dark. In short, he is a different type
| of man. The like may be said of the peo-
pie classed by historians as "Teutonic" on
the strength of their language; the Danes,
for example, being broadheads and the
| Norwegians longheads. Again, historians
have led us TO believe that the Mortimer
formed the whole or nearly the whole of
the population of Normandy, and for the
matter of that still do; but recent observa-
lions by DR.. Spalikowski show that the
| Norman type is comparatively rare in
! Normandy, especially in the large towns,
! such as Rouen, Havre and Cherbourg The
Norman is not according 10 this observ-
err tell, but middle sized, with blue eyes
and blond hair not much beard and
headed a fact which indicates that they
are not so much Norwegian Teutons as
| Danes, or some other Unacceptable race of
the North The face and brow are large,
rarely oval, the nose fiat, and the chin
| prominent.
The rapid growth in expectation of
American manufactures is illustrated by
some figures which the Bureau of Static
tics has recently compiled regarding the
exports of wire nails. This compilation
is the result of a recent publication in The
| British Iron and Coal Trades Review,
which says that 'it is clear that the
United States threatens Europe with a
serious competition in the nail trade, de-
spite the fact that it is a highly finished
product and involves the employment of
a large amount of skilled labor" This
compilation shows that the expectation of
wire nails from the United States has
grown from 1,5i707S pounds in the fiscal
| wear 1898 10 % S94 Oq9 mounds in the fiscal