The San Francisco call., 1904-04-03
Science yottingS.

In the mast half century there nave
been many makers OF artificial stones,
imitation pearls and diamonds being
familiar to everybody in both hemi-
spheres. II was. however. left TO France
10 produce two men who have dis
covered a way 10 manufacture the real
gems. The astounding results achieved
by N. Roissan with his furnace, heated
by enormously powerful electric en-
zines. in which, after a process lasting
from eight TO ten weeks. he produces
real diamonds, having exactly the same
chemical composition as the natural
stone. are now well known. Another
Frenchman. biologist, has now
worked a second miracle-he has dis
covered an artificial means Of produc-
ing real pearls.
The demand for pearls is always far
in excess OF the supply. The leading
jewelers. Of the Rue de la PaiX say
that they could always dispose Of more
than double the number they are able
10 procure, and pearls are more in
vogue this year than ever before The
invention OF the French savant, N
Raphael Dubois. promises greatly to
augment the supply Of pearls.
For years past n Dubois has de-
voted himself to studying the nature
and habits Of the pearl oyster and the
conditions under which the pearl Of
commerce is formed. Having satisfied
himself that the pearl is the product
OF a disease Of the animal, he next
sought TO determine wheIher that dis
ease might not be contagious. After
numerous experiments his patience was
rewarded. He succeeded in cOmmunl-
eating the disease so thoroughly that
almost every oyster in the bed under
observation. and every mussel even,
became affected. and pearls-small
ones, il is true. but Of good color and
sshape-were found in every shell.
At the International Fishery and
Agricultural Congress Of 1900 NJ. Du-
bois demonstrated the success Of his
experiments TO a commission of
savants. In the first stages of his ex-
periments he had opened as many as
1900 or 1900 oysters before find
ing a single pearl; now any three
taken at haphazard showed pearls.
At the. conclusion Of the congress the
Colonial Office of France gave him a
commission which enabled him to
prosecute his inquiries under the most
favorable conditions, and he at once
repaired 10 Tunis, where he began a
series Of experiments in acclimatzing
the Ceylon pearl oyster in the waters
Of the Mediterranean. All NJ. Dubois
experiments have been made upon the
oyster known as the 'pintadine," from
the celebrated Ceylon beds. The ami
NAL underwent some slight modi-
fcations on being transplanted from
the Indian Ocean to the Mediter-
'ranean. but they proved unimportant
and the work Of breeding the con-
tamination proceeded without inter
.ruptiOn.
Hitherto no pearl oysters have ever
been found in French oyster beds. En-
couraged by his success on the shore
OF Tunis, NJ. Dubois brought some
specimens OF his pearl oysters to his
laboratory in Lyons, and once more
the transplantation was successful
Living specimens containing small but
fine pearls were exhibited short
. time since at the Academy Of Sciences
and as it has been found that oysters
increase rapidly in size in French wa
ters there is every hope that NJ. Du-
bois' pearls will in time attain the di-
mensions required for the article OF
commerce.
It is not likely that prices will be
affected by this artificial production
at least not for some time to come
Until the quantity placed upon the
market can be almost doubled the
value Of the jewel viii not be appre-
ciably diminished; its hold upon the
hearts of all women is so firm and its
position I'm the very front rank OF Gov
eted ornaments so lasting that it vii
probably never be other than costly
The value Of N. Dubois discoveries
is now recognized by the French
% Academy Of Sciences. and great in
terest is taken IN his Investigations
Washington Sar.
No living thing, not even scared
. sackrabbit, can travel with the speed
displayed by such birds as the storl
and the northern bluethroat. Not only
do these birds fly with a speed which
can hardly be conceived, but they keel
I'D their rapid flight for one or tive
thousand miles at a stretch without ap
parently firing.
Evidence has been collected recent,
which shows that the bluethroat fiiei
from Central Africa to the shores o
the North Sea, a distance OF 1000 miles
in less than a day and a night, and
making II moreover in one uninter-
rupted flight.
The storks. which spend their s<m
mers in Austria Hungary and thei
winters in India and Central Africa
are also marvellous travellers, anC
make their journeys twice a year in
one unbrol1en fight each time.
From Budapest in Hungary TO La
horc in India is about 2400 miles in al
air line. and the storks make the jour
uev in twenty-four hours, thus travel
ing at the rate Of 100 miles an hour 70
the whole distance. The storks which
spend the summer in Central Europ'
and the winter in Central Africa trave
with the same rapidity.
Slatfn Pasha. an Austrian in the ser
vice OF the Khedive and now Governor
Of the Central African province Of Oar
fur. was for many years captive il