IJf The Matitralists' Companion. 
Relaxing Dried Skins. 
ing pumps and for hoisting or lowering 
them at pleasure, a steam capstan, cap¬ 
able of lifting fifty tons vertically, is used. 
The capstan is worked by a series of 
strong gearing, a drum and a steel wire 
rope. With this capstan, if anything 
goes wrong with the pumps, they can be 
taken hold of by the top, pulled out 
of the water, repaired and put back 
again in a very short time.” 
This is about the largest fixed single 
engine in the world ; that at Harlem 
Meer being a compound engine with 
one cylinder within the other. The 
Scientific American Supplement is illus¬ 
trated with front, side and horizontal 
elevations. 
It was thought of very strongly at one 
time to lay iron pipes from Fridensville 
to Philadelphia to sup])ly the latter city 
with drinking water, as the \vater which 
' is pumped out of the mines is very clear, 
clean and pure. For some reason, how'- 
ever, this giant scheme fell through. 
While a description combined with 
illustrations may be very exact in every 
detail and part, still this fails to convey 
the immensity that immediately stamps 
itself on the mind of one who looks on 
the engine for the first time. 
The engine, works and ground belong 
to the Lehigh Zinc Company, who have 
erected large smelting and ore reducing 
works. This company have, within the 
last year, added oxide works, which they 
moved from Bergen Point, New Jersey. 
In and around the mine some very 
fine specimens of massive blende, cala¬ 
mine, sulphur, iron pyrites, calcite, 
(piartz, greenochite, blue and red car¬ 
bonates of zinc, and various coatings 
are found. Iron pyrites or sulphur and 
blend is called ‘hnundig” by the miners. 
As a general rule, the miners are willing 
to give or show “where fine specimens 
are to be found. 
Select the skin or skins to be relaxed 
and remove all the cotton from the 
body, head, eyes, etc., and refill with 
wet cotton, also wrap a quanity of the 
same around the legs. Procure a tin 
or wooden box of a size sufficient to 
hold the skins to be relaxed, fill it full 
of well wet sawdust. Now wrap the 
skin in a sheet of clean white paper and 
bury it in the sawdust. Let the skin 
leinain from two to five days, or longer, 
depending upon its size; if left too long 
the feathers are apt to start. When soft 
enough take the skin from the box and 
remove the cotton from the inside. 
Turn the skin completely inside out to 
base of beak, then turn it back again. 
This will break the stiffness and make 
the feathers assume their natural appeal- 
ance ; any bunchy place should be man¬ 
ipulated with the fingei"s until made soft. 
Any bend or crimp in either the wing 
or tail feathers can be readily removed 
by holding in the steam from a kettle. 
When the skin is prepared as above, 
proceed the same as with a fresh one. 
An Unusual Friendship. 
June II, 1884, I saw what I took to 
be a Robin’s nest in a maple tree on a 
public avenue. Upon ascending, was 
surprised to see a Robin and an English 
Sparrow fly from the nest, which was 
like an ordinary Robin’s nest, except 
being thickly lined with feathers, which 
were well embedded in the cement of 
the outer nest. It contained three eggs 
of the Robin and six of the Sparrow, all 
evenly and highly incubated. The eggs 
weie not intermingled, each kind being 
on a side in a slight depression, but not 
separated from one another. The 
