Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 6.djvu/137

Rh portion as a fraction of the vapor is eliminated from the lungs, an equal quantity is absorbed by the same organ.

and calcareous rocks are mere commonly broken up by chemical than by mechanical action, but the contrary is the case with felspathic and slate rocks. For subaqueous structures silicious stones are generally preferable to those of a calcareous nature.

electro-magnetic copying-machine has been devised by Hencker, of Munich, which transmits by telegraph, and that, too, without the assistance of an operator, writing, portraits, plans, maps, etc. An impression of the object to be copied is taken with a prepared ink on a sort of silver paper, which is then rolled on a revolving cylinder, and the message, whether in writing or in the form of a drawing, is at once forwarded to its destination, a perfect fac-simile of the writing or drawing being produced at the other end of the wire.

Paris Acclimatization Society has requested and obtained of Mr. Seth Green permission to publish a French translation of his work on trout-culture.

Mariupal, Russia, a teacher was recently denounced to the entire parish, by the village pope, as unfit to teach children, owing to his "habit of taking walks on the steppe, and collecting useless grasses, disgusting insects, and every conceivable abomination, and making these things objects of public instruction." This wicked teacher was also censured for his disuse of the rod, and his aversion to the good old Russian practice of pulling out bunches of hair from the heads of refractory children!

salaries of male and female teachers in the schools of San Francisco have been equalized.

exhibition was recently made in Scotland of a process of clearing forests by steam. A traction engine of 12 horsepower is stationed some distance from the wood, and a wire chain is fastened to the tree. Steam is then put on, and the tree is pulled forcibly out by the roots. In the course of five hours, upward of 300 trees, in a plantation nearly 100 years old, were pulled out. It is hoped that the method may prove applicable in the clearing of new tracts of forest-land.

a synopsis communicated to the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences by Prof. Cope, of his work in connection with Hayden's survey in 1873, it appears that the whole number of species of vertebrata obtained was 150, 95 being new to science. The species from the Miocene numbered 75, of which 57 were new.

patent has been granted for the preparation of leather from tripe, intestines, and other animal membranes; these are worked in milk-of-lime while still fresh, then washed and immersed in water, and finally in a paste made of starch and white-of-egg. The substance thus formed is to be used for glove-making, etc.; the material may also be tanned or curried.

1865 there were in France 4,833 school libraries containing 180,854 volumes; in 1869 the number of libraries was 14,395, and of volumes 1,239,165. At the present time there are (the Seine Department not included) 15,623 school libraries, and 1,474, 637 volumes. Notwithstanding the events of the last few years, the state, provinces, communes, and private individuals, have liberally contributed funds for maintaining this important work.

problem of pure-water supply for London has probably been solved by Mr. J. Lucas, of the Geological Survey. Examining the green sands and chalk of Surrey, he finds over 1,000 feet of porous strata resting on absolutely impervious clay. He contends that a tunnel driven along the strike of the beds, or water-level, must arrest all the water that is flowing down as far as the gallery is carried.

question whether snakes eat toads is answered affirmatively by a writer in Hardwicke, who speaks from direct observation. Having discovered a garter-snake in a strawberry-bed, he struck the creature a sharp blow with a stick, and out flew a medium-sized toad. Before the blow, only the hind-feet of the toad were visible, protruding from the snake's mouth.

removing grease-spots from clothing with benzole or turpentine, the usual way is to wet the cloth with the detergent and then to rub it with a sponge or the like. This only spreads the grease, and does not remove it. The proper method is given by the Scientific American: Place soft blotting-paper beneath and on top of the grease-spot, after the latter has been thoroughly saturated with the benzole; then press well. The fat is thus dissolved and absorbed by the paper, and entirely removed from the clothing.

British Meteorological Society has organized a system of observations of natural phenomena connected with the return of the seasons, as affecting the development of animal and plant life. It is expected that in this way much valuable information will be gained with regard to the influence of climate on plants, insects, birds, and other animals. The Royal Agricultural, Horticultural, Botanical, and other societies of Great Britain, have promised their cooperation in the scheme.