New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-03-09
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

Reference has previously been made In this column 70
/ breed Of swine I'm Texas, wbosc hoots not coyep
Such cTcumst stance might have caused some ocnusion
II the breed had been the Trainer Of the Levitt
zeal Law. DR.. Coues has recently examined specimens
of swine. and he declares that the animal cs.
petey solidnguate" Tho hoof IL perfectly solid. ssd
ON ts sole there Is broad, angular elevation ~ horny
substance. which is cuiosy like the frog OF the horses
hooi The breed Ia firmly established that ten
dency 10 revert 20 the twooed form is observable In
case OF cross between tho soidhoofed boar and sov
the ordinary type, the majority OF the progeny have
the pcculiares Of the male parent DR.. Coues ays
that H. In this Instance. ease Of change from
artodaclye mammal to perlssodaetyc iron even
oed 10 odl-toedl But Professor j. ID. Dana contends
that the pig Is no less artodaeye than before sHoe.
although the two toes are eoaeseed at their extremity,
equals the INNER which. H. maintans Il the character
istic Of the eyento,d mammals.
MEXICAN ANTIQUITIEs.-At recent meet
ing OF the st. Louis Academy OF Sciences MrJ a Daeus
presented drawings Of the ruins OF vast palace st
Xayi. Chiapas. Mexico. some discoveries nave just
been made I'm the Eubterranean portions OF this ruin
Il IN supposed that library has been found perhaps
OF sacred writings, which are contained upon very
large number of tablets each SIX by eight inches sur
face and half an inch thick Phe material IS spoken
OF as terra Gotta. Tho inscriptions appear TO be IN
Language possessed OF an apbaOc Dut tb"5 nave not
yet been translated.
PHoToGRAPIIs OF CELESTIAL OBJECTs-In
an address by Professor y. A. Gould, Director OF the
Cordoba Observatory delivered on tie reception Of the
premiums awarded for lunar and stellar photographs
exhibited - 1876 at Philadelphia, brief account was
given Of recent success IN this Kind u WORK IN
south America. Professor Gould says that the airo
Cordoba Is at times Of incredible clearDos, aud cxoes-
sivcly dry. The photographs there obtained 81 tho
moon. when full and tho last quarter. VIII bear
patsOn with any previously obtained of those phases
though DR.. Gould thinks thai Mr. Rutherford shoio-
graph Of moons fret quarter must aii hold The palm.
Among the best pictures of this sort az TIE CORDOBA
Observatory photographs u celebrated ncbu such
as that Of X Canine, containing two images apiece of
ls5 stars and that Of Eta Argus nov called Eta Cars
with $50 stars. \ rcmaI kabe feature OF toe south
American photographs Is the presentation ~ very small
stars many IS IA the ninth magnitude. ana some
very recently pictured that are undoubtedly much
fainter. A. few people con see starr Of the sixth msu
tude with the naked eye, The superiority 81 Photography
Handsomely yindcatet Elch of the Two exposures
FOR these ricuucs require zen minutes and Tie move
ment OF the telescope must De Kept for more tlan
twenty inmates exactly even VITA that Of The star.
There j. m added tBcuity On prcs'ryng the pre-
pared coodiOn at ITS ful seus.tycness Tor 30 many
minutes while exposed In The dry air 81 Cordjba.
NEW KIND OF LIQUOR.--Dr. Merdue, a
French colonial surgeon. the discovery Of
new beverage, which has already ven popularity m
Marscics The liquor distilled from the leaves OF The
eucalyptus tree said TO be pleasant The taste aud
injurious 10 health. while possessing some valuable
medicinal properties. The expectation il that II viii
take the place Of absinihe a stimuant IN Il called eu-
cavpsinthe n half the tales told ABOUT the results Of
drinking a,-iuthe Dee tiuc 10 Is quite time that subst
mte should BE- iound Tor the extract OF NORWOOD
WASTE MATERIALS USED FOR GAs-An
economical method Of obtaining Illuminating gas Is
practlced by the Central Railroad Of NcwJersey az
Communipaw. Storage Is provided In small breproof
building. for OIL waste, sbavngs. aud similar oombust-
be material collected from the locomotives and along
the line Of the n The supply of such material
II chi nf nIFI
wood and especially old railroad ties cut into small
blocks lion cylinders, about four feet in length are
filed with these varying materials, and placed in the ~
forts Of furnace adj 'ning the storage building
Each cyiiuder holds forty-hyc pounds, and from tia;
wei l a.. material there produced GU average 80
eo OF gas at cost Of IS cents per thousand The ties
furnish superior charcoal after the gas Is extracted
Most Of the fucl used the furnace j. the screenings
taken rom the loeomoiiNes-a mateIia not titNmu,y
ut zed by The railroad. The labor of TWO men j. suc
lent Tor the gas-works tie product supplies % burners
IL the budin-s and on the boats OF Tho pany con-
smniue G,OoO cubic feet per tweuy-four hours me sss
is spukcu Of as being ot tue best ia putty and uma
ing power.
BURNING SEWER GAS.-San Francisco author
tiles are coas.d ring with .yora proposition o. ect I'd
OF sewer gas by burning e. The method IS simple con-
slsne chiefly Of such connection ~ the seW'rs with he
street lamps that when the ater lighted they viii
burn the sewer as along with the carburciied hydro
gen The addition OF the gas Is said a. have ap
ptecabe effect upon the light. Professor Davidson m
response to an invitation 10 express his views on ne
su9ecl. SPEAKS very t'ostoy ~ W. s'h.ihe ilN h".
iefa refers to II rs the invention os san EIaucscO
lady.
LIGHTING A Room BY ITS WALL PAPER
Referring suggestion made in Germany that wall
paper could be coated With oXaate Of copper, which
appears lighter 10 the room grows darker. and rtes
rersa The Manufacturer and Builder advances the idea
that might be made temporarily selilumnous by
similar means There are several salts which absorb
these are the sulphdes Of barium and sroninm, and
certain coatar extracts 81 the anthcene series. Tho
best way to produce the effect would be 10 employ
powerful electro light in the for short time.
until wall paper had acquired It's phosphorescent
pcyer and then cut of the electricity and admit vi
Tors TO the room. Anything more VERT than such
sariment is scarcely conceivable, ana the cIpcrimeut
would not exceedingly costly. n might he cinpoycI
with SURPRISING effect the Initiation performances OF
secret society
A FIsu-PoND SPECULATION. - At Council
Bluff Iowa. project has been started for hsh-brcei
ing establishment. which Ia be intended as pr
yate speculation The proprietor il hopeful " large re-
turns his investment by the sale Of mature fish. and
also expects TO obtain from HE ponds by per
hitting amateurs In fishing their ss in hoak
ing his trout after pdyiug for admission on hs prem
iscs.
TIE LARGEST OF LAND ANIMALs.-ln the last
number OF The American Journal Of scHee aud Arfs.
Professor Marsh describes the largest land animal yet
known 20 have existed the globe. Iis names is
AHqntosaurs iBmds. The thigh bone OF this creature
Is over eight feet long 1850 mml With thickness q
tho larger end OF twenty-five inches, though the bone
has 10 true head. comparison OF this me with tho
f,mur OF crocodile. would Indicate that the fossl SAIL
rian, II OF similar proportions had total length ~
feet That the reptile Was 100 fee, lons when ayc
is at least probable. The other bones ~ this animal that
have been found lroportiOndly gigantic; ole
Cid1l ycTtCDrl has an,yttsc diameter % Molc thAh
sixteen inches UZO mml All the bones 81 I'll. rCpto
yet discovered. IA tne Yale College Museum. IAy
are from the Upper Jurassic OF Colorado.