IF the Rigi Railroad is worthy of being considered an extraordinary and wonderful piece of work, the latest undertaking of this kind—the building of the railroad on Mt. Pilatus—certainly ought to attract the attention of engineers and of the travelling public. This new road differs essentially from its older rivals in the construction of its roadbed, as well as of the rolling stock. The ruggedness and steepness of the mountain, together with its great height (sixty-eight hundred and eighty-two feet, against fifty-nine hundred and five, in the case of Rigi), offered much greater obstacles than the roads previously built, and required an entirely different system. The restless spirit of man is always glad to set for itself some new task, and consequently men were found who, equipped with the necessary capital, were willing and able to carry out this tremendous undertaking. When a portion of the road had been completed, all fear in regard to strength and safety were removed, for it was thoroughly tested every day, the locomotives going as often as it was necessary to that part of the road on which they were at work, carrying materials of all kinds, weighing from twenty thousand to twenty-two thousand pounds. The southeastern side of the mountain was chosen for the road, which begins at Alpnach-Stad, between the Hotel Pilatus and the Eagle Hotel (one thousand four hundred and forty-eight feet above the level of the sea). From there it climbs in a northerly direction to the Aemsigenalp, then westward to the Mattalp (fifty-three hundred and fifteen feet above the sea), and after much winding reaches the plateau of the Hotel Bellevue on Mount Pilatus (sixty-eight hundred and eleven feet above the sea). The road is about two and three quarters miles long, and the total height climbed from the shore of Alpnacht Bay to the Hotel Bellevue is fifty-three hundred and sixty feet. The grade is from eighteen to forty-eight per cent., which is scarcely exceeded by any rope road. In the middle of the line, at Alp Aemsigen, there is a switch. Seventy-two hundred and sixty-seven feet of the entire road consists of straight stretches, curves with radii of from two hundred and sixty-two feet to three hundred and twenty-eight feet, constituting the remainder. The road includes a viaduct, three short tunnels and one long one. The width of the track is two feet seven inches. The foundation consists of a wall covered with plates of granite and loose material, and on this the superstructure is firmly anchored. The tooth-bar—which is placed midway between the rails and is somewhat higher than the latter—consists of soft steel, and is provided with a double row of vertical teeth, which are milled out of the bar. The cogged wheels on the cars, which engage the toothed bar, are arranged in pairs at the right and left of the same. The axles of these cogwheels are not horizontal with the level of the road, as in the Rigi system, but perpendicular to the same, this arrangement making it impossible for the cogwheels to become displaced. The locomotives and cars form a train with two running axles and four cogwheels engaging the toothed bar. The boiler and engine are behind or below the cars, which latter accommodate thirty-two passengers. Brakes can be applied to all of the cogwheels, and besides this there are two clamps at the upper running-axle, which clutch the head of the rail, thus preventing the upsetting of the cars by the wind. The weight of the loaded cars is about twenty-one thousand pounds, and one trip up or down can be made in about eighty minutes. The idea of the Pilatus road originated with Edward Locher, under whose supervision and control the road has been built. The engine was invented by Mechanical Engineer Haas.—Illustrirte Zeitung.

Recent discoveries have settled the vexed question of the former existence of lions in Australia. Bones from the Wellington Caves, New South Wales, are regarded by Professor Owen of the British Museum, as being those of a marsupial or pouch-bearing lion, fully equal in size to the existing African species. These remains were found in connection with those of the Tasmanian Tiger and Tasmanian Devil. Quite curiously, Professor Owen many years ago expressed the conviction that certain ancient herbivorous animals of Australia must have been kept in check by a co-existent race of lions.—Selected.