The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1856-05-03
Insect Power.

DR.. Chalmers, in one Of his Astronomical
discourses, alludes finely to the microscope,
as demonstrating Divine wisdom in the low
er walks of creation, as the telescope unfolds
it in the wonders of the heavens. The la
mina of a microscopic insect, proclaim the
existence Of an al-wiSe and omnipotent Gre
ator. The following extract from the E1-
celsior, an English journal, gives an insight
into some OF the marvels of thcinsect world.
"The muscular strength Of insects Is I'M
mcnSe. We once were surprised by a feat
performed by common beetle in the United
States We had put the insect, fer want Of
any box at hand, beneath quart bottle full
of milk upon a table, the hollow at the bot
tom allowing him room to stand upright.
Presently, to our surprise, the bottle began
slowly TO move and glide along the SIN 9th
table, propelled by the muscular power oi
the imprisoned insect, and continued ior
some time to perambulate the surface, to the
aston: :shment Of all who witnessed IT. The
weight Of the bottle and Its contents could
not have been less than three pounds and a
half; while that of the beetle was about halt
an ounce, so that it readily moved a weight
1l2 times exceeding its own. \ better no.
ton than figures can convey, III be obtain
ed Of this feat by supposing lad of fifteen
to be imprisoned under IT, great bell OF ST.
Paul's, which weighs y, 900 pounds, and to
move it to and fro upon a smooth pavement
by pushing within.
Mr. Newport has given other instances
Of insect power equally remarkable. Having
once fastened a small kind o.! CaraJUS, an
elegantly formed ground beetle, weighing
three and half grains, by silk thread 10
piece Of paper, lie laid weight on the lat
ter At distance of ten inches from Its
load the insect was able to drag after 1t, up
on an inclined plane OF tw enty five degrees,
nearly eigh,y-tiyc grains; but when placed
on plane OF five degrees inclination, It Grew
after it one pound and twenty-five grains,
exclusive of the friction to be overcome III
/ moving its load, as though Il man were to
! drag up a hill of similar inclination wagon
weighing two tons and hall, having first
taken the wheels of. y
/ Accordn- 10 ih same excellent authority
the stag -..t..-LpcgHUscerr been
known e. -.av a hole an inch IN diameter
through t..- s.tc of an iron canister IN which
it was confined, and on which the marks OF
its jaws were distinctly visible. as proved by
Mr.. Stephens, who exhibited the canister al
one of the meetings OF the chronological
Society.
Let Us look at the powers OF insects excr-
Observation-Disclosures wheel and play be
meath the ceiling for hours together, ord.na-
riiv move at the rate Of about five lect pei
second, but if excited TO speed, they car
dart along through thirty-tive feet IN thC
same blief space Of time. Now in this pc
Rod, as Kirby and Spence observe, i rae
horse could clear only ninety feet, which Is
at the rate of mere than mite IN 4 minute.
Our little fly, in her swiitcst fight, Will %
more than one-third Of mile. Now com
! pare the immense difference OF the size ot
The two aniuaals-ten millions .: the tiy
woCld hardly couuterpoise the ra -er-aEC
; how wonderful Will the velocity OF this mi
, mute creature appear Did the fly equal th'
I race horse in size and retain its powers II
the ratio Of IL magnitude. it would travers
the globe with the rapiijty OF lightning
+ Some OF the flies that haunt our gardens
I shoot along 80 rapidly that the eye canno
follow them Ia hight.
Nor are these tiny creatures less master
of ,irr arts @: rnnn.n9 and ieupins. DeLis.,
mentions fly 30 minute "a almost 10 bc III
visible, which ran n,ariy SIX inches IN
second, and in that space WAS calculated Il
: have made one thousand and eighty steps
This, according to the calculation CT Kirby
and Spence, Is as Il a man whose steps mea
surcd only two feet, should run at the IN
credible rate of twenty miles in a minute.
Every one has had occasion 10 observe
, not always without an emotion Of anger, tn,
leaplng powers of the hva--I'uttr arrttGns
\ bound OF two hundred times its owr
, length is q common feat, as if u man should
Jump twelve hundred feet, or quarter OF Z
mile 'Wh hat pity that insects we've no
allowed to be competitors in the athletic
games Of old.