cines administered hypodermically is very rapid, | ing air, showing that the evolution of heat by the and often instantaneous, renders the method invaluable in certain cases; as, for instance, in cases of poisoning by opium, where the application of atropine or belladonna is indicated. ANTIQUITY OF MAN. respiratory combustion may be insufficient to compensate for the loss due to the superficial evaporation, or cutaneous transpiration. In the case of chrysalids, the cocoon, in which the pupa of many lepidoptera and hymenoptera envelop themselves, seems specially intended, among Professor Duncan, in addressing the British other objects, to prevent too rapid a drying of Association upon the principal geological changes the animal, such as would induce a fatal superwhich have occurred in Europe since the appear- ficial refrigeration. Indeed, at the moment of ance of man, premised that no trace of man has being taken out of the cocoon, pupa usually prebeen found associated with any deposits formed sent a distinct elevation of temperature; but, exduring the glacial period in Northern Europe. posed to the air, they lose weight by evaporation, The earliest remains of man and his works, and and the surface temperature of their bodies oftof the beasts associated with him and hunted by en descends below that of the surrounding air. him, rest upon these deposits resulting from gla- When the temperature approaches nearly to 32° cial causes, and are, therefore, later in time. A Fahr., a superficial cooling, due to evaporation, second period, however, of mountain glacializa- does not appear to be produced. tion took place, when the glaciers of the Alps and Pyrenees especially extended far into the districts below them. This was subsequent to the existence of man, since the mud and gravel produced by the grinding down of the mountainsides during this period, and its stratification over the plains, are found to cover the remains of man and his works; and, therefore, to be of a later epoch. This second glacialization, and the arrangement of the wash, are suggested as forming a line of separation between the paleolithic period, when man used rude stone weapons, and the neolithic period, when smooth and polished instruments were manufactured, and, in a general sense, marking the time when the great mammalia disappeared from the northern and western parts of Europe. Among the principal geological changes which occurred after the appearance of man in Europe, our author enumerates the subsidence of an area of land which connected Sicily with Crete and Northern Africa north of the Sahara; the formation of the Straits of Gibraltar; the excavation of the valleys of Northern and Eastern France; the separation of the coasts of France and England, in the region about Dover and Calais, and that of the Isle of Wight from the main land; the formation of a great part of the Bristol Channel; a considerable upheaval of the Scandinavian peninsula and Denmark; the uprise of the Desert of Sahara, in Africa, after the second extension of the Alpine glaciers. TEMPERATURE OF INSECTS. Adult insects, even when sleeping or very weak, always have their temperature either equal to or slightly above that of the air. The larvæ and pupa of insects with incomplete metamorphosis resemble adults in this respect. Mr. Girard also ascertained that the temperature varies appreciably in different regions of the body, especially in insects with powerful aerial locomotion, where the difference in heat between the thorax and abdomen in this respect may be very considerable. In the bumble-bees and in the sphingidæ the excess of the thoracic over the abdominal temperature sometimes amounts to from 7° to 18° Fahr.; the heat in the flying insect being concentrated in the thorax with an intensity proportioned to the power of flight. This appears to result from the fact that in the thorax are situated the strong muscles both of the legs and wings, which in energetic contraction during flight become the seat of an active combustion. Again, in the bumble-bees and some other insects the external evolution of heat was found to be in relation to the buzzing, the temperature falling as soon as the buzzing ceases, and rising again as soon as it is resumed, this being observed many times successively. REMAINS IN THE CAVES OF THE ALTAÏ Professor Brandt, in a recent memoir upon the remains of mammals discovered in the quaternary formation of the caves in the Altaï Mountains, remarks that a great majority of the species belong to forms still living in the same mountains; or, as in the case of the boar and the beaver, The delicate indications in regard to tempera- exterminated there within a recent period, the ture furnished by the thermo-electric apparatus total number hitherto determined amounting to have been lately used to great advantage in many about one-third of the species of the present fauna. investigations having for their object the determ- A few of the remains, however, such as those of ination of minute quantities of heat. Some of the cave hyena, Irish elk, the primitive ox, the these we have already presented to our readers, fossil rhinoceros, and the mammoth, belong to and we have now to chronicle some new experi- animals of the existence of which in later times ments with the apparatus, for the purpose of as- there is no historical evidence, not much reliance certaining the amount of heat possessed by in- being placed upon an alleged tradition of the vertebrate animals, in continuation of the re- Tartars of Southern Siberia, in regard to the ocsearches of Dutrochet, Dubost, Newport, and currence of giant animals, with which their anothers. The observations in question were made cestors were in the habit of contending. Another by Mr. Maurice Girard, with both the thermo- animal found in these caves is the horse, of which electric pile and the mercurial thermometer. no wild specimens occur at the present time in From an abstract of the results obtained we Siberia. The bones of this animal seem in rather learn that in the larva and pupa of insects better preservation, and consequently of newer with a complete metamorphosis, especially cater- introduction, than those of the extinct species just pillars with smooth bodies, the temperature of mentioned. A similar condition of preservation the surface descends below that of the surround-attaches to bones of the bison, while those of the primitive ox have lost their organic matter al-periment about half a grain of caffein was conmost in the same proportion as the mammoth and sumed daily, and the amount of urea was diminother species. From this Professor Brandt con- ished 28 per cent. ; while an infusion of about two cludes that the primitive ox was exterminated in ounces of roast coffee diminished it by 20 per Asia as well as in Europe earlier than was the cent. This is asserted to be the result of very case with the bison and the wild horse; this be- careful experiments of a physiologist upon himing due, perhaps, in the case of the ox, to the self, proving that caffein and roast coffee diminmore palatable nature of its flesh when com- ish the oxydation of the system, and temper the pared with that of the bison. Finally, our author process of denutrition. The excessive frequency remarks that, even if the coexistence of man in and intensity of the beating of the heart was also Siberia and the colossal and extinct animals can found to be reduced in several instances. not be established on palentological and archæ- probable, according to the author, that a similar ological data, although indicated perhaps in some action is exerted by some other substances-the obscure sagas, yet we may assume it with toler- Paraguay tea, especially, which, it is well known, able certainty, as we know that he lived in Eu- enables the natives of the Andes to subsist for a rope unquestionably at the same time with the long time on an incredibly small amount of food. mammoth, rhinoceros, Irish elk, bison, and the auerochs, and possibly even emigrated from Asia at the same time with them. HOMERIC IRON. It is NON-CONDUCTING HANDLES OF TEA-POTS. The interposition of two non-conducting portions in the metallic handle of a tea-pot, as is well known, prevents a considerable degree of It has lately been suggested that wherever iron inconvenience in handling it when filled with is mentioned as occurring in the earlier Scrip- boiling-hot liquid. Another method of accomtures, as well as in the ancient Greek authors, plishing the same result, recently suggested, is such as Homer and Hesiod, in all cases it is to based upon the absorption of the heat conducted be considered as referring to meteoric iron, the toward the handle by a material having a large period when mankind was able to reduce the capacity for heat, and which, consequently, will metal from its ores not yet having arrived. This take up the heat which the metal of the handle view is supported by Professor Haidinger, of is able to conduct, without being itself raised to Vienna, in a very elaborate and learned disqui- a high temperature. For this purpose the hansition; and he also suggests that the iron found dle is to be made hollow, as heretofore, and afon the surface of the earth in Southern Africa for fixed to the metal pot without the interposition a time, and used by the natives, as well as that of any non-metallic substance. It is then to be employed by the Esquimaux in making imple-filled with water through a minute perforation ments before their association with the whites, is due to the same origin. PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF COFFEE made for the purpose, which can be done by TEMPERATURE OF THE EARTH AT DIFFER- A commission of the British Association has for some years been engaged in collecting evidence in regard to the temperature of the earth at different depths and in different regions. By some of the observations, the rule heretofore an An interesting communication was recently made at a meeting of the Academy of Sciences in Paris in regard to the value of coffee as an article of food. Attention was called to a statement of Mr. Gasparin, in 1850, that the miners of Charleroi preserved their health and great vigor of muscular force by the use of less than half of the nutriment indicated as necessary by theory and daily observation. Using food containing less nitrogen and carbon than the daily ration of the monks of La Trappe, whose countenances are pale, and who exercise scarcely onefifth as much as an ordinary workman, these Bel-nounced in regard to increase of temperature gian miners were most industrious and energetic in their labors. The secret of the difference was stated by Mr. Gasparin to consist in the use every day by these miners of a pint of an infusion of about an ounce of coffee prepared in two quarts of water, which served the purpose of counteract ing the injurious effect of an insufficient supply of food. was corroborated, namely, that which fixes it at one degree to about fifty feet, in some instances varying a little in excess or diminution. Attention was called to the interest which would attach to carefully prepared observations made in the great artesian well near St. Louis, which, as is known, reached the depth of 3843 feet, greatly exceeding that of any other well of the Reference was also made to an experiment in kind in the world. Unfortunately this well is 1860, by Mr. Jousand, in which, by the use of a blocked up at a point comparatively near to the decoction of about an ounce and a half of pow-surface; and it would involve great expense to dered coffee, a young man was kept, with no other food whatever, in good health and strength for seven days, during which time he took more active muscular exercise than usual, without any special inconvenience. The particular deduction from these experiments appears to be that coffee has an important action in preventing denutrition and emaciation. An illustration of this is seen, according to the author, in the effect upon the urea. In one ex open it out again for the purpose of prosecuting special experiments. Mr. Glashier, on the same occasion, presented some remarks in regard to the temperature of the air at different altitudes, and explained that although in general the cold increases the higher we ascend in the atmosphere, yet at some seasons, at a certain distance from the earth, the temperature is higher instead of lower than at the surface; furthermore, it was ascertained that at given elevations the thermometer indicated a higher point at night COLOROMETRIC DETERMINATION OF GOLD A process for the colorometric estimation of the quantity of gold in quartz has been submitted by Mr. Skey, of the government laboratory, to the Philosophical Society of Wellington, New Zealand, which is said to meet all requirements without the necessity of using quicksilver. The stone to be estimated, after having been thoroughly crushed and calcined, is immersed in a bath of iodine or bromine, and permitted to stand for some time. Slips of Swedish filtering-paper are then dipped in the fluid and dried alternately until the paper is thoroughly saturated, after which they are burned in a muffle. If no gold be present the ashes will be white, but one pennyweight to the ton will give them a beautiful purple color. It is believed that further experiments, with iodine or bromine baths, of known contents of gold, will enable the exact proportion of gold to be tested by the colorometric method. PAPER FROM OAT REFUSE. Paper is manufactured from oat refuse by Mr. Hay, of Glasgow, by first immersing the oat husks in water in a tank in order to float off mustard and other seeds, with which they are frequently more or less mixed, and which, if not separated, materially deteriorate the quality of the paper. It is of advantage to have the water well stirred, as it facilitates the separation of the foreign seeds, and allows them to float to the surface. The oat husks are then allowed to settle, and the surface scum and floating seeds are drawn off by an overflow pipe at the top of the tank, or skimmed off by a rake or other tool, or otherwise removed; after which the water is drained from the oat husks by a waste-water pipe at the bottom of the tank, and beneath a perforated false bottom, or fitted with a strainer which retains the oat husks. The oat husks may be left to steep in the water for from five to ten hours after or during the removal of the scum, as this steeping, by softening them and helping to loosen the silica from the fibre, facilitates the subsequent boiling process. A new form of cement, of much value, may, it is said, be prepared by finely pulverizing the slag of iron furnaces, and passing this through a fine sieve. This powder is then to be mixed in a mill with calcined gypsum, to which a variable amount of soluble phosphate of lime has been previously added. The best proportion of the different ingredients is said to consist of 700 parts of gypsum and 300 of slag, to which, for use in the open air, 28 parts of soluble phosphate of lime are to be added. This, however, may be replaced by a corresponding quantity, six to fourteen parts, of phosphoric or boracic acid, or any other substance capable of combination with the iron. The superphosphate of lime may also be substituted for the soluble phosphate. For this, however, an equal quantity of slag must be used. On the other hand, if the quantity of soluble phosphate of lime is increased, the sulphate may be entirely omitted. It is always necessary to have the different ingredients finely pulverized and well mixed. When used, a sufficient quantity of water is to be added, and the whole thoroughly stirred together. With these substances blocks can be made as hard as marble, and capable of imitating this substance very closely. For this purpose the necessary moulds are to be laid upon a porous bed-gypsum, for instance-and subjected, by means of a screw or hydraulic press, to a great pressure. The cement, thus compressed, is removed from the mould in the form of a very hard block, which takes as fine a polish as marble, and may be stained or colored previous to the pressure in such a way as closely to resemble the different colors of this rock. This artificial marble resists the influence of air, moisture, and frost, and is said to be well adapted for the fronts of houses, floor tiles, etc. THE SARGASSO SEA. Dr. Collingwood has recently published an interesting account of the Sargasso Sea of the North Atlantic, one of several immense areas of CHLORIDE OF ZINC AS A PAINT. floating meadows of sea-weed found in mid-ocean Chloride of zinc, which has been used to ad- in different parts of the globe. The one to which vantage as a cement, is now highly recommend- our author refers is that which occupies the greater ed as a paint. A convenient application for this portion of that breadth of the Atlantic Ocean bepurpose is made by stirring a mixture of oxide tween the coast of Africa and the region of the and chloride of zinc in cream of tartar, adding West Indies, from 20° to about 65° of west lonstarch enough to bring it to the proper consist-gitude, and from the parallel of 20° to that of ency, and then boiling the whole and allowing it to cool. If the paint is to be colored in any way, a pigment of the desired shade of color is to be introduced before boiling with the starch. In the course of half an hour the paint becomes dry and hard, in consequence of the formation of oxychloride, and the drying would be still more rapid if it were not somewhat retarded by the presence of the cream of tartar. This paint does not become darkened in the air, and is without smell; and even in winter, in consequence of its quick drying, will admit a second and third coat in the space of a few hours. It 45°. This area is compared to that of the Mississippi Valley; and this immense bed of floating sea-weed was at one time supposed to be derived from plants originally attached to the bottom, and subsequently torn off by some severe storm; but it is now understood that the plants composing it increase by rapid growth, although in this condition they never produce either roots or fruit. It is therefore supposed, from their multiplying in this manner, that they are a peculiar form of one or more species described by botanists, which produce fruit only when rooting in the shallower waters; and that this growth and development may continue indefinitely for an immense num- vate student may have access at all times to obber of years. jects in the public galleries. This meadow of sea-weed is remarkable not only for the immense extent of vegetation, but for the great variety of animal life abounding in its midst. Innumerable species of crustacea, many annelids, mollusca, polyzoa, polyps, and fishes are found in it. Investigations of patches of the weed always furnish a fruitful field of research to naturalists. It is mentioned as an interesting circumstance that all the animals found harboring in the Sargasso sea-weed are of the same general tint as that of the weed itself, assimilating themselves so closely that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish them at first sight. It is not at all improbable that, in view of the immense amount of minute animal life in these localities, many of our wandering fishes, such as various species of mackerel, etc., find in such places those breeding regions that we have hith erto sought for in vain. The position of the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic, as well as similar patches in other oceans, is believed to be determined by the course of the greater oceanic currents, as it occupies the eddy formed by the northern drift of the Gulf Stream, toward the west, and its southward branch, which is deflected from the Banks of Newfoundland, and extends to the south, by the way of the Azores, along the coast of Africa. Another tract of the Sargasso Sea is found in the Pacific, off the coast of Lower California; and still another extends along in the antarctic waters from Australia to the Falkland Islands. NEW BUILDINGS FOR THE BRITISH 5. A complete library of natural history should be furnished for the special use of the institution, and be placed in some central portion of the building, equally accessible to all departments. 6. The collections of osteology, the spiritpreparations, the skins in store, the series of British animals, the collection of "nests and nidamental structures," and all other subordinate collections, should be amalgamated in the general series. 7. The collections of the paleontological department should likewise be amalgamated with the general series. The views of Dr. Sclater in regard to the employment of a continuous system of wall-cases were stoutly contested, among others by Mr. Alfred Wallace and Professor Archer, the objections on the part of Mr. Wallace being that: 1. They admit of any object being seen by the smallest number of persons at once, so that any one person studying an object almost necessarily monopolizes it, and prevents others from approaching it, an inconvenience that reaches its maximum in the recessed cases exhibited in Dr. Sclater's plan. 2. Objects in wall-cases can be seen only on one side, which, as all sides of natural objects require to be seen, would necessitate many specimens to do the duty of one. 3. The observer on one side, from which alone he can see an object, will generally stand in his own light, and will often have distinct vision further impaired by reflection from the glass. 4. When small objects occur alternately with large ones a great waste of space results, and the attention is distracted from the less conspicuons object. 5. The use of wall-cases on one side of a gallery for an entire museum is an expensive and wasteful mode of arrangement. The announcement of the intention on the part of the British government to provide new buildings for the accommodation of the immense natural history collection now forming part of the British Museum has interested the English naturalists in regard to the best method of arranging and displaying the specimens, both for Professor Archer indorsed the statements of the benefit of men of science and special students, Mr. Wallace, and remarked that, in his opinion, as well as of the general public. Among other the best use of wall space is for purposes of illuscommunications, an important one was presented tration; but he does not consider it at all adaptby Dr. P. L. Sclater, the well-known secretary ed for a large number of objects of natural history. of the Zoological Society of London, and a nat- He indicated his preference for the plan adopturalist of great eminence, which formed the sub-ed for the South Kensington Museum, of havject of an animated discussion at the late meet-ing a succession of detached cases, each complete ing of the British Association. The conclusions in itself, and inclosed in glass, and adapted for of Dr. Sclater's paper are enunciated in the following propositions, as summed up by himself: 1. The administration of the new museum of natural history should be vested in a director, who should be immediately responsible to one of the Queen's ministers. 2. The collections should be primarily divided into two series: (a) those intended for public exhibition; (b) those reserved for private study. 3. The collections a (for public exhibition) should be arranged in their natural order, in one continuous series of galleries, so as to give the best possible general idea of the principal forms of life, and of their arrangement according to the natural system. 4. The collections b (for private study) should be arranged in rooms immediately adjacent to the public galleries, in such a manner that the corresponding portions of a and b should practically form but one series, and so that the pri the reception and exhibition of a special group of forms, different sizes of these cases being so arranged as to admit of the varying dimensions of the sections to be exhibited. The paper of Dr. Sclater, and the discussion following it, may be read with profit by all those who have public museums in charge, or who contemplate the erection of cases for the exhibition of specimens of natural history. PROTECTION OF WILD-FOWL We have on several occasions referred to the law passed by the British Parliament imposing a penalty for the disturbance of the sea-fowl and their eggs during certain months of the year, and to the great increase that has resulted, even within two years, from this enactment. propriety of extending a similar protection to other birds has been under consideration; and Professor Newton, chairman of a committee ap The suggested, by the presence of small mineral particles, probably derived from glacier dust (brought into the lake by drainage from glacier pointed on that subject, is decidedly of the opinion that protection should be afforded by law, during the breeding season, to wild-fowl, since with this these birds may long continue to fur-streams), of such extreme minuteness as not to nish, at other times of the year, valuable food to the public, notwithstanding the changes which some parts of the country are undergoing from agricultural improvements and increase of population. BLUE COLOR OF LAKE AND SEA WATER. Professor Tyndall has recently been investigating the cause of the blue color of the water of the Lake of Geneva, specimens having been transmitted to him for the purpose. He finds that this color is caused, as had previously been settle even when the water is allowed to stand for a long time. Professor Tyndall furthermore states that not only is the light mainly blue from the first moment of its reflection from the minute particles, but the less refrangible elements which always accompany the blue are still further abstracted during the transmission of the scattered light by true molecular absorption. These two causes, scattering and absorption, he considers sufficient to account satisfactorily for the exceptional blueness of both the Lake of Geneva and of the Mediterranean Sea. Ο Editor's Bistorical Record. UNITED STATES. These resolutions provide for three commisthe payment of expenses, and for a secretary, versed in the English and Spanish languages, whose compensation shall be determined by the Secretary of State, with the approval of the President. The resolutions were adopted by the Senate, December 21, by a vote of 31 to 9. In the House they were adopted, January 10, with an amendment, concurred in the next day by the Senate, declaring that the government is not by these resolutions committed to the scheme of annexation. The Democrats as a body voted against them. The President appointed as commissioners exSenator Wade, Professor White, of Cornell University, and Bishop Simpson. The latter declined for personal reasons, and in his place was appointed Dr. Samuel G. Howe, of Boston, who has traveled extensively through the West Indies. General Sigel was originally appointed secretary, but he declined, and Allan A. Burton was appointed in his stead. The commission, accompanied by several scientific men, departed from New York city in the Tennessee January 17. UR Record closes on the 24th of January.sioners, to serve without compensation, except The prominent topics of the month have been the San Domingo Commission, the election of United States Senators, the Georgia election, the defeats of the French armies about Paris, the assassination of General Prim in Madrid, the assumption of the Spanish crown by an Italian prince, the completion of the Mont Cenis Tunnel, the rehabilitation of the German empire, and the meeting of the London Conference. The proceedings of Congress may be very briefly summarized. Senator Morton, December 20, called up in the Senate the joint resolutions authorizing the appointment of commissioners "to proceed to the island of San Domingo, and to inquire into, ascertain, and report the political state and condition of the republic of Dominica, the desire and disposition of the people of the said republic to become annexed to and to form part of the people of the United States; the physical, mental, and moral condition of the said people, and their general condition as to material wealth and industrial capacity; the resources of the country; its mineral and agricultural products; the products of its waters and forests; the general character of the soil; the extent and proportion thereof capable of cultivation; the climate and health of the country; its bays, harbors, and rivers; its general meteorological character, and the existence and frequency of remarkable meteorological phenom-upon Mr. Samuel Hooper, of Massachusetts. ena; the debt of the government and its obligations, whether funded and ascertained and admitted, or unadjusted and under discussion; treaties or engagements with other powers; extent of boundaries and territory, what proportion is covered by grants or concessions, and generally what concessions or franchises have been granted; the terms and conditions on which the Dominican government may desire to be annexed to and become part of the United States as one of the Territories thereof; and such other information with respect to the said government or its territories as to the said commissioners shall seem desirable or important with reference to the future incorporation of the said Dominican republic into the United States as one of its Territories." In the House, January 5, Mr. Robert C. Schenck, the newly appointed minister to England, resigned. The sum of $2500 was voted him to secure the services of an amanuensis. Mr. Schenck was chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means-a position now devolving A resolution was passed in the House January 9 referring all bills, resolutions, petitions, and papers now before Congress and any committee of either House, on the subject of ocean telegraph cables, to a joint committee, consisting of five members of the Senate and eight of the House, with power to send for persons and papers, and to report at any time. In the Senate, January 10, Senator Sherman's bill providing for the revision of the Mint and Coinage laws was passed, 36 to 14. This bill makes the Mint a bureau of the Treasury Department, under a director, to be appointed for five years. January 13, in the House, a bill to provide for a commission to audit all claims for damages caused by the Anglo-Confederate steamers Ala |