The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-03

but Herr Preyot states that the insects are
aqglut1nated to its tongue by the sticky
secretion with which It's tongue is copiously
covered. Although the form of the tongue
usually corresponds to the shape of the bill,
there are executions to this rule, as. for
example. in the waders, kinghsher and
hoopoe. which, in spite of their long bills
ONLY possess small eartilaginous tongues;
in the pelican, indeed, the tongue is almost
rudimentary. In most birds, whose food
consists of seeds, the tongue is dart or awl
shaped: in others, spatulate; rarely vermi.
form or tubular. In some birds, such as
the owl. which swallow their prey entire
the tongue is broad and serves as a mere
shovel. In the hedge sparrow, nut-hatch,
woodcock and others the tongue is bifid or
trifid at its apex, while in the humming-
birds the tongue is split into two
branches almost at its base, and is
used for actually gripping the small in
sects on which these Respondent little
creatures subsist. In family of parrots
the tongue is provided at its apex with a
brush OF some 5000 hair-like processes.
In the parrots the tongue is thick and
fieshv. devoid of horny barbs or papillae,
and is even suspected to possess sense
organs of taste. Herr Preyot concludes his
concise but interesting paper with some
remarks on the influence of the form of
tongue in birds on their varying powers of
articulation. It is interesting to note that
the parrots the form of whose tongues
most closely resembles that of man. are
liable to initiate his language more nearly
than any other birds.
IMPROVEMENT IN GAS GENERATORS. - B.
Fl. Thwaite, a well-known English engi-
neer, has invented an apparatus which
enables producer gas' to be made from
any sort of coal He uses two vertical iron
furnaces, identical in every respect, stand
ing-in a foot or so of water. They are
lined with friedrich and are connected at
the top by a horizontal passage. They
have no CRATES, but toward the bottom the
friedrich lining is thickened and the inter-
nal diameter contracted. Above this con-
traction is burning coal and below it ex-
hausted clinker and ashes, so that the fuel
is supported on q pyramidal heap of
clinker. which is raked out at the
bottom as fast as it accumulates.
The raking out being done under
the water in which the furnace stands.
there is no escape of gas. Fuel is fed in at
the top by means of hoppers. There is no
chimney or outlet of any kind to emit
electrically driven fan, and its path is up
one furnace and down the other An auto
matte continuance is provided by which it
is reversed at intervals of about minute
and made to enter each furnace alternately.
BY these arrangements complete combus-
ton is insured and the process rendered
continuous. The novel feature of the APP
paratus is the use of a second furnace,
which Is the means by which the tarry
matters produced in the first furnace are
got rid of.
FAST LocoMoTIvEs.-It has been claimed
that the celebrated Empire Worlds Fair
express made 112 miles an hour, but the
statement fails entirely of Authorization.
The figure of 1927 miles per hour for short
distances appears to be nearer the mark,
and even if there were an error of a second,
the rate would still have been 100 miles an
hour. Between Jersey City and PhiladeI-
phia it is a. common occurrence for
the engines hauling the Blue Line trains to
reach 80 miles an hour. Speeds of over "a