Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 3.djvu/673

Rh It notes and defines law; has nothing to do with the creator of the laws. Science, therefore, cannot take the place of religion. And when the man of science passes from the law to the author of law, he drops the character of scientist and assumes to teach religion. The scientist is not, therefore, censurable for restricting himself exclusively to the phenomena, making no reference to the power lying behind phenomena."

A Hoarding Bird.—A writer in Hardwicke has discovered in the nuthatch, or nutpecker, the habit of laying up in its harvest-season a store of nuts for a winter provision, a characteristic which has been hitherto observed, as the writer remarks, in no other birds save tame individuals of the family Corvidæ. One day last September a nuthatch was seen to light upon a potato-hill, and there to drop something, which it drove into the earth with repeated taps of its beak. On investigation a nut was discovered there, and soon after six other nuts were found buried in close proximity to it. Again, so late as November 1st, the same bird was seen to bury a nut in a flower-bed, and, in the depth of winter, if watched, he will be found to visit frequently his hoards, taking with him, from time to time, so much as he needs for his present wants.

Artificial Respiration in Snake-Poisoning.—The publication of Dr. Fayrer's work on the Thanatophidia of India has led to a very active investigation of the subject of snake-poisoning. The author himself has made several experiments on the efficacy of artificial respiration as a means of counteracting the venom. In one of these he kept the heart beating for nine hours after the development of fatal symptoms. The heart then failed only from imperfect respiration carried on in the cold. If there is an analogy, as Dr. Fayrer supposes, between snake-venom and curare, there is every reason to expect that the remedy (respiration) which is effectual in antagonizing the latter will be equally effectual against the former.

Dr. Richards, of Balasore, thus details an experiment, made by himself, where the heart's action was kept up for 24 hours and 85 minutes: "This is, perhaps, the most remarkable case of its kind on record. The dog was, to all appearances, dead when the artificial respiration was commenced. Two hours and a half later convulsive movements were excited by the application of the galvanic current, but at seven o'clock there was no response, and the body of the dog was cold. At this time the eyes presented a glazed appearance, being perfectly dry. The pupils were dilated, and the heart was beating feebly. Had artificial respiration been now stopped the heart would have ceased to beat almost at once."

At noon the next day the dog appeared as if it would recover. "The eyes had lost the glazed appearance, lachrymation was restored, and there were winking of the lids on dropping water into the eye, attempts at deglutition when water was put into the mouth, and the heart was beating vigorously."

As artificial respiration must be kept up for hours, or even for days, Dr. Fayrer recommends the use of a special apparatus for this purpose, to be worked by steam.



of the chief attractions of this year's International Exhibition in London is Mr. Buckmaster's School of Cookery, where lectures are given twice a day on culinary processes, fully illustrated by practical experiments. It is found impossible, with the present arrangements, to accommodate all who apply for admission to the lectures. Special attention is given to the best modes of preparing canned meat, a valuable foodstuff, against which Britons have very strong prejudices. There is certainly room for improvement in the popular culinary processes in vogue the world over, but nowhere perhaps is this improvement more needed than in English-speaking countries. We waste an enormous amount of good provisions.

sound of the salutes fired by the British iron-clad fleet at Spithead on Monday, June 23d, in honor of the Shah's visit, was heard at Toadstone, Worcestershire, distant from Spithead 100 miles. A correspondent of the Times, writing from Tedstone on the 23d, says: "We have all heard a long continuous series of sounds, shaking the windows on the south side of the house, and resembling exactly the effect of a distant salute. My gardener states that he heard similar sounds between 11 and 12. My house is on a hill, from 400 to