NEW YORK, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1887.

Contents.

(Illustrated articles are marked with an asterisk.)
[Architecture, naval, during last half century][127]
[Armament, British, at Victoria*][131]
[Army, peace, of the United States][129]
[Aurora borealis*][135]
[Beam caloric engine*][127]
[Bench and ironing board, combined*][131]
[Birds, incendiary][133]
[Birds, phosphorescent][133]
[Birds, winter, our*][133]
[Blind stop, improved*][131]
[Books and publications, new][138]
[Boots or shoes, crimping, device for*][131]
[Brush and comb cleaner*][132]
[Business and personal][138]
[Charcoal as fossil][133]
[Chevreul's black*][137]
[Cocaine habit, the][128]
[Correspondence][133]
[Craze, Yankee, the latest][136]
[Defense of New York within thirty days' time][132]
[Dredger, marine, improved*][134]
[Earthquake, Charleston][133]
[Electroplating with platinum][132]
[Emery wheels for gumming saws*][130]
[Engine, caloric, improved*][127]
[Eruption in the Tonga group][133]
[Exhibition, American, London][137]
[Fish, meat, etc., canned][133]
[Guns, steel, are they superior?][128]
[Hats, ladies', protector for*][132]
[Hydraulic dredging at Washington][134]
[Injector, Penberthy*][132]
[Inventions, agricultural][138]
[Inventions, engineering][138]
[Inventions, index of][139]
[Inventions, miscellaneous][138]
[Life insurance company, a solid][129]
[Locomotive, three-cylinder][127]
[Measuring rack, wood, adjustable*][131]
[Medicine, preventive][129]
[Nervous patient, treatment, length of][136]
[Northern lights, the*][135]
[Notes and queries][138]
[Patent law, amendment of the, new][128]
[Patent, steel wire brush][136]
[Petroleum in Egypt][137]
[Plasterer's hawk*][131]
[Pyrofuxin—a new tanning substance from coal][128]
[Saw gummer, emery vulcanite*][130]
[Shark, frilled, the*][130]
[Snails, strength of][137]
[Sodium, producing, new method of, Castner's][129]
[Steel rail capacity of the United States][132]
[Stump puller, improved*][132]
[Sugar process, new][134]
[Sun, duration of][134]
[TThermoscopic balance*][134]
[Torpedo boat armed with pneumatic dynamite guns*][137]
[Torpedo, effect of, on an ironclad*][136]
[Torpedo experiments at Portsmouth*][136]

TABLE OF CONTENTS OF
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT
No. 582.
For the Week Ending February 26, 1887.

Price 10 cents. For sale by all newsdealers.

PAGE
I.AERONAUTICS.—War Balloons.—The establishment of ballooncorps in the armies of different countries; the French, English,Italian, and Russian establishments.—1 illustration9288
II.ASTRONOMY.—Astronomical Telescopes; their object glassesand reflectors.—By G.D. Hiscox.—The dialyte telescope; practicaldetails of the mechanical operations of construction, such aslens grinding and shaping; washing flour of emery, tests for correction.—23illustrations9296
Fleurials' Gyroscope Collimator.—An ingenious application ofthe gyroscope to fixing the horizon line in sextant observations;an instrument crowned by the French Academy.—2 illustrations9291
III.BIOLOGY.—An Epidemic of Micrococcus prodigiosus.—By M.Grimbert.—Interesting case of bacterial poisoning, with details ofthe detection of the bacteria9301
The Morphological Conditions of Heredity.—An exposition ofProfessor A. Weissman's theory of the "perpetuity of germplasma;" a theory opposed to the doctrine of evolution9295
The Third Eye of Reptiles.—The last conclusions on the pinealgland in reptiles; curious development in anatomy, the possibleorgan of a sixth sense.—1 illustration9300
IV.CHEMISTRY.—Nitrogenous Principles of Vegetable Mould.—Noteof the conclusions of MM. Berthelot and Andre9302
The Lactocrite.—A new method of ascertaining the amount offat in milk.—By H. Faber.—An apparatus for analyzing milk employingcentrifugal force.—Results obtained.—1 illustration9292
V.ELECTRICITY.—Electric Welding.—The new art in metallurgydescribed by Prof. Elihu Thomson; full details of the process,apparatus, and current required.—2 illustrations9293
The Electric Waltzers.—An ingenious electric toy.—1 illustration9293
VI.ENGINEERING.—Sustaining Walls. Arched sustaining wallsand arched buttresses; elaborate study of French practice.—11 illustrations9288
VII.METEOROLOGY.—Popular Errors in Meteorology. Popularfallacies; the habits of animals, the Rocky Mountain locust; theequinoctial storm9299
VIII.MISCELLANEOUS.—Beethoven's Portrait. An authenticportrait of the great musician.—1 illustration9301
Dwarfs and Giants.—Relative sizes of men; the Austrian giant,Francis Winckelmeler, 8½ feet high.—1 illustration9302
The Sinaloa Colony.—The Topolobampo settlement; its origin,progress, principles and prospects9301
IX.NAVAL ENGINEERING.—Torpedo Boat Catchers. A review ofrecent constructions of fast light armored vessels for combatingtorpedo boats9290
X.ORDNANCE.—The Use of Machine Guns in the Field in Combinationwith Infantry.—Abstract of a recent paper on this subject byMajor A. D. Anderson, R.H.A.—The advantages and uses of theweapon discussed.—Advocacy of their introduction9288
XI.PHOTOGRAPHY.—Orthochromatic Photography. By J. B. B.Wellington.—Formulæ and practical directions for orthochromaticwork.—The use of silver carbonate and erythrosin together9293
XII.PHYSICS.—A New Gas Thermo-Regulator.—A simple and efficientapparatus for regulating heat in air baths, etc.—1 illustration9292
A New Thermometer.—The principle of the Bourdon safetygauge applied to thermometry.—Fermis' new thermometer.—1 illustration9291
Phosphorescence of Alumina.—By Edmond Becquerel.—Theeffects of impurities on phosphorescence discussed9294
Separation of Nickel by the Magnet.—By Thomas T. P. Bruce-Warren.—Theeffect of copper on nickel in modifying its susceptibilityto magnetic attraction.—Practical deductions as to nickelcrucibles and gauze9294
The Capillarity and Density of Liquids.—A simple experiment inphysics without apparatus.—1 illustration9294
XIII.SANITATION AND HYGIENE.—A Floating Hospital.—A newstructure recently erected at Newcastle-on-Tyne.—2 illustrations9295
XIV.TECHNOLOGY.—Employment of Acetic or Formic Acid inBleaching.—Ingenious use of a small quantity of organic acids todecompose indefinite amounts of bleaching powder.—The inventionof Dr. Lunge, of Zurich9290
Sulphurous Acid in the Chemical Industries.—Its use in the phosphateand tartaric acid industries9294
Tea Withering Apparatus.—A portable blowing apparatus fordrying tea.—Use of chloride of calcium to absorb moisture therein.—1illustration9291