scientific miscellany NV dr elliott coues new nev list of tho the birds of north america mentions species only about were known in time the dazzling effect of the lie electric arc are is a source of objection to its use as a 1 locomotive headlight by tie alie french engineers who have boon been trying it 4 A remarkable cloud 0 observed in guatemala during eight consecutive days of last february was found to consist of 0 seeds floating in the air ah the stream of particles resembled snowflakes snow flakes in appearance and was only visible when between the observer and tile sun the micro telephone has been applied by count von Eug enborg in ill th the 0 tyrol aro of water he buries several ml microphones ra lones in the boil connecting each I 1 with a telephone with this arrangement ho lie is enabled in the quiet of night to distinguish the gurgle of blowing water at a considerable depth in the earth prof during his arctic voy voyages ages was perplexed by tile question fuestion ue stion what becomes with tho the bodies of animals which die a natural death and declared that on spitsbergen it was caa easier der to find verte rec of monster extinct reptiles than tho bones of the seal walrus or bird of the present day dav the problem is yet unsolved tho The appropriations of the british government for scientific purposes this year include to tho meteorological council for furnishing weather forecast sto 01 out ACOSt cost the same liberal patrons of science will be called upon to contribute to defray the expenses of observing tile transit of venus in december A london medical of officer fleer dr gibbon is authority for the statement that tho tile jews of london average twice as long iong a period of life as tile christians pulmonary consumption and scrofula are almost link jin known among the jews 1 of tile metropolis their children seem to suffer less from disease than do those 0 of tile english and irish gentiles in neighboring borill localities A curious burial place was lately revealed in new zealand an ali imma immense se tree supposed to be many centuries old was blown down and a largo quantity 1 la libity of human bones was disclosed el 0 led in tho tile hollow interior some same of the sk skeletons being quite perfect the existence of the cemetery was v s unknown to the maoris laoris of tho the vicinity alio assert assort that it mast must date from froin a very ancient period mr arthur morin of paris states that experiments continued for a number of years by ga garrisoned cavalry r regiments in various palts of 1 aranco rance have proved that horses are healthier and stronger when kept in stables with doors the tile windows open night and day in all seasons than where they are kept shut similar observations have been mado made in stables containing large numbers of cattle which are b by good ventilation relieved from epidemic affections of the respiratory organs tho the havoc wrought by lightning is often frightful A few weeks li ago 0 a thunderbolt struck a chimney ft high located in a town in ill the north of prance france and cut a deep fissure in in its entire length among other examples of like power powerful rul e effects 1 acts arago states that in 1702 lightning destroyed the turret ofa of a church at and threw thrown a stone weighing not less than pounds to a distance ft and ind in a wall near manch manchester weigh ingmore ing more than 26 tons w was lifted nine feet at one end by a ver very atio violent thunderbolt an oriental writer lias has recently given an interesting description afan of an ancient burial in the chinese ampire it was the custom for the wealthy man to procure ro ure his coffin when lie had deac reached h d the ago age of forty iio ho would then have it painted three times a year with a composition resembling sem bling ei licate paint or enamel which formed an all exceedingly exceeding hard coating tho tile process of making this paint is now ono one of the lost arts of china if tile owner of tho the coffin lived long enough the frequent painting cach coat being of consider considerable able thickness caused it to assume the tile appearance of a sarcophagus with a foot orn wre in thickness of this hard stone like shell after death tho the veins and cavities of the tile persons stomach were filled with i quicksilver for tho tile purpose of preserving th the body A piece of or jado jade would then bo be placed in each nostril and car and in one hand while a piece of bar silver would bo be placed in tho other hand tho the body thus prepared was placed on oil a layer laver of quicksilver within the tile coffin the latter was sea scaled d and tho the whole deposited in its final agn al resting place when borne some of these sarcophagi plia i were opened after a lapse of centuries tile bodies were found to be perfectly preserved but the they quickly crumbled to dust on being exposed to the air