The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1845-10-18
cURIoslTIEs OF SCIENCE.

| New York;
mention these facts, only in hope Of showing
you there is pleasure in studying the Sciences,
and when we come to Natural History, we shall
find the study Of that still more amusing. The an
imal and vegetable worlds are we'll worthy of OBJ
servation. Probably you all know what s meant
by cycioid. If we make a spot in the periphery
ofa wheel, travelling plane, the figure which
that spot describes is cycloid Now, there is no
figure in which body can be moved with SO much
velocity and with such regularity Of speed. not
even in straight line Mathematicians discover
ed this not great many years ago; but Natures
God taught it TO the eagle before mathematics
were invented; and when the eagle pounces upon
his prey, he describes a cycloid
A globe glazed in water; or in air, in moving
meets with resistance, and its velocity is retarded.
If you alter the globe to the form of egg, there
will be less resistance. And then there is a form
called the solid Of least resistance, which mahema-
ticans have studied long time to discover; and
when they had discovered it, they found they had
the form of fish's head Nature had ''rgged
out'' the fish with just such figure.
The feathers of birds and each particular part of
them are arranged at such an angle as to be most
efficient in assisting flight. The human eye has
mirror on which they are conveyed to the BRAIN;
and thus we are enabled to take interest in OBJ
jects which pass before the eye Now. when the
eye is too convex, we use one kind Of glasses to
correct the fault and, if it be not convex enough,
or if we wish to look at objects at distance, we
| Il, of
But birds cannot get spectacles. Providence
has given them method Of supplying the deficlen-
cy. They have the power of contracting the eye,
OF making il more convex. SO as to see the specks
which float in the atmosphere, and catch them Tor
food; and also, latering the eye to see great dis
tance and observe whether any vuture is threat
ening them. In addition to this they have film
or coating which can be suddenly thrown over the
eye to protect it; because at the velocity with
which they fly, and with the delicate texture of
their eye, the least speck of dust would act upon
it, as pen-knife thrust into the human eye; and
the same thing exists to some extent in the eye Of
the hoise. The horse has large eye, very liable
to take dust. This coating in horses eye is cal
led HAw, Or third eye-lid, and if you will watch
closely, you may see it descend and return with
electric velocity 1t clears away the dust and pro-
tects the eye from injury. If the eye should catch
cold, the haw hardens and projects, and ignorant
persons cut it off. and thus d,stroy this safeguard.
| You all know if you take pound of iron, make
of it rod foot long, what weight it will support
But fit be hollow rod it will support weight
many times greater than before Nature seems to
have taken advantage of this, also, long before
maihemstcians had discovered it, aud all the bones
OF animals are hollow. The bones of birds are
large, because they must be strong to 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 philoso
ply. Ifyou take bag, make it air tight, and put
it under water, it will support large weight
Now, bird has such all air bag. When he wish
es to descend, he congresses it al will, and falls
rapidly; when he would rise, he increases it, and
floats with ease. He has also the power of fore
ing air into he hollow parts Of the body, and thus
to assist his flight, The same thing may be OBJ
served u fishes. They have alSe an air bag to en-
able them to rise or sink in The water, till they find
their proper temperature.
If they wish to rise they increase 1t, and if they
wish to sink they compress it, aud down they go.
Sometimes the Ilsh, in sinking, makes too strong
an effort to compress his air-bag; then down he
goes to the bottom, and there remains for The rest
of his life. Founders, and some other fish, have
no air-bag; and so they are never found swimming
OF the surface, but always caught at the b"ttom
>
In this way are the principles of science applied
to almost every thing. You wish to know how to
pick the greatest amount of bulk in the smallest
space-the to,m Of cylinders leave large spaces be-
tween them. Mathematicians labored long time
TO find what figure could be used 80 as to lose no
space; and at last found that 1t was the six-sded
figure, and also that three planes ending in point,
formed the strongest roof or floor The honey
bee discovered the same thing good while ago.
Honey-comb is made up OF six-sided figures, and
the roof is built with three plain surfaces coming
to point.
Ifa flexible vessel be empted Of air, its sides will
be almost crushed together BY the surrounding at
mosphere And if a tube partly filled with fluid,
be emptied Of its air. the fluid will rise to the top
The bee understands this; aud when he comes TO
the cup of the tall honey ckle, and finds that he
cannot reach the sweet matter at the bottom,
ihrusts IN his body, shuts up the bower, and then |
exhausts the air, and SO possesses himself of the
dus and honey oil the flower The feet of flies
and lizards are constructed on similar principle, |
aud thus they walk with ease on glass or ceiling.
Their feet are made SO as to create vacuum of'at-
mosphere fifteen pounds to the square inch, to
enable them to hold on. The cat has the same
power to a less extent
Plants require the sunlight, and some flowers
turn towards the sun, travels round from east
to west The sunhower does this, and SO does
field Of clover. The facts, though we have not
got at the reason of them, are extremely interest