Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1846-11-12
MISCELLANEOUS.
FACTS NATURAL HISTORY.

Probably YOU all know what is meant by cy-
cloiL If we make spot on the periphery OF a
wheel travelling on plane, the figure winch That
spot describes is cycloid. Nov, there Is no fig
ure in which a body can be moved with so much
velocity and such regularity Of speed, not even the
STRAIGHT line Mathematlclans discovered this not
MANY wears ago; but Natures God taught it to
the eagle before mathematics were invented; and
when the eagle pounces upon his prey he describes
the figure of a cyclold'
A globe placed in water or in air In moving
meets with resistance, and its velocity will be re-
tarded Ifyou alter the globe to the form of an
egg there will be less resistance. And then there
is form called the solid Of least resistance which
mathematicians studio for many years to discover;
and, when they had discovered it, they found they
had the form oc fsh's head Nature had rugged
OUT the fish with Just such figure.
The feathers OF Oirds, and each particular part OF
them are arranged at such am ~ to be most eff
cient in assisting flight. The human eye has mir
ror OH which objects reflected, and a nerve by
which these reflections are conveyed TO the brain
and thus we are enabled to take IN interest IN the
objects which pass before the eye Now when the
eve is too convex we use one KIND o glasses to
correct the fault; and if it be not convex enough
or if we wish to look at objects at different dis
lance. we use glasses Of entirely another descrp-
ton.
But as birds cannot get spectacles, Providence
has given them the method Of supplying the def
cheney. They have the power OF contracting the
eve of making it more convex, so as TO see the
specks which fort in the atmosphere, and catch
them for food and also of atening the eye, to see
10 a GREAT distance, and observe whether any vul-
ture or other enemy is threatening to destroy them.
In addition to this, they have Him or coating
which can suddenly be thrown down over the eye
to protect it because at the velocity at which they
fly, and with the delicate texture Of their eye the
least speck of dust would act upon ii as penknile
a. tha pUp IN is IN
the eve, and the same thing exists to some extent
in the eve of the horse. The horse has a large eve
very liable to take dust This coating, in the
horses eye, is called The haw, third eyed, and
if YOU Will watch closely you may see it descend
and return with electric velocity. 1t clears away
the dust and protects the eye from injury. If the
eye should catch cold, the haw hardens and pro-
ects and ignorant persons cut it off, and thus de-
strOy this safeguard.
You all know if you take a pound of iron and
make of il a rod foot long, what weight it will
support But, if it be a hollow rod, 1t will support
a weight many times greater than before. Nature
seems to have taken advantage OF this also long be
fore mahematicians had discovered 1t, and all the
homes of animals are hollow. The bones OF birds
are large, because they must be strong to move
their large wings with such velocity but they
must also be light order to float easily on the
air. Birds also illustrate another fact in natura
philosophy If you take a bag, make 1t air tight
and put IL unUer WATER IL VIII support Il ldlSt
weight, say a hundred pounds. But twist 1t, or di
nnsh the air in it, it will support no such weight
Now bird has such air bag. When he wishes t.
descend he congresses it, and falls rapidly whe
lie would rise he increases it, and floats with ease
He also has the power Of forcing air into the hol
low parts of his body and thus to assist his flight
The same thing may be observed in fishes. The.
also have an air bag to enable them to rise or sin
in the water till they find their proper temperature
If they wish TO rise they increase III If they wis
TO sink they compress it, and down they 60. Some
times the fish in sinking makes too stlung an ehol
10 compress his air bag, and bursts 1t; then dow
he pocs to the bottom, and there remains for tn
rest of his life Founders and some other ifs
have no air bag, and 50 they are never found swim
ming on the surface, but must always be caught 0
the bottom.
In this way are the principles Of science apple
to almost every thing. You wish to know how
pack the greatest amount of bulk in the smalle
space. The forms Of cylinders have large space
between them. Mathematcians abored ftr a lon
time to find what figure could be used SO as to los
no space and at last found that it was a six side
figure, and also that three planes ending in poi
formed the strongest roof or floor. The honey be
discovered the same things good while ago. Ho
ey-comb is made up Of sx-sded figures, and Il
roof is built with plane surfaces coming to poiI
--ProjeSsor .MdpeS