POPULAR MISCELLANY. 



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lecular environment, and the difference be- 

 tween this idea and that heretofore com- 

 mon is, that tlie molecule produces an en- 

 vironment of its own — the space beyond its 

 own geometric boundary, in which it is com- 

 petent to act upon other bodies and compel 

 other bodies to conform in a greater or less 

 degree to it. More than that, a new con- 

 stituent in a nearly saturated molecule could 

 not have as firm a grip upon the structure 

 as the older constituents could have, al- 

 though it might so modify things while pres- 

 ent as to organize other molecules in like 

 manner, but slight changes in the neighbor- 

 hood might slough off the new acquisition in 

 a subsequent generation, so there might be 

 a return to the form and qualities of the 

 ancestry — that is, reversion to a former type 

 would also be a mechanical consequence. 

 Thus growth, heredity, variation, and rever- 

 sion may be considered as the consequence 

 of atoms vibrating in harmonic orders, each 

 producing its own field in the universal 

 ether, and each group of atoms constituting 

 a molecule, large or small, having a field 

 which is the resultant of all the fields of its 

 constituents. All of them are molecular 

 properties as much as any one of them can 

 be, and growth has been believed for a long 

 time to be a property of inorganic molecules. 

 The cause of variation is therefore molecu- 

 lar as truly as isomerism is a different collo- 

 cation of atoms. It is a chemical problem." 



Snake-myths. — A great deal of nonsense 

 has been published, and a great deal more 

 is believed, about snakes. Some most thrill- 

 ing stories turn upon a power which ser- 

 pents are credited with of fascinating their 

 victims. This appears to be a superstition. 

 According to Mr. Vincent Richards, mice, 

 birds, dogs, guinea-pigs, and other small 

 animals, introduced into a rattlesnake's cage, 

 show little fear, even at first, and after- 

 ward none whatever. Smaller birds, after 

 fluttering about till they are tired, end by 

 becoming amusingly familiar with the snakes. 

 Mr. Richards put two rats into a cage con- 

 taining forty cobras. At the outset the 

 rats' appetites were considerably affected, 

 and they were evidently alarmed. In a short 

 time, however, they recovered their spirits, 

 and caused considerable commotion among 

 the cobras by running all over their heads 



and bodies. The snakes resented this fa- 

 miliarity by darting at each other and at 

 imaginary foes. The rats lived and partook 

 of food in the cage for ten or twelve days, 

 when, one after another, they were found 

 dead — " victims, no doubt, of misplaced 

 confidence." It is still a matter of debate 

 whether snakes are proof against their own 

 poison. The remedies advised for snake- 

 bite are of doubtful validity. Because a 

 man recovers after being bitten by a snake, 

 and dosed with opium, mercury, ammonia, 

 or what not, we must not jump to the con- 

 clusion that the treatment has effected a 

 cure. A snake may bite without poisoning. 

 Biting, though in appearance simple enough, 

 consists really of a series of complex move- 

 ments, following rapidly one upon another 

 in ordered sequence, should any of which be 

 inadequately performed, the victim may not 

 be properly poisoned. Ammonia, alcohol, 

 and making the patient move about, are 

 worse than useless ; for they increase the ac- 

 tivity of the circulation, and thereby pro- 

 mote the absorption of the poison. Even 

 permanganate of potash is of no effect un- 

 less it is administered within four minutes. 

 Researches into the nature of the poison 

 have shown that it resides in some proteid, 

 and that there are three toxic elements — 

 globulin, serum albumen, and acid albu- 

 men — but wherein the quality consists that 

 gives to these substances, usually so harm- 

 less, their poisonous power, is as much in 

 the dark as ever. 



The Gems of the Ancients. —The gems of 

 the ancients, according to Prof. J. H. Middle- 

 ton's book on the Engraved Gems of Classi- 

 cal Times, consisted chiefly of the varieties 

 of quartz — including colorless rock crystal, 

 amethyst, sard, carnclian, chalcedony, chrys- 

 oprase, plasma, jasper, onyx, and sardonyx. 

 Among the non-silicious stones were chryso- 

 beryl, topaz, emerald, garnets, peridote, tur- 

 quoise, opal, and lapis lazuli. The translu- 

 cent stones are preferred, for artistic pur- 

 poses, to the transparent ones. They admit 

 the light, but not the forms of objects, and 

 better reveal the charms of fine and noble 

 workmanship. Many "gems" have been 

 wrought or reproduced in paste and glass. 

 Paste was a hard glass colored by various me- 

 talHc oxides, such as those of manganese, iron, 



