The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1902-09-18
Science
- 40
! Invention.

A lately completed list OF fungi gives
the total now known as 50. t57, nor less
Than / .s33 species and varieties having
been added since August, 1880.
oar sense Of smell Is explained by
croekes rs due 10 ,eleetrOns' or chips
of atoms. such rs are given of by ra-
dium and which affect the retna as
we'll rs the olfactory nerve. Smell Is
nearly lost in civilized man. \ French
writer suggests that our sensiilseness
10 odors viii be Increased by some IN.
strunent analogous to the telescope,
aud then a new era viii open.
The whole operation of winklng lasts
about four-tenths of Il second. The
downward movement of the eyelld &C
enples from seyenty-hre to nfnety.thou-
sandihs Of second. Al the end Of the
descent lid rests for a period which
varied with different persons from If
Teen 10 seYenteen-hundrcdth and the
ascending movement took seventeen
hundredths. "As quick as wlnking.
therefore. means about fourtenths Of
a second
IA engineer OF Zurich. l.. Thormann-
reports after careful examination.
that sufficient electric power could be
developed from the waterfalls Of the
Alps to run all the railways OF Swiizar=
land. There would be little or ~ re
ductlon of cost, he says. but the time
may come when the change from steam
10 electricity may be desirable. because
switzerland has 10 import all the eoai
she Uses From twenty-one waterfalls,
some Of which are already partially
utilized for Industrial purposes, $1,000
horsepower could be developed, nut
only 60,000 horsepower would be re
aulred 10 replace the steam power now
used on the railroads
Although the predictions freely made
a few years ago that the Development
of electric traction would quickly drive
hores from the field of labor have not
been fulfilled, yet the Electrical Re.
view elites statistics to prove that The
disappearance of the horse Is actually
taking place. although so slowly as not
10 attract much attention. In Paris TIE
number OF horses fell of about q per
cent between 1901 and 1902. In Lon
don the decrease In the same time was
10 per cent In Berlin. Vienna AMI 81
Petersburg similar falling on Is
shown 10y the census Of horses, In New
York # Is estimated that the number
Of horses has decreased SO per cent IN
the last twenty years. But although
horses may be relieved Of the burden
Of hard labor, It Is not likely that man
will ever Danish his ancient friend and
servant wholly from the circle Of his
pleasures.
The remarkable discovery OF Abbott
IL. Thayer. the American artist. 10
which reference has before been made
in this column. that the graduation oil
eolors on the bodies of Wild animals
tends TO make Them invisible, or nnno=
ticeable. amid their natural surround
lngs. has recently been the subject 81
renewed discussion. Prof. J.. u. ROM
ton Of oxford. England, regards the
discovery as exceedingly wide IN lis ap
pllenflon. Briefly stated. The color Law
which Mr.. Thayer inds prevailing IN
the animal kingdom produces an effect
exactly contrary to the ordinary shads
ing of objects Illuminated by light from
the sky. Being dark above aud light
below. and. moreover. having eol0rs
harmonizng with those OF its natural
environment, the animal. when motion
less. loses the appearance Of solidity,
and blends with the background 50 per-
fectly that often II escapes the eye.
This applies alike TO quadrupeds and
birds. Fishes also show n similar era
datlon and the law can be traced In
the insect world