60 



POPULAR SCIEIsrCE NEWS. 



[April, 18S9. 



II. D. April 19, ih. 50111. A. M. 



I. D. April 21;, 4(1. I3ni. A. M. 



II. D. April 26. 4I1. 2'4m. A. M. 



III. D. April 30, ih. 3111. A. M. 



III. R. April 30, 3I1. 38m. A. M. 



Saturn is on the meridian at 8h. 2oin. P. M. on 

 April I, and at 6h. 3oni. P. M. on April 30. It is 

 nearly stationary among the stars, moving slowly 

 westward (retrograding), until April 14, when it 

 begins to move eastward ; but the whole motion is 

 only about half of the moon's diameter. It is in the 

 western part of the constellation Leo, and about 15" 

 west and north of Regulus, the principal star of the 

 constellation. The moon passes quite close to the 

 planet in the early morning of April lo: and there 

 is an occultation of the planet, which is, liowever, 

 not visible in the United States. Uranus is in the 

 constellation Virgo, and is in opposition, i. e., on 

 the meridian, at midnight on April 9. It moves 

 westward during the month about i'-, and may be 

 found 3° or 4" north and west of Spica {Alpha 

 Virginis.) Neptune is south and east of the 

 Pleiades. 



The Constellations. — The positions given hold 

 good for latitudes not many degrees different from 

 40° north, and for 10 P. M. on April i, 9 P. M. 

 April 15, and 8 P. M. April 30. Leo Minor, a small 

 constellation with no very bright stars, is in the 

 zenith. Leo is just south of it, the principal group 

 — the sickle — having just passed the meridian. 

 Hydra is below Leo. Virgo, with Mars and Uranus, 

 is in the south-east, about halfway from horizon to 

 zenith. Libra is just rising below Virgo. Going 

 from the zenith toward the east, we see first Coma 

 Berenices, and Canes Venatici ; below these, Bootes, 

 then Corona Borealis. Hercules has just risen a 

 little north of the east point. Lyra and Cygnus are 

 on the horizon just north of Hercules. Draco and 

 Ursa Minor are east of the pole star. Ursa Major 

 lies between the zenith and pole star, the pointers 

 being very near the meridian. Cassiopeia is below 

 and a little west of the pole star, and Perseus is west 

 of the latter, at about the same altitude. Auriga is 

 a little higher and farther west. Taurus is on the 

 north-west horizon ; above it follow Gemini and 

 Cancer, with Saturn, just west of Leo. Orion is 

 setting in the west, and Canis Major in the south- 

 west. Canis Minor is above and between the last 

 two. M. 



Lake Forest, 111., March 5, 1889. 



fOriginal in The Popular Science Neios.'] 

 ZIRCON. 



BY PROFESSOR T. C. HARRIS. 



Probably the only place in America where zircon 

 is regularly mined is in North Carolina. This min- 

 eral is in the shape of quadratic prisms and pyra- 

 mids, light brown to black in color, and averaging 

 about one-fourth of an inch in diameter. The mine 

 referred to is on Green river, in Henderson county, 

 and during the past summer as many as 200 men 

 were employed in the mines. 



The crystals are found scattered through sand and 

 gravel beds many feet in depth, and are obtained in 

 a manner precisely like placer-mining for gold. The 

 earth is thrown into long troughs or rockers, and 

 vibrated from side to side, while a sluice of water 

 passes through the apparatus. The zircon, being 

 quite heavy, falls to the bottom, and is retained by 

 the "riffles" or cleats across the bottom. After 

 cleaning and drying, the crystals are subjected to 

 the action of strong magnets — to take out particles 

 of magnetite which may be among them — and sep- 

 arated into several grades, according to size and 

 quality. 



The operatives are paid a definite price per pound 



for each grade, and, in many instances, they find it 

 very remunerative. The bulk of this mineral is 

 consumed by the makers of the incandescent gas- 

 light burners, Avhich promise to become a danger- 

 ous rival to the electric light. For this purpose the 

 zircon is reduced to its base, zirconia, which is one 

 of the most refractory of all known substances. 

 A tubular cotton wick is saturated with the zirconia, 

 and suspended, by means of platinum wire, in a 

 glass chimney, over a gas-burner of the Bunsen 

 type. When first ignited, all the combustible fabric 

 is at once consumed, leaving a very delicate zirconian 

 counterpart of the original wick. 



This incombustible mantle or hood of zirconia is 

 kept glowing at a steady white heat by the gas. and 

 gives out a beautiful white light, perfectly steady, 

 and much resembling the electric light. The hood 

 or wick is, of course, extremely fragile and easily 

 broken, but otherwise is remarkably durable. A 

 constant use for over two thousand hours is said to 

 leave the mantle in as good condition as at first. 



<♦> 



QIIESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 



I^ETTERS of inquiry should enclose a two-cent 

 stamp, as well as the name and address of the wri- 

 ter, which will not be published. 



Questions regarding the treatment of diseases 

 cannot be answered in this column. 



J. C. M., Philadelphia. — How are aniline inks 

 prepared from the solid colors.' 



Answer. — A simple solution in water gives a very 

 good ink. Gum arable may be added, to give it a 

 little more "body." Gum tragacanth, added to the 

 solution, causes it to dry with a glossy surface, like 

 many marking inks. The addition of sugar makes 

 a copying ink. though most aniline colors give a 

 very good copy without any addition. The quanti- 

 ties of the above ingredients are best determined by 

 experiment. 



I. H. S , Ohio. — A clergyman here recently made 

 the statement that scientists had abandoned the 

 nebular theory of the origin of astronomical sys- 

 tems. Is that really the case? 



Answer. — It is certainly not the case, as the nebu- 

 lar theory is more widely accepted than ever at the 

 present time. Undoubtedly it will undergo modifi- 

 cations, in the light of future discoveries, but we 

 have no reason to disbelieve in the truth of the gen- 

 eral principle. 



C. L.. Chicago. — Is tobacco a disinfectant.' I 

 have heard that it was once supplied to the German 

 army for that purpose during an epidemic. 



Answer. — Tobacco possesses no disinfectant prop- 

 erties whatever. We do not believe it was ever sup- 

 plied to the German army for that purpose, but if it 

 was, it was only an example of official ignorance. 



G. W. B., Conn. — What causes the smoke of a 

 fire to rise in the chimney.' 



Answer. — It is due to the pressure of the colder and 

 heavier outside air upon the warmer and lighter air 

 in the chimney. The equilibrium being thus un- 

 even, a constant current of air passes through the 

 fire and up the chimney. If the temperature of the 

 outside air and that in the chimney was the same, 

 there would be no current, or "draft." 



S. A. E., New Hampshire. — What is boric acid.' 

 I can find no mention of it in my works on chem- 

 istry. 



Answer. — Boric acid is identical with boracic acid 

 — the acid occurring in common borax. You will 

 find it described under the latter and more common 

 name in all text-books o':' chemistry. 



R. E. C, New York. — What can I use to rust 

 porous cast-iron, so as to make castings air-tight.' 



Answer. — If the holes in your castings are not too 

 large, you can try dipping in muriatic acid, diluted 

 with about an equal quantity of water, allowing 

 them to remain a few moments until thoroughly 

 moistened, and then drying them in the air without 

 washing off the acid. You might also try, if practi- 

 cable under the circumstances, melting borax over 

 the surface of the castings, as it readily melts to a 

 liquid and forms a hard, glassy substance on cool- 

 ing. 



H. C. W., Mass. — Would it he possible to intro- 

 duce into the charge of a gun, any substance which 

 would develop carbonic oxide when fired into a bird 

 or aniniak thus killing it by blood-poisoning, with- 

 out injuring the quality of the flesh. 



Answer. — Carbonic oxide is rather a difiicult gas 

 to prepare, and the reactions by which it is formed 

 can best be undertaken in a laboratory. It is not 

 possible to prepare or use it in the manner you sug- 

 gest. 



LITERARY NOTES. 



An Elementary Text-Book of Chemistry, bv Professor 

 William Mixter, of ^'alc University. " Published 

 by John Wiley & Sons. New York. " Price, $2.50. 

 Professor Mixter's text-book is a mo.st excellent 

 one in every respect, and is so comprehensive in its 

 scope that the student will have no difticulty in 

 grasping the fundamental principles of the science, 

 while, at the same time, becoming familiar with the 

 chemistry of common things. The periodic system 

 of classification is used, and the very latest discover- 

 ies in the science are noted and explained. Numer- 

 ous experiments are also described in illustration of 

 chemical principles. We can heartily recommend 

 the work. 



The I'sychic Life of .Micro-Orr/anisnis. A Studv in 

 Experimental P.sychology. By Alfred Binet. The 

 Open Court Publishing Company, Chicago. 

 Cloth, 75 cents ; paper, 50 cents. 

 M. Alfred Binet, the collaborator of Ribot and 

 Fere, and one of the most eminent representatives 

 of the French School of Psychology, has presented 

 in the above work the most important results of re- 

 cent investigations into the world of micro-organ- 

 isms. The subject is a branch of comparative psy- 

 chology little known; as the data of this department 

 of natural science lie scattered for the most part in 

 isolated reports and publications, and no attempt 

 has hitherto been made to collate and present them 

 in a systematized form. 



Star Atlas, with Explanatory Text, bv Dr. Hermann 

 J. Klein. Published by E. & J. B.'Lowry & Co., 

 New York. Price, $2.25. 



This atlas contains maps of all the stars between 

 the north pole and latitude 34". of the magnitudes 

 from I to 6.5. Also all the nebula; and star-clusters 

 visible in telescopes of moderate powers. The maps 

 are unusually good, and the explanatory text very 

 full and interesting. Those interested iri astronomy 

 will find this atlas a great help to them in their 

 studies. 



Dr. H. A. Hare, of the University of Pennsylva- 

 nia, has issued, through P. Blakiston, Son & Co., 

 Philadelphia, his essay on Mediastinal Disease, to 

 which the Medical Society of London awarded the 

 Fothergillian medal for i8SS. 



All persons interested in literature should send for 

 a sample copy of I'oet-Lore, published at Philadel- 

 phia. The writings of the poets, both past and 

 present, are discussed and criticized by writers of 

 wide-spread reputation, who have made a specialty 

 of the study of their works. Dr. W. J. Rolfe, of the 

 SciE.NCE News, is at present contributing a series of 

 articles on Shakespeare's plays, .'p-2. 50 per year, or 

 $3.10 with Popular Science News. 



The Manufacturer and Builder, of New "^'ork City, 

 comes to us this year with a new cover, and greatly 

 improved in every respect. Wc are glad to recorri- 

 niend it as an eminently practical mechanical and 

 scientific journal, and "one that always contains 

 something of interest. $1.50 a year, or" $2. 10 with 

 Popular Science News. 



Pamphlets, etc., received: Solar and Planetary 

 Evolution and Evolution of the Earth, 10 cents each, 

 of the New Ideal Publishing Co., Boston; EJiyy 

 Mounds in Norther n Illinois, by T. H. Lewis; The 

 Wild Berries and Edilde Fruits of Newfoundland 

 and Labrador, by Rev. Arthur C. "Waghorne ; The 

 Training of Nurses, by Hal C. Wyman, M. D. ; 

 Notes on Riimbold's Treatment of Catarrhal Inflam- 

 mations of the Upper Air Passages, by ElyMcLellan, 

 M. D. ; Contributions to the Ili.Hory of 'the Develop- 

 ment of the Teeth, by Drs. Carl lleitzmann and C. 

 F. W. Bodecker, and the Report of the Illinois State 

 Board of IJealth upon Medical Colleges and Educa- 

 tion, and the Regulation of the Practice of Medicine. 



