The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-06-04
THE MOTION OF ANIMALS.
Some Curious Light Thrown ON "a
LittIe-knOwn subject by nnstan-
taneOus Photography.
From The San Francisco Call. ]


A private exhibition of the zoogyro-
scope was given by e. j. Muybridge,
the photographer. Mr.. Muybridge has
been engaged during the past two years
i'll making Photographic representations
of animals in motion, under the patron
age of Gov. Leland Stanford, at the
residence of the latter at Menlo Park.
Gov. Stanford became greatly interested
in the subject, and, gratified by the
maiden efforts of Muybridge i'll photo
graphing the movements of his favorite
trotting horse, Occident he gave him
carte blanche to pursue his experiments.
A number of instruments were con-
structed especially for the purpose i'll
Europe and this country, and at the
Governors place, Palo Alta, every ia
cility was afforded for carrying on his
Investigations, until finally, by the COM
bination of the magic lantern and the
zoogyroscope, he has arrived very nearly
ut perfection. 1t is estimated that Gov.
Stanford has expended between $40 900
and $4,000 in this "hobby." AT the
exhibition last evening large number
OF views were given of the different gaits
OF horses-the walk, the canter, the
pace, the trot, and the run. The camera
used in taking these views caught the
object and transferred it to the glass in
the first thousandth part of a second-a
degree of time that it is difficult for the
mind to comprehend. Stonehenge and
other writer's on the horse have asserted
that quadrupeds in trotting, rs in walk
ing, always have two of its feet upon the
ground at time The experiments
of Muybridge show that in motion
the horse frequently has three
and at times all four feet from
the ground. 1t has generally, too, been
held that the toe strikes the ground
first Muybridge shows that it is in all
cases the heel. The strides of different
horses were represented Abe Edgerton,
eighteen feet and Clay seventeen feet.
The latter horse, Muybridge said, had
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 interest
ing views were given, showing the
change in the position of the horses
limbs as he began to break, during. n
break, and as he was gradually settled
by his driver. In the representation OF
running horses a fact was shown that
explained what had long been a mystery
to horsemen-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 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 attention, in fact aroused a pro-
nounced flutter of enthusiasm from the
the audience, was the representation by
aid OF the zoogyroscope OF horses III mo-
ton. While the previous views had
shown their position at various stages
of motion, these placed upon the screen
apparently the living, moving horse.
Nothing was wanting but the clatter of
hoof upon the turf, and an occasional
the spectator believe that he had before
him genuine fesh-and- blood steeds. In
the views of hurdle-leaping the simula-
ton was still more admirable, even to the
motion of the tail as the animal gathered
for the Jump, the raising of his head,
all were there. Views of an OK trotting,
wild bull on the charge, grayhounds
and deer running and birds flying in mid
air were shown.