Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 18.djvu/381

* SOLAR MICROSCOPE. 327 SOLENHOFEN STONE. Instead of the sun's rays, the oxyhydrogen lime- light and the electric arc have been employed, the rays being thrown on the double convex con- denser by means of a reflector. SOLAR PARALLAX. See Parallax. SOLAR SYSTEM. The planets and comets pur^uinj; orbital revolutions round the sun com- bine with it to form a system to which is given the name of solar system. It is not impossible that many stars are the centres of somewhat anal- ogous systems. This, however, is merely a mat- ter of speculation. Xo change of much magnitude can take place in the elements of the planets' orbits without having effect on the earth and its inluibitants, on account of the nuitual attractions of the planets for each other; in fact, they ap- pear as members of one isolated family, bound together by common ties, which could not be rup- tured in the case of one individual without com- municating a general shook to the otiicrs. ( See AsTRONOiiY. ) The various members of the solar system are noticed under Pla>'ET.s (and each planet under its own name), Planetoid.s. -Comet, Sun, Moon, Satellites, Meteor.s; their motions are treated of under Gravitation. Central Forces, Preces.sion, Orbit. Perturbations ; and their probable origin under Cosmogony, Xebul.e; so that it only remains here to give the more interesting niuuerical facts connected with them: soldier beetle {Chauliognathus Pennsylvanicus) is a common species in the Eastern United States and is considered very beneficial. The a<lults are commonly found upon flowers, where they jjroba- bly feed upon the pollen, ami are of value to agri- culture as cross-fertilizers of plants. SOLDIER BUG. A name given to certain predatory stink-bugs (q.v.) of the family Penta- tomidoe, especially such forms as Podisiis siiino- sus, Stirctrus anchorago, Xc:ara ItiUiris, and Euachistiis servus, which are comtuon enemies of caterinUars. SOLDIER FLY. Any one of the broad, flat- bodied flies of the family Stratiomyiidie, called 'soldier flies' on account of tlu' l>riglitly colored stripes with which some species are marked. As a rule they are dark-colored and smooth. About 1000 species are known, and 200 of these are found in Xorth America. SOLE (OF.. Fr. sole, from Lat. solra. sole, slipper, from solum, ground, soil). A flatfish ( q.v. ) of the family Soleid*. The eotninon sole of Europe l,Solea vulgaris) attains a length of from 10 to 20 inches and is highly esteemed for food. The American sole (Achirus fasciatus), or "hog- ehocker,' is only about six inches long and is of less value. See Plate of Flatfish and Floun- ders. NAME OF PLANET Mercury Venus Eartli Mars Planetoid Ceres .lupiter Saturn UranuH Neptune SOLDER (souldure, soudere, Fr. sovdure. sol- der, from soulder, souder, to solder, consolidate, from Lat. soUdare, to make firm, from snlidiis, solid, connected with OLat. sollus, Gk. fiXoj, holos, Skt. sarvn, whole, entire) . Any fusible alloy that may be used for joining metals. Solders vary widely in composition according to the metals which it is desired to unite. Soft solder consists of tin 1 part and lead 2 parts; while a finer variety consists of tin 2 parts and lead 1 part. Spelter solder is copper 2 parts and zinc 1 part. In addition t'-ere are numerous solders for spe- cial metals, such as gold, platinum, silver, etc. (See Alloy.) When solders are to be applied in the common work of plumbers and tinmen, a tool called a soldering iron is used, which is heated red hot, and affords a convenient means of applying the heat direct to the solder, the parts to be united, and the flux, which may be borax, rosin, zinc chloride, etc. In place of a soldering iron a blowpipe is often used to ad- vantage. For brass soldering, see Brazing. SOLDIER BEETLE. A name in the United States for any beetle of the tribe Telephoridi of the family Malacodermidfe. The name is partly derived from the trim appearance and colorational markings, which suggest an army uniform. The larvae are predatory and feed ex- tensively upon soft-bodied insects, such as plant- lice and small caterpillars. The Pennsylvania Diameter in miles 3.030 7,700 7,918 4,230 488? 86.600 73,000 31,900 34,800 Density, earth's being 1 0.85? 0.89 1.00 0.71 ? 0.24 0.13 0.22 0.20 Mass, earth's being 1 1 ''•'? 318 95 15 17 Distance from sun in millions of miles Period of revolution, in days 36.0 88 67.2 225 92.9 365 141.5 687 257.1 1,681 483.3 4,333 886.0 10,759 1,781,9 30,087 2,791.6 60,181 SOLEILLET, so'la'ya', Paul (1842-86). A French explorer, born at Nimes. In 1873-74 he attempted to find a route for a commercial road between Algeria and the Xiger. He failed in this, but his explorations convinced him of the practicability of a trans-Saharan railroad. He went to Senegambia in 187S in the interests of this project, but his operations were frustrated by the Governor. In 1881 he went to Kaffa by way of Shoa and laid the way for French ap- proach to the southern borders of Abyssinia. Theti he was intrusted with founding the French colony of Obok on the Gulf of Aden. He died while on a new expedition to Shoa. His most important publications are: Exploration du Sahara central (1874) ; Voyage a Segou (1878-79) ; Voyages en Ethiopie (1885) ; and Vne exploration en Ethio- pie (1886). SOLEMN" LEAGUE AND COVENANT. The agreetnent between the Scoteli and Parlia- mentarians during the great Civil War in Eng- land. See Co'EN.'VNTS, The. SOLENHOFEN (zo'len-ho'fen) LITHO- GRAPHIC STONE. A deposit of limestone of Upper .lurassic age. which, on account of its fine- grained character and homogeneous texture, is admirably adapted for lithographic purposes. The most important quarries occur at Snlenhofen, near Pappenheim, in Bavaria. The beds of good