SCIENTIFIC.
51
Some of the specimens taken from the crinoid beds at Crawfordsville, Indiana, measure twelve inches in length. These larger fossils sell for eight and ten dollars a piece.
The Bartholdi statue of Liberty is 150 feet 10 inches in heiget from base of figure to summit of torch. The figure is 8 feet long,4 feet 9 inches in circumference, and the finger-nail 10 inches in length.
A committee of the board of trade of Kansas City recently consulted Mayor Sutor, of St. Louis, concerning an appropriation of $200,000 to prevent a change in the channel of the Missouri river, which would leave Kansas City and Wyandotte without a river front.
-A discovery is announced by the "Union Medicale" which promises to throw considerable light on the subject of prehistoric man. While running a gallery in a coal mine at Bully-Grenay a subteranean cave was broken into, in one chamber of which were found six fossil human bodies—a man, two women and three children together with implements, and fragments of lower animals. Another chamber contained eleven human bodies, precious stones, and numerous other articles, while on the walls were drawings of combats between men and huge beasts.Popular Science Monthly.
—Near Sonora, Mexico, ancient ruins have recently been discovered of a large pyramid, and several rooms from 6x10 to 16x18 feet and 8 feet high, cut out of a heavy stratum of gypsum about half way up the mountain. There is a winding road leading to the top of the pyramid said to be twenty-three miles long. There are hieroglyphics on the walls of the rooms, and drawings of human forms, but, strange to say, the hands and feet are represented with an extra digit.
The Wisconsin State Medical Society, during its recent annual session, passed a resolution virtually declaring consumption to be an infectious disease, and urging the necessity of the proper isolation and disinfection of those suffering from it.
Successful experiments have lately been made at Coblentz in the training of ravens as carrier birds in place of pigeons. The latter are more subject to attack from birds of prey than ravens. The trained ravens were made to fly a distance of forty miles with entire satisfaction.
—Charles H. Sternberg, formerly employed by Prof. Agassiz, is at present collecting in Western Kansas for Prof. Snow. The following extract from a recent letter details some valuable collections: "I am glad to tell you that we have had a grand success, as I felt sure we would. Last week we collected and packed 700 or 800 pounds of bones. I got one perfect skull of a rhinoceros, with full set of under jaws; a perfect set of under jaws of a mas-todon with beck projecting from the union of the jaws. I have also a great many under jaws and loose teeth of rhinoceroses, and perfect bones from all parts of the skeletons of a great many individuals."
"A breeder of canary-birds conceived the idea of feeding a young bird with a mixture of steeped bread and finely pulverized red cayenne pepper. Without injuring the bird, the pigment of the spice passed into the blood and died its plumage deep red."
Mr. August Vogel in an article about the Color of Flowers published in the Popular Science Monthly, relates the following curious experiment:
The celebrated ornithologist Russ, believes that the color of the plumage of birds might be altered according to desire, by using appropriate reagents.