POPULAR MISCELLANY. 



509 



the basin in which it is found the surface is 

 sand, either white and barren or brown and 

 loamy, with occasional ridges or distribu- 

 tions of limestone. Next below this is segre- 

 gated limestone, hard and approaching crys- 

 tallization, the interstices filled with light- 

 brown tenacious clay, followed by compact 

 light-red sandstone of various thickness, 

 fading in color and consistence until it 

 touches the water and merges into quick- 

 sand. On the lowest flats fissures occur in 

 the limestone; the orifices are very small 

 and irregular, but reach to the underlying 

 quicksand.. The following is the result of 

 an analysis of this mineral caoutchouc : 



Moisture 0.4682 



Carbon 64.7300 



Hydrogen 11.6300 



Ash 1.7900 



Fixed carbon 1.0050 



Oxygen, and other unestimated 



matters 20.3768 



100.0000 



Living Ont-of-Doors. A retreat for con- 

 sumptives should possess above all things 

 an equable temperature throughout the 

 year, so as to favor living out-of-doors at 

 all seasons. The advantages possessed in 

 this respect by the Hawaiian or Sandwich 

 Islands can hardly be surpassed. The cli- 

 mate there, says Dr. H. B. White, in the 

 " Proceedings " of the Kings County Medi- 

 cal Society, in its average temperature and in 

 equability, may be said to be perfect. These 

 islands are situated between 19 and 22 

 north latitude, where the trade-winds blow 

 with great regularity about ten months of 

 the year. Though lying within the tropics, 

 the temperature is modified by the constant 

 fresh breezes. In the language of Hawaii, 

 there is no word for weather. The most 

 favorable situations for consumptives are, 

 according to Dr. White, Honolulu, Lahaina, 

 Ulepalekua, Kailua, and Ewa. The main 

 temperature on and near the coasts is 75 

 to 79 for the warmest months, and 72 for 

 the coldest. During Dr. White's four years' 

 residence at Lahaina the maximum was 84, 

 and the minimum 61, while the general 

 average for the summer months was 82 for 

 mid-day, and about 72 for the winter 

 months. By ascending the mountains a few 

 miles inland, almost any degree of tempera- 

 ture can be obtained. 



" Farewell." 



Farewell ! I thought you loved me once that 



dream is past forever ! 

 Farewell I I must forget you now ; that is, I 



must endeavor. 

 From all your vows of constancy I set you free 



henceforth, 

 And you needn't try them on again, I know now 



what they're woith. 



You have quite ceased to care for me ; with 



science you've been bitten, 

 Since you read that very stupid book that Mr. 



Darwin's written. 

 I can't think what it signifies ; I'm sure I never 



wondered 

 Whether we all descended from one " type" or 



from a hundred. 



If you remained unaltered, I shouldn't care the 



least 

 About the variability of any bird or beast ; 

 But you carry out the principle of change and 



variation, 

 So I leave you to your science may it prove a 



consolation ! 



I call it such a waste of time, bothering about 



these things, 

 Racking one's brains to find out why opossums 



haven't wings. 

 Of course, it's very curious spiders should live 



on flies, 

 And that the tails of peacocks should be so full 



of eyes. 



Of course, it's all most interesting, there's not 



a doubt about it, 

 But I think that you and I, dear, were happier 



without it ; 

 So I act on this idea of Natural Selection, 

 And beg yon to accept of my definitive rejection. 



Yet the light of all my life is quenched, my hap- 

 piness gone by; 



I sha'n't " struggle for existence ; " I shall just 

 lie down and die. 



Each hour I live apart from you my misery in- 

 creases, 



And it's all through Mr. Darwin and his "Ori- 

 gin of Species." 



Improvements in Photography. Both 

 the chemist and the practical photographer 

 will be interested in a communication from 

 Mr. M. Carey Lea, published in the Ameri- 

 can Journal of Science, for July on certain 

 new means of developing the latent photo- 

 graphic image. It has been supposed that 

 only very few bodies possess this singular 

 power of developing, but Mr. Lea's re- 

 searches show 1. That, on the contrary, 

 such bodies are very numerous ; 2. That, 

 contrary to what has been generally held, 



