SCIENTIFIC NEW^S. 



[April 20, 18 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions expressed 

 by his correspondents, nor can he take notice of anotiymous com- 

 ■munications . All letters must be accompanied by the name and 

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

 guarantee of good faith. 



LUMINOUS PHENOMENON AT SEA. 

 I have recently read an account of a strange luminous 

 phenomenon alleged to have been seen somewhere in the 

 Atlantic at about 100 miles to the south of the equator. The 

 master and mate of a Spanish vessel on its way from South 

 America to England saw right ahead a shaft or pillar of 

 greenish light, as if standing on the water. The steamer 

 took, at full speed, seven minutes in passing through this 

 column, and during this time she was illuminated with a 

 vivid green radiance, about equal in intensity to the light of 

 a waning moon. The light is described as being sharply 

 defined and stationary, the sea being calm and the sky over- 

 cast. The published accounts make no mention of any 

 electrical phenomena. I should be much obliged if you or 

 any of your readers can give me any information as to the 

 probable nature of so strange a phenomenon. The latitude 

 proves that it cannot have been any modification of the 

 Aurora. A Cornish Man. 



SCREECHING WATER-BEETLE. 

 The insect described by your correspondent " F. P. P." in 

 Scientific News for March i6th is most probably dytiscus 

 7narginalis. At least this species does squeak if taken out 

 of the water, and it agrees fairly well with " F. P. P.'s " 

 description. J. W. S. 



SCIENCE AND ART. 

 A contemporary of yours makes the following attempt to 

 confuse science and art. He says : — " The line of separa- 

 tion between science and art is more apparent than real. A 

 student who draws a carved mantelpiece at a distance of 

 twelve feet is an art student : the youth who walks up to it and 

 draws it by measurement is a science student. The student 

 who critically examines the skeleton in the art school, pre- 

 paratory to drawing from the life, is an art student : but he 

 who studies it as the framework of the living form, with 

 bones, muscles, and tissues, and whose powers of drawing 

 at best will result only in a feeble, sketch, is a student in the 

 science subject of physiology." 



I would say that science has no concern with "carved 

 mantelpieces." Further, the man who studies skeletons is a 

 morphologist, not a physiologist. He does not necessarily 

 make a " feeble sketch," or any kind of sketch of his speci- 

 mens. If he does so it is merely something collateral and 

 incidental, not his primary object. It is a pity that your con- 

 temporary has not met with the distinctive characters of 

 science and art as laid down by Mr. Crookes, F.R.S. 

 " Science," he writes, " sees phenomena, records them, traces 

 their laws, and questions nature, her sole object being 

 truth. Where completely successful she attains prevision. 

 Art, on the contrary, seeks to produce, to modify, or to de- 

 stroy. Her sphere is action. She aims at power and enjoy- 

 ment, and when completely successful she creates." 



Ithuriel. 



FURCULA OF FOWLS. 



May I be permitted to call the attention of your readers to 

 the peculiarity of the furculum or anchylosed clavicles of the 

 common fowl and our game birds, namely, that the left 

 clavicle is nearly always more bent, rather thicker, and also 

 thicker at the base, or point of anchylosis, than the right 

 clavicle. I forward you some furcula of the common fowl, in 

 which you will see the peculiarity to which I refer — and upon 

 which works on comparative anatomy are silent — well pro- 

 nounced. I can find no trace of this peculiarity in the 

 furcula of water birds, plover, woodcock, or snipe. — Yours 

 faithfully, Joseph P. Nunn. 



Royston. 



[The specimens sent seem to confirm the writer's state- 

 ments. — Editor S. A''.] 



RECENT INVENTIONS. 



The following list has been compiled especially for the Scientific 

 News by Messrs. W. P. Thompson a?id Boult, Patent Agents, of 

 TflTj, High Holborn, London, W.C.; Newcastle Chambers, A}igel 

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

 and 6, Lord Street, Liverpool. 



Lawn Trimmer. — An apparatus for cutting the edges 

 of lawns has been patented by Mr. J. Sunley, Ben 

 Rhydding, near Leeds. The frame of the machine is 

 similar to that of a lawn mower : the spindle carries at 

 one end a star cutter working against a fixed knife. A 

 series of rotary blades or deliverers are placed outside 

 the star cutter, and carry the cut grass into the recep- 

 tacle. The spindle is driven from the main axle by 

 gearing. 



A Projectile. — Messrs. A. E. Barthel and J. C. J. 

 Moller, both of Germany, have patented a projectile. 

 According to this invention the projectiles are so made 

 that the tip has the form of a hemisphere, the remaining 

 portion of the forward part being cylindrical, and serving 

 to guide the projectile in the barrel, whilst the rear part 

 is of conical form and of less diameter than the foremost 

 part of the projectile, and serves to guide it in its flight. 

 The projectiles are so made that their length is 

 from 1 1 to 3 times the diameter of the bore, and in con- 

 sequence of this construction the double curved trajectory 

 is avoided. 



Cricket Tennis. — A game of cricket tennis has been 

 patented by Mr. W. C. Owston, of Wentbridge Lodge, 

 Pontefract. The invention consists of a game of tennis 

 played in sides of one or two on each side, and with one 

 ball, and instead of the ball having to be sent over a 

 net it has to be sent under a cord in a fixed central goal 

 in suitable frames open at the fronts, towards each court 

 line, but closed at the ends by nets. Should the player 

 send the ball under the cords through the central goal 

 and over the court line, it counts to the player, but 

 should he fail it counts to the opposite side, who return 

 it before it stops, through the goal. 



Spray Generator for Collieries. — A method of 

 damping dust in collieries has been patented by Messrs. 

 H. W. Martin and J. Turnbull, both of Dowlais,, 

 Glamorgan. According to this invention the agents 

 employed are air in a compressed state, and water, 

 which are conducted as required in separate conduits, 

 and are drawn off therefrom at will through branch pipes 

 situated at the places of application, and are ultimately 

 discharged together at such places through a terminal 

 nozzle, which causes the water issuing thereat to assume 

 the character of a fine spray. This spray is diffused by 

 the air currents, and damps the air and dust with which, 

 it comes into contact. 



An Oil Lamp. — Mr. G. R. Postlethwaite, Birmingham',, 

 has patented an oil lamp. The object of the invention 

 is to prevent the conduction of heat to the reservoir by 

 the metallic parts adjacent to the flame, and so lessen the 

 consequent danger of explosion. Tvi'o slots are made in 

 the burner cone below the ends of the slit, the slotfe- 

 being provided with hoods to deflect the ascending air 

 current outwards between the burner cone and the 



