144 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Mr. Thomas Ward assigns the causes of 

 subsidences which have taken place at North- 

 wich and its neighborhood, Cheshire, Eng- 

 land, to the pumping of brine for the manu- 

 facture of salt. The first subsidence was 

 noticed about 1770. The sinking has since 

 gone on very rapidly, and much destruction 

 of property has resulted. Large lakes or 

 " flashes," one of more than one hundred 

 acres in area, and of all depths down to for- 

 ty-five feet, have been and are being formed. 



In Central Africa, according to Dr. Jun- 

 ker, an almost perpetual state of warfare 

 prevails. The abduction of a woman is oft- 

 en sufficient to engender strife ; and, conse- 

 quently, the abodes of the Central African 

 tribes and their political conditions are sub- 

 ject to continual and incessant changes. If 

 a conquered tribe will not surrender its ter- 

 ritory, it falls into a condition of bondage to 

 the victorious race. It can not be said that 

 one district is wholly occupied by one race, 

 but the population is in every case very 

 mixed and composed of the most diverse ele- 

 ments. 



The Akkas are described by Dr. Junker 

 as the only voluntary nomads of the Central 

 African regions. They construct their lit- 

 tle cone-shaped grass huts in the shelter of 

 the trees of the woods, and live in a district 

 as long as the chase lasts. They prefer to 

 abide among some tribes and avoid others. 

 The rulers welcome them, and they, being prac- 

 ticed archers and cunning warriors, are em- 

 ployed in the invasions of the territories of 

 neighboring tribes. They possess no indus- 

 try, and buy even their arrow-heads in ex- 

 change for meat, the produce of the chase. 

 They are timid and suspicious, and Dr. Jun- 

 ker only once saw about one hundred and 

 fifty of them together. They can not prop- 

 erly be described as dwarfs, but only as rela- 

 tively very small men. 



M. Jean Luvini supposes that the elec- 

 trical manifestations of the atmosphere are 

 produced by the friction of particles of wa- 

 ter and ice, and such other substances as 

 may be lifted to the upper regions and dis- 

 persed through several miles of thickness. 

 The differences in the character of the mani- 

 festations are dependent upon differences 

 in intensity. Auroral lights are due to dis- 

 charges in rarefied air. 



A sailing vessel of new construction has 

 undergone a successful trial at Southampton, 

 England. Its peculiar feature is the shape 

 of the submerged part, which is that of a W, 

 with the angles well rounded off. The two 

 keels are of brass, and hollow, so that the 

 water flows through them from end to end. 

 The vessel possesses remarkable buoyancy. 



The Medico-Chirurgical Society of Edin- 

 burgh, discussing recently the subject of 

 further legislation for habitual drunkards, 



were agreed that past legislation in the mat- 

 ter had been a complete failure. The pres- 

 ent law presupposes the consent of the pa- 

 tient to measures for putting alcohol out of 

 his reach for a year ; the proposed new law, 

 which the society approved, will do away 

 with this condition. Sir D. Maclagan re- 

 garded the so-called " liberty of the subject" 

 in such a matter as this as " an intense hum- 

 bug." Dr. Batty Tukc insisted on a distinc- 

 tion between those whose drunkenness was 

 a pure vice and those with whom it was an 

 insanity ; to which Dr. Yellowlees objected 

 that it was hard to " house respectable 

 lunatics with the class of habitual drunk- 

 ards." 



In a paper on "Clothing," Mr. Francis 

 Vacher insists, as a primary consideration, 

 on the importance of wearing clean, porous, 

 and warm woolen clothing ; condemns ani- 

 line and other injurious dyes ; exposes the 

 evils of scanty clothing, unequal pressure, 

 heavy superfluous ornaments, ill-adjusted 

 corsets, and high-heeled boots ; discrimi- 

 nates between different styles of children's 

 clothing ; and pronounces the morning suit 

 and under-wear of men nearly perfect. 



As the conditions are set forth in Mr. 

 J. B. Bailey's work on " Modern Methuse- 

 lahs," moderation in eating, drinking, and 

 living are conducive to long life. Persons 

 in a comfortable position and of average in- 

 telligence enjoy better prospects for a long 

 future than those at either extreme. "Ear- 

 nest and ungrudging exercise of the mental 

 powers appears to be no bar to old age, and 

 at times to favor it ; but, as a rule, while a 

 moderate use of the faculties tends to health 

 and endurance, excessive use of them has 

 often, directly or indirectly, had a reverse 

 effect." 



For the removal of tattoo-marks from 

 the skin, M. Variot recommends, in the " Re- 

 vue Scientifique," covering with concentrated 

 solution of tannin and retattooing in the 

 part to be cleared ; then rub with a nitrate- 

 of-silver crayon, when the parts will turn 

 black; sprinkle tannin-powder on the sur- 

 face several times a day. A dark crust will 

 form, which loses color in three or four days, 

 and in a fortnight or so comes away, leaving 

 a reddish scar free of tattoo-marks, which 

 in a few months becomes little noticeable. 



The question whether the cuckoo ever 

 hatches its own eggs is still a subject of 

 active discussion. Ilerr Adolf Midler has 

 lately described a case which he himself 

 claims to have observed. Herr Adolf Wal- 

 ter, who has not observed a case, thinks Dr. 

 Midler is mistaken. An incident related by 

 Dr. Erasmus Darwin is cited in evidence for 

 the affirmative ; but, as Dr. Darwin and his 

 authority are beyond the reach of cross-ex- 

 amination, the adherents of the negative re- 

 fuse to receive it. 



