Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1901-11-02
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Shrubs growing in a poor soil seldom
produce bright. high-colored flowers.
Iron filings and scales collected about
a blacksmith's anvil have tendency
TO intensity the color Of many plants,
IL dug into the soil about their roots.
The Towering Of potatoes has been
found 10y Mr.. VI. Michalet to withdraw
much starch from the tubers, and ex.
perimentS in France have convinced
him that the product of the plants may
be improved by removing all blossoms.
There has been marked decrease in
the population of French India of late.
In five settlements, with total of 2I3,.
1S5 inhabitants. there has been a de-
crease Of more than eleven thousand
In the last ten years. though they have
been free from famine and plague.
Beginning with the present year,
Spain has adopted Greenwich time in
the place of Madrid time, which was
previously used as the Spanish stand
ard. Madrid being west of Greenwich,
the change involved the setting of
clocks IA minutes and AZ seconds
ahead.
The labor cost of scientific research
Is not easy to realize. \ British ento-
mologist has Just shown series Of
about thirty pictures illustrating every
stage in the mctamorphosis of drag.
only from the nymph to the perfect in
sect. and relates that he took over one
thousand photographs before getting
his complete set. Constant watching
was necessary, as after the first indica.
ton of change the dragon.hy might
emerge at any time within the mex,
three days. the emergence being so rap
id that three pictures were taken in six
seconds.
II. i. Witherby, recent traveller or
the White Nile, describes the sacred
bird Of ancient Egypt, the ibis which
be says, very few travellers In thai
country ever see, because II only visit,
Egypt during the period Of inundation
but the dragomans, knowing the desir,
of all foreigners to see the famous bird
point out to them, as substitute. the
buf-backed heron, which Is really to
tally unlike the ibis. The head, mech
and legs of the latter, all bare of feath
crs, are Jet black, In sharp contrast
with the pure white plumage of the
body. The wings are edged with black
Ike mourning envelope, and from
each shoulder droop green.black feath
cry plumes. When flying toward on,
the bird seems TO be streaked will
blood, for the wing bones are bare OF
feathers on the under side. and the Skin
which covers them is of a rich vermil
ion color"
The unusual optical phenomenon Of
rainbow produced by the sun shining
not on ralndrops. but on particles o.
sand suspended in the air by wind, wa,
witnessed over part of the Great Sal
Lake recently by Prof. James L. Tai
mage of the University Of Utah. Tn
colors We're very brilliant, and ther
was secondary bow visible. The mai
bow was fully double the width of n
ordinary rainbow. Only segment O
1t was seen. The sand was ooliti,
consisting OF calcareous spherules @
fairly uniform size, ranging betwee
the limits of No. : and No. 10 shot
which are polished and exhibit a pearl
luster. Prof. Talmage points out tina
the production Of the bow must be du
to reflection from the outer surfaces o
the spherules, and cannot be eXplalne,
on the principle OF refraction and tota
reflection, generally applied TO the OK
Nlanation Of the rainbow.