712 Transactions of the American Institute. 



been thoroughly tried, and it is said that many French contracts for 

 rails now contain a condition that they are to be tested by this appa- 

 ratus. It consists of an upright cast iron standard bolted down upon 

 a bed-plate, and provided with a table for supporting the rail or other 

 article to be tested. The spindle of the drilling tool is capable of 

 being raised and lowered in its bearings by turning a handle for that 

 purpose, and the drill is held down to its mark by a weight fitted to 

 the upper end of the drilling spindle. Its rotary motion is derived, 

 through a pair of miter wheels, from a driving shaft carrying the 

 usual fast and loose pulleys. This shaft has a worm upon it which 

 moves a train of mechanism, in connection with a signal gong, for 

 the purpose of indicating the number of revolutions made by the 

 drill. The apparatus is exceedingly compact. Its use by French 

 manufacturers has led to a gradual increase in the hardness of the 

 rails they produce. 



The Cokal Keys. . 



In a paper read to the London Society of Engineers by Dr. Cullen, 

 " On the Isthmus of Darien and the Ship Canal," the author, in 

 describing the Atlantic coast, says : " The coral of the cays and islands 

 is exceedingly beautiful. When living in their natural element, the 

 various sorts of coral are covered with a gelatinous matter of the finest 

 colors ; and, looking out of a boat on a sunny day on the groves of 

 coral sea-fans, sponges and polypi, with their brilliant colors dancing 

 on the unsteady water, and gaudy fish gliding about among their 

 branches, one can imagine himself looking through some brilliant 

 kaleidoscope. Immense lobsters, conches, and whelks the size of a 

 man's fist, are found in abundance at these coral cays, and. also a large 

 crab about the size of a soup plate, with a lovely pink shell spotted 

 with white. Hermit crabs roam at night over these little islands, dis- 

 turbing the w<3ary boatmen by biting their toes, and demolishing any 

 kind of food in the pots ; during the day they all disappear, being 

 snugly hid under the tufts of grass. In the quiet bays, protected by 

 the coral reefs from the trembling breakers, flocks of grave pelicans 

 sail about on the water, with their heads thrown back, and their long 

 bills resting on their breasts, or tumble headlong from the air among 

 the shoals of sprats, driving them in a silver shower out of the water. 

 The predacious frigate-bird pursues the snowy sea-gull, screaming, 

 round the cay, and amusing the spectator with its maneuvers to 

 escape, till, wearied out, it lets fall the coveted fish, which is seized 

 by the other before it reaches the water. Along the glaring sandy 



