May 1, 1899.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



109 



have specialized to so great an extent that there will be 

 no common ground upon which we, or they, can meet. 



If, then, we are all to become specific parts, or volumes, 

 of one great book, there must ultimately be an outcry for 

 the index, or, at best, the synopsis of chapters. Where 

 will it be found ? 



Both sciences and arts have been lost in the years which 

 have gone before ! 



Our case is by no means fully stated here, but the effort 

 has been made to indicate the lines upon which it should 

 be argued. 



A time may come when there will be a need of authori- 

 tative advice upon some question of pure or applied 

 science, and there will be difficulty in finding the Oracle 

 amongst the number of temples which will have arisen. 



For this reason it seems imperative that some scheme 

 for the better interchange of thought should be set on 

 foot. 



Any deliberative body attempting to set forth the propa- 

 ganda of such an institution must carefully avoid the 

 introduction of that social aspect which would, from the 

 outset, discount the success of such a scheme (even to 

 damnation) more assuredly than has been the case 

 already, in some instances, which must here be taken as 

 excellent examples of what to avoid. Admitting that 

 social functions are pleasant, yet we must specialize just 

 so far as to leave them severely alone. 



If an instance should be required to make clear the 

 dangerous shoals upon which we seem to be going, full 

 speed ahead, let us suggest a simple one, which should 

 appeal to all. If a dental operation is to be undergone, 

 well, the fjeneral practitiojier is the man who saves the 

 situation — from at least much of its possible pain, by the 

 kindly administration of the anaBsthetic. 



Trusting that enough has been said to indicate a want, 

 and regretting that space does not permit of suggestions 

 as to how it may be met, it seems incumbent upon us, for 

 the moment at least, to leave the matter. 



23, Pembroke Eoad, W. Howabd Little. 



MIRA CETI. 

 To the Editors of Knowledge. 



Sirs, — Continuing my observations of o Ceti (Mira), 

 during the passing apparition, my estimates of its light 

 are as follows : — 



The star is now too low in the city smoke for further 

 useful observations. The gaps in the observations are due 

 to bad weather, as no opportunity for an observation was 

 missed. 



Putting the maximum at October 4th, Mira was then 



thirty-five days late, as that phase, following the terms 

 of the second catalogue, and the data of previous years, as 

 given in "The Companion," was due August 31st (not in 

 July, as stated in my last note). 



The approaching minimum will be watched for. 



Memphis, Tenn., U.S.A., David Flaneky. 



16th March, 1899. 



THE LOTE-GIPTS OF BIRDS. 

 To the Editors of Knowledge. 



SiBs, — With reference to the love-signs of pigeons, I 

 find I was guilty of a mis-quotation in the April number 

 of Kno\sxedoe in stating that the male pigeon inserts his 

 bill into that of the female. The contrary is the case. 

 Also, the strongest males (independently of their being the 

 best fliers) are the most likely to offend against the exem- 

 plary moral law of the genus. 



Charles A. Witchell. 



Scicuct l^otts. 



• 



A new way of preserving milk has been tried, after which 

 it retains all the properties of the fresh article. New milk 

 is cooled down directly, and treated to pure carbonic acid 

 gas under a pressure of five or six atmospheres for four or 

 five hours. This kills all germs which require oxygen or 

 iierobic bacteria. Then the milk is subjected to a pressure 

 of five atmospheres in the presence of oxygen for five 

 hours, after which all germs that will not flourish in 

 contact with oxygen, but obtain their supply from the 

 substances they live upon, or aniierobic bacteria, are 

 found to be destroyed. In transit the milk is carried in 

 vessels containing oxygen under two atmospheres' pressure, 

 which may be in the form of syphons. 



To distinguish unpasteurized milk. Professor Storch has 

 elaborated a useful test, and this in connection with the 

 Danish law which does not allow skim milk or buttermilk 

 to be sold that has not been heated to eighty- five degrees 

 Centigrade, in order to limit the spread of tuberculosis. 

 Babcock foimd that hydrogen peroxide is decomposed by 

 the fibrin of milk, cream is more active than whole mUk, 

 while skim milk has less effect, and milk heated to one 

 hundred degi-ees Centigrade has none. The limit as 

 determined by Storch is seventy-nine degrees Centigrade, 

 milk heated up to that temperature stiU being able to reduce 

 hydrogen peroxide. To perform the test a teaspoonful of 

 the material, be it cream, milk, or whey, is shaken in a 

 test tube with a drop of peroxide of hydrogen, some 

 strong sulphuric acid, and two drops of an indicator 

 (paraphenylendiamin). Milk or cream immediately colours 

 indigo blue, and whey violet red brown, if not it has been 

 raised to seventy-eight degrees Centigrade. If raised to 

 seventy-nine or eighty degrees, the milk or cream becomes 

 greyish-blue, while if it has been subjected to a temperature 

 of more than this it remains white or has only a slight 

 violet tinge. 



Now that out-door experiment by the amateur photo- 

 grapher may be carried on under the best conditions as 

 regards duration of light and variety of scenery, a good 

 and handy camera is a desideratum. In this connection, 

 possibly no better instrument can be obtained than the 

 " Gambler Bolton " Camera, made by Messrs. W. Watson 

 & Sons. It is moderate in price, can be used as a band* 



