SCIENTIFIC AND USEFUL

New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 5, 30 January 1892, Page 104

SCIENTIFIC AND USEFUL

A DISTANT STAR. It is difficult to conceive that the beautiful dog star is a globe much larger than our sun ; yet it is a fact that Sirus is a sun many times more mighty than our own. This splendid star, which even in our most powerful telescopes appears as a mere point of life, is, in reality, a globe emitting so enormous a quantity of light and heat that, were it to take the place or our sun, every creature on this earth would be consumed by its burning rays. BEES AS MESSENGERS. It does not seem likely, whatever may be said to the contrary, that bees can be trained to carry messages as easily as passenger-pigeons. An agriculturist living in the Gironde affirms, however, that he has tested the value of bees in this direction with the most satisfactory results, although, as yet, the experiments have been confined to the common garden bee, and the agriculturist who claims to have discovered this industrious insect’s capacities does not pretend that it will work over more than two or three miles. A BULLET IN HIS BRAIN TWENTY-NINE YEARS. Charles C. Borowsky of lowa, U.S.A., received a pistol wound in the left side of the mouth twenty-nine years ago while in the army, and since then has suffered intense pain in the head when lying on his right side or when stooping over. He died recently, and a post-mortem examination was held to ascertain the location of the bullet. It was traced from the mouth upward through the orb of the left eye, and then down and back through the vital part of the brain, where it was found encysted in the membraneous sac in the posterior horn of the left lateral ventricle. The portions of the brain through which the ball passed are the most vital. The physicians declare the case unparalleled. THE LABOUR PROBLEM. Five hundred thousand persons of either sex and all ages are looking for employment in America, and there are only 460,000 places for them to fill. This is the computation of Hon. Carroll D. Wright, United States Commissioner of Labour. The figures are based upon actual returns, from the census and other sources, of the total number of persons employed at different periods, and the increase of the population, showing an average percentage added yearly to the number of persons engaged in all occupations. That is, to keep up the integrity of the work of the country—to keep it up to its full average standard of progression, and fill up the places naturally made vacant —460,000 new places will have to be filled, while the increase of the population shows that there will, in natural order, be 500,000 applicants for these places. THE TUBERCULAR BACILLUS. A French soldier who had borrowed a bugle belonging to a musician who was suffering from tuberculosis became himself a victim to this fatal disease. Dr. Maljean thereupon determined to make some experiments so as to test how far musical instruments might be the means of spreading phthisis. For this purpose, he took a trumpet which had been used for some time by a patient. Pouring a little sterilized w’ater inside the trumpet, he shook it for ten minutes. After standing twenty-four hours, two deposits were formed in the water with which the trumpet had been washed. The lower was a blackish dust-like deposit, while the upper stratum was thick and white. This upper deposit was decanted, filtered through some fine linen, and two cubic centimetres injected under the skin covering the abdomen of a guinea-pig. Thirty-three days afterward, the animal was killed and examined, it was found that advanced symptoms of tuberculosis had developed. THE EARTHLY HADES. The hottest region on the earth is on the south-western coast of Persia, where Persia borders the gulf of the same name. For forty consecutive days in the months of July and August the thermometer has been known not to fall lower than 100 = night or day, and to often run up as high as 128 in the afternoon. At Bahrin, in the centre of the torrid part of the torrid belt, as though it were Nature's intention to make the region as unbearable as possible, no water can be obtained from digging wells 100, 200 or even 500 feet deep, yet a comparatively numerous population contrive to live there, thanks to copious springs which break forth from the bottom of the gulf, more than a mile from shore. The water from these springs is obtained by divers, who dive to the bottom and fill goatskin bags with the cooling liquid and sell it for a living. The source of these submarine fountains is thought to be in the green hills of Osman, some 500 or 600 miles away. THE OSTRICH. During the nesting season the male ostrich seems to be anything but an agreeable creature, and may only be approached in safety with great precaution. He resents the intrusion of any visitors on his domain, and proves a most formidable opponent. His mode of attack is by a series of kicks. The leg is thrown forward and outward, until the foot, armed with a most formidable nail, is high in the air : it is then brought down with terrific force, serious enough to the unhappy human being or animal struck with the Hat of the foot, but much worse if the victim be caught and ripped by the toe. Instances are known of men being killed outright by a single kick. If an unarmed man is attacked, he should never seek safety in Hight; a few yards and the bird is within striking distance, and the worst consequences may result. The alternative is to lie Hat on the ground and submit with as much resignation as possible to the inevitable and severe pummelling which it may be expected will be repeated at intervals until a means of escape presents itself, or the bird affords an opportunity of being caught by the neck, which, if tightly held and kept down, prevents much further mischief. Under such circumstances, an ostrich has been known, with a badly calculated kick, to strike the back of its head and scatter the brains.