The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1845-04-25

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TO have taken advantage of this also, long
before ma,hematicians had discovered it,
and all The bones of animals are hollow.
The bones of birds are large because they
must be strong 10 move their large wings
with sufficient velocity: but they must
also be light, in order TO float easily upon
the air. Birds also illustrate another fact
in natural philosophy. Ifyou take bag,
make it air tight, and put it under water,
it will support a large weight, say an
hundred pounds. But twist it, or d.
minish the air in it, and it would support
no such weight. Now bird has such
an air-bag. When he wishes 10 descend,
he congresses il at will, and falls rapid
ly; when he would rise, he increases it,
and floats with ease. He also has the
power of forcing air into the hollow parts
of the body, and thus TO assist his fight.
The same thing may be observed in
fishes. They also have an air bag TO
enable them to rise and sink n the WAFER
ill they find their proper temperature.
IL they wish TO rise they increase it; if
they wish 10 sink, they compress it. and
down they go. Sometimes the fish in
sinking, makes too strong an effort to
compress his air-bag, and bursts it; then
down he goes to the bottom, and there
remains for the rest of his life. Foun-
ders and some other fish have no air-bag
and so they never are found swimming
on the surface, but must always be caught
on the bottom.
In this way are the principles Of sci
ence applied 10 almost every thing. You
wish TO know how TO pack the greatest
amount of bulk in the smallest space.
The form Of cylinders leave large spa
ces between them. Malhematicians la.
bored for long time to find what figure
could be used SO as 10 lose no space and
at last found it was the six-sided figure.
and also that three planes ending in n
point formed the strongest roof or floor.
The honey bee discovered the same thing
a good while ago. Honey-comb is made
up of six-sided figures, and the roof is
built with three plane surfaces coming TO
a point.
liza flexible vessel be empticd OF air,
its sides will be almost crushed together
by The pressure Of the surrounding a.mos-
if tube partly filled with
lluld, be emptied Of its air, the fluid will
rise 10 the top. The bee understands
this, and when he comes TO the cup of
the small honey-suckle and finds that he
cannot reach the sweet matter at its bot
tom, he thrusts in his body, shuts up the
flower, and then exhausts the air, and so
possesses himself of The dust and honey
of the flower. The feet Of flies and OF
lizards are constructed on a similar prin-
ciple, and thus they walk with ease on
glass or ceiling. Their feet are made so
as to create vacuum beneath them, and
so they have the pressure of the atmos-
phere, fifteen pounds 10 the square inch,
to enable them TO hold on. The cat has
The same power TO less extent.
Plants require the sunlight. and some
flowers turn themselves towards the sun
rs II travels round from east TO west.
The sunilower does this, and so does the |
field Of clover. These facts, though we
have not yet got at the reason Of them,
are Still extremely Interesting.
You all know that if hollow ball be
filled with a gas lighter than the air, il
will rise and float away. This fact is
beautifully carried out in nature. The
Iorlna, or impregna'ing dust Of plants, are
little balls, extremely thin. and filled with
light gass. They are blown of from The
male plant, and by falling upon the female
plant, impregnate il.-Na,ure has so ar
ranged il that the uncious matter which
causes the mprcgnaiing part Of plants to
attach 10 others, never occurs at precise
" the same time in male and female
plants. Thus if The farna from The male
plant hit the male, it does not adhere
but if il hit the female, it does attach
The balls burst, but they are fastened and
AXE effect. Thus implegnalion often
akes place many yards distant. In rails
ing Indian corn, you must all have no.
Iced that single hill OF red corn will
mpregnate an entire field, and red corn
will be scattered 10 !ong distance through
he whole.
The Virginia creeper throws out Ten.
drills in the form Of foot, with five toes
each Toe has large number of hairs or
spine, which, entering The small openings
Of brick or lime, swell and hold on; bu.
when decaying, they shrink and the plan,
falls off.-The vanilla plant Of the Yves,
Indies exhibits a similar construction, ex.
cept that il winds itself around other OBJ
ects.