Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-06-20

The royal tigrers in the Berlin
Geological Gardens having unnatural,
declined to fulfill her maternal duties.
her TWO young cubs were added To the
inter OF Newfoundland dog, who
takes the most solicitous care of them.
A distinguished English physician,
In recent experiment, has Furnished.
as he thinks. anotherproof of the sani-
tary influence of sunlight. Thepolsou
OF the cobra, which no received from
INDIA on ivory points, was exposed in
glass bottle to tue sunlight, IA portion
OF them being wrapped in paper. He
| loul}u that on some OF the points that
had been exposed to the light the poi
son had become inert, while on those
In the same bottle that had been
wrapped in paper the poison still ra-
tanned its fatal activity. He argues
from this that the sunlight might in
the same way destroy the poison of
smallpox, scarlet and typhoid fsvers.
The experiments made by Uaupt
and Others show that, SO long as the
cells of wood are occupied by air and
can be introduced, and he expulsion
OF air and moisture must therefore be
the first step in any effective process
Tor preserving timber from decay.
Water, OF course, can be expelled by "a
long-continued application of heat. but
AIR only by expansion in vacuum,
and the combination of heat and
vacuum Will secure the most rapid eX.
panslon of both water and air. The
preservative fluid must be- introduced
while the cells are empty the process,
consequently, must be carried on in
vacuo.
The fact is noted in the Naturalist
that the red-headed woodpecker will
brain young birds when Il tempting
opportunity offers. The case observed
was as follows: During the summer
OF 1876, a gentleman raised large
number of black Cayuga ducks. 1t
was noticed that, while the birds were
still very young. many of them disap-
peared. one after the other, and the
bodies of several were found with the
brains picked out. On watching care
fully TO ascertain the cause, red
headed woodpecker (Neidneopes ery-
th1oceph0t,lsl was caught in the act.
lie killed the tender duckllng with u
single blow in the head, and then
pecked out and ate the brains
An Edinburgh journal describes
an engine for starting large reversing
engines, without assistance, in few
seconds, the principal feature in this
arrangement consisting of Il comblna-
ton Of steam and hydraulic cylinders
controlled by automatic valve gear.
This is accomplished by the lever,
which opens and closes the steam and
hydraulic valves, being hung partly on
the reversing lever, and at its other
extremity on the weignt-shaft lever,
so that any motion given 10 it and the
valves by The engineer, in one direc-
ton, is cOunteracted by the movement
of the weight-shatt lever TO which
the links of the marine-engine are at
tached. Thus tie links follow the mo-
ton of the reversing lever, and are
locked fast at any degree of expansion
in the quadrant.
The idea of utilizing the recoil of
gun on discharge 10 make III retreat
under cover, says Iron, has again been
put to a practical and very thorough
test, at the proof ground connected
with the Royal Arsenal. The curved
railway laid down for making the eX-
pertinent on the previous occasion
was again employed, though with tie
sharpness Of the curve reduced to
some extent, and the straight run at
the commencement of the recoil ex-
tended. This trial was more success
ful than the first, the gun, when iired
with moderate charges, retiring round
the corner, out of sight; but when put
| to the severe trials which are some
times required Of guns on service, 1t
failed to keep its place on the rails
rendering necessary some further mod
| iiication of the arrangement.