Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1901-11-02
[I,01*cience'
|@szffveStion|

SHRUBS growing In a poor soil seldom
produce bright. high-colored flowers.
Iron filings and scales collected about
a blacksmith's anvil have a tendency
to intensity the color Of many plants,
IL dug into the soil about their roots.
The Towering Of potatoes has been
found by Mr.. NJ. 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 a marked decrease in
the population Of French India Of late.
In five settlements, with total of 273,-
1SS Inhabitants, there has been 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 IL minutes and 40 seconds
ahead.
The labor cost of scientific research
IL not easy to realize. A British ento-
mologist has just shown a series Of
about thirty pictures illustrating every
stage In the metamorphosis Of drag.
only from the nymph to the perfect In
sect. and relates that he took over one
thousand photographs before getting
Col,
was necessary, as after the first indica.
ton Of change the dragon.fy might
emerge at any time within the next
three days. the emergence being SO rap.
Id that three pictures were taken in six
seconds.
II. F. witherby, a recent traveller on
the White Nile, describes the sacred
bird Of ancient Egypt, the ibis, which,
be says, very few travellers In that
country ever see, because II only visits
Egypt during the period Of inundation;
but the dragomans, knowing the desire
Of all foreigners to see the famous bird,
point out to them, rs substitute, the
buff.backed heron, which is really to.
tally unlike the ibis. The, head, neck
and legs of the latter all bare Of feath.
ers, are Jet black. In sharp contrast
with the pure white plumage Of the
body. 1.-The wings are edged with black
like mourning envelope, and from
each shoulder droop green.black feath.
cry plumes. When flying toward one
the bird seems to be streaked with
blood, for the wing bones are bare OF
feathers on the under side. and the skin
which covers them Is Of rich vermil
ion color"
The unusual optical phenomenon OF
q rainbow produced by the sun shining
not on raindrops. but on particles Of
sand suspended In the air by wind, was
witnessed over a part Of the Great Salt
Lake recently by Prof. James E. Tai
mage Of the University Of Utah. The
colors were very brilliant, and there
was secondary bow visible. The mair
bow was fully double the width Of ar
ordinary rainbow. Only a segment OF
II was seen. The sand was oOlitic
consisting Of calcareous spherules Of
fairly uniform size, ranging between
the limits Of No. 8 and No. 10 shot
which are polished and exhibit pearly
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 explained
on the principle Of refraction and tota
reflection, generally applied to the ex
PLANTATION Of the rainbow.