knowledge of the past, present and future of the sun and should throw light on the problems of the evolution of the stars, from nebulae through successive stages to that of a red star, which our sun will ultimately become. Foremost among the instruments em- of louvres or curtains, so great five foot reflector now being constructed at the observatory shops in Pasadena. This mirror is expected to be the most powerful solar instrument in existence. The other important telescope in use at Mount Wilson is the Bruce photographic telescope, which is employed by Prof. Barnard in photographing the stars and nebulae, especially the great nebulosities of the Milky Way. The illustrations RECEIVING END OF GREAT REFLECTOR TELESCOPE WITH WHICH OBSERVATIONS show the nine mile trail to the summit SERGEANT-MAJOR WALLINGFORD OF ENGLAND FIRING FORTY SHOTS IN A MINUTE WITH F By Dewey Sheldon Beebe IFTEEN well-aimed shots in nine seconds is the record of Sergeant-Major Wallingford Wallingford of England with the new Halle automatic rifle. The illustrations show him loading and firing this wonderful gun. He made one target of fifteen shots in ninè seconds, and another of forty shots in one minute. Every one of these shots, TARGET MADE AT 200 YARDS IN THE TRIAL PHOTOGRAPHED ABOVE. fired at 200 yards, came within a circle of fifteen inches in diameter-in every case he would have hit his man, had he been in battle. It is not every marksman who can shoot as well as Sergeant-Major Wallingford, but his feat thrusts before the military world the tremendous possibilities of the automatic rifle. That this weapon is the military small-arm of the future has been the opinion of many experts, but the efficiency of the automatic rifle has not, before now, been demonstrated by such conclusive tests. Some of the advantages of the Halle over other automatic rifles are that the automatic mechanism is worked by the recoil of the gun and not by compressed gas drawn from the barrel, and that it is a short-recoil rather than a long-recoil gun. The obvious advantage of a shortrecoil is the lessening of the shock to the gun and its mechanism. Also, in a longrecoil rifle, it is necessary that the recoil be as quick as possible, so that the barrel must be made light, which is an added source of weakness. The possibilities of the automatic rifle in war are limited only by its ability to stand hard service. The automatic rifle, for use in the field, must be simple in construction and as nearly like the present army rifle as possible. It must be built so that the soldier will not have to be a master mechanic to keep it in working order. Then, it must be capable of use as an ordinary gun, if the automatic arrangement be thrown out of order by rust or dirt. Its real efficiency is proportional to its certainty of actionit must work at all times and under all conditions. The automatic rifle will be of greatest service in defensive operations. To repulse an attack upon trenches or stockades requires a perfect rain of shot, out of all proportion to the numbers of the advancing party. With the Halle rifle the cartridges may be fired at the rate of 300 a minute and at close range, where accurate marksmanship is not necessary, a blanket fire of this kind would destroy everything before it. The terrible destruction pouring from a thousand guns firing 300 shots a minute is too appalling to dwell upon. The use of the automatic rifle by cavalry will be one of the greatest advan horseback, the gun would be fired from the side instead of from the shoulder. As an arm for scouts, sharpshooters, pickets and spies, it would have no equal, and the potential advantage secured by the soldier knowing that his weapon is far superior to that with which his enemies are armed is worth considering. An important feature of this gun is that there is comparatively little fatigue in firing so rapidly. With the ordinary magazine gun, where the operator has to go through several motions and reaim after each shot, the strain is tremendous. A few minutes rapid firing will exhaust the hardiest veteran. But in actual trial with the Halle rifle 250 rounds have been fired in eight minutes without tiring the marksman. The ammunition item is one of importance, but it is claimed that there is less waste with the automatic rifle than with the ordinary repeating gun. Where the marksman has nothing to do but pull the trigger, his aim is much better than where he has to throw the bolt himself, and thus get his weapon out of line. In spite of the opposition which is being raised to its adoption, it seems certain that the automatic rifle will open a new era in infantry warfare. Over the Ice by Auto A By Max A. R. Brunner N automobile sleigh which has a rather promising future has recently been built and is illustrated herewith. The sleigh is in the new 1906 type, 23 feet long, 8 feet high and is driven by a 4 cylinder air cooled motor. The latter develops 12 horse power and is provided with air jackets, instead of the usual water circulating system. A blower geared to the engine shaft produces a strong artificial air-draught and effectively cools the heated parts. The engine is placed in front and drives-by means of a countershaft, sprocket-wheel and long chain-the spike-drive wheel, as shown in the picture. This wheel is spring-pressed against the ground and has abundant vertical play to overcome unevenness of the ice or snow. The arms are of steel and have double steel contact points. Thus a most positive power is applied for driving the sleigh. Just behind the drive-wheel, the brake can be seen, consisting of a curved bar with teeth, a horizontal connecting rod and a foot lever in front of the driver. Thus the bar can be pressed against the ground. Between the floor of the sleigh and the wooden step a string with bells is stretched, at the same time completing the illusion of sleigh-riding and serving as a warning to careless pedestrians. This auto-sleigh has some remarkable features in its operation. The transmission gear allows two speeds which rates. from 10 to 35 miles an hour. With the special ice wheel in service and the ring |