The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-05
Novelties Of Everyday Science

Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts,,
are brought to the hatchery at Wood s
Holl, where the eggs are removed and
1ncubated in glass jars. Then the ami
mails are returned to the ocean. Incident
ally, about 500 Of them, not long ago, were
marked with copper tags bearing consec-
utive numbers and request that they be
returned to the commission. ~
One difficulty encountered was that the
Greeks and Portuguese, who own great
many lobster-pots in that vicinity, showed
dlsinclination to return the tags, pre-
ferring to keep them and utilize them as
charmsA Nevertheless, enough of the tags
were recovered to show that an adult
lobster has a comparatively small chance
of escaping capture even for a single sea-
son. Out of total of 479 of the Holsters
liberated, seventy six returned their tags
and found their way to market within a
few weeks Thus it is obvious that the
final determination of this valuable crus-
tacean, at all events in a commercial
sense, cannot long be deferred.
Not much of Importance was ascertained
as to migrations, but the data obtained
seemed to indicate that Holsters have a
homing instinct-tsat is to say, ten
dency to return to the locality to which
they have been accustomed. Evidence on
this point was secured by Hberating the
animals at various points distant from
places where they We're caught. For illus
tration, when a lobster caught at Woods
Holl and released at Gay Head is re-
captured at Woods Holl, it seems as If
only homing impulse could account for
the movement. Such instances, in fact,
were numerous.
1t will surprise most people to learn
that, as declared by the experts, the lob
ster Is remarkable for the swiftness Of its
locomotion, being able by fexion Of it's
abdomen to shoot backward through the
| water with astonishing rapidly, some
times going twenty-five feet in second.
Speech Made Golden.
! When the monograph first made Its ap-
pearance 1t appealed very strongly to the
popular imagination, and one of the
dreams entertained regarding 1t was that
1T might render practicable the preserva-
| ton of the spoken words of great person
ages for centuries; SO as to repeat, for
example, sayings of Queen Victoria to
! people who will dwell on the earth 500
years from now. The notion of perpetual
| ing the actual voices Of individuals, SO as
to enable them to address, as II from the
tomb, human beings belonging to q long
subsequent epoch, was both wierd and
| fascinating, and an intense sentimental
interest was inspired when the idea was
suggested as being applicable to COM
| nAoAiCdIiouS liO1n the long QeaQ to their
own descendants. 10
Up to now this dream has not been full
filled, because Of the non -permanency OF
/ photographic records. Wax is easily de-
stroyed, celluloid cylinders alter struc-
turally, and metal corrodes. The problem
OF durability seemed hopeless, but is is
| SAID to have been solved at last by Mr..
| Edison, who has found a way Of producing
record finders. Of gold backed with sill
YER which he hopes will last for thou
sands OF years. I'd
The method adopted is to take an or
| binary wax cord-cylinder and put it into
q receiver between two gold electrodes.
Then the air is exhausted from the re-
ceiver and between the electrodes is
PASSED spark, which produces fine va
Lor Of gold in the vacuum. This gold is
deposited from the vapor in film of in
ffnitesinal thinness all over the record.
The next step is to, put over the golden
MIN coat OF copper by electroplating.
Then the wax cylinder Is softened and
gently removed, SO that there remains q
thin cylindrical tube OF copper with the