Scientific Notes

The owl, which easily digests meat, cannot digest bread or grain. A piece of zinc placed on the live eoals in a hot stove will effectually clean out a stove pipe, the vapor produced carrying off the soot by chemical decomposition. ïo niake cisterna and taDks watertight, paint thickly on the iuside with a mixture of eight parta melted glue and tour of lmseed oil, boiled with litharge. In forty-eight hours it will be so hard that the tank can be filled with water. The Industrie Bladder recommends the use of glycerine to remove colïee or milk stains. The silk, woolen or other fabric is painted over with glycerine, then washed with a clean Un n rag dipped in lukewarm rain wat r, until clean. It is afterwards press d on the wrong side with a moderately warm iron as long as it seem damp. The most delicate colors are unaffected by this treatment. A mysterious star, ealled the Pilgrim, which was observed in 945, 1264, and 1572, is expected by astronomers to appear before long. It was described in 1572 as brighter than Jiipiter, and "sach was its brilliancy that persons were able to detect it at noon in a clear sky, and at night when the sky was so overcast as to hide all otber stars." If it appears itwill probably be visible for several weeks in the constellation of Cassiopeia. It is said on good authority that the Northern Paciflc Railroad Company and the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company have united in putting a seieiitiflc exploring expedition into the field, for the purpose of examining into the mineral, agricultura], and other resources of the territory tributary to the two companies between Lake Superior and the Paciflc coasfc. Prof. Raphael Pumpelly, until now in charge of" th e coal and iron department of the late national census, has been appointed chief of the expedition, and he has already started for Montana to examine the principal mining districts in that Territory. The work of the expedition will extend through several years. The use of sawdust in mortar is recommended as superior even to hair for the prevention of cracking and subsequent pealing off of rough casing under the action of storms and frost. A house, exposed to prolonged storms on the sea-coast, had pieces of mortar to be renewed each spring; and af ter trying without effect a number of substances to prevent it, the owner found sawdust perfectly satisfactorily. It was first thoroughly dried and sifted through an ordinary grain sieve to remove the larger particles. The mortar was made by mixing ons part cement, two of lime, two of sawdust and five of sharp sand, the sawdust being at first well-mixed dry with the cement and saud.