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Show sum product's a prefre on tln moonV mirfuw of about 1000 tons. In :i total eilip-s of ti.e :nco:i thi fo-ee in H! -fl.aan, but -sinr" the total at tract ion I 'the sun on the wood is to be estimate in millions of ton?, (his Might 8jf a: ei t diminution givc-s no aiiprtcinbk' effort. Upon a very fitnll body, however, ti e pressure of solar 1'gM might be equal to, or even g:iter than, Lfie attraction ip( gravitation. Such a body need not lr infinitely minute, but of a si;: r-ompar-ab'c with that of a grain of .M.. it is ennci -ivaoin tlmt the dropping off of comet's tails or tlii'ir approach to the sun in due to tli's action. : REMAIN'S OF BIRD GIANTS. Runes icecnUy found in New Zfii land are estimated to represent uixi specimens of the moa. This immense wini-less bird, now extinct, seems to have been hnnted arid eaten by the early ear-ly inhabitants of New Zealand, and is believed to havo stood at least 10 f.et high. Madagascar had nnotlier giant wingless bird, whose eges 10 or 12 inches in diameter, thiee times the size of those of the o trich have l.e.-n discovered. 'scientific miscellany- New Ideas Obtained by Experimenting Experi-menting with Cold. The laboratory of Frofessor Pietet, at Berlin, is designed for the investigation of the effects of cold. Tiie refrigerating machinery, driven by several powerful engines, keeps the object under observation obser-vation at any teniperatnre between 20 and 200 degrees beliw zero centigrade as long as may be required. The cooling cool-ing is effected by the : evaporation of liquids, and is divided into three stages, eachjwith 'its special apparatus, For the first stage is used, the mixture of snlphurons ard caibon:c acids known as'Tictet's fluid, "which is condensed at a prtnsnre of about two atmospheres iii a spiral tube cooled by water. Oxide of nitrogen (laughing gsn; is the liquid ' chosen for the second stage. It is condensed con-densed at a pressure of 50 or 12 atmospheres atmos-pheres in a tube kept at about SO detreo-s below zero by the action of the first circuit, For the third stage air is employed, em-ployed, and, passes into ihe liquid state at a preasnre of 75 atmospheres when the temperature is kept, at 135 degrees below zero by the othef circuits. The evaporation of the liquefied air gives a cold of about 200 degrees below zero. Absolute zero is placed at 273 degrees below zero centigrade,, but Processor Pictet regards 2D3 degrees below zero n-i about the lowest attainable artificial temperature. One of the effects of great cold has been the conversion of quicksilver into beautiful fern-like crystals. Glyeeriue also has been ciys-talized; ciys-talized; and cognac has boon given by freezing the peculiar meliowness commonly com-monly attained only by long keeping. The most important r. suit thus far, however, has been the purification of chloroform, the crystals that form in commercial chloroform at about OS degrees de-grees below zero being almost absolutely abso-lutely pure, MAGNESIUM LIGHTING. A new magnesium Irfuip, devised by Drouier, burns without attention for regular periods of 24 hours. A pound of m agnesinin is consumed in about 100 hours, giving a light'equal to that of 130 pounds of candles, SO pounds of petroleum, or somewhat more than 100 cnbie yards of gas. The advantage is offered of freedom from risk of fire. The present running expense of the lamp exceeds 30 cents an hour, but with tie anticipated great reduction in -the cost of the metal, lighting by tTjugrleT' iuui may be made fairly economical. PROJECTED RAPID TRANSIT. The schedeul time for cars on tho proposed electric railway between Vienna and Bnda-Pesth is expected to be 75 minutes for the entire distance of 150 miles. As planned, the road will have two main power stations, with 100 snb-stations, bnt only three or four stopping places. liach car will be 130 feet long, fitted with four bogie trucks, and an eletric motor at each end will receive currents through eon-tact eon-tact wheels running on conducting rails. The ends of the cars, to diminish air resistance, will be shaped like those of a ship. POWEB FOR SMALL BOATS. The novel feature of a new electric boat, the idea of a French engineer, is a sea-water battery. The zinc and copper plates are nnder the boat, and can be raised or lowered by pulleys, serving as a kind of keel while at the same time driving a propeller by moans of a motor. MAGIC OF MODERN SCIECK. In a paper on "The Ignis Fattus of Photography," Mr. Adolphe mentions the following as among tho specialities which modern men of science aro seeking seek-ing as a means whereby ttheir results may be indirectly turned into gold. 1, The artificial production of the diamond dia-mond from carbon, which means the crystallization of carbon. 2. A prevention pre-vention or enre for epilepsy and consumption, con-sumption, 3. The complete combustion combus-tion of coal, of j which hut 5 per cent, is now available. 4. Photography in natural colors. 5. The direct utilization utiliza-tion of solar heat, and the ebb and flood. 6. The production of "attar of roses" from worthless substances. 7. The alchemist's original dream of direct and genuine transmutation is being revived, for the indications are increasing that the present elements are not the simple substance they have teen supposed, and should gold prove to be a compound its artificial production wonld be but a question of time. JAPANESE LACQUERING IN EUROPE. The juice of the lacquer-tree (Rhus vernicifera) is the natural varnish npon which depends the famous lacquer work cf the Jananese specimens of this tree were brought from Japan 16 years ago and planted in the botanical garden at Frankfort, where they have flourished and have yielded seeds from which thrifty young trees have sprung. This place now has 34 healthy trees 30 feet high. To determine whether the juice Is affected by its changed conditions, Professor Rein has sent samples to Japanese artists for trial, and is having comparative analyses made by eminent chemists. If the reports are favorable, jt is expected, that the lacqner tree will be quite extensively planted in Germany, and that Europeans will be instructed in the lacquering of wood by some worker from Japan. WEIGHT OF LIGHT. Professor Oliver J. Lodge calculates that the impact of light waves from the |
