Amador ledger., 1907-02-08

An investigation of geophagy, OF
the earth eating habit, has shown that
Its excuses include a, liking for the
odor and taste of the variety of clay
eaten, an unnatural craving due to
disease, an attempt to satisfy hung er,
the force of example. and supposed
medicinal virtues. The habit seems
to exist all over the world. Fine
clay, or stone butter, is eaten on
bread in Germany, and earth is baked
iu bread in Sweden and the kola
peninsula, and is found in the
markets of parts of Italy. The
PeIsians use it in sweetmeats; the
Nubians, as medicine. The gray
shaIe so much eaten In Northern
India is taken in chiefly at Blkanir,
and 1900 camel loads are sent yearly
to thePunjauo. Another great delicacy
is soil containing white ants and
their nests
Systematic yawning seems to have
proven highly successful IN Austria
as method of vocal and health cuI-
ture. DR.. Ii Nalgli advises deep
yawning. with arms outstretched,
thus ensuring complete change of air
in the lungs, and at each treatment
he has his patients make six to eight
yawns, each being followed by
swallowing. He regards the exercise
with deep breathing, as the best
means of strenthening the respiratory
organs and muscles, while it gives
astonishing relief IN cataIrh of the
throat. For singers a like practice
causes the tonsils and uvual to retract
and harden. and the clear passage
gives the voice greater volume and
impr owed quality.
Various bacteria are found by Gre1g
Smith, New South Wales investi-
gator, to take part in the tormatiun
of vegetable gums. One kind pro-
duces soluble gum arabic; another,
an insoIuble variety. Cultivation of
bacteria may greatly increase
gum production. and The yield of
species may be aug-f
mented by furnishing a little tannin. |
The singular attraction and repuI- |
sion now being much discussed by
German physicists have been brought |
to notice by the experiments of Prof.
Z. Gruhn of Berlin, although the |
same phenomena seem to have az
peared in an eaIlier apparatus of |
\ bbe Fhrtin, whose results were de-
ciared TO be due to convection cur
rents. In one form of Prof. Gruhn's |
apparatus paper vane is suspended |
by quartz thread in a glass tube. |
In the sunshine the vane turns to
correspond with the SUMS position,
introduced it is attracted or repelled,
the action varying from day to day
and seeming to depend upon the con-
dition of the atmosphere. Temporal
ture has no effect, while the behavior
of the vane announces certain changes
IN the weather from u to SO hours ia
advance. rhe experiments seem to
eliminate heat electricity, magnetism
and Y rays as possible causes, and
Prof. Gruhn infeIs the presence in
the atmosphere of two different fluids
which penetrate all matter and pro-
duee energy without exchange of
heat.
Some of the Attidae, or jump
ing spiders, have eyes that can be
voluntarily changed in color, a
popularity that belongs to no other
animals. In specimen captured at
Buitenzorg, Java, W. Strickland has
noticed remarkable development of
the great google eyes so characteristic
of this family, and this spider sur
prised its captor by suddenly chang
ing the dark brown of these eyes 10
bright grass green, and then soon
changing back again. The operation
was repeated so often that the creature
seemed to take pride in its strange
power. The captive soon died and no
other specimen has been obtainable,
but the phenomenon In a less con-
spicuous degree has been found in
smaller and commoner species.
EIastes, a new tire filling, is mix
ture of glue, glycerine and chronic
salts. The melted material is forced
into the ordinary holloR rubber tire,
and protects against punctuIe while
retaining nearly as great resilieucy as
the pneumatic tires. The substance
is claimed to resist hardening and
disintegration under all conditions.
Even such tricks as hiding jewels
in hollow shoe-heels or swallowing
diamonds cannot longer be depended
upon to cheat the customs officials.
In the French Government tests of
the X-ray detective CT Alphonse LIE
Roux, persons representing smuggling