POPULAR MISCELLANY 



135 



" I had made a large number of platinum 

 spirals, all of the same size and from the 

 same quality of wire ; each spiral presented 

 to the air a radiating surface of three six- 

 teenths of an inch ; five of these were 

 brought by the electric current up to the 

 melting-point, the light was measured by a 

 photometer, and the average light was equal 

 to four standard candles for each spiral just 

 at the melting-point. One of the same 

 kind of spirals was placed in the receiver of 

 an air-pump and the air exhausted to two 

 millimetres ; a weak current was then passed 

 through the wire slightly to warm it for the 

 purpose of assisting the passage of the air 

 from the pores of the metal into the vacu- 

 um. The temperature of the wii'e was 

 gradually augmented at intervals of ten 

 minutes until it became red. The object of 

 slowly increasing the temperature was to 

 allow the air to pass out gradually and not 

 explosively. Afterward the current was in- 

 creased at intervals of fifteen minutes. Be- 

 fore each increase in the current the wire 

 was allowed to cool, and the contraction 

 and expansion at these high temperatures 

 caused the wire to weld together at the 

 point previously containing air. In one 

 hour and forty minutes this spiral had 

 reached such a temperature without melting 

 that it was giving a light of twenty-five 

 standard candles, whereas it would undoubt- 

 edly have melted before it gave a light of 

 five candles had it not been put through 

 the above process. Several more spirals 

 were afterward tried, with the same result. 

 One spiral, which had been brought to these 

 high temperatures more slowly, gave a light 

 equal to thirty standard candles. In the 

 open air this spiral gave nearly the same 

 light, although it required more current to 

 keep it at the same temperature. Upon ex- 

 amination of these spirals, which had passed 

 through the vacuum process, by the aid of 

 a microscope, no cracks were visible ; the 

 wire had become as white as silver, and had 

 a polish which could not be given it by any 

 other means. The wire had a less diameter 

 than before treatment, and it was exceed- 

 ingly difficult to melt in the oxyhydrogen- 

 flame. As compared with untreated plati- 

 num, it was found that it was as hard as 

 the steel wire used in pianos, and that it 

 could not be annealed at any temperature." 



Animal Mounds in the Pyrenees.— An 



interesting paper was read by Dr. Phene at 

 the last meeting of the British Association, 

 on a discovery of animal mounds in the Pyr- 

 enees. The author said that this discovery 

 was, in a great measure, due to tlie descrip- 

 tion given by Sir Vincent Eyre in 1869 of a 

 remarkable custom of burning living ser- 

 pents at a particular spot in the Pyrenees. 

 While investigating the region around this 

 place of immolation. Dr. Phene found in 

 certain directions indications which always 

 accompany animal mounds. The churches 

 abounded in features expressive of the sub- 

 version of a pagan faith, of which the ser- 

 pent or dragon had evidently been the cen- 

 tral point. Following the track where these 

 indications were plainest, he had eome upon 

 mounds as distinct in resemblance to ani- 

 mal forms as any of the American mounds : 

 they were altogether artificial, and shaped 

 into an appearance of animal outline so real 

 as to seem like life. In the parts forming 

 the heads the chamber had been replaced 

 by an arched chamber of Roman work, in 

 another by a descent of several feet into the 

 body of a small church. On the spire of the 

 best preserved animal mound had been a 

 tumulus in which, the cure of the church in- 

 formed Dr. Phene, had been found several 

 of the most primitive cinerary urns, con- 

 taining bones, Celtic articles, and above 

 them objects of the Gallo-Roman descrip- 

 tion, and again above these later or Chris- 

 tian Roman works. One of the most inter- 

 esting of the latter had been laid aside, and 

 the cure sought it out for Dr. Phene among 

 some d'ehrh ; it was the stem of an ancient 

 cross, and on it were sculptured serpents — 

 not in the usual position of subjection to a 

 superior power, but evidently as being in a 

 condition of supremacy ; but, as there were 

 also several dead ones represented, it might 

 be that the sculpture figured the condition 

 of the real serpents before and after the cer- 

 emony of burning. In the district there 

 were many emblems of the serpent or drag- 

 on, and the mounds were distinctly of such 

 a form. On the mountains overlooking 

 these mounds were a number of stone cir- 

 cles, like those so well known in Britain. 

 Dr. Phene promised to give further details 

 in a paper which he was to have read before 

 the Congress of Americanists at Brussels. 



