Scientific American Supplement, No. 455, September 20, 1884

Scientific American Supplement,
No. 455,
by Various

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Title: Scientific American Supplement, No. 455, September 20, 1884
Author: Various
Release Date: November 5, 2004 [EBook #13962]
Language: English
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[Illustration]

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT NO. 455

NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 20, 1884
Scientific American Supplement. Vol. XVIII, No. 455.
Scientific American established 1845
Scientific American Supplement, $5 a year.
Scientific American and Supplement, $7 a year.
* * * * *

TABLE OF CONTENTS.
I. CHEMISTRY AND METALLURGY.--Gallisin, an Unfermentable
Substance in Starch Sugar.
The Combining Weights, Volumes, and Specific Gravities of Elements
and Compounds.
Analysis of Zinc Ash and Calcined Pyrites by Means of Ammonium
Carbonate.
II. ENGINEERING AND MECHANICS.--Petroleum as a Fuel in
Locomotive Engines.--By THOMAS URQUHART.--Spray
injector.--Driving locomotives.--Storage of petroleum.
Improved Gas Light Buoy.--2 figures.
Project for a Roadstead at Havre.--With map and views of different
breakwaters.

Improved Catch Basin.--2 figures.
Water Power with High Pressures and Wrought Iron Water Pipe.--By
HAMILTON SMITH, JR.--Methods of conducting water and
transmitting power.--Texas Creek pipe and aqueduct.--4 figures.
Parachute Hydraulic Motor.
Improved Shafting Lathe.--1 figure.
Power Straightening Machine.--1 figure.
Hydraulic Mining in California.--By GEO. O'BRIEN.
III. TECHNOLOGY.--Emerald Green: Its Properties and
Manufacture.--Use in wall paper.--ROBERT GALLOWAY.
Charcoal Kilns.--Extra yield.--2 figures.
IV. ARCHITECTURE--Entrance, Tiddington House, Oxon.--An
engraving.
V. ELECTRICITY, LIGHT, HEAT. ETC.--The Temperature of the
Earth as shown by Deep Mines.
New Arrangement of the Bichromate of Potash Pile.--3 figures.
The Distribution of Electricity by Induction.--1 figure.
Electricity Applied to the study of Seismic Movements.--Apparatus for
the study of horizontal and vertical seismic movements, etc.--8 figures.
New Accumulators.--3 figures.
Industrial Model of the Reynier Zinc Accumulator.
The History of a Lightning Flash.--By W. SLINGO.
Researches on Magnetism.

VI. NATURAL HISTORY.--The Giraffe.--With engraving.
VII. MEDICINE, AND HYGIENE.--The Treatment of Cholera--By Dr.
H.A. RAWLINS.
Temperature. Moisture, and Pressure, in their Relations to
Health.--London deaths under 1 year in July, August, and part of
September.
Consumption Spread by Chickens.
New Method of Reducing Fever.
VIII. MISCELLANEOUS.--The Crown Diamonds of France at the
Exhibition of Industrial Arts.
A New Mode of Testing the Economy of the Expenses of Management
in Life Insurance.--By WALTER C. WRIGHT.
* * * * *

THE GIRAFFE.
The spirited view herewith presented, representing the "Fall of the
Giraffe" before the rifle of a sportsman, we take from the Illustrated
London News. Hunting the giraffe has long been a favorite sport among
the more adventurous of British sportsmen, its natural range being all
the wooded parts of eastern, central, and southern Africa, though of late
years it has been greatly thinned out before the settlements advancing
from the Cape of Good Hope.
[Illustration: THE FALL OF THE GIRAFFE.]
The characteristics of this singular animal are in some particulars those
of the camel, the ox, and the antelope. Its eyes are beautiful, extremely
large, and so placed that the animal can see much of what is passing on
all sides, and even behind it, so that it is approached with the greatest

difficulty. The animal when full grown attains sometimes a height of
fifteen to seventeen feet. It feeds on the leaves and twigs of trees
principally, its immense length of legs and height at the withers
rendering it difficult for the animal to graze on an even surface. It is not
easily overtaken except by a swift horse, but when surprised or run
down it can defend itself with considerable vigor by kicking, thus, it is
said, often tiring out and beating off the lion. It was formerly almost
universally believed that the fore legs were longer than the hinder ones,
but in fact the hind legs are the longer by about one inch, the error
having been caused by the great development and height of the withers,
to give a proper base to the long neck and towering head. The color
varies a good deal, the head being generally a reddish brown, and the
neck, back, and sides marked with tessellated, rust colored spots with
narrow white divisions. Many specimens have been brought to this
country, the animal being extremely docile in confinement, feeding
from the hand, and being very friendly to those who are kind to it.
* * * * *
An experiment has been made in Vienna which proves that even with
incandescent lights special precautions must be taken to avoid any risk
of