SCIENCE SIFTINCS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 21 October 1911, Page 7

SCIENCE SIFTINCS.

PLOTCGRAPiIi' A THOUSAND YEARS AGO. Th.» first sunlight photograph of a iiunu, n face was obtained in 1839 by Professor John William Draper, of New lork University, by the daguerreotype process. The centenary of Draper's birth has, just been celebrated. As long ago as the year 990 a Grecian princess, Eudoxia Makrembossa, observed and recorded what is- supposed to have been the first photo-chemical reaction. Fabricius. in 1556, discovered the darkening of sil-ver chloride when exposed to light, aji in 1727 J. H. Sehulze, a German philologist, utilised the discovery for copying. The method was. of course, crude. Some- years thereafter J. A. 0. Charles prepared in France •-Ingle shadow photographs, and Thomas Wedge wood made a camera and s-oivht to take photographs on silver nitrate paper. They- were not successes. In 1816. Kiepce invented a heliographic process. Daguerre became his partner in 1829, and together they perfected the process.

STINGING TREES. In the southern part of Formosa grows a tree about ten feet in height, having long leaves, which possess the property of the nettle, and produce a maddening irritation of the skin when incautiously touched. The natives call it chiao-jen-kou. meaning "man biting dog." Mr Tokutaro Ito. of Tokio, who has recently made a botanical exploration in Formost. suggests the name "viper tree" as a mor e distinctly warning title. There is another species of "stinging tree" in Australia which attains a height of 15 feet .and the effect of whose touch appears to be even more maddening to men and animals. Horses s.tung bv it have to be shut, and dogs when affected by the poison of the leaves run about whining and biting themselves.

WHAT THE SNUFF-TAKER ASSIMILATES. The main constituent of saiuff is tobacco—Brazil rolls which, in their turn, are mysteriously and wonderfully made. The rolls are composed of tobacco leaves first soaked in syrup and then strongly impregnated' with a variety of spices. These are finely powdered, and to the powder is added beef tallow, lime, pulverised glassy pine needles. pepper herbs, and sulphuric acid. An inuenious gentleman ha* caluclated that the habitual snuff-taker asborbs in ten year.- a pane of glass Bin. by 4in. by lin.\ the fat of half a cow. threepounds of lime, a peck of pepper, and seven gallons of s.ulphur.i cacid.

THE ELEPHANT CURE FOR RHEUMATISM.

Sufferers from rheumatism, gout, and either chronic diseases will be interested in learning how the natives of Somaliland. East Africa, effect cures. It costs an elephant to cure rheumatism in this way. and for that reason the treatment is not likely to become popular where elephants are scarce. In Somaliland. after an elephant has been killed by the native hunters, it is cut open while the body is still warm, and any rheumatic sufferer within hail is invited to step inside the .'lephant's skin. There lie ciouehedown. and remains for an hour or so. This treatment is said by the Somali natives to be a- positive cure for rhouma.ism and gout. A RARE QUADRUPED.

It is interesting to read that there are -till some buffaloes left in North America. The small herd in Wainwright Park in «AJberta has now reached the respectaole total of 809. of which 110 were born in the course of last year. In addition, to these, there are 48 head in Lamont Park, and 24 in the national park at Banff. jl hese animals are the last survivors of the countless? hordes of buffaloes that roamed over the prairies of Manitoba and Alberta not so very many years aco. One may still see their trails in the prairie grass as one journeys in the Canadian Pacific Railway across the continent. There are, of course, crossbreds from the old stocky and the small musk ox is still preserved in North Canada. He is, however, only a small cousin of the big buffalo, and. harmless as he is. the poor little musk ox has nearly been exterminated. THE AGE OF FISH.

Until within recent years there had been ascertained no trustworthw way of finding out the age of fish. It has been shown that mere size does not indicate the age. Reibisch, Heincke. and others have discovered that many of the bones, scales, and otoliths ot fishes have annual age-xinigs), .resembling- t'hbse «n treetrunks, and by means of these Professor vVallace and others h.«ve now determined the rate of growth of plaice, showing that some specimens attain the age of 25. or even as much as 29 years. A<vc can now be correlated with size and weight, although it appears that the sexes have a different rate of growth. A FARMYARD IDYLL.

Homing instinct and marital affection have just been displayed in a remarkable way by a goose and gander udop Cannington Farm, near Nailsea, Bristol." Five year? ago the goose was sold from the farm, and. passing into the stock of two successive owners, came into the hands' of a third purchaser this year. Thi.n third purchaser lived close to the original farm from which the goose had gone outDirectly after its return to the nei"hbourhood. the goose began to go back to the farm daily for the purpose of laying its eggs. This habit, which was' encouraged and protected bv an escorting gander, became so persistent that the first owner was forced to re-purchase the goose.

It was naturally impossible i<> omit the ■ u'eetionate gander f-o'ii the bargain, and the pair were transferred together to Cannington Farm. They immediately commenced an idyllic home life, which culminated during the nesting this year. The gander's attentions were of a very practical kind. It regularly prepared food -for the goose with minute care. It would find a swede, and then peck out the daintiest part of the centre and put it in a heap for consumption. As it could not avail itself of any such mechanism as a gong for announcing the fact, it would next spread its wings and call the goose off the nest. When the meal was satisfactorily finished under its supervision, the gander led the goose to a pond, wher e the pair took a short swim.

The nest wa s then regained in company, and the gander watched over the koose until the time for the same exhibitions arrived next day.