Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1880-06-10
THE zOoGYRosCopE.
Interesting Exhibition of Pho;
tOgraphs of Animals In
Motion.
ESan Francisco Call. ]

A private exhibition Of the zOOgyrO'
scope was given by Mr.. f. !. Muy.
bridge, the photographer, at the gallery
of the San Francisco Art Association
last teyening. Mr.. Mnybridge has been
engaged during the past two years IN
making Photographic representations
OF animals in motion, under the patron
age of Governor Leland Stanford, at the
residence OF the latter at MenlO Park.
Governor Stanford became greatly in
terested in the subject, and, gratifietl
by the maiden efforts OF ,Muybridge in
photographing the movements of his
fayorite trotting-hOrse, Occident, he
gave him carte blanche 10 pursue his ex-
periments. A number of instruments
we're constructed especially for the pur-
pose in Europe and this country, and
the Governors place, Palo Alta, every
facility was afforded for carrying on
his Investigations until finally, by the
combination Of the magic-lantern and
the zoogyroscope, he has arrived very
nearly to perfection. 1t is estimated
that Governor Stanford has expended
between $4,000 and $4,000 in this
"hobby," as some of his friends term
1t.
At the exhibition last evening large
number of views were given of the
different gaits of horses-the walk, the
carter, the pace, the trot, the run, &c.
The camera used in taking these views
caught the object and transferred it to
the glass in the one-thousandth part of
second-a degree of time that is diff
cult for the mind to comprehend.
Stonehenge and other writers on the
horse have asserted that that quadruped,
in urOtting, as in walking, always has
two of its feet upon the ground at a
time. The experiments of Muybridge
show that in motion the horse frequent
ly has three and al times all four feet
from, the ground: 1t has generally, too,
ground first. Muybridge shows that it
is in all cases the heel. The strides of
different horses were represented--that
of Elaine, which covered sixteen feet ;
and Clay, seventeen feet. The latter
horse, Muybridge said, had a very
peculiar stride. When at the top of his
speed, and clearing seventeen feet, he
was for nine feet entirely clear of the
ground, all four feet being In the air
for that distance. Several interesting
views were given, showing the change
In the position of horses limbs as he
began to break, during break, and as
he was gradually settled by his driver.
In the representation of running
horses, fact was shown that explained
what had long been Il mystery to horse
men: why running horses broke down
sooner than trotting horses. 1t was
found that the former throw the weight
of their body upon the fore feet-in
fact, the whole weight is, for a time,
thrown upon one fore foot. In leaping,
it was shown that one fore foot strikes
the ground first, followed by the other
placed slightly In advance, and then the
hind feet are brought down together
closely behind
What attracted the most tattentiOn-in
fact aroused a pronounced futtcr of
enthusiasm from the audience, was the
representation, by aid of the zoogyros.
cope, of horses in motion. While the
previous views had shown their posi-
tions at different stages of motion, these
placed upon the screen, apparently, the
living, moving horse. Nothing was
wanting but the clatter of the hOOfs
upon the turf and an occasional breath
of steam from the nostrils, to make the
spectator believe that he had before him
genuine fiesh-and-blood steeds. In the
views of hurdle-leaping the stimulation
was still more. admirable, even to the
motion of the tail as the animal gath
cred for the jump, the raising of his
head, all were there. Views Of an OK
trotting, a wild bull on the charge, grey.
hounds and deer running, and birds fly
ing In mid-air were shown. The zoogy.
roscope is a circular glass, having a
miniature picture of the animal to bt
represented in motion at regular inter
walls upon its surface, and equi-distanl
with these piethres are small slati
which admit the sight from the oxy.
hydrogen lantern, and as the plate II
turned the effect Is similar to that pro
duced by the well known toy the zoe
trope, and shows the animals in ap
parent gtual motion. The exhibition
concluded with number Of fine instan
taneoiis Photographic views of athelete
in various positions.