Part 34

THE ELECTRIC BALLS.

Provide two small balls of equal size; both made of gum-lac, and cover one with gold leaf. Suspend these balls from a beam by fine white silk threads, at a little distance from each other, so as to allow a comparison of their motions. Then rub a stick of red sealing-wax upon any woollen substance, or warm it at the fire, and present it to the balls; when it will be at once seen that the gilt ball, which readily admits of the transfer of electricity from one side to the other, will be sooner and more powerfully attracted than the other ball, which allows of no motion in its electricity. The latter ball will, however, by slow degrees be feebly attracted, and may, at length, be made to adhere for a considerable time to the sealing-wax.

THE ELECTRIC DANCE.

Lay on a table small pieces of paper or cotton, feathers, or gold-leaf; then rub with a silk handkerchief a glass tube, hold it parallel to the table, and the several pieces will be alternately attracted and repelled, and a kind of electrical dance will be kept up.

If to the further end of the tube you hang a brass ball, by a thread of linen, hemp, or metallic wire, the ball will participate in the magic power of the rubbed tube; but if the ball be suspended by a cord of silk, worsted, or hair, or be attached by wax or pitch, the attractive and repulsive properties of the rod will not pass into the ball.

ELECTRIC LIGHT.

Shake a barometer in a dark room, and light will be produced in the empty part of it by the friction of the quicksilver electrifying the glass tube. Even the friction of air upon glass is attended by electricity, as has been found by blowing upon a dry plate of glass with a pair of bellows.

ELECTRIC LIGHT FROM BROWN PAPER.

Provide a piece of thick brown paper, thoroughly dry and warm; rub the paper briskly in a dark room, and there will dart forth flashes of electric light to the fingers, to a key, or to any other conductor that may be presented to it.

Heat a small portion of sulphate of quinine in a spoon over the flame of a lamp, and it will become luminous and highly electrical.

SUDDEN PRODUCTION OF LIGHT.

Take a piece of dry and warm wood into a dark room, suddenly rend it asunder, and a flash of light will be perceived. The same effect may likewise be produced by suddenly snapping asunder a stick of sealing-wax in the dark.

Or, break a Prince Rupert’s drop, and electrical light will pervade the whole, so that its form will be distinctly visible in the dark. The light will appear, even if the experiment be made under water.

ELECTRICITY OF THE CAT.

Place your left hand upon the throat of the cat, and, with the middle finger and the thumb, press slightly the bones of the animal’s shoulders; then, if the right hand be gently passed along the back, perceptible shocks of electricity will be felt in the left hand. Shocks may also be obtained by touching the tips of the ears after rubbing the back. If the colour of the cat be black, and the experiment be made in a dark room, the electric sparks may be very plainly seen.

Very distinct discharges of electricity may also be obtained by touching the tips of the ears, after applying friction to the back; and the same may be obtained from the foot. Placing the cat on your knees, apply your right hand to the back; the left fore paw resting on the palm of your left hand, apply the thumb to the upper side of the paw, so as to extend the claws, and, by this means, bring your fore-finger into contact with one of the bones of the leg, where it joins the paw; when, from the knob or end of this bone, the finger slightly pressing on it, you may feel distinctly successive shocks, similar to those obtained from the ears.

It is, perhaps, unnecessary to add, that, in order to this experiment being conveniently performed, the experimenter must be on good terms with the cat.

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Transcriber’s Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired. Varied hyphenation was retained.

Page x, “Phenakisticope” changed to “Phenakistiscope” and “Stoboscope” changed to “Stroboscope” (The Phenakistiscope or Stroboscope) This same change was also made on page 34 in all-capitals (THE PHENAKISTISCOPE, OR STROBOSCOPE)

Page xii, “110” changed to “112” for the entry of “The Mysterious Circles” to match location in text.

Page 3, “loose” changed to “lose” (it will lose all)

Page 44, the original instructions for tuning a guitar, read (like an inverted Λ) As this would just be a “v” and would not be like a saddle, the instruction was changed to (like an inverted v, Λ)

Page 54, “versá” changed to “versâ” (red, and vice versâ)

Page 60, “widows” changed to “windows” (glasses in druggists’ windows)

Page 82, word “a” removed from text. Original read (small a piece of lead)

Page 82, “cut” changed to “out” (throwing out luminous)