Show WORLD OF SMALL THINGS There Thero is an unobserved world orld which man has yet et to study in Inder or order order der to learn some of the secrets of or nature Recently the United States government through the geological survey has been investigating a spongy mass of native nathe copper I found in a 0 bog In Montana and in reporting on it has made mado this dis disclosure dis- dis disclosure closure Copper is ordinarily thought of an one of our most moat valuable metals won from the earth through the skill of the miner and made into form by the metallurgist but according to a recent report of the department of the interior it now DOW appears that metallic copper may be deposited deposited In in relatively small quantities to be sure sure sure- through the action of bacteria During a survey suney of the region near Cooke Mont spongy masses of native nathe copper were found In tho the black muck of a bog Several bodies of copper ore crop out above half halt a mile above tho the bog bop This ore oro weathers rapidly and the copper is removed remo from it itIn ItIn itin In solution as cupric sulphate Re- Re deposition of the copper as native metal only in the black muck and andin in none of the gravels STa and sands in tho the vicinity was ample proof that something in the muck had caused the precipitation of metallic cop cop- copper copper per ver from the sulphate solution but the identity of the precipitating agents remained to be determined Consideration of inorganic proc proc- esses eases was discouraging but prelim- prelim prelimInary mary Inary nary experiments with the tho copper bearing caring muck led to more careful- careful carefully ly y controlled experiments which roved proved beyond question that the copper opper was IlS precipitated through the he agency of certain bacilli |