The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-10-18

How Fishes Know the World-The La
test Improved Zebra-Electric Anaes-
thesia-Catalysis, Chemical Puzzle.
Nature Study--Wooden Flowers-A
New Tartaric Acid Process-A Smokers
Novelty-Machine Sculpture.
The sense organs of fishes have been difficult
writer points out, is most like that of other YER
tebrates. and has an iris of brilliant metallic
luster. large and round pupil. and very large
food at depths as great as 200 feet. Proper eye
lids are wanting. The nose consists OF Two
holes lined with corrugated mucus membrane
in which the nerves of smell terminate, and It's
function must be very different from that of
land animals which deals with gaseous odors.
me scent OF shes once mu Saen 1esy as1a h ::
very keen, but its seat must be IN the softer
parts of the mouth the tongue being very bard.
The organ of hearing is simpler than IN other
vertebrates, though extremely sensitive. The
external ear is wanting, and the inner ear con-
sists merely of cavities filled with fluid and with
little porcelain like particles. Of the sense of
touch little is known except that it belongs to
the whole skin and is very acute in the bristles
around the mouth. Fishes are suspected of
having sixth sense, whose organs are the pores
of the head and in a row extending over large
nerve.
The remarkable zebra hybrid from South AZ
RIGA lately acquired by the British Geological
Society is pony bred from cross between
zebra and pony: It's BODY IS brown, and the
nearly vertical, while those on the limbs are
horizontal to the hooks. below which the color
is black.
Sleep is produced By NJ. stephane Leduc
through the action of electric currents on the
unaffected. complete general anaesthesia
can be thus obtained without any unpleasant
after effects.
Chemical union through the mere presence
n Inactive Ui
renewed interest by the growing Importance of
catalysis in the arts. In the new process for
making sulphuric acid, the combination of sui
phurous acid and oxygen depends upon plati-
niZed asbestos. and it is curious fact that this
catalytic agent soon ceases to act unless the
chlorine process, the chlorine is liberated in
great quantities by passing hydrochoric acid
and air over hot copper chloride, which under
goes no change In oxidizing sulphuretted by
drogen by passing it over a special form of OK
inc of iron, the latter becomes changed to pyr-
ties without losing its catalytc properties. Mr..
J. 7. Conroy attempts to explain the action of
catalytic agents by supposing that they take
part in intermediate reactions. When cur
red-hOt soda amide it is broken up into its con-
stituents; but this occurs through the amide
decomposing into nitrogen. hydrogen and sodi-
UNI, the latter in the presence of the ammonia
reforming the amide.
The natural history student finds still many
mysteries to solve. The whole question of the
consciousness and intelligence of animals. says
Lord Avebury, requires careful study, and there
is hardly single animal whose life history is
fully known TO us. The many problems of the
flowers scarcely exceed in interest those of
leaves and seeds. In fact, the problems which
every field and wood every common and every
hedge-row, every pond and stream, offer us are
endless and most fascinating. There is no sin
gle substance in nature whose properties are
fully known, and we seem TO be on the thresh-
old of great discoveries.
~.
Of the 7a,OOOOOO acres in the Philippine Islands,
it is estimated that more than 6.000 O00are under
cultivation and about 5OOOO,OOO in forest. The
native trees thus far enumerated embrace 665
species, and 100 different native woods entered
the market last year.
A curious growth on trees in TERRA del Fuego
is known to the natives as wooden flowers"
It is produced by parasite plant, allied to the
mistletoe, which develops from sticky seeds de-
posted by birds, and penetrates the bark and
wood of the host. The hower-like excrescences,
from an inch to two feet In diameter, are wood
of the tree itself, as forced through the bark.
The parasite plant, unlike the mistletoe, weak
ems and often destroys the branch on which it
lives, and it takes so intimate union with the
tree that in a traverse section it is almost inn
possible to tell where one plant ends and another
begins. The parasite lives not more than three
or four years, its traces remaining much longer.
In new synthesis Prof. Zinno produces tar
taric acid by passing over potassium glycerate
current of carbolic acid gas under pressure
of about three atmospheres. The potassium
glycerate is easily obtained by oxidizing glycer-
lue ny ueduS VI ledu ulOAlue OF MINIMUM ana
nitricacid, and then adding potassium carbonate
to the boiling solution of the lead salt. 1t is
thought that the new process should prove i'm
portant on large scale for the manufacture of
cream of tartar.
-.
A self-lighting cigar is tipped with a cap of
ground glass, saltpetre, potassium chlOrate and
gum arabic, and a fractional igniter is placed on
the surface of the cap. On scratching the ig
inter. the cap burns freely and cannot be ex-
tingushed by an ordinary wind. The cap is
rendered incandescent and the ground glass
fused, so covering the end of the cigar that no
unpleasant taste results.
~
mechanical sculptor, machine automatic
ally duplicating staturay, is a remarkable adap-
tation of the pantograph. The statue to be re-
produced is placed upon pedestal. where it is
gone over by small wheel on the end of long
arm, which connects with mechanism driving
cutter. ball of clay is thus made into an ex-
act copy.