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natubal science news. 



and a half inches long by one and 

 a quarter inches wide, nicely fin- 

 ished, was taken from the top of 

 the sand mound, and about four 

 feet below the water level of the 

 lake. 



But in no part of this country, 

 perhaps, has so many valuable 

 "finds" been made as in the terri- 

 tory of New Mexico. All this re- 

 gion seems to have been thickly 

 peopled ages ago by a highly civi- 

 lized race. On the highest point 

 of great Patrero de las Vacas of 

 New Mexico, are the most remark- 

 able prehistoric relics that have 

 been discovered, being no less than 

 the gods sculptured in stone that 

 were worshiped by the ancients. 

 These are the statues of mountain 

 lions carved from a volcanic rock. 

 The images are inclosed in a rude 

 and almost circular stone wall, in 

 a space fifty feet in circumference, 

 three feet in height, with an en- 

 trance projected eighteen feet to- 

 ward the southeast three feet wide. 

 The lions face directly toward the 

 east, are two in number, separated 

 by a space of twelve inches, and 

 are each six feet in length, and 

 represent a puma or mountain lion 

 in the act of crouching for a spring. 

 The heads of these statues are al- 

 most entirely destroyed, showing 

 plainly the marks of the pious 

 hammer that sought their over- 

 throw. The legs, bodies and tails 

 of the animals are better preserved, 

 and constitute the remains of the 

 most remarkable stone images set 

 up for pagan worship in the terri- 

 tory of the United States. To 

 these gods the Cochita Indians of 

 the present day pay homage. 



Turning now to the old world, 

 we have to note some interesting 

 discoveries made recently by the 

 "men of the spade." One of these 

 was of Planella-Setteimini, near 

 Pompeii, on the property of a cer- 

 tain M. Vincent de Prosco. A 

 house has been unearthed that was 

 covered at the time the city was 

 buried, and it is said to be in a 

 more perfect condition than any 

 building yet discovered. It con- 

 tains several large apartments, and 

 three ball rooms, with the basins 

 in sculptured marble, and with 

 leaden pipes ornamented with 

 bronze faucets. The three rooms 

 correspond, says a writer, in de- 

 scribing the discovery, to the "cal- 

 idarium, tepidarium and the frigi- 

 darium, which were always to be 

 found in ancient houses of the first 

 class. In consequence of the 

 eruption in A. D. 79, the Pompeii- 

 an, houses brought to light hereto- 

 fore have been of little value from 



an archaeological point of view. 

 •Fortunately however, that on the 

 property of M. de Prosco is per- 

 fect, and archaeologists are happy 

 over the fact. The roof measures 

 over forty-four feet in length." 



A Roman villa has been discov- 

 ed near Brading, in the Isle of 

 Wight. The external walls, as at 

 present cleared, measure about 

 52x37 feet, and inclose about six 

 or seven chambers, with passages, 

 etc., connected, there is reason to 

 believe, with many others. In ad- 

 dition to tassellated floors, remains 

 of hypocausts, flues, fresco paint- 

 ings, roofing tiles, coins, pottery 

 and other interesting relics, there 

 are the remains of a mosaic pave- 

 ment, with a design upon it of un- 

 usual character, and one which is 

 worthy of careful study and atten- 

 tion. The design, though gro- 

 tesque, is doubtless symbolical, 

 and may be connected either with 

 the mythology of the ancients or 

 the early introduction of Christian- 

 ity. Moreover, as a new chamber 

 has been opened up, inclosing an 

 interesting mosaic, the central de- 

 sign of which is a representation 

 of Orpheus playing on the lyre 

 and surrounded by animals, as us- 

 ual. The border is an unusually 

 good example of what is known as 

 the guilloche pattern. Pottery, 

 glass and cloths have also been 

 found, among the latter several 

 brass coins of the reign of Victori- 

 anus, A. D. 268. 



The archaeological researches in 

 Rome of recent years have thrown 

 much light upon the life of the 

 early Christians in that city, but 

 no discovery has produced such in- 

 terest as that of the tomb of Am- 

 plias. Says Paul in Romans xvi., 

 8: "Greet Amplias, my beloved 

 in the Lord." Who was Amplias? 

 Who were his friends? Why was 

 he buried in this particular place? 

 The answer to these questions are 

 all furnished by the discovery of 

 his tomb, and a flood of light let 

 in upon the times of the early Ro- 

 man Christians. His tomb stands 

 in one of the catacombs, excavat- 

 ed in the time of Domitian, on the 

 ground then belonging to Flavia 

 Domitilla, his niece Roman history 

 preserves the fact that Flavia be- 

 came a Christian. Amplias, the 

 friend of Paul, must have been a 

 distinguished man. The tomb is 

 of such a character that only the 

 possessor of great wealth could 

 have constructed so remarkable a 

 resting place. Was this the work 

 of Flavia, the niece of the great 

 Domitian? Was it erected at the 

 cost of his family? or by the early 



Christians of Rome? These ques- 

 tions are not yet concluded. All 

 that we know at present is that 

 there is no tomb in the catacombs 

 that equals it for beauty of its 

 adornments and variety of picto- 

 rial illustrations. 



In conclusion brief mention may 

 be made of a number of other in- 

 teresting and valuable "finds" of 

 recent date. Space forbids giving 

 of details. The earliest known 

 statue is one that has just been re- 

 covered from an Egyptian tomb. 

 It is that of a sheik or head man 

 of a village, is evidently a portrait. 

 It is 6,000 years old. Many hun- 

 dreds of manuscripts have been re- 

 covered at Pompeii. They are 

 charred rolls, but by the exercise 

 of patience and ingenuity some 

 have been unrolled and read. A 

 skeleton of a prehistoric giant has 

 been exumed at the old fort in 

 Kentucky, twelve miles below 

 Portsmouth, Ohio. It is six feet in 

 stature and four feet across the 

 shoulders. Several silver orna- 

 ments were found with it. 



A remarkable discovery has re- 

 cently been made in the Assiot 

 necropolis. Among various ob- 

 jects was an entire company of 

 wooden soldiers, some fifteen in- 

 ches in height. These little fig- 

 ures give a complete idea of the 

 equipment of the regular soldier in 

 the time of the Pharaohs. The 

 soldiers carry lances, which are 

 precisely like those used in the 

 Soudan today. 



In a prehistoric cemetery, re- 

 cently uncovered at Montpellier, 

 France, while workmen were ex- 

 cavating a water works reservoir, 

 human skulls were found measur- 

 ing 28, 31 and 32 inches in circum- 

 ference. The bones which were 

 found with the skulls were also of 

 gigantic proportions. These relics 

 were sent to the Paris academy, 

 and a learned "savanf'who lectur- 

 ed on the find says that they be- 

 longed to a race of men between 

 ten and fifteen feet in height. — 

 Caldwell . Johnson, in New York 

 Mail and Express. 



An Albino Pocket Gopher. 



Mr. E. B. Webster, at Cresco, 

 Iowa, has a pocket gopher collect- 

 ed this spring, which has a snow 

 white head, white fore feet, white 

 strip down belly and small white 

 spot in center of back. The body 

 is a trifle lighter brown than usual. 



