Putrefaction
the apparently spontaneous decomposition of organic substances, especially those rich in nitrogen. PUTS and CALLS, terms used in American stock dealings. The trade in privileges is something which is scarcely understood outside of Board of Trade and Stock Exchange circles. For $1 per 1,000 bushels a trader can purchase the privilege to "put" (sell) or "call" (buy) from the seller of the privilege at a stipulated price and within a stipulated time. The ordinary privileges are sold one day to be good to the close of the next session. In inactive markets the "put" and "call" prices may be close together and close to the market price of the property. They are countenanced by the State of New York and are a regular feature in the New York Stock Exchange. In Illinois they are specifically classed as gamsurance by which an operator can protect himself against market fluctuations. A trader who is "short" in the market can protect his position to a certain degree by buying "calls"; a "long" can prevent losses in the same degree by buying "puts." The insurance proposition is a theory, however, as "privileges" more often serve to originate new trades than to serve as an insurance on existing business conditions.
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Putty-powder
The peroxide of tin, made by skimming the oxidized surface from melting tin, which when cold is reduced to a fine white powder. The particles being very hard, it is used as a polishing material, and also as a coloring for enamels and glass. See POLISHING SUBSTANCES.
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Putumayo
or ICA, a tributary of the Amazon, rising in Colombia, and flowing S. E. for 950 miles.
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Putumayo
a province of Colombia, in the S. E., bordering on Brazil, Ecuador and Peru, watered by the rivers of the same name, which is a tributary of the Amazon. The district is rich in rubber, exploited by British syndicates, driven out of existence in 1912 consequent on exposures of cruelty to the natives. Part of the province is claimed by Ecuador. The Putumayo river crosses the equator and flows 1150 miles before being received into the Amazon in Brazil. Pop. about 35,000.
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Puvis De Chavannes
PIERRE, French painter; born in Lyons, a France, Dec. 14, 1824. He studied under Couture and Henri Scheffer; painted mural decorations for libraries, etc., in France, especially "Ste. Geneviève" at the Pantheon, Paris; "The Sacred Grove"; a mural painting for the Boston, Mass., Public Library (1894); etc. He died in Paris, Oct. 25, 1898.
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Puy
LE, or LE PUY-EN-VELAY, a town of France (department Haute- Loire). It consists of the new town in a valley and the old town, this latter one of the most picturesque in France. The town of Le Puy stands on the steep slopes of Mount Anis (2,050 feet), from the summit of which starts up precipitously the basaltic mass called Mont Corneille, crowned by a colossal figure (53 feet) of the Virgin, made of Russian cannon bling operations. The theory of "priv- brought from Sebastopol. The most ileges" is that they are a species of in- notable building is the Romanesque cathedral (6th-12th century). Lace and thread work are manufactured. Pop. about 22,500.
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Puya
in botany, a synonym of Pouretia, a genus of Bromeliaceæ (Lindley). P. chinensis yields an extract used in healing broken bones, and the spike of P. lanuginosa is a transparent gum. PYÆMIA, or PYEMIA, a diseased condition in which the blood is poisoned by pus or by some of its constituents; blood poisoning; septicemia. PUY-DE-DÔME, a central department of France, containing an area of 3,090 square miles and a pop. of about 525,000 The W. side of the department is an ele vated volcanic region. (See FRANCE). The highest cones are Puy-de-Sancy (6,188 feet) and Puy-de-Dôme (4,806); on the E. side the Forez Mountains (5,380) march with the frontier. Agriculture and cattle breeding are the chief occupations. The principal minerals are coal and lead. Hot and cold mineral springs are abundant.
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Pycnogonum
a genus of Arachnida, the sea spiders. Some species are parasitic upon fishes and other marine animals.
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Pylades
in Greek mythology, son of Strophius, King of Phocis, and Anaxibia, the sister of Agamemnon, after whose murder by Clytemnestra, their son Orestes, being carried secretly to the court of Strophius, formed the friendship with Pylades which has become proverbial. He assisted Orestes in murdering Cl dering Clytemnestra, and eventually married his sister Electra.
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Pylae
A general name for any narrow pass, such as Thermopylae , Pylae Albaniae, Caspiae, etc. Pyrene or Pyrenaei Montes (Pyrenees). A range of mountains extending from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, and forming the boundary between Gaul and Spain. 2026 Editor's Note: Pylai was also the name of an ancient city in Bithynia, on the coast of Asia Minor, located in modern-day Yalova, Turkey. It was situated in the Astacus Gulf, between Helenopolis and the Poseidion promontory. (Ed: BR 2026-06-12)
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Pyle
HOWARD, an American illustrator and author; born in Wilmington, Del., March 5, 1853. He was an illustrator for periodicals, and became popular also as a writer, chiefly of juvenile literature. His works include: "Within the Capes" (1885), a novel; "Pepper and Salt" (1887); ); "Otto of the Silver Hand" (1888); "Buccaneers and Marooners of America" (1891); "Jack Ballister's Fortunes"; "The Garden Behind the Moon" (1895); "Story of Launcelot" (1907); "Story of the Grail" (1910). Died 1911.
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Pyle, Howard
Howard (1853-), an American artist and author. He was born in Wilmington, Delaware. His chief successes are in the line of original productions, illustrated by himself. Titles of his best works include The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood , The Wonder Clock, The Rose of Paradise, and Twilight Land.
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Pylons
in Egyptian architecture, the name given to towers or masses of masonry, somewhat resembling truncated pyramids, placed one on each side at the entrance of temples.
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Pylorus
the small and contracted end of the stomach leading into the small intestines.
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Pynchon
WILLIAM, an American colonist; born in Springfield, England, England, about 1590. He emigrated grated to New England and founded the town of Springfield, Mass. In 1650 he published "The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption," opposing the Calvinistic view of atonement. The book was denounced as heretical, and the author was compelled to return to England to avoid persecution. His other works are: "The Jewes Synagogue" (1652); "How the First Sabbath was Ordained" (1654). He died in Wraysbury, England, Oct. 29, 1662.
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