184 



POPULAR SOIEIirCE NEWS. 



[December, 1888. 



extreme October to follow an extreme September, 

 and thus far, meteorologically, a gloomy autumn. 

 May we not expect a bright November, especially 

 after election ! 



D. W. 

 Natick, Nov. 5, 1888. 



[Specially computed for The Popular Science Xews.'] 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR 

 DECEMBEK, 1888. 



The Planets. — The Sun crosses the equator and 

 winter begins on the morning of Dec. 21. The 

 earth is in perihelion on Dec. 31. Mercury is a 

 morning star at the beginning of the month, and 

 rises about an hour before the Sun. It is just 

 possible that it may then be seen. It rapidly ap- 

 proaches the Sun, and is at superior conjunction 

 on Dec. 28. Venus is a prominent object in the 

 western sky in the evening. Toward the close of 

 the month it sets about three hours after the Sun. 

 Mars sets at a little after 8 p.m. It is moving 

 eastward in the constellation Capricorn. It passes 

 perihelion on Dec. 3. It is no longer the conspicu- 

 ous object it was during the spring and summer, 

 being about three times as far away from the earth 

 as it was at opposition in April. Jupiter is too 

 near the Sun to be readily seen during the month. 

 It is in conjunction, and changes from an evening 

 to a morning star on Dec. 8. By the end of the 

 month it rises a little more than an hour before the 

 Sun. Saturn is getting into better position for 

 evening observation. It rises at about 10 i> m. on 

 Dec. 1, and at a little before 8 p.m. on Dec. 81. It 

 is retrograding ^ie., moving westward — slowly, 

 the whole motion being somewhat less than a 

 degree during the month. It is in the constel- 

 lation Leo, about 8° from the first magnitude star 

 Regulus {Alpha Leonis). Uranus is a morning 

 star, rising after midnight. It is in the constel- 

 lation Virgo, and during the month moves eastward 

 about 1°. In the middle of the month it is about 

 3° north of Spica {Alpha Virginis). Neptune 

 crosses the meridian about 11 p m. on Dec. 1, and 

 at about 9 p.m. on Dec. 31. It is about 5° south 

 and a little east of the Pleiades. 



The Constellations. — The positions given hold 

 good for latitudes differing not many degrees from 

 40° north, and for 10, 9, and 8 p.jr. for the begin- 

 ning, middle, and end of the month respectively. 



The head of Perseus is nearly in the zenith, the 

 rest of the constellation being mainly to the east. 

 Aries is high up on the meridian, south of the 

 zenith; and Cetus is lower down. Taurus is to the 

 left of Aries, high up on the south-east. Below 

 Taurus is Orion, and below Orion is Canis Major, 

 just rising in the south-east. Canis Minor has just 

 risen in the east. Below Perseus (in the zenith) 

 are first Auriga, then Gemini, then Cancer; the 

 last just above the horizon, a little north of east. 

 Leo is just rising. Ursa Major is low down in the 

 north-east. Ursa iliuor is mainly below the pole 

 star. Draco is paitly below and partly to the left. 

 Cassiopeia has just passed the meridian between 

 the zenith and the pole, and Cepheus is belovv' 

 Cassiopeia. Cygnus and Lyra are low down in 

 the north-west. Andromeda is high up, just west 

 of the zenith ; and Pegasus is below it Aquarius is 

 just setting in the south-west, and Pisces lies be- 

 tween it and Aries. 



M. 



A.NALYSis OF NiTROGKN CuLORiDK. — The for- 

 mula resulting from the analysis of Dr. Gattermann 

 is NCI3. The compound may be violently exploded 

 by the action of the sun or of the magnesium light, 

 but it never explodes in darkness or on gloomy 

 days. 



CorrrepanJiente. 



Brief communications upon subjects of scientific interest 

 will be welcomed from any quarter. The editors do not neces- 

 sarily indorse all views and statements presented by their cor. 

 respondents. 



ANOTHER TREE-PRUNER. 

 Editors Popular Science News : 



YouK article in the October number on " The Oak- 

 Pruner " {Stenocorus putalor) is interesting to me 

 on account of the resemblance of the operations of 

 that intelligent insect to those of his first cousin 

 who trims my elm and linden trees. My bug, 

 however, prunes from the outside of the branch, 

 while yours works from the centre. 



This insect lays its eggs in the bark of small 

 branches, inserting one egg at the base of each leaf 

 on a twig, or at the base of each twig on a small 

 branch. Having done this, it goes to a point 

 below where its series of eggs is deposited, and, by 

 a smooth and circular cut around the twig or 

 branch, cuts it almost entirely off, leaving only a 

 slender pedicle of wood the size of a small quill to 

 hold the branchlet in its place. Of course, as soon 

 as this little pedicle gets dry, the branchlet breaks 

 off, and falls to the ground with the first high wind 

 of autumn. 



In the soft wood of the linden the cut made is 

 nearly as smooth as it made with a knife ; and when 

 I first discovered this trespass, I supposed that 

 some one had pruned the trees in that way. 



I presumethat you are familiar with this little 

 animal, but possibly an account of it may interest 

 you or your readers in connection with your ac- 

 count of the Stenocorus putator. 



By what process of evolution or survival of the 

 fittest did this insect arrive at the instinct or rea- 

 soning that it was necessary, for the development of 

 its progeny, that the branch must be cut, but must 

 be cut only partially off, so that it would fall at the 

 right timeV G. 



QUESTIONS AND AI^WERS. 



Lrtters of inquiry should enclose a two-cent stamp, 

 a-s well an tlie name and address of the writer, which 

 will not be published. 



Questions regarding the treatment of diseases can- 

 not be answered in this column. 



C. J. L., Cleveland. — Can a person become filled 

 with electricity, either by being struck by lightning, 

 or by handling a galvanic battery ? 



An.'^ioer. — This is a widespread error, based upon a 

 false idea of the nature of electricity, which is not a 

 material substance, but a condition of matter. If 

 properly insulated, the human body can be electri- 

 cally excited; but nothinfr passes into it, and, as soon 

 as contact is made witli the earth, the charge passes 

 away. It is as absurd to say that a person i.s ■' filled " 

 with electricity, as it would be to say that he is filled 

 with heat or light. 



F. J. B., Kansas. — 1 placed a crystal of chlorate of 

 potash in a test-tube, and poured over it a few drops 

 of sulplmricacid. A greenish gas was given off, which, 

 wlien I introduced a strip of paper saturated with tur- 

 pentine, exploded with terrific violence. What was 

 the cause of it? 



Answer. — The gas given oft was chloric peroxide 

 (CI O™), which is a powerful oxidizing body, and readily 

 explodes when brought into contact with combustible 

 bodies, especially such inflammable vapors as that of 

 turpentine. 



H. W., Michir/an. — A recent number of the News 

 says that gravitation " is an inherent property of mat- 

 ter." Is not life also such an inherent property? 



Ansioer. — Life is a condilion'ol matter, which, as 

 far as we know, can only be induced by the action of 

 a previously existing body, also endowed with life. 

 Gravitation always exists, and no particle of matter 

 can be deprived of it; while the condition of vitality 

 is but temporary. Of the origin and true nature of 

 life we know absolutely nothing, and our only knowl- 

 edge of gravitation is, that it exists, and that we can 

 measure the force of the phenomena which it exhibits. 



LITERARY NOTES. 



The Dispensatory of the United States of America. Six- 

 teenth edition. J. B. Lipi>incott Company, Philadel- 

 phia, publishers. Price Jfi.OO. 



The United States Dispensatory is both familiar and 

 indispensable to every druggist and physician in the 

 country, and it is only necessary to say that the work 

 of rearranging and revising the present edition has 

 been most carefully and thoroughly performed by Pro- 

 fes.sors Wood, Remington, and Sadtler. Over six hun- 

 dred pages of new matter have been added; but, by 

 omitting that which has become effete, the total num- 

 ber of pages has only been increased by a hundred and 

 sixty-seven. The National Formulary is also com- 

 prised in the volume, and will be found a most con- 

 venient addition. The great activity in medical and 

 chemical re.search during the past few years renders 

 the new edition quite necessary to those who would 

 keep up with the progress of science; and the present 

 volume will most certainly meet every requireiuent in 

 that direction. 



• 



Soaps and Candles. By James Cameron, F.I.C. P. 

 Blakiston, Son & Co., Philadelphia. Price §2.25. 



This is a most interesting little handbook, describ- 

 ing the technology of an important industry. The 

 subject is thoroughly treated, and the work will be of 

 value to students and all others interested in this 

 branch of manufactures. 



The same firm also publish The Ili/i/ieneof the Nur- 

 sery (.f 1.50), by Louis Starr, M D. It contains much 

 valuable information for mothers and nurses; and if 

 its recommendations were generally followed, the 

 health and happiness of the "rising generation ' would 

 undoubtedly be greatly increased. 



A Class-Boole of Elementary Chemistry. By W. W. 



Fisher, F.C.S. Longmans, Green & Co., New York. 



Price 8L10. 



This is a most excellent text-book of chemistry, and 

 well suited for jnqnls comujencing the study of the 

 science. The elements are grouped according to the 

 periodic law, and studied in the same order, so that 

 the student becomes familiar with tliis important prin- 

 ciple at the very beginning of his work. 



The same firm also have for sale the Analysts' 

 Laboratot-i/ Companion, by Alfred E. Johnson, F C.S., 

 wliich contains an extremely useful set of tables select- 

 ed from those u.sed in the actual work of the author's 

 laboratory, which will save a great deal of time and 

 trouble in the calculation and reduction of the results 

 of analyses. 



— • — 



Microscopical Physiography of Rock-makinp Minerals. 



By H. Rosenbusch. Translated by J. P. Iddings. 



John Wiley & Sons, New York. Price S5.00. 



This work, by a well-known microscopist, treats of 

 the microscopical characteristics of the minerals com- 

 posing the massive rocks, with full directions for pre- 

 paring and inountingspecimens on slides. It is written 

 with characteristic Gorman thoroughne.ss, and is illus- 

 trated by numerous woodcuts and twenty-six beautiful 

 plates of micro-photographs, which will be found in- 

 valuable for purposes of comparison. 



Messrs. A. Lovell & Co. of New York have published 

 a text-book on Civil Government, fmd Studies of the Con- 

 stitution, by K. E. Clement, for the use of schools. It 

 gives an excellent and inqiartial description of the 

 powers and duties conferred by the Cou.stitutiou, and 

 can be read with jirotit by *' children of an cdder 

 growth," as well as those for whom it is particularly 

 designed. 



They also issue the Commentaries of Julius C(esar, 

 with the Latin text and English traus'latiou on oppo- 

 site pages. Teachers — and perhaps pupils — will 

 find it a great help in their studies of that celebrated 

 soldier and writer. 



Messrs. Estes & Lauriat of Boston have published a 

 cheap pai)er edition (;10 cents) of Miss I'arloa's New 

 Cook-Book. The authoress is generally acknowledged 

 to stand at the head of her profession, and all good 

 housekeepers will welcome the appearance of this 

 edition. 



Pamphlets, etc., received: Altruism considered Eco- 

 nomically, by Charles W. Smiley (The Salem Press, 

 Salem, Mass.): Obserrations iipun the Callus Bankiva of 

 India, by R. W. Shufelclt, M.D.; Treatment of Urethral 

 Stricture by Electrolysis, by Robert Newman, M.L).; 

 Transactions of the American Association of Obstetri- 

 cians and Gynenoloqists ; Is the Dentist a Specialist in 

 Medicine^ by Dr. B. II. Catching; T!ie Preferable 

 Climate for Phthisis, by Charles Deuison, M.D.: A 

 Key to the Families of Insects, by N. M. Eberliart, 

 Ph.D.; Leaflets and .Monoaraphs of the Industrial Edu- 

 cation Association, New York, and the Quarterly lie- 

 port of the National Bureau of Statistics. 



