$o8 



SCIENCE. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Electricity. — I wish to inquire if it has been deter- 

 mined whether upon the union of two currents of electri- 

 city of different electromotive forces, they form one cur- 

 rent of an intermediate intensity, as two streams of 

 water of different temperatures would form one of an in- 

 termediate temperature. Or, whether they each retain 

 its own E. F. M., and follow the terms of its own intens- 

 ity. And, if the problem has been determined, where I 

 can find the particulars. 



And, further, if the two retain their separate identities, 

 whether any instrument has been made to measure the 

 different quantities and intensities which pass in a 

 single conductor. 



This is a very important question in view of the great 

 practical problems which we have now to solve in re- 

 gard to the production and use of electricity. 



Saml. J. Wallace. 



The Color Changes of Axolotl. — Prof. Semper has 

 lately examined axolotl with regard to the influence of light 

 on its color ( Wiirzburg Phys. wed. Ges). When young axolotl 

 are reared in darkness they become quite dark ; nearly as 

 dark in red light; in yellow, on the other hand, pretty bright ; 

 and brightest in bright daylight. The difference is con- 

 nected not only with the chromatic function found in vari- 

 ous degrees in all amphibia, but on pronounced formation of 

 a peculiar diffuse yellowish green coloring matter, increase 

 of white, and diminution of dark chromatophores. Further, 

 when axolotl are exposed to daylight in white dishes cov- 

 ered with white paper, much less dark pigment forms in 

 them than when they are kept in white dishes without a 

 paper cover (other things equal); though in the latter case 



they are apparently exposed to the most intense light; these 

 darker axolotl are, however, still much brighter than those 

 reared in red light or in darkness. Since (as experiment 

 showed) the white covering paper let through much light, 

 but very little of the chemical rays, it appears that chemical 

 rays play no part in the formation of pigment. But the 

 causes of the whitening in bright daylight and the darken- 

 ing in absence of light remain unknown as before. 



The Blood of Insects.— Operating with the larva of 

 Oiyctes nasicornis, M. Fredericq has observed {Bull. Belj. 

 Acad.) that the blood of the animal, drawn off in a small 

 glass cannula, is a colorless liquid, but on exposure to the 

 air presently takes a decided brown color, and coagulates. 

 The coloration he regards as a purely cadaveric pheno- 

 menon. The substance which becomes brown is probably 

 formed in the moment of coagulation, and does not serve 

 in the body as a vehicle between the external air and the 

 tissues, like hemoglobin in Vertebrates and many Anne- 

 lids, hamocyanin in Crustaceans, &c. When the larva 

 is kept a quarter of an hour in hot water (50 to 55°), the 

 blood extracted does not coagulate or become brown. 

 Once the substance which browns is produced, even a 

 boiling temperature does not prevent its browning. The 

 brown substance once formed is very stable, not being de- 

 composed either by acids or alkalies, and not made color- 

 less by being submitted to vacuum or kept in a closed ves- 

 sel. The existence of an intermediary in insects corres- 

 ponding to hasmoglobin M. Fredericq thinks very problem- 

 atical in view of the anatomical system, letting air pene- 

 trate into the heart of the tissues. 



METEOROLOGICAL REPORT FOR NEW YORK CITY FOR THE WEEK ENDING OCT. 15, 1881. 



Latitude 40 45' 58" N.; Longitude 73 57' 58" W.; height of instruments above the ground, 53 feet ; above the sea, 97 



feet ; by self-recording instruments. 



BAROMETER. 



THERMOMETERS. 





MEAN FOR 

 THE DAY. 



MAXIMUM. 



MINIMUM. 



MEAN. 



MAXIMUM. 



MINIMUM. 



maxi'm 



OCTOBER. 



Reduced 

 to 



Freezing. 



Reduced 

 to 



Freezing. 



Time. 



Reduced 

 to 



Freezing. 



Time. 



Dry 

 Bulb. 



Wet 

 Bulb. 



Dry 

 Bulb. 



Time. 



Wet 

 Bulb. 



Time. 



Dry 

 Bulb. 



Time. 



Wet 

 Bulb. 



Time. 



In Sun. 



Sunday, 9.- 

 Monday, 10.. 

 Tuesday, 11.- 

 Wednesday, 12 . 

 Thursday, 13.. 

 Friday, 14- - 

 Saturday, 15.. 



29.899 

 30.069 

 30.426 

 30179 

 29.968 

 30.239 

 30.085 



29.900 

 3°-3 2 * 

 30-478 

 30.396 

 30.096 

 30.298 

 30.244 



9 a. m. 

 12 p. m. 

 9 a. m. 

 a. m. 

 a. m. 

 9 a. m. 

 a. m. 



29.862 

 29.900 

 30.324 

 30.096 

 29.908 

 30.000 

 30.006 



3 a. m. 

 a. m. 

 a. m. 



12 p. m. 



4 p. m. 

 a. m. 



12 p. m. 



63-3 

 54.6 



44-7 

 54-o 

 65-7 

 50.0 

 62.0 



S9-6 

 49-3 

 4i-7 

 52.0 

 62.3 

 46.6 

 58.3 



71 

 64 



5* 

 57 

 73 

 60 

 69 



a. m. 

 2 p. m. 

 5 P- m, 



2 p. m. 



4 P- m- 

 a. in. 



3 P- m - 



64 

 55 

 47 

 55 

 67 

 57 

 63 



10 a. m. 

 12 m. 

 5 p- m. 



3 P- m - 



4 p. in. 

 a. m. 

 4 p. m. 



55 

 41 

 37 

 41 



55 

 45 

 50 



12 p. m. 

 12 p. m. 



5 a. m. 

 2 a. m. 



6 a. m. 

 8 a. m. 

 a. m. 



55 

 40 

 37 

 4 1 

 55 

 43 

 48 



12 p. m. 

 12 p. m. 



7 a. m. 

 2 a. m. 

 6 a. m. 



8 a. m. 

 a. m. 



100. 

 128. 

 119. 

 92. 

 130. 

 120. 

 121. 



Mean for the week 30123 inches. 



Maximum for the week at 9 a. m., Oct. 1 ith 3°-47 8 " 



Minimum " at 3 p. m., Oct. 9th 29.862 " 



Range 616 " 



Dry. Wet. 



Mean for the week 56.3 degrees 52.8 degrees 



Maximum for the week, at 4 pm. 13th 73. '* at 4 pm 13th, 67. " 

 Minimum " " 5 am. nth 37. " at 7 am nth, 37. " 

 Range " " 36. " 30. " 



WIND. 



OCTOBER. 



DIRECTION. 



7 a. m. 



Sunday, 9 



Monday, 10 



Tuesday, 11. 

 Wednesday, 12. 



Thursday, 13. 



Friday, 14 



Saturday, 15. 



n. w. 



n. 

 n. e. 



s. w. 

 w. s. w. 



n. e. 

 s. s. w. 



2 p. m, 



w. n.w. 

 n. n. w. 



9 p. m 



w. n.w. 

 n. n. w, 

 s. s. e. 



s. e. 

 s. s. w 



VELOCITY 

 IN MILES. 



Distance 

 for the 

 Day. 



FORCE IN 

 LBS. PER 

 SQR. FEET. 



«33 



242 7 



240 6!i 



158 UX 



146 \w 



198 4 



'97 3* 



Time. 



1 .00 am 

 3.40pm 

 0.15 am 

 1.50 pm 

 9.00pm 

 9.10 am 

 10. 20pm 



HYGROMETER. 



FORCE OF VAPOR. 



.509 



•3« 

 .207 

 -247 

 .420 

 .249 

 349 



•438 

 .285 

 •199 

 ■378 

 •559 

 .257 



•457 



•449 



•25' 



•273 

 .420 



• 599 

 .308 



• 529 



RELATIVE 

 HUMIDITY. 



CLOUDS. 



CLEAR, 

 OVERCAST. 



8 cu. 



9 cu. 

 3 cu. 



9 cu. 10 

 6 cir. cu. 8 cu. 



RAIN AND SNOW 



OF RAIN 

 IN INCH 



AND SNOW 

 ES. 



Time 



of 

 Begin- 

 ning. 



0.30pm 



0.15pm 



Time 



of 

 End- 

 ing. 



5.00pm 

 4.00 pm 



Dura- 

 tion, 

 h. m. 



Distance traveled during the week 1,314 miles 



Maximum force 8'A lbs. 



Total amount of water for the week 28 inch. 



Duration of rain 8 hours, 15 minutes. 



DANIEL DRAPER, Ph. D. 

 Director Meteorological Observatory of the Department of Public Parks, New York. 



