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112   Art of Travel.

Bark Cloth is used in several parts of the work. It is simply a piece of some kind of peculiarly fibrous bark ; in Unyoro, Sir S. Baker says, the natives use the bark of a species of fig-tree. They soak it in water and then beat it with a mallet, to get rid of all the harder parts;-much as hemp is prepared. " In appearance it much resembles corduroy, and is the colour of tanned leather : the finer qualities are peculiarly soft to the touch, as though of woven cotton."

Eyed rf colour on warmth of clothing.-Dark colours be

come hotter than light colours in the sunshine, but they are not hotter under any other circumstances. Consequently a person who aims at equable temperature, should wear light colours. Light colours are far the best for sporting purposes, as they are usually much less conspicuous than black or rifle-green. Almost all wild beasts are tawny or fawn-coloured, or tabby, or of some nondescript hue and pattern : if an animal were born with a more decided colour, he would soon perish for want of ability to conceal himself.

Warmth of different Materials.-" The indefatigable Rumford made an elaborate series of experiments on the conductivity of the substances used in clothing. His method was this :-A mercurial thermometer was suspended in the axis of a cylindrical glass tube ending with a globe, in such a manner that the centre of the bulb of the thermometer oocupied the centre of the globe ; the space between the internal surface of the globe and the bulb was filled with the substance whose conductive power was to be determined; the instrument was then heated in boiling water, and afterwards, being plunged into a freezing mixture of pounded ice and salt, the times of cooling down 135° Fally. were noted. They are recorded in the following table :

 

Surrounded with-

       

Seconds.

Twisted silk ..

     

..

 

917

Fine lint..

       

..

1032

Cotton wool ..

         

1046

Sheep's wool..

..

..

..

 

..

1118

Taffety ..

         

1169

Raw silk

         

1264

Beaver's fur ..

         

1296

Eider down

         

1305

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