Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-01-28

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The feathers of birds, aud each particular
part OF them, are arranged at such an angle as
to be most efficient in assisting flight The hu-
man eye has mirror on which objects are re-
Elected, and nerve by which these reflections
are conveyed to the brain, and thus we are en-
abled to take an interest in the objects which
pass before the eye For, 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 different dis
lance, we use glasSes of entirely another des-
cription.
Bat as birds cannot get spectacles, Providence
has given them method of supplying the def
cheney. They have the power of contracting
the eye, of making it more convex so as to see
the specks which float in the atmosphere, and
catch them for food; and also of Aattening the
eye, so as to see at great distance, and observe
whether any vuure or other enemy is threaten
ing to destroy them. In addition to this, they
have felm, or coating, which can be suddenly
thrown down 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 penknife thrust into
the human eye. The felm is to protect the eye,
and the same thing exists to some extent, in the
eye Of the horse. The horse has large
eye, very liable to take dust This coating in
the horses eye is called the haw, or third eye
lid, and if you watch closely, you may see it de-
scend 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 projects, and ignorant persons cut it off, and
thus destroy this safeguard.
You all know, if you take pound Of
iron, and make of it a rod a foot long,
what weight it will support; make it hollow, and
it will support weight many times greater than
before. Nature seems to have taken advantage
Of this also, long before mathematicians had
discovered it, and all the bones of animals are
hollow. The bones of birds are large, because
they mast 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 phi
osophy If you take bag, make it ar-tlght
and put it under water, it will support lar &c
weight, say an hundred pounds. But twist it,
or diminish the air in it, and it will support no
such weight. Now, bird has such an air bag
When he wishes to descend, he congresses it
at will, and falls rapidly; when he would rise,
he increases it, and floats with ease. He also
has the power Of forcing air into the hollow part
of his body, and thus to assist his flight. The
same thing may be observed OF fishes. They
also have an air bag to enable them to rise or
sink in the water till they find their temperature.
If they wish to rise, they increase 1t; if they
wish to sink, they compress it; then down they
60 Sometimes the fish, in sinking, makes too
strong an effort to compress it; 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
floating on the surface, but must always be
caught at the bottom.
In this way are the principles of science ap-
piled to almost everything, You wish to know
how to pack the greatest amount Of bulk in the
smallest space. The form of cylinders leaves
large spaces between them. Mathematician
abored hard for a long time to find what figure
could be used so as to lose no space; and at last
found, that it was the six-slded figure, and alsC
that three-plane ending in point, formed the
strongest roof or door, The honey bee dis
covered the same things good while ago
Honey comb is made up of six-sided figures
and the roof is built with three-plane surface
coming to point.
If flexible vessel be cmptied Of air its sides
will be almost crushed together by the pressure
of the surrounding atmosphere And if tube
partly filled with fluid, be emptied of air, The
fluid will rise to the top, The bee understands
this, and when he cones to the cup of the tai
} honey and finds that he cannot reacl
the sweet matter at the bottom, he thrusts il
, his body, shuts up the flower, and then exhaust
the air, and so possesses himself of the dust ant
honey Of the flower. The feet of flies, and liz
ards are constructed on similar principle, AM
they thus walk with ease on glass or ceiling
& Their feet are made as to create vacuum
h beneath them, and SO they have the pressure 4
!. the atmosphere, fifteen pounds to the square inch
to enable them to hold on. The cat has tn
same power to less extent.
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turn themselves towards the sun, as it travel
round from Elst to West The sunAower doe
this, and so does field of clover The facts
i. though we have not yet got at the reason o
them, are still extremely interesting.
fl The Virginia creeper throws out lendrils i
the form of foot with fva toes; each toe ha
# large number Of hairs or spInes, which enter
., ing the small opening of brick or lime, swell an'
i hold OH; but when decaying, they shrink an
e the plant falls off. The vanilla plant of thu
g West Indies exhibits similar construction
II except that it winds itself around other OK
e jects
n The gastric juice is worthy of remark. 1t
a a tasteless, cooress, inodorous, lmpid fluid Xix
water, and is adapted, in different animals to dl
d ferent purposes In the hyena and other cai
q niVorous animals, it will dissolve dead flesh
is These creatures then live upon other animals
n and even bones ale soluble in their gastric juice
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