Science Siftings

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 3, 17 January 1907, Page 35

Science Sif tings

By • Volt'

• A Digging Fish. The digging fish is a native of the lakes and rivers' . of central Africa. When the dry season approaches it burrows in the mud at the bottom of its' residence to the depth of two or three - feet, goes .to sleep and awaits the return of ' the wet season. . • Elasticity of Class*Among _ solids glass is ' apparently perfectly elastic. - A plate of glass bent under pressure and allowed to remain under stress ■ for 25 years, when released and carefully tested for any permanent" set, was found to have returned to exactly its original shape. • Trinidad's Lake of Pitch. The Great Pitch Lake of Trinidad covers' 99_acres, and contains millions of tons of so-called, pitch. This is *in reality a mixture of asphalts and oil, which is continually oozing up through cracks and crevices beneath the pressure of the strata of rock above. The Bell Bird. The bird whose voice has been, found to penetrate to the greatest distance is the bell - bird of New Guinea. It is a white bird, about a foot long from"" beak to tail, and its note, which resembles , the tone of a bell, has been heard at the distance of no less than three miles. Gnat Eggs. The eggs of the gnat are arranged by the parent insect in the form, of a raft which floats ] with its concave side uppermost. If upset it speedily readjusts itself and cannot be kept under water. "At the' proper time a valve in the lower part of each egg opens and_ the insect escapes into the water beneath. Monkeys and Colors. In order to prove its power of discriminating between colors the scientist Dahl made some interesting - tests upon a monkey. He colored some sweets with a certain colored dye and some bitter substances with that of another color. After a few attempts the monkey learned to leave witheut even tasting those articles of food colored with the dye which indicated -bitter tasting substances and_ seized at once upon those which indicated sweets. Varying the experiments sufficiently- he found that the monkey distinguished all- the: different colors readily, save only - dark blue. Many sayage tribes cannot distinguish dark blue from, black and even children distinguish this color later than all- others. Still Learning. .-»•- When in Paris,- says Edison, the inventor, I asked the eminent scientist, Dubois, what makes .my finger go when 1 move it ? What . force telegraphs from' my- - brain to my toe when I move it ? He looked at nic, and said frankly — l Monsieur Edison, I have been working for thirty years on that question,, and it is still ' unanswered.' These and other things interest me deeply, and soon I hope to take them up. The phonograph, battery, cement works, ' and other things will make the path easier, anil then I shall ride my hobby of science. Are we far advanced ? you ask. No, no ; we are living on the ragged edge of knowledge ; we are still very low down ; we do not know one onethousandth part of one per cent, as yet, but- we are learning. - •