Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 July 1880 — SCIENCE SCINTILLATIONS. [ARTICLE]

SCIENCE SCINTILLATIONS.

oowmorart; fishing nr china. Cormorant* are need for river fishing* are believed to pomes* a secret in cor. morent rearing which gives them special success. The cormorant's book name ia lu tan, and the common name yu ying bat the eggs of the first season (first moon) are the only ones retained for hatching, which are given to hens to hatch, as the femal cormorants are careless mothers. The eggg of the second season are not used, the weather being too cold. The young birds are first fed with a mixture of beancurd and raw eels' flesh cut fine. The price of a male is Idol, or fidoL, and a female half as much. When Riot have attained their full size a string is tied to one leg, the other end of it being fastened to the bank of a pond or canal. They are then made to go into the trainer whistling a peculiar call, and using a bamboo to foree them. Small fish are thrown them, upon which they pounce greedily, 3 they have been kept cm short allowance food. They are now called back by a different whistle call, and forced to obey by means of the string. As they reach the Shore more fish is given them. This teaching haring been gone through daily for a month, another four or five weds are spent in training them from a boat. At the end of this period the string is generally dispesned with. •• The teaching being completed, the cormorants are fed sparingly. A small hemp ring is tied round their nooks to prevent them from swallowing large fish, and they are taken on board the small boat called “cormorant boat" to the tramberof ten or twelve They are now as docile aa dogs, and ait parched on the side of the boat until they are sent into the water by a whistle from the master. They dive after flah, and bring their prizes to the boat firmly held in their hooked beaks. When a fish ia too large for one bird three or more join their forces and capture it together. After fishing two or three hours the birds are allowed to come on board and rest. At the end of the day the hemp string is loosened or removed alto- . gether, and they are either allowed to fish for themselves or are fed by the hand of their matter. A oormoranthoids out for five years.

the next total solas eclipse. A recent paper by Mr. D. P. Todd, of the American Ephemeris office, gives some valuable hints for the use (of the electric telegraph in total solar eclipse. Taking as an example the next total eclipse of the son, on Hay IC, 1882, it is remarked that the path of totality lies almost wholly on land. Beginning in Western Africa, with a northeasterly direction, it crosses Upper Egypt and the Red Bea, passing a few miles south ot Bagdad and Teheron, and thence t-aversing Central Asia it leaves that continent near Shanghai. Thus several widely-separated regions, connected by telegraphic cables and land lines, are upon the track of the centeral eclipse. Mr. Todd remarks that from ElAkhmvm, on the Nile, a line runs north to Alexandria, from which place Teheran is directly accessible by telegraph. From Teheran a land line runs southeast through Beloo . chistan and Hindostan to Madras, which is connected by cable-lines with Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. He points out that an additional advantage attaches to this eclipse from the circumstance that there is a duplicate line of telegraphic connection between Egypt and Shanghai S’ way of Constantinople, Vienna, and oecow, and thence by the Rassian line through Siberia to Wladiwoetok, and Shanghai. Supposing, then, that an intra-Mercurial planet were discovered during totality in Egypt, a duplicate message might be sent, to insure beyond doubt that the discovery should be known Jto observers at Shanghai. If a planet were observed at El Akhmyn, forty-five minutes of absolute time elapsing before the shadow reaches Teheran, the position might be telegraphed to the latter station so as to give the observer abundant time to verify the discovery, while observation at both places might be telegraphed to Shanghai, which the shadow will not reach until more than two hours after leaving Teheran. Mr. Todd thinks the telegraph companies, with the courtesy they have always shown in scientific undertakings, would render every assistance in carrying out such a scheme. A SUBSTITUTE FOR GOLD. ; Many arc the compounds put forward with more or less success to imitate gold. A new preparation, says Iron, is made of copper, 100 parts; pure tin, 17; mangance, 0; common tartar, 8; ammonia, 8.60; and chalk, 1.60. This is said to form so close an imitation cf the precious metal that it can only be distinguished from it by the difference in weight The alloy can also be worked into leaves almost as thin as those of gold. KLKCTBO GILDING. Electro gilding in various colors may be readily effected, says the Begincer, by adding to the gold bath small quantities ot oopper or silver solution until the desired tint is obtained. A small quantity of silver eolation added to the gilding bath causes the deposit to assume a pale yellow tint By increasing the dose of silver solution a pale greenish lint is obtained. Oopper solution added to the gold bath yields a warm red gold tint. It is recommended to nseja current of rather higher tension such as that of the Bunsen battery for depositing the alloy of gold and copper. A DRIED UP LAKE. Where at one time, say* The Eureka Leader, was Ruby Lake there is not a drop ot water. Seven or eight yean ago this sheet of water was from 18 to 20 mites long, and varied in breadth from half a mile to two or three miles and in a number ot places was very deep. The lake was fed by numerous springs along the foot of Ruby Mountain, and was tbe largest body of water in Eastern Nevada. Tor some years past H has been gradually drying up until it has at last totally-disap-peared. No cause for its disappearance can be assigned. Tbe Ruby range of mountains is considered the largest and finest between the Rocky mountains and the Sierra Nevada*, and besides being well wooded has been the beat watered mouatain range in Nevada.