Science Siftings

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 16, 23 April 1908, Page 35

Science Siftings

Wonderful Vitality of Insects.

It is a standing puzzle to the - entomologists and others interested in the study of insects how the frail > little creature® of the mosquito and " the butterfly order can brave the , cold of an arctic winter and yet, re- " tain their vitality. A London naturalist took x the '■ larva of the common milkweed butterfly and exposed it " to an artificial blast of 68 degrees below zero. Upon I taking^it" out of the range of this artificial blizzard and ' gradually thawing the creature out,- the naturalist was [ surprised to find th a t the worm was able to creep in * less than half <- an hour afterward. According to the testimony of all the arctic explorers, butterflies and ' mosq/uitoes, as well as a great variety of other insects, ' have been found flitting joyously about in the highest • latitudes ever penetrated by man. It is even declared , by those who have made tours of exploration to the far North :that the mosquitoes of those regions- are the largest and healthiest varieties of that species of pest : that have ever been discovered by man. - The National Tree of China. * ' The tungshu, or wood oil, tree is worthily named the national tree of China. It is stately dn appear- - ance, with smooth, green bark and wide spreading branv- »J ches, affording a fine shade. It belongs to the spurge ; family, of which the castor oil plant is a member. It ■bears a fruit as large as a small orange. Bach nut „ contains three triangular seeds, similar to small Brazil .-■ nuts. The oil is pressed from these seeds, and the xefuse is used as a fertilizer. The oil is used principally for polishing woodwork and dressing leather. Considerable quantities are exported. " The ' wood of the ■ tungshu is used for making musical instruments, fine boxes, and the framework of small houses'." It is free • fronn the ravages of insects. The Cow Tree. In the mountains of, Venezuela grows a remarkable tree. It is found in the rocky places, at heights of about half a mile. It is a stupid-looking tree enough at""" first sight. It 4s lofty a nd slender, and has stiff leaves that grow a foot or more in length. It looks much of . the time as if it were dead. In those regions there is a wet and dry season, and during many months at a time not a shower washes its leaves. It bears very small, insignificant-looking flowers. It is the milk-tree, the famous ' palo de vaca,' which Humjboldt describes. He first brought it into notice. . It is an. evergreen. Its sap is a delicious fluid resembling the finest Jersey milk, only sweeter and richer than even that. Whenthe negroes are . thirsty they cut into the side of the trunk, and the milk gushes forth in a great- stream. It is both food and drink, so rich is it. ' The/ Breathing Cave.' In the western part of North Carolina, in the "mountains known a.s the Fork Range, is located the most remarkable cavern now iknown to exist. It is callted the Breathing Cave, and is certainly- a most wonderful natural curiosity. During, the summer months &■ cur- . rent of air conies from it which is so strong that . a full-grown- man cannot walk against it, and in "winter the inrush of air is equally strong. At times a most unpleasant odor is emitted from -the cave, which is supposed to be from the carcases of dead ~ animals which have been sucked in and killed by coming in contact with the inner walls of the inanimate breatMng ir.oiisier. During the spring months, when the change fici'. inhalatior to exhalation takes place, the air ts -! filled with pellets of hair, dry bones, small claws,~etc. I The Work of a Watch. Very few who carry a watch ever' think of the unceasing labor it performs, says the- Dundee * Advertiser,' under what would be considered shabby treatment for any other machinery. There are many 'who think a watch ought to run- for years .without- cleaning or a. drop of oil. Read this and judge for yourself. " The main i wheel in an ordinary American watch makes four revolutions a*-iday for twenty-four hours, or 1460 in a year. Next, the centre wheel, twenty-four revolutions in a iflay, or 8760 -in. a year. The .third wheel, 192 in a day, or 59,080 in a year. The fourth wheel, 2440 in a day, or 545;000 in. a year. The fifth, or escape "wheel,, 12,96$ in a day, or -4,728,200 in a year. ffW ticks or beats are 388,800 in a day, 14,812,00101 in a year. •