GLEANINGS — MISCELLANEOUS. 
415 
GLEANINGS— MISCELLANEOUS. 
Prizes  distributed  by  the  French  Academy^  1861,  M.  J. 
Nickles,  (correspondent  of  Silliman's  Journal,)  says  that  prizes 
for  discoveries  in  Chemistry,  Zoology,  Physiology  and  Surgery, 
have  been  issued  this  year.  The  astronomical  prize  was  divided 
between  the  five  observers  who  discovered  planets  in  1860,  viz.  : 
Luther,  of  Bilk,  Goldsmith  of  Paris,  Chacornac,  of  Paris,  Fer- 
guson, of  Washington,  D.  C,  and  Foster  and  Lesser,  of  Berlin. 
The  Cuvierian  triennial  prize  was  awarded  this  year  to  Dr.  Leon 
Dufour,  of  St.  Sever,  at  the  base  of  the  Pyrenees,  for  his  re- 
searches in  entomological  anatomy.  He  is  over  80  years  of 
age,  and  has  prosecuted  his  labors  for  nearly  half  a  century. 
The  Ohemical Prize  The  ^^rs^  chemical  prize  of  3,500  francs, 
was  awarded  to  Mr.  Berthelot,  "for  his  researches  in  chemistry 
relating  to  the  production,  by  synthesis,  of  certain  chemical 
compounds  existing  in  living  bodies."  The  second  prize  of  2,000 
francs  was  given  to  Dessaignes,  "  for  the  production  of  succinic, 
aspartic,  aconitic,  fumeric  and  racemic  acids,  by  the  transforma- 
tion  of  sugar  of  gelatin." 
Acclimatation  of  the  Ostrich. — For  a  long  time  the  possibility 
of  acclimating  the  ostrich  has  been  doubted,  under  the  impression 
that,  like  the  elephant,  this  giant  of  birds  refused  to  permit  its 
posterity  to  be  enslaved.  This  is  an  error,  as  already  in  Al- 
geria, at  Florence  and  in  Spain,  the  young  of  this  bird  have 
been  successfully  raised.  It  is  not  yet  known  whether  the  birds 
born  in  captivity  are  capable  of  reproducing.  The  subject  of 
attempting  their  acclimatation  is  being  considered  by  the  So. 
ci^t^  d'Acclimatation. — (Silliman's,  July,  1861.) 
Tough  Lunar  Caustic  Points. — The  editor  of  the  "  Chemist 
and  Druggist,"  describes  under  this  name  what  purports  to  be 
lunar  caustic  with  about  two  per  cent,  of  some  adhesive  material 
which  renders  it  so  tough  as  to  be  readily  pointed,  like  a  slate 
pencil.  The  name  of  the  added  substance  is  not  mentioned,  but 
it  is  said  not  to  interfere  with  the  action  of  the  caustic.  Each 
point  about  an  inch  long  is  neatly  conical,  and  is  enclosed  in  a 
glass  tube.  Dr.  E.  B.  Squibb,  manufactures  conical  pieces  of 
lunar  caustic,  made  tough  by  chloride  of  iron. 
