Dr. W. F. Morgan, of Leavenworth, Kansas, communicates to the "Medical Record" a story which would indicate that swallows have considerable surgical skill as well as intelligence. In a nest he found a young swallow much weaker than its mate, which had one of its legs bandaged with horse-hairs. Taking the hairs away, he found that the bird's leg was broken. The next time he visited the nest, he found the leg again bandaged. He continued to observe "the case," and in two weeks found that the bird was cautiously removing the hairs, a few each day. The cure was entirely successful.
Professor Robert von Helmholtz has published in Widermann's "Annalen" the final results of the experiments and arguments on the formation of mist. The air must contain a normal quantity of solid particles of dust, and must be free from bodies that will act chemically on aqueous vapor.
The Himmelbjerg, or Heaven Mountain, has until recently enjoyed the distinction of being the highest mountain in Denmark. It is four hundred and eighty-two feet high. It has now to yield the palm to two peaks recently measured in the forest of Ky, the highest of which is five hundred and thirty-two feet above the sea. These mountains have not been named; and it would indeed be hard to find a suitable name for a mountain overtopping the "Heaven-peak."
The fact has recently been confirmed by a number of observers that the electric eel can exert its power through the water to a distance. Professor W. Mattieu Williams relates that he once plunged both hands into water containing one of these fish, intending to grasp it, but failed to reach it; but he received a very severe shock when at some distance, probably three or four inches, "the sensational nature of the experiment rendering any approach to accurate estimation of the distance quite impossible."
The bascule is a new instrument for recreation, which has been developed out of the primitive see-saw by Mr. Piercy, of Birmingham, England. His first specimen was constructed for his own family. The bascule consists of a wooden beam, which is supported on a four-legged iron stand. The seats are so arranged as to remain always horizontal, whatever the position of the beam may be, while the adjustment for players of unequal weight is effected by a balancing block, which is slid along the beam till it reaches the point where it is wanted, and is there locked in position by the act of loosing the handle. The bascule has also a horizontal movement, and can be used as a merry-go-round.
A story of two sagacious crows is told in "Land and Water" by the Rev. F. O. Morris, on the authority of a land-owner of Loch Orr, who saw the birds annoying two hares. Although he could not see clearly, on account of the high grass, he was sure the hares had young ones, which the crows were trying to carry off. After the hares had fought the birds for some time, one of the "black robbers" managed to attract their attention, and led them off a little, while his confederate flew round and seized a small animal, which screamed loudly, when both birds flew away. He was satisfied that their purpose had been to get one of the young ones of the hares, and that they had succeeded.
Sir William Thomson has described a new form of spring-balance for the measurement of terrestrial gravity. One end of the spring is fastened, while the other end is weighted sufficiently to keep the spring straight when horizontally fixed. The spring is adjusted within a brass tube on a slope of about one inch in five, in which position it is in nearly unstable equilibrium. The observation consists in marking the number of turns of the micrometer series attached to the spring which are required to bring the weight from the balanced to the horizontal position. The instrument is sensitive to a forty-thousandth of the force of gravity, and to differences of temperature of 720° C.
It is proposed to erect a monument to the memory of Thomas Edward, the Scotch naturalist whose death we have recently noticed. A committee has been formed, under the auspices of the town authorities and the scientific and literary clubs of Banff for the furtherance of this object, and invites subscriptions.
M. Chevreul, who attended the meeting of the French Academy of Sciences on the 17th of May, was there presented, in anticipation of his attaining a hundred years of age in August, with a bronze bust of himself, executed by M. Paul Dubois. The presentation was made at that time instead of waiting till the coming of M. Chevreul's birthday, on account of the approach of the summer vacation, which would take many of the members of the Academy away from Paris.
Herr Familiant, of Berne, has been studying the brain of a lioness, and finds that in form it is nearly intermediate between that of the dog and that of the cat. It is distinguished from both by relatively small projection of the cerebellum and narrowness of the lobus pyriformis. Further, the chief fissures of the brain of carnivoras are also to be found, with minor differences, in that of primates.
