The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-11-21

n niggard and want my wife on purposeltG.
do my drudgery. Boston Cili'0ator arHuHal
Facts in Natural History. ..y
Probably you all know what is meant by
cyc'od 1--we make spot on tie periphery
ola wheel, travelling ona plain, the figure
which that spot describes Is cyrlnid. Now
there is no figure in which body can he
moved with so much velocity and such regu-
lnrity ufspeed. not even Il straght liiie.---
Mathc maticians discovered this not many
years ago: hut Natures God Taught il To tho
eagle before mathematics were invenedmnd
when the eagle pouncCs on his prey he de
scribcs the figure Of a cyciod .r. .....
A globe placed in wafer or in mir in moving
meets with resistance, and its velocity will bG
retarded. Ifyou alter the globe TO the form
of an egg, there will he less resistance. And
then there is n form called the Solid Of icaGt
resistance, which mathemanticinns studied Tor
many years TO discover; and when they had
discovered itthey found they had the form o.
a fishes head Nature had rugged our thu
fish with just such figure.
The feathers OF birds, and each particular
part Of them, arc arranged at such an angle
as 10 he most efficient la assisting fight
The human eye hus mirror, on which Obj
iccts are reflected, and n nerve by which
these objects are conveyed to the brain. ard
the objects which pass before the eve. Now,
wheu the eye is too convex, we use one kind
of glasses to correct the fault: and f il be not
convex enough, or il we wish 10 look NJ OH
iects nj different distance, we use niasSrs
ofentirely another description. .. ....
But. as birds cannot get spectacics, P,nvi-
dence Inns given Them a method u Supplying
the deficiency. They have the power ot coi-
tracing the eve Of making it more rOuvcX.sn
ha ,gl, it,f a.
lherc and catch them Tor food; and ulso oi'
flatcning the eye To- soc to greater distance,
and observe whether any vulture or OlhCr CIi-
envy is threatening to destroy them. In adj
dit:on TO ths.lhey have film or cnat:Hg which
can suddenly I've thrown down over the cyt:
to protect il: because at the velocity NJ which
they fly, and with the delicate texture ut ihe
eve, the least spcck ofGusf w0uld act upon il
rs Il pcuknifr thrust into the human uvo.---,r
This film i 70 protect he eye; AID lie sane
thing exists 10 sonic extent II the eye ut he
horse. The horse has large eye, very lia- O
bic 10 tnke dust. This coating III Ire LorseiS
eye, Is called the haw, or third eyeiii, md it
you will watch closely You may see il deScttd
with electric velocity. 1t clears away the
dust and protects the eye from injury lfthc
eye should catch cold the h;Iv hardeus and
projects. and ignorant persons cut il of, nnd
thus destroy this safeguard, rfi H .r-
and make oft rod n foot Innc, what weiglr.
it will support. But, ifiI hen haow rod. it
viii support weight many times GrenIer than
before Nature seems 10 hRvD taken adval
tage ofthis also long before mathematician
had discovered it, aud all the bones OF AMI
mails are hollow. The homes of birds are
large. because they must he strong to move
their large wings with such velocity; hut they
must also he light in order to font ensv oh
Il, N l.
natural philosophy. lfyou take hag ana
make it mir tight, and put it under water. il
will support II large weight, say hundred
pounds But twistit or diminish TIE mir in
it, it will support no such weight. New Il
bird has such an air bag. When he wishes tn
descend he compresseE il, and falls rapidly:
when he would rise he increases it, aud flats
with ease. He also has the power of force
ing air INTO the hollow parts oithe holly, and
thus TO assist his Eight. The same thing may
he observed in fishes. They also have anair
bag TO enable them 70 rise or sink in lln wG-
tier till they find tleir proper Gcmpeainre!
lfthey wish turise thoy increase il; If, they
wish to sink they compress ii, aud down they
70 Sometimes the fish in sinking makes too
stronk an effort to compress his air bag, and
bursts it: and then down he goes to the ol,o,-
tom, and there remains for the rest ofhis life.
| Founders and some other fish have no mir
| Dag, ana so lheN are never iouhd swimming
on the surface, but most always be caught on
the bottom. .Hf# Hr.i.t. 800 alr uuIf.s3 .a
In this way the principles of science are
applied to almost every thing. You wish t0
know how TO pack the greatest amount OtInHt
ter in the smallest space. The forms of CYL
inders leave large open spaces between them.
Mathematician labored long 10 find what fig
ure could be used so as to lose no space: Rnd
found Mt last it was the six-sitled figure, aud
also that three planes ending in a point form
ed the strongest roof or floor. Tho honey
bee discovered the same thing good while
ago. lloney-comb is made up of six sided fig.
ures, and the roof is built with three plano
sufaccs coming to a point.--Proc .NaPes.1s