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SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



[Feb. 24, 18 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



The Editor does not hold hiviself responsible for opinions exp7-essed 

 by his correspondents, nor can he take notice of anonymous corn- 

 Tnunications . All letters tnust be accompanied by the name and 

 address of the writer, not necessarily for publication, but as a 

 guarantee of good faith. 



THE SPECTATOR ON LOST INSTINCTS. 

 The need of spreading abroad scientific knowledge is 

 never, I think, made more apparent than in the articles wliich 

 appear in our first class-journals : but one does not often 

 meet with such evidence of the absence of the most ele- 

 mentary knowledge (biological in this case) as is given by the 

 writer of what appears to be intended as a serious dissertation 

 on " Lost Instincts,' in last week's Spectator. This gentleman 

 appears to suppose that under the modern evolutionary 

 doctrine man " is the heir of all (!) the various species and 

 genera of the animal kingdom." Therefore he regards it as 

 "a little sad that we should have inherited the one disastrous 

 instinct of the [slavemaking] ant," seeing tliat we have not 

 inherited the " architectural instincts of bees and beavers, nor 

 the spinning instincts of spiders, nor the power of the dog to 

 track out its home." With such a theory alive, we need not 

 wonder, I suppose, that parasitism is so rampant and enduring 

 amongst us, the greater proportion, by far, of animal species 

 being parasites. I trust that the writer reaps some comfort 

 from the fact that, since we were Hessian flies, the practice 

 of the embryo eating the inside of its larval-mother before it 

 sees the light has been given up. Parthenogenesis has also, 

 since we were aphides, been discarded, for good or evil. 

 But, alas ! in too great a fondness for a warm bed, how many 

 of us declare our descent from an insect that need only be 

 referred to to be recognised. Francis Ram. 



ANCIENT HISTORICAL ECLIPSE OF THE MOON. 



According to Josephus (" Antiq." b. xvii., c. vi., sec. 4) there 

 was an eclipse of the moon but a short time before the death 

 of Herod the Great. 



I have seen it stated, apparently on the authority of astron- 

 omers, that there was no other eclipse of the moon, visible at 

 Jerusalem, in any year that can be taken into account for the 

 death of Herod, besides the one that happened in March, 

 B.C. 4. As, according to the Chaldean Periods, there was an 

 eclipse of the moon due on the night of January the 17th, 

 B.C. 2, about 630 p.m., and as all the best ancient historical 

 testimonies to the time of the birth of Christ, concentre in 

 the autumn of the year B.C. 3, I distinctly challenge the above 

 statement, and I affirm that there was an eclipse of the moon 

 visible at Jerusalem about 6-30 p.m. on the night of the 17th 

 of January (19th of January, if the Calendar had been 

 properly kept), B.C. 2. If any of our astronomers choose to 

 support the challenged statement, and will put in a proof 

 calculation from Saturday night s eclipse, to show that there 

 could not be an eclipse at that time, then I will reply with 

 one or more proofs to show that there was an eclipse. 



J. DE D. 



FROSTED VEGETABLES. 

 Can any of your readers give a chemical explanation of the 

 changes which ^certain vegetables, e.g., potatoes, undergo if 

 exposed to frost ? From their sweet taste it would almost 

 seem as if a part of the starch in the tubers had been con- 

 verted into glucose. Is this correct ? If so, how is it effected, 

 and is the process capable of utilisation ? 



New Subscriber. 



BRITISH SPECIES OF VIPER. 

 Your correspondent " R. M. N.," in the Scientific News of 

 Jan. 13th, is correct in supposing that vipers vary in colour, 

 according to the locality in which they live. The black viper 

 is found in peat and turfy districts ; the viper with yellow 

 markings abounds in chalk banks, and the red viper in red 

 earth or gravelly soil. They are but varieties of the same 

 species. C. A. M. 



RECENT INVENTIONS. 



The following list has been compiled especially for the ScwxTWlC 

 News, by Messrs. W. P. Thompson and Boult, Patent Agents, (f 

 323, High Holborn, London, W. C. ; Newcastle Chambers, Angel 

 Row, Nottingham ; Ducie Buildings, Bank Street, Manchester ; and 

 6, Lord Street, Liverpool. 



Polishing Fluid. — A liquid for polishing metals, 

 formed by mixing together water, sulphuric acid, and 

 rottenstone, has been patented by Mr. W. C. Poult, of 

 Pearson-street, Clapham Junction, S.W., and F. Ryan, 

 of Falcon-road, Clapham. 



Heating Apparatus. — An apparatus for warming 

 schools has been patented by Mr. 'W. P. Thompson, as a 

 communication from J. D. Smead, of the United States. 

 In place of a fire, fresh air is admitted from outside into 

 a heater resembling a locomotive boiler, with this differ- 

 ence, that the fresh air brought by a conduit from outside 

 the building takes the place of water, and is caused by 

 the position of the entrance and exit pipes to largely 

 traverse the " boiler" before escaping. 



Automatic Strength-testing Machine. — Mr. W. J. 

 Oliver, of Canonbury, London, N., has patented a coin- 

 freed dynamometer. The dynamometer is for testing 

 the force of a blow. A padded rod is driven in when a 

 locking catch is withdrawn by the vitalising of the 

 magnet. This is effected when a coin falls down the 

 shoot and connects the terminals on a tray. The inward 

 movements of the rod tilts the coin-tray by means of a 

 projection acting on a tailpiece attached to the coin-tray. 



Method of Welding Steel. — Mr. W. B. Middleton, 

 United States, has patented a method of welding steel. 

 In the practice of this invention highly satisfactory results 

 have been obtained by applying a solution of silicate of 

 soda to the pieces of steel to be welded, by dipping them 

 in the solution, or by pouring it upon them; bunching 

 together the pieces to be welded, and heating them to an 

 ordinary welding heat, and then passing them through 

 welding rolls of ordinary construction. 



Sight for Fire Arms. — A wind-gauge sight for fire- 

 arms has been patented by Mr. H. J. Allison, as a 

 communication from Mr. W. Lyman, of the United 

 States. The invention relates to a wind-gauge sight, 

 and has for its main object to provide for the lateral 

 adjustment of the line of sight to compensate for the 

 action of the wind upon the projectile. The invention 

 consists chiefly in the combination of a sight post with a 

 conical eccentric, which is seated in a suitable base and 

 adapted in its rotation to swing the sight in a conical path. 



Portable Bath. -Mr. C. J. Etherington, of Chancery- 

 lane, London, has patented a portable bath. A lattice 

 framework is made of laths, which are so joined together 

 as to permit the framework to expand to a diameter of 

 several feet or to contract to the space of a few inches. 

 Over this framework when expanded is placed a piece 

 of waterproof sheeting of such size and in such a way that 

 when depressed in the centre it will overlap the frame- 

 work forming the sides of the bath. This waterproof 

 sheeting, supported by the framework, forms the bottom 

 and sides of the bath. 



Telephone. — Mr. A J. Boult (as a communication 

 from Mr. J. C. Reiff, of New York, U.S.A.) has patented 



