Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/37

* DEATH S-HEAD MOTH. 25 DE BARY. caterpillar is yreeiii>li-yellow, the back speckled with black, with transverse lines partly blue and partly white; and feeds on the potato, tomato, and a variety of other plants. This insect is most freijuently seen llyiny about in autumn, and only in the mornings and evenings. It is remarkable for emitting a plaintive squeaking sound, which, with its dark color, and the skull- like mark on the thorax, has led to its being regarded with superstitious dislike, the sudden ajipearance of large numbers being popularly held ominous of evil; while in Mauritius a notion prevails that it easts a dust from its wings which produces blindness in persons on whom it falls, and its entering an apartment is therefore regarded with dread. The sound is produced by the palpi, the inner faces of which are striated and are rubbed again>t the probos- cis; and it is heard strongly and sharply when the insect is conlined in the hand. The death's- head moth is interesting upon still another ac- count, as one of those insects which enter and plunder beehives, feeding upon the honey. DEATH'S JEST BOOK, or The Fool's Tr.gedy. a drama by T. L. Beddoes, published posthumously in 18.50 and founded on the actual stabbing of a thirteenth-century duke by 'his jester. DEATH VALLEY, A desert valley in Inyo County, Cal., lying between the I'anamint Kange on the west and the Funeral. Amargosa, and tirapevine ranges on the east (Jlap: Cali- fornia, E .3). The Panamint range rises to a maximum altitude of 10.9,37 feet in Telescope Peak, while the eastern ranges have altitudes of between 7000 and .SOOO feet. Much of the valley is below sea-level, the lowest point being 480 feet below sea. Tile valley has a length, including the northwest arm, sometimes known as Mes- i|nite Valley, of 135 miles. It varies greatly in breadth, being in few places less than 10 miles wide, and in some places having twice that breadth, while the distaiK'e from sunnnit to summit of the bordering ranges is '^0 to 30 miles. There are several places where ordinarily drinkable water can be obtained in the valley, among them Saratoga Springs in the southeast- cm part, Bennett ^^'ells on the west side, and a point near the mouth of Furnace Creek at the north end of the Funeral range. Several watercourses enter the valley, among them the Amargosa River from the south and Furnace Creek from the east, but it is only after heavy rains, which are of very rare occurrence, that they contain any water. The valley was formerly the bed of a salt lake, along the east side. There is a white salt deposit, with borax appearing in several places. In the western part a salt marsh still exists. The salty bottom of the valley is destitute of vegetation, but on the west side is bordered by mesquite; the east and west slopes possess a sparse vegetation of cacti and desert shrubs and grasses. A growth of tall coarse grass is found in the salt marsh in the northern section. Ani- mal life is confined to a few species of desert animals, chiefly reptilia, such as snakes, lizards, and homed toads; but flocks of blackbirds have been seen there. The meteorological conditions are very interesting, and during one summer the United States Weather Bureau instituted special observations here. The temperatures in the valley during the summer are excessive, a maxi- mum of 122° F. in the shade having been ob- served on successive days. The air is very dry and dew never forms, the relative humidity averaging only about 23 per cent. During live summer months not quite an inch and a half of rainfall occurred, and on only nine days was the rainfall sutlicient to permit its amount to be measured. The summer rains are of local character. It is ])robable that four or five inches of rainfall occur during the year. The prevailing wind is from the south in summer time; the average wind velocity for the season is about 10 miles per hour, which is high for that locality. Sand-storms and dust- whirlwinds occur with considerable frequency. DEATHWATCH. Any of a family of small beetles, Ptinidas, which live on dead animal and vegetable matter. They are usually of a cinna- mon brown color, the trochanters are situated between the femora and the coxip, and their larvae are short, have six legs, no eyes, short antennae, and require one or more years for development. Both the beetles and the larvie do nuicli damage to furniture, house-timbers, ships' stores, drug.s, books, etc. A few, such as the often injurious apple-twig borer {Amphicerus bicaudata), bore into living, solid wood. Another form, of both Europe and America (Lnsioderina serricorne) , is a .serious pest of capsicum and of dried to- bacco. Still another species thrives on opium. The 'deathwatch" whose rapid ticking is so fre- quently heard in the quiet of the night is a species of world-wide distribution (Hitodrepa panicea), which not infrequently feeds on paper, paste, and leather bindings of books. The rap- ping is caused by a rapid hammering with the head on some suitable resounding material, and is probably a sexual call. It may sometimes be found doing this with remarkable force and agility on furniture where its action is observ- able. In England the name is sometimes ap- plied to the book-lice of the family Psocids. See BOOI'CWORM. DE AXJGMENTIIS SCIENTIARUM, de jig-men'shi-is sicn-shi-a'rum (Lat., on the ad- vancement of learning). A treatise by Francis Bacon. It forms the opening chapter of his fnstauratio Magna, and is, after the Novum Organiim, his most important treatise. DEBACLE, da'lia'kl'. A French word, origi- nally applied in that language to the breaking up of the ice in a harbor or river; but intro- duced into English by geologists to express any sudden flood of water, which bears before it op- posing obstacles, and leaves its path marked with confused and scattered fragments of rocks and other debris. La Dchailr is the title of an historical novel by Emile Zola, iniblished in 1892, and describing the downfall of the Second Empire in 1870. By many this book is regarded as the most striking and powerful of all Zola's productions. DE BARY, dii bil're, Heinrich Anton (1831- 88). A (ierman botanist. He was born at Frankfort-on-the-Main, and studied medicine and botany at Heidelberg, Marburg, and Berlin. After filling a professorship at Freiburg (1855- fiii) ami Halle (18(57-72). he was appointed rector of the newly established university at Strassburg. He was editor of the Botanische /('ititiHi from 1806 until his death. He published a number of standard works on fungi and kindred subjects, such as Die Myccfozoen (2d ed.