Two distinguished men were officially superannuated last year: Profs. Milne-Edwards and Delafosse of the Paris Museum. The son of the former takes his place, and Descloiseaux succeeds to the chair of mineralogy. Professors Dove of Berlin and Wöhler of Göttingen have had their _jubiläum_ or fiftieth anniversary of their doctorates. All these facts illustrate the conservative influence of student life.
The Western mines of gold and silver have lately yielded some new and interesting minerals. Roscoelite is a vanadium mica from a gold mine at Granite creek, California. The vanadic acid varies from 20 to 23 per cent. Psittacinite is a vanadate of lead and copper, which occurs associated with gold, lead, and copper minerals at several mines in Silver Star district, Montana. It is considered to be a favorable indication, for when that is found the vein is said to become rich in gold. Coloradoite is a telluride of mercury, also a new mineral and quite rare.
Dr. Piggott proposes to replace the spider's web of telescopes by a star illuminated transit eye-piece. A sheet of glass, on which a thin film of silver is deposited, is placed in the focus of the eye lens; transparent lines are drawn on the film, instead of wires, and as the star passes across the lines it is seen to flash out brightly. The film of silver is made sufficiently thin to permit of the star being seen when it is between the lines, but it appears that the lines themselves are only visible, except in the case of very large stars, when the star disc is in transit across a line.
Singular results of strains existing in the granite rocks through which the St. Gothard tunnel is passing are recorded. When the shots are fired at the end of the gallery they are sometimes succeeded at unequal intervals by other explosions at points where there is no drill hole and no powder. Workmen have been injured by these spontaneous explosions, which are to be explained only on the theory that there are strains in the rock; and when this tension is increased by the shock of a heavy explosion, the rock flies in pieces with noise. Similar effects have been noticed in other granites.
It is said that aniline colors are now used to color wines, and that enough of them is taken into the Bordeaux district of France to color one-third of its whole product. Husson gives the following method for detecting it: Take a small quantity of the wine and add a little ammonia, when the mixture turns a dirty green. Steep a thread of white woollen yarn in the liquor and allow a drop of vinegar to flow along it. If the color of the wine is natural, as the drop advances the original whiteness of the wool is restored; but if the wine has been sophisticated with magenta, the wool will take a rose color. This test is simple, easily tried, and effective.