March 2, 1883.] 



• KNOWLEDGE 



131 



Starley's best invention, the "Salvo," was the model on 

 which all the most improved machines we have of this 

 type were based. Last season the model itself had fallen 

 behind the times ; but this year I am pleased to say that 

 both the details of construction and the workmanship have 

 been greatly impro\ed, and the " Salvo " is one of the 

 best and soundest tricycles for all-round work made. 



The frontsteering machines of the same class are the 

 *' Premier," by Hillman, Herbert, A: Cooper ; the " Imperial 

 dub," by the Coventry Machinists' Co. ; the '• Apollo," by 

 Singer A- Co. ; and the " Fleet," by Little ; of these, 1 

 should give the preference to the " Imperial Club," but 

 there is, in truth, but little difference between them ; all 

 are graceful in form, and as light as they can well be made, 

 consistent with strength, and of excellent workmanship. 

 The new " Weston " front-steerer is worth attention for its 

 novel light frame, and double driving arrangement, and its 

 good work. Though made in London it is low in price. 



One of the most novel and yet simplest machines intro- 

 duced this season is the " Clreyhound." This is a front 

 steerer, with bicycle steering action. It is light, and very 

 well made, and, considering the good quality of the work, 

 it is the cheapest machine I have seen. The only fault I 

 can find with it is that it is difficult to mount and dis- 

 mount ; but some addition in the way of a step will 

 obviate this fault. 



The " Diana " is a new front-steering machine introduced 

 this season by the St George's Foundry Co. It has a 

 totally new double-driving arrangement and two speeds. 

 Both of these are obtained by an application of steel balls 

 about the size of very large peas, clutched on to steel wire 

 cord. These enable both cog-wheels and chains to be 

 entirely dispensed with. The same makers have brought 

 out a double or sociable front-stcerer, named the " Europa." 

 Both these machines should have smaller wheels and rather 

 lighter frames, and they would probably then come into 

 the front rank, if the ball-gear stands the test of wear. 



Many machines have been introduced this season 

 capable of being driven at two spcfth. Of the various 

 contrivances for etfecting this great desideratum I unhesi- 

 tatingly give the preference to Britten's, which is free 

 from complication, efficient, very light, adding at the 

 utmost only two or three pounds to the weight of the 

 machine, and can be made at a lower price than any other 

 I have seen. The inventors of several of these con- 

 trivances talk of charging from £6 to £10 for them, while 

 Britten's arrangement will probably be applied to a machine 

 for fifty, or at the utmost sixty, shillings. 



A good two-speed gear would be invaluable as an addi- 

 tion to sociable, or, in other words, double tricycles, and 

 will possibly be adopted on all machines except the very 

 lightest front - steerers. From numerous experiments I 

 have made during the last two years in gearing I have 

 come to the conclusion that the best proportion is about 

 15 inches difference between the low and high speeds. 

 Thus, a machine which has a high speed of 48 in. inches, 

 should have a low speed of 33 in., or a high speed of 

 4-5 in. should have a low speed of 30 in. This last will 

 be found the best arrangement for the majority of riders. 

 The machine should always be so contrived that when 

 the two-speed arrangement is thrown completely out of 

 gear the pedals are free to be used as foot-rests when 

 running down hilL 



ISTERW ATIOSAI, SCrEyrrPIC SEKtES.— notice.— The New Volame in 

 the ahove Seriei., entill d ELEMESTARY JLETEOROLOGT, by ROBERT H. 

 SCOIT, Secretary to the Meteorolopciil Councilj is Nok Readj, with Numerous 

 niQitratioaa, crown Svo, cloth, price 59. 



London; KEGAN PAUL, TRESCH, & CO. 



BIRDS IN COLD WEATHER. 



MF. LESCUYER has published some interesting 

 • observations concerning the power that was shown 

 by the birds of his district of the valley of the Mame, 

 France, for resisting the severe cold of the winter of 

 1879-80. The sparrows, finding shelter and food around 

 the houses, passed the season fairly well, but some of them 

 perished in the roads and gardens ; they became more 

 scarce toward the end of the winter, and lost all their live- 

 liness. The partridges gave way under sixty-one days of 

 cold and hunger, and those that survived fell an easy prey 

 to the hawks. A private watchman caught more than 

 thirty with his hands, warmed them up, and let them loose 

 again. The owls in the lofts and steeples could not resist 

 the cold, and fell dead to the ground, or took refuge 

 in the houses, where they were captured. The stomachs 

 of all these birds were empty or nearly empty. The 

 crows, which range over a larger extent of land than 

 the former birds, which may be called sedentary 

 birds, came nearer to the houses when the cold was at 

 its worst, and considerable numbers of them were seen 

 during the whole winter in the barn-yards and fields. 

 Some of them came into the court-yards to eat with the 

 pigeons, but many were frozen to death on the limbs where 

 they roosted. The few birds of passage that stayed in the 

 country to winter showed very uneiiual powers of re- 

 sistance. The bullfinches and grossbeaks did not seem to 

 suffer, but the larks, yellow hammers, greenfinches, robin- 

 redbreasts, magpies, blackbirds, and jays were decimated. 

 Never were so few birds seen in the woods at that season 

 as in the following spring. Birds of passage, coming from 

 the north to seek a milder climate ia France, were dis- 

 appointed. Domestic birds would have suffered greatly 

 but for the shelter and feeding they enjoyed ; fowls were 

 worse aflfectcd than web-footed l>irds. TJic winter to which 

 these observations relate was one of the severest ever ex- 

 perienced in France, and was very much like a North 

 American northern winter. 



THE LIBRARIES OF BABYLONIA AND 



ASSYRIA. 



II. 



ERECH, the modem "Warka, is a city at which we 

 know there must have been one or more libraries, 

 for it was from thence Assurbannipal copied the famous 

 Isdubar series of legends in twelve tablet.s, one of which 

 contained the account of the Deluge. Hence also came 

 the wonderful work on magic in more than one hun- 

 dred tal)lets; for, as we have it, it is nothing more than a 

 facsimile by Assurbannipal's scribes of a treatise which 

 had formed part cf the collection of the school of the priests 

 at Erech. It was divided into three parts, the first of 

 which was entitled "The Evil Spirits," for that is the 

 catch, or index phrase, on each of its tablets. So long a 

 time had elapsed since the work was first written out in 

 the two ancient dialects at Erech, that the Babylonian (or 

 Accadiau) portions of some of the hymns was lost, and the 

 Assyrian translation only is given, but the style of this is so 

 different, the syntax so contrary to ordinary Assyrian 

 documents, also the number of pure Accadian words inter- 

 spersed so numerous, that it is easy to recognise the 

 influence of the original dialect, in which they were em- 

 bodied, upon it. With the apparent exception of these 

 few hymns, the whole work is bilingual — that is to 



