Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-05-30
Strength Of Insects.

1t has ofsen been remarked that animals Of
snail stature are by no means pr0portlonally
tho weakest Piny, in lis Natural History,
asseris that, in strength. the ant is superior
to all other creatures. Tue length and hight
oi the feas leap also appear quite out of pro-
psrt.on to lis weight. No very definite con-
clusion however, had hitherto been arrived at.
MIR. Plateau has settled the question by en-
pDyin. exact science as the test. Insects be-
longing to different sp- cics, placed On a pla u
surface have been made to draw gradual y
Increasing weights.
A mau of thirty, weighing on an average a
hundred and thirty pounds, can drag, accord
ing 20 Regnler, only hundred and twenty
pounds. The proportion of the weight drawn
TO the body is more than twelve to tbir-
teen. A draus ht-hcrse can exert, only for a
few instants, an fort equal to about two
thirds of his own proper weight The man,
therefore, Is stronger than the morse.
But, according To ". Plateau, the smallest
meet drags without cifhcnlty, five, six, ten,
twenty times its own weight, and more. The
cockchafer draws fourteen times its OWL
weight. Other coleoptera are able to put
themselves into equilibrium with force oi
traction reaching high as forty-swo times
their own weight. Insects, therefore, when
compared with the vertebrate which We en-
pl1v as beasts Of draught, have enormous
muscular power. III u horse had the same
relative streogth as IL donacla, the traction II
could exercise would be equIvaleD; 10 some
SKY thousand pounds NJ. Plateau has alsc
Ad uced evidence of the fact that, in the same
group Of insects, if you compare two lhsect'
no ably differing in weight. the snalles. and
ilghtest will manifest the greatest strength
To ascertain Its pushing power, NJ. Plateau
introduced the insect into a caro- paper tube
whose inner surface had been slightly rough
ened. The creature, perceIvlng the light al
lhe end through transparent plate which
barred it's passage, advanced by pushing the
latter forward with all its might and main
specially If exclted II little. The plate pushed
forward acted on lever connected with al
apparatus Tor measuring the effort made. lie
tins case also 1t turned out that the compar
afIve power OF pushing, ike that OF traction
II greater in propCrt on as the size and weigh
OF the insect are small Experiments 10 de-
t,cmine the weight which flying INSECT can
carry, were reformed by means of thread
with ball OF putty at the end, whose mas
could be augmented or reduced at will. The
resllt Is that during flight, an insect csnno
carry a weight sensIbly greater than that o
Its own body.
Consequently, man, less heavy than th'
horse mas greater relative muscular power
the dog, less be avy than man. drags d com
pArativeiy heavier burden. Insects, as the
weight grows less and les, are at le to dras
more and more. Ii would appear, therefore
hat the muscular torce OF hvIng creatures II
IN inverse proportion to their mass
But we must not forget that 1t ought to be
IN direct proportion to the quantity OF car
bon burnt IN their system. 10 put the law
eoupiately of douo., 1t would be Ueees
s.ry 70 determine the exacG weight of The fooC
consumed. and the quantity OF carbonIc acld
cisengaged in the act OF breathing. Some
chemist will settle it for US one of these dal
All the Year Round.