NOTES. 



863 



paring fruit for the market and preserving 

 it for family use. The method by evapora- 

 tion was especially commended. Mr. Ezra 

 Arnold, of Illinois, presented drawings and 

 specifications of a cheap evaporator made 

 and used by himself, with which he had had 

 better success than with the more exj>en- 

 sive dry-houses and evaporators. It is very 

 simple in construction, and with it the in- 

 ventor could dry apples in two hours ; straw- 

 berries in three hours ; peaches, cherries, 

 and corn in two hours, etc. He did not in- 

 tend to make or sell evaporators, but would 

 consign to the Association his right and title 

 in the invention, provided that body would 

 procure cuts to illustrate the different parts, 

 and would distribute gratuitously complete 

 illustrated directions for making and using 

 the evaporator. His proposition was ac- 

 cepted by the Association. (W. Orlando 

 Smith, secretary, Alliance, Ohio.) 



The Mexican Luminous Beetle.— Carl 



Heinemann, of Vera Cruz, has published 

 observations of the Mexican cucuyo {Pyro- 

 phorus), or luminous beetle. Each beetle 

 has three lamps — a pair of small lamps on 

 the prothorax, near the margin, and a large 

 lamp in its abdomen, all developments of 

 the hypodermis, and largest in the male. 

 Though the light is usually nocturnal, yet, 

 if the animal is disturbed by day, it will 

 shine, but less brilliantly, and a sleeping 

 cucuyo will show in a dark chamber a mild 

 light ; and if at such time it is awakened) 

 and breathing begins, the light will appear 

 in its splendor. There are two degrees of 

 luminosity — one soft and the other bright — 

 which may be termed, respectively, the cell- 

 light and the tracheal light, and one may 

 change into the other by stimulation. In a 

 dark room the light appears clear green, in- 

 clining to blue ; in daylight it is yellowish. 

 The spectrum analysis has not been satis- 

 factorily effected, but the light seems to 

 produce a spectrum wanting in half the blue 

 and deficient in the red. An extracted 

 luminous organ will continue to give red 

 light for some hours. No light-nerves were 

 found, and so far there was no evidence of 

 the luminosity being under control of the 

 will. The abdominal light, at least, depends 

 only on the respiratory center. The expira- 

 tion only of the abdomen is active, and the 



inspiration is the passive act of the abdomi- 

 nal muscles returning to their place of rest. 

 On every such inspiration the air brought 

 by the tracheae causes the luminous organ 

 to give its bright, steady light. It is mani- 

 fest that the light depends on a process of 

 chemical oxidation. Mechanical irritation^ 

 chemicals, and electrical stimulus never suc- 

 ceeded in exciting more than the mild cell- 

 light. But a stream of atmospheric air, or 

 of oxygen, brought out the brilliant tracheal 

 light. For the continuance of the light, 

 both oxygen and moisture are favorable. 

 The luminous process goes along with the 

 production of a greenish-yellow substance 

 which is found diffused in the luminous 

 cells ; and this yellow can be fixed. The 

 author believes that a substance is produced 

 in the luminous organ which, on contact 

 with oxygen, burns and gives out light. The 

 ashes produced are rich in phosphoric acid, 

 and from this he concludes that there is a 

 burning of some phosphorous body. 



Isochromatic Photography.— Mr. Fred- 

 eric E. Ives, by washing his plates with a 

 chlorophyl solution in addition to the ordi- 

 nary preparation, takes photographic pict- 

 ures in which all the colors and tones of 

 color — including those which the ordinary 

 plates do not return — are represented in 

 their proper gradations of light and shade. 

 A chlorophyl solution made from blue- 

 myrtle leaves has been found to be the 

 best, although that from a few other 

 leaves may be equal to it. The quality of 

 the plates, when they are to be used immedi- 

 ately, is improved if the solution contains 

 a trace of eosine. But the chlorophyl so- 

 lution without the eosine may, by adding 

 a little zinc in the preparation, be kept for 

 a considerable time without losing its effi- 

 cacy. 



NOTES. 



The " Lancet " sees in precocity simply 

 the early or premature use of the higher 

 cerebral centers, particularly those which 

 stand in near relation to the senses. Even 

 when the higher intellectual centers are 

 affected, the excitation may usually be 

 traced through channels which originate in 

 the senses. The calculating boy is gifted 

 with a specially acute perception of sight- 

 or sound-phantoms, which are so clearly 



