The Wonder Book of Knowledge: The Marvels of Modern Industry and Invention, the Interesting Stories of Common Things, the Mysterious Processes of Nature Simply Explained
History
The Wonder Book of Knowledge: The Marvels of Modern Industry and Invention, the Interesting Stories of Common Things, the Mysterious Processes of Nature Simply Explained
Industrial arts -- History
Fighting fish are a small fish and belong to the climbing perch family.
They are natives of the southeast of Asia and are remarkable for their
pugnacious propensities.
In Siam these fish are kept in glass globes, as we keep goldfish, for
the purpose of fighting, and an extravagant amount of gambling takes
place about the result of the fights.
When the fish is quiet its colors are dull, but when it is irritated it
glows with metallic splendor.
How is the Exact Color of the Sky Determined?
An instrument called a “cyanometer,” meaning “measurer of blue,” is used
for ascertaining the intensity of color in the sky.
It consists of a circular piece of metal or pasteboard, with a band
divided by radii into fifty-one portions, each of which is painted with
a shade of blue, beginning with the deepest, not distinguishable from
black, and decreasing gradually to the lightest, not distinguishable
from white. The observer holds this up between himself and the sky,
turning it gradually round till he finds the tint of the instrument
exactly corresponding to the tint of the sky.
What is a “Divining Rod”?
A divining rod is a wand or twig of hazel or willow used especially for
discovering metallic deposits or water beneath the earth’s surface.
It is described in a book written in 1546 and it has also a modern
interest, which is set forth by Prof. W. F. Barrett, F.R.S., the chief
modern investigator. The use of the divining rod at the present day is
almost wholly confined to water finding, and in the hands of certain
persons it undoubtedly has produced results along this line that are
remarkable, to say the least. The professional water-finder provides
himself with a forked twig, of hazel, for instance, which twig, held in
balanced equilibrium in his hands, moves with a sudden and often violent
motion, giving to the onlooker the impression of life within the twig
itself. This apparent vitality of the twig is the means whereby the
water-finder is led to the place where he claims underground water to
exist, though its presence at that particular spot was hitherto wholly
unsuspected. While failure is sometimes the outcome of the
water-finder’s attempts, success as often and, indeed, according to the
testimony of Professor Barrett, more often crowns his efforts. Various
explanations, scientific and other, of the phenomenon have been
advanced. Professor Barrett ascribes it to “motor-automatism” on the
part of the manipulator of the divining rod, that is, a reflex action
excited by some stimulus upon his mind, which may be either a
sub-conscious suggestion or an actual impression. He asserts that the
function of the forked twig in the hands of the water-finder may be to
act as an indicator of some material or other mental disturbance within
him. While a hazel or willow twig seems to be preferred by the
professional water-finders, twigs from the beech, holly or any other
tree are employed; sometimes even a piece of wire or watch spring is
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