That Microscopical Wonder, the Baby Oyster.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1830, 29 March 1884, Page 2 (Supplement)

That Microscopical Wonder, the Baby Oyster.

Piiop. H. J. Eioe, employed to attend to experiments in fish-hatching, said, addressing

a reporter : — " I will show you the proboscis of an oyster, something rarely seen except by scientists experimenting like myself. You see in this little bowl of water something that looks like a piece of thin scale, with a fragment of substance to it, all the size of a lady's fingernail; well, tkat's an infant oyster, about a month old. -I will now place it undor the microscope, and you will then discover the proboscis." In a moment the professor had adjusted the lens, and the reporter looked. He at once drew back in horror and grasped for the table. The professor smiled. Through the tubes of the microscope the reporter gazed again, into a wide sea, wherein lay a hideous monster, and from its indescribable body there rose a great serpentine coil which swayed hither and thither as if searching for a victim. "We are not certain of the functions of the proboscis yet, but think that, like an elephant's trunk, it is made use of to catoh and pass the food to the mouta. When the oyster is five months old it loses its proboscis ; that is, it is absorbed and becomes part of the lips." " I have counted the pulsations of the heart," said the professor, " and it ran from thirty-five to fifty a minute; that of a fullgrown oyster does not beat so fast. I will nowshow you its tentacles. " Again the lens was adjusted and the monster examined, and from its sides stretched away out into the sea were a number of long arms, but without hands or fingers, and the monster kept stretching them out and pulling them in. — New York Journal.

Beside the Sea. BhbiuK the beach, one sunny clay's fair close, While slow the wide-stretching sea murmured by, Kissing the shore, the lyric of its woes Soft-singing — fainter far than zephyrs sigh— 'There stood a mother and her son, both fair. Upon her brow was writ the cruel ruth Of tearful years — her crown had worn its thorn 1 The boy had known no care ; O'er his cheek hung the loveliuess of youth As the dawn's flush upon the face of Morn ! The elder held communion with her soul. The younger watched the solitary cloud With fleecy pinions speeding— as its goal Heaven's east gate — of some lost sprite the shroud ; And turned and saw the wavelets come and go» And stooped and picked from off the strand a shell, Most curious wrought — from the sea's depth up-hutled In the water's quick flow. He held it to his ears, and heard it tell Its mimic murmers of some mystic world. " Mother," he whispered as he pensive grew, " The sea is not alsvays at peace and rest — And still the sky is not forever blue — Nor Night always in starry splendour drest. Tell me, has life, like these, its shadow-spell? Or is it always fair as flowers bright, Like a rose hanging from its stem, full blown ? Or has it, like the shell I hold, its secrets hid from youthful sight, Turning our smiles to tears, when they are known ?" The mother started from her reverie, And gazed full anxious on the eager boy — And said : " Look thou, my son, upon the sea And witness how it struggles to destroy The chains that bind its restless spirit in. Oh, how it frets with ceaseless, piteous moan I See there the symbol of a human life ! Sorrow, temptation, sin ! The heavy burdens to be silent borne 1 The futile strivings, and the endless strife 1" " Too soon, child, wilt thou see behind the veil That hides from Youth the mysteries of mankind ; Too early wilt thou learn how weak and frail Is man, and see what chains his spirit bind ; And feel his grief, and know the sting of sorrow. How false are frionds, how slender dearest ties ; How short-lived kindness in the ones wo love ; How the dreams of to-morrow Vanish away ; how Pleasure's fond hour flics — And yet that all is vain, each life must prove" Look son, see how thia stony fragment breaks The smoothness of the sea's unruffled face — Watch how each wavelet the other fast forsakes, Enlarging in concentric rapid chase. Curled fringes of white foam I the wind's caress Upon Ills mistress, in his wanton glee ! Then see the tiny ridges fainter wear, And lapse to nothingness. A stone thrown in Eternity's vast sea, Each life makes ripples like that pebble there ! George. J. Dubaind.

lam acquainted with the details of an occurrence so marvellous that any reader would be justified in doubting the story unless he should be told under circumstances -which would make doubt not only out of the question, but ridiculous. Therefore to preclude doubt, I tell the story in Chaff : About three months ago a party of three gentlemen visited a show on Market-street, in which the principal attraction waa a clever sleight-of-hand performer. His trick of knife-swallowing was not done in the usual slow, awkward manner, but in one quick, neat movement. Later in the evening the gentlemen sat in Gobey's discussing that Bpotheosis of a Welch rarebit, a " golden buck." Suddenly one of the three seized a small table-knife, rose, and exclaimed, jestingly : " Here's the way that fellow swallowed the knife." > He partially threw back a light overcoat he' still ■ wore, held the knife above his open mouth and dropped it. " Bravo, bravo ! " cried his companions for the knife neatly disappeared. The performer smiled, bowed, placed his hand to his side, suddenly started, again clapped his hand hurriedly and excitedly over his side, his face assumed a horrified expression, and he sank back into his seat exclaiming : "My God ; I have swallowed the knife 1 " He became suddenly and seriously ill. He was hastily conveyed to hia rooms in a carriage and a physician called. When the man of medicine arrived, the sufferer was in agonizing convulsions. His companions told the story to the wondering physician, who could do nothing but administer some opiates and await results. For several days following the patient could eat nothing, and for a week retained only enough in his stomach to sustain life. He quickly lost flesh, and was altogether a pitiable object. He required constant and careful nursing and general attention, to obtain which, being a bachelor, living in bachelor quarters, he was removed to the French Hospital. There he quickly wasted away to little more than a skeleton, and his case attracted wide attention from the medical fraternity. At the end of a month he still showed every symptom of having some very large, painful and indigestible substance lodged in his stomach. He was able, however, by that time to walk about a little with the aid of a cane, and pending a decision of th.9 doctors aa to the policy of a surgical operation in his case, he moved back to his own rooms, where hia friends could conveniently visit him. One day he Bent to his tailor some clothing he found in need of repair, and among the articles was the light overcoat he wore when he swallowed the knife. The next day the excited -tailor came running. In the lining of ti& skirt of the coat he had found thfr knife. the performer dropped the knife he intended it to

fall in the inside pock-t of the coat. It had fallen there and gone through the thin pocket down into the lining. When he clapped his hand against hia side and did not feel the knife in the pocket ho really thought he had swallowed it. Hia terrible suffering and nour approach to death had all heen the effect of imagination. He is now aT well as ever. — ' ii'a change. I love a cheerful liar, but one to be entirely praiseworthy should also lie with laci. If that is not what I mean, it is that I hato a bouncing truth-teller. More iniury is done by those who tell all the truth they know than by those who do not know how to tell the truth. A man who goes about telling all the truths he knows is invariably a man with few friends. If that was the only result of his unnecessary truthfulness I would be satisfied with the fact that he was punished for his misconduct. Unfortunately, however, that, like most other sins, affects others than the sinner. The brutality of truthfulness consists in the ouhage it doe^— without any resulting good, frequently— the feelings of those and the fiiends of those involved in the matter related. I speak, of course, of unpleasant truths. If an evil wore always corrected when an unpleasant truth is told, it, the truth, could be endured, a<* in quinine when one has a chill. But what's the use of going about with a big box of quinine pills and forcing everybody with a binned thumb to take a dose ? Men who are spoken of admiringly as having much consideration for others' feelings arc simply men who generally lefrain from telling what unpleasant trnths they come possessed of. A man who takes a savage delight in telling unpleasant truths, and pats himself on the back for being such an exceptionally honest man, always reminds mo of a big bully in a playground, who thrashes all the little boys just because he can, and boasts of his courage theiefore. I think I have written myself to a point where I can consistently retract my first sentence, and stand simply on the assertain that the universal truth teller is not only a bore but a brute as well. It naturally follows for me to express my admiration for the man who never neglects to repeat any pleasant truth with a personal application he hears. It may be that there are not so many pleasant as unpleasant truths told, and if I weie a cynic I could add, for the obvious reason that the world does not afford the opportunities. _ I think it is every man's duty to make a point of repeatiug so that the persons most concerned will know of them, all (he pleasant truths — all the compliments, in fact— -he hears. Circumstances constantly force upon men enough and too" many unpleasant experiences, and the man who will deny another the pleasure of knowing himself complimented, who will refrain from repeating a pleasant truth, is only exceeded in meanness by he who, unprovoked, repeats an unpleasant truth. — The Wasp.

Transfusion of Blood. Thi: Presse, of Vienna, lately described an operation of the above kind successfully carried out by Professor Nothnagel in conjunction with Herr Hitter yon Hacker. On account of the unsatisfactory results recently obtained in several cases by using human and lamb's blood, it was resolved to try a better method, already suggested by several physiologists. This consisted of a solution of common salt of OG per cent, rendeied alkaline by two drops of concentrated solution of soda. The patient treated on this occasion was a young man who was in imminent danger from weakness of the heart, consequent upon loss of blood by reason of an abscess in the stomach. An incision was made iv a vein in the uppper part of the arm, and by means of a funnel-shaped receptacle about two pints and three-quarters of the fluid in question were introduced into the sy&tern of the patient, who is now expected to recover.

A Double Artesian Well. Seiaia has the wost wonderful artesian well in the world. Two separate streams of water of entirely different properties flow from this well. This effect is produced by the insertion of a two inch pipe within a four inch tube. The larger pipe descends four hundied feet ; the water has no mineral qualities, and is very cold. The inner pipe descends seven hundred feet ; the water is stiongly impicgnated with sulphur and iron, and compared with the temperature di the twin sti earns, is quite warm — Selma (Ala) Times,

Starters ion* Stories. Followini/ the prevailing literary Jnsluon : Slush, slush, slush I—lI — I first saw the light of day — " Push the eglantine afdde, Hester." — It was night — night in the great city. — It was night — night on the lonely downs.— The sun was rising on a peifect day. — A dull, cliizzling day on the Cornish coast. — It was Herbert Delancey's twenty-first birthday. — It was a beautiful afternoon . toward the close of August. — Geoffrey Marmalade had been a bachelor for many years. — Born of humble parents, John Gray gicw up to manhood. — Yes, it is very hard for all of us to part wifch Lilith Jane ; but — Only a gin-miller's daughter 1 And yet how fair — how wondrously fair she was ! — On a sultry day toward the close of August, 18—, the heir of Jagshurst lay dying.— The birds were twittering sweetly that morning in leafy June, when Clara Montmorenci — " No 1 " The speaker was a fair pale gill of somo nineteen summers. — A bright, glowing fire, a cheerful room, books everywhere — what more did Herbert Vane need to be happy ? — Puck

An inventor of a flying-machine, Avho claims success, has at last ax)peared. The apparatus ii described as a steam machine constructed of light wood, and shaped like the frame of a four-wheeled carriage, with two large wheels in front and two behind. The inventor's idea is to propel the machine by steam on land until it attains a velocity which will be sufficient to lift the machine from the ground, when it will be navigated by sails. At the first trial the machine was lifted from the ground.

Early Marriages. To TnosE who believe in early marriages, as we do, the following story, taken from Notes and Queries, will prove of interest : — Lady Sarah Oadogan, daughter of William, first Earl Cadogan, was married at the age of 13 to Charles, second t>uke of Eichmond, aged 18. It is said that this marriage was a bargain to cancel a gambling debt between their parents, Lady Sarah being a co-heiress. The young Lord March was brought from College, and the little lady from her nursery, for the ceremony, which took place at The Hague. The bride was amazed and silent, but the husband explained : " Surely you are not going to marry me to that dowdy ?" Married, however, he was, and his tutor then took him off to the Continent, and the bride went back to her mother. Three years after, Lord March returned from his travels, but having such a disagreeable recollection of hi 3 wife, was in no hurry to join her, and went the first evening to the theatre. There he saw a lady so beautiful that he asked who she was. "The reigning toast, Lady March," v as the answer he got. He hastened to claim her, and their lifelong''affection for each other is much commented on by contemporaneous "writers ; indeed, it is said that the Duchess, who only survived him a year, died of grief. Another correspondent wrifes : " A youthful wedding recently took place, not one hundred miles from this parish (Deeping, St. James'), the united ages of the couple being 35 — the bridegroom 21, and the bride 14. It was somewhat of a novelty to observe the interesting bride, the following day, exhibiting her skill on the skipping-rope on the pavement in the street."

Weight of Children, Two illustrations may be given of changes worth noting in illness. A boy, ten years old, after scarlet fever*, had lost 4 lbs. in weight ; this he regained in one month after convalescence, and added another 5 lbs. in the next three months. A weakly boy, eight years old, 3 feet 10 inches high, or 4G inches, weighs only 40 lbs.j* and gains no -weight and only 1

inch in height during six months* care in London ; he then goes into the country for three months — August, September, and October — gains 8 lbs. and grows another inch ; at nine years old he get 3 to the proportions of 50 lbs. and 50 inches, the average height, but not the average weight, until after another year of care he became strong and well. Another boy of this age, the same weight, but an inch shorter, made no advance, and theu, with slight febrile action, began to lose fle'-h, till his weight in pounds became less than his height in inches. He did not recover. It may be noted in the table that till the seventh year the height in inches exceeds the weight in pounds, and that, from eight to twelve years, the height m feet and the weight in stones correspond. As growth is nearer completion a still further increase of weight over height should occur. A child in the fourth year should bo 3 feet high, and weigh more than 2 stone; in the sixth year, 3£ feet high, and weigh 3 stone; in the eighth year, 4 feet high, and 4 stone in weight; at twelve years old, 5 feet in height, and 5 stone in weight is a fair average. At the term of adolescence 2 stone should be added for 3 or 4 inches of height ; 8 stone for 5 feet G inches; 9 stone for 5 feet 8 inches ; 10 stone for 5 feet 10 inches ; 11 stone for 5 feet 11 inches ; and 12 stone for G feet of height is good weight. Growth is very irregular in children and young people generally ; perhaps 2 inches may be gained in two months, and for the next ten months not another inch, even up to the ages of ten or twelve years. While growth is thus rapid fatigue is easily induced ; during the pause weight h gained, and work or training can go on. — Our Homes, and How to Make them Healthy.

Waterproof €anvas. Sackcloth or canvas is made as impervious to wet as leather by steeping it in a docootion of 1 lb. of oakbark in 14lbs. of boiling water. This quantity of liquor is sufficient for eight yaids of stuff. The oloth has to soak twenty-four hours, then is passed through running water nud hung out to dry, Tho flax and hemp fibres absorb the tannm and are rendered more durable as well as water-tight.

Copying Fossil Prints. A sisu'ljE method 'of getting prints in ink of fossil foirns bas been communicated to the Societvjof St,|Etienue Engineers by M. FajoJ. It consists in painting the object with ink ami taking an impression on moist paper ; but when the fossil will spoil by wetting it is first brushed over with dilute silicate of potash, which on drying leaves a thin layer of silicate over the surface. The artificial surface takes the ink well and Rives a good impression after. *

A Tricycle BoatThe novel experiment of crossing the Channel on a tricycle was recently accomplished successfully by a seafaring man named Terry. The tricycle is an invention of his own, and is so constructed as to form the framework of a boat. The latter is 12 feet long by 3 feet 9 inches wide, and 2 feet deep. It is formed of a single covering of tarpaulin. The lider canies the tarpaulin and a pair of of sculls •with him by road, and when he wishes to cross a river or lake, transforms his tricycle into a boat and launches it. The frame of the tiicyle is constructed to serve the double purpose with a little alteration. Mr. Teny completed the journey from Dover to Calais in eight hours. He then reformed his tricycle and proceeded to Paris by road.

In a paper read before the Academy of Sciences, at Paris, M. Peyrusson has demonstrated very clearly that germs of typhoid fever, cholera, and other contagious diseases may be preserved and communicated by the slightest crack in china or crockery tableware. That unhappy individual commonly known as a " boarder " should cut this out and paste it in his landlady's hat.